Columnists

Russell Shaw
1

Pondering the Future of American Catholicism

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Two new books by thoughtful Catholic authors take deeply different views of the future of American Catholicism. Both deserve serious pondering. One of them is called Why Catholicism Matters. The subtitle tells it all: “How Catholic Virtues Can Reshape Society in the 21st Century” (Image Books). It’s the work of Bill Donohue,  feisty president of […]

Cheryl Dickow
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Making a Mystic a Doctor of the Church

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With the October 7th announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will pronounce that 12th century German mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen is a doctor of the church—as well as announcing that same honor being bestowed upon St. John of Avila—there is a renewed interest in the understanding of “mysticism” with our church. The church’s history with mystics actually […]

Fr. Frank Pavone
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Respect Life Month Brings Rich, Inter-related Themes this Year

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Happy October! And what a month it will be! There are various powerful observances and events this month whose themes reinforce one another and the overall mission of the Church on behalf of human life. It is, first of all, Respect Life Month. It’s a time to let the pulpits roar with the Church’s Biblical […]

Marybeth Hicks
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It’s Up to Parents to Pull Plug on Internet

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A week ago, after I gave a speech to a parent group, a mother with a difficult issue approached me. It was something she didn’t want to discuss in front of her school community during the question-and-answer session. “Basically,” she whispered, “my daughter is totally addicted to Facebook. She is on it all the time […]

Cheryl Dickow
5

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

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A gorgeous jacket caught my eye as I was flipping through an issue of a fashion magazine, trying to find the “perfect” haircut—you know, just cute enough to say I am still “fashionable” yet not too cute as to say “I’m 54 years-old trying to look 30.” The jacket was what I would call “car […]

Marybeth Hicks
2

Look Out for Eroding of Parental Authority

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It’s been an eventful week at the intersection of parenting and politics, that busy corner where decision-making often is affected by the onslaught of traffic from social engineers, liberal educators, public health experts, and civil rights activists who know better than parents what’s best for their kids. Several news stories seem to indicate that America’s […]

Marge Fenelon
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G’head, Tell ‘em You’re Catholic

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It always happens. The person in the seat next to me on the plane asks, “So, where’re you headed?” Then I’ll say, “Oh, I’m headed to a conference.” Then they’ll ask, “So, what kind of conference?” Then I’ll say, “Oh, a Catholic such-n-such conference.” And then I’ll receive one of three responses: 1) Their smiles […]

Cheryl Dickow
1

The Catholic Woman Voter

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“The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of women is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women […]

Louie Verrecchio
2

Respect for Islam a Disservice to Peace

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Following the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, reported that it was a spontaneous act carried out by a Muslim mob moved to anger by an anti-Islamic movie trailer. It now seems rather clear that the video is being exploited by the […]

Russell Shaw
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Synod of Bishops and the Year of Faith

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Listen to Archbishop Rino Fisichella and at first you might suppose that the new evangelization was a pretty simple affair. Declaring the “path” of evangelization to be clear in Scripture and tradition, he puts it like this: “We are called to renew the proclamation of Jesus Christ, of the mystery of his death and resurrection, […]

Marybeth Hicks
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Academic Liberalism Replaced with Leftism

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The Twitter exchange between my son and me captures the frustration of college students (and parents) all across America: Jimmy: “Teacher just suggested that we read The People’s History of America. Who doesn’t love biased liberal opinions to start the mornin #shootme” Me: “Howard Zinn!? Awesome! Your indoctrination has begun. #soproud #occupyyourliberalcollegeeducation” From the elite, […]

Louie Verrecchio
2

The Prickly Catholic Vote

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In the days immediately following Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate, the Catholic blogosphere was all abuzz with excitement, but it was also filled with much hand-wringing over the Wisconsin congressman’s alleged attachment to the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Now, I’m not talking about liberals in Catholic clothing like James Salt […]

