Last fall, I participated in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil at our local Planned Parenthood. It was the first time I had done this, and I was a bit fearful. (Will I get arrested? Will people yell at us?) On the contrary, the experience was humbling and incredibly moving. After the 40 Days […]
If you want to run with the true powerhouses of the world, look no further than the Girl Scouts. Put down that box of Thin Mints and think about it. How many grocery stores will let you set up a rickety card table outside their doors and sell, cash only, cases of ground beef or […]
[Editor’s note: This document was prepared on behalf of a group of Catholic parents to address issues locally that may also be going on elsewhere in the country. It is published here as a resource for parents who may find it useful.] Having chosen [a Catholic School] does not relieve [parents] of a personal duty […]
Shawn Carney, Campaign Director, 40 Days for Life There is NEVER a dull moment during a 40 Days for Life campaign. I am writing this message from an airport. I looked up a few moments ago and I saw someone wearing a 40 Days for Life shirt. As he got closer, I noticed he looked […]
Bishop Sheen was well acquainted with the media, through long years of experience. After beginning work as a priest in the 1920s, Bishop Sheen became a famous preacher. An elderly woman who had been a young lady in St. Patrick’s Parish in Peoria said that many of them would attend the Low Mass, early on […]
Today we travel across the Tiber into the Trastevere neighborhood to visit the church of Santa Cecilia. At sixteen, Cecilia, a Christian, vowed to remain forever a virgin. Her father, however, had different plans and arranged for her to wed Valerian, a pagan nobleman. She broke the news to her groom on the wedding night. […]
Part Three, Re-orientating Ourselves to Tradition — an Example: In the second article in this series, I discussed how the Church’s memory and identity were under siege after the Second Vatican Council vis-à-vis a “para-Council.” In this article, I use private revelation as an example to expand upon how Catholics were misled after the Second […]
Atheist activist Dr. Michael Newdow announced on his website that after 6 years of litigation in federal courts, his constitutional challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance in California public schools is “over.” Newdow indicated for “reasons that are best not divulged” that he would not appeal the case to the Supreme Court. That leaves intact […]
Tempus fugit. Time flies. “Mary, I don’t want you to get involved in anything at church for a year,” Richard asked nearly two years ago when we changed church parishes. We had moved because gas prices were high and our new parish was much closer – and our children loved the youth group at our new […]
Have you ever attended Mass angry at a member of your immediate family? And then you have to offer them peace! Thankfully, the sign of peace comes toward the end of the liturgy and I have usually calmed down somewhat by that point. Still, extending a greeting and saying those words “Peace be with you” […]
Editors Note: The two previous articles spoke of Lent as a time to “open wide our hearts to Christ” and “a time to listen to God’s voice.” This article will look at Lent as a time of true repentance and penance, but not just in words but also in our actions as well. The word […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95:1-2,6-9; Romans 5:1-2,5-8; John 4:5-42) Letting Jesus Set Us Free Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation Give me a drink (John 4:7). Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse into the power of God’s mercy and love. When Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a […]
Today is World Water Day. So, while you and I may mark this date on our calendar just once a year, Catholic Relief Services is devoted to ensuring that our poor neighbors around the world have clean water every single day. Safe drinking water should not be a pipe dream. That’s why we make access […]
“During the floods, we saw funerals for women who’d died of snakebites,” says Jaya Menon, a Catholic Relief Services staffer working in India during severe floods of autumn 2010. “The women had to wait till evening to go to the bathroom outside, and in the dark, they couldn’t see the snakes.” CRS projects that build […]
Another round of declassified FBI files on Senator Ted Kennedy has been released (click here and here). Fittingly, in Kennedy’s case, they once again raise all sorts of questions, from the moral to the political to issues of national security. First, however, allow me to pause with a sympathetic note. Among the documents within Kennedy’s […]
The Democrats in the Senate have been fighting a rear guard action, trying to obstruct the House Republicans in their drive for budget reform through a series of continuing resolutions (CRs) which are necessary to keep the federal government in operation during the current fiscal year. Some $10 billion has been cut from that budget […]
The Feast of the Annunciation (March 25th, nine short shopping months until Christmas!) reminds me of the response we might make to questions of faith. When confronted with these profound questions, we can dismiss them, we can scoff at them, or, even while not understanding, we can seek to know more. We can understand this […]
San Clemente, today’s station church, is one of the greatest places to experience Rome’s many layers. Here, a twelfth century basilica sits on top of a fourth century basilica which was built over a, possibly, first century house with a temple next door. In ancient times, it was often easier to build over previous structures, […]
Perhaps better known by it’s nickname, Santa Maria della Navicella, today’s station church is Santa Maria in Domnica. In the ninth century, a church was built here over the site of a third century house. The home, owned by a noblewoman named Cyriaca, was a meeting place for early Christians and a refuge for the poor. A […]
Imagine: you are ten years past customary retirement age. It’s time finally to kick back and relax. You live in a great city where everything is at your fingertips – shopping opportunities, cultural events, all your relatives and lifelong friends. Suddenly God appears and tells you to pack up, uproot your life, and march into […]
Yesterday we visited the church of Santi Apostoli. This is the church where candidates for the priesthood would go on Ember Friday to pray for guidance from the Holy Apostles. Today’s station church is Saint Peter’s Basilica, the place they came to be ordained on the following evening. We’ll visit this massive basilica again in a […]
My dear friends in Christ: On this Feast of Saint Patrick, I wish the entire Archdiocese of New York an abundance of God’s blessings. May our great patron saint intercede for us, obtaining from the Almighty Father all the graces that we need as disciples of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ! Is there one […]
An Ancient Kingdom Along the shore of Honshu I saw six mounds Where ancient kings were buried They are taboo And long established custom has it No one may delve or enter Centuries ago A wave rose from the sea And drowned their kingdom Now, on autumn nights The lights of their processions Flicker on […]
For the second time in a week I have run into the ugliest girls I ever met. I’m not being mean. It’s simply true — they’re hideous. Dubbed “Monster High Girls”, they are 10 inch or so fashion dolls and marketed to little children ages 6 to 12. They have been around since last summer, […]
