'The Testament of Mary' tells an intriguing though not always convincing story. It's main character—and to an extent its only character—is an old woman fretting about her past as she tries to get the facts straight.

From poet Dana Gioia, powerful meditations on loss and the redemptive power of beauty

The diaries of Yves Congar, the single most important theologian of Vatican II.

An appraisal of Margaret Farley's groundbreaking and controversial work of moral theology

Marilynne Robinson's new book of essays offers a rare combination of wisdom and beauty.