Cheryl Dickow
12

Five Friends a Woman Needs

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Recently God brought into my life a woman who I now call “friend.” I spent some time with her recently and as I left I was buoyed by our visit. It got me to thinking how perfectly she fit into my life and reflecting on the question: What sort of friends does a woman “need” […]

Colleen Carroll Campbell
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A Different Brand of Liberated Woman

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Thanks to President Barack Obama’s contraceptive mandate and Catholic concerns about its impact on religious liberty, Catholic women have emerged as this year’s most coveted and scrutinized swing voters. At last week’s Democratic National Convention, they heard copious testimonials about Obama’s pro-woman credentials. Particularly pointed were the appeals from Caroline Kennedy, who invoked her Catholic […]

Marge Fenelon
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The Name that Changes Water into Wine

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We recently celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. The seed of this feast day was planted in sixteenth-century Spain, and was extended to the universal church in 1683 by Pope Innocent XI, in honor of Sobieski’s victory over the Turks in the siege of Vienna. The Church teaches that, ”This motherhood of Mary […]

Cheryl Dickow
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How to Start a Women’s Bible Study

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A woman asked me how to start a Bible study for her friends in her parish. After that a young college girl inquired about starting a Bible study in her sorority. That was followed by a mother wanting to begin one, in her home, with her friends. It got me thinking…How many women would like […]

Louie Verrecchio
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The Homosexualist Movement: Another Threat to Religious Liberty

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Please forgive me for waxing apocalyptic, but lately I’ve been thinking an awful lot about the end times prophecy that speaks of how those who refuse to worship evil will be impeded in the free exercise of commerce simply because of their beliefs. Why, you may ask? In case you haven’t noticed, that persecution is […]

Fr. Frank Pavone
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What Do You Mean By Abortion?

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The election season is in high gear, and it is my personal priority between now and November 6 to educate and mobilize as many voters as possible to make a difference in the voting booth for the protection of our unborn brothers and sisters. Our family of ministries at Priests for Life is busy publicizing […]

Dr. Paul Kengor
5

God, Democrats, and the Europeanization of America

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The battle at the Democratic convention to exclude God from the party’s platform is no minor moment. Do not underestimate what transpired there. And while it speaks to so many things, at many levels, it reminds me of the recent battle within the European Union to exclude God from the EU constitution. That comparison is […]

Russell Shaw
1

Kansas City Bishop on Trial

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Thanks to media, American Catholics will soon be treated to another sad chapter in the story of clergy sex abuse. In fact, that may already have happened. Without little advance notice, the trial of Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City, Mo., for supposedly not moving fast enough to tell authorities about a troubled priest […]

Marybeth Hicks
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A Miracle Pearl

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Ruth and Eric Brown didn’t expect anything to be wrong. At 20 weeks pregnant, Ruth had no indications her baby was anything but perfect. So they were completely unprepared for what they learned at a routine obstetrical ultrasound: Their third child, daughter Pearl Joy, was profoundly underdeveloped. Pearl was diagnosed in utero with alobar holoprosencephaly […]

Cheryl Dickow
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I am a Weakling

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My name is Cheryl. And I am a weakling. That’s the kind of group I want to be in: the kind of group where we each take the stand and own up to who we are—who we really are. Not the avatars we put out in the world through our blogs and our tweets; but […]

Louie Verrecchio
14

Cardinal Dolan: Bewildering No More

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In light of the now well-publicized Al Smith Dinner, a number of Catholic commentators, me included, were moved to question Cardinal Dolan’s resolve relative to his handling of politicians who are hostile to the Church. I now feel duty bound in conscience to repent of my presumptuousness. You see, to suggest that His Eminence lacks […]

Colleen Carroll Campbell
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Democrats are the True Abortion Extremists

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With fewer than three-dozen reckless words uttered in a local television interview, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin managed to do what President Barack Obama, erstwhile Obama cheerleader Sen. Claire McCaskill and the entire Democratic Party have struggled unsuccessfully to do for months now: Knock the Republican Party off message and distract voters from their own failed […]