Ten years ago, I would never have guessed I would be on Facebook. The internet age has provided us a way to communicate with others all over the world. When I first joined Facebook I assumed it would be a way to see family pictures of grandkids and that’s about all, but I have found […]
Fathers Felipe and Paulo Lizama, two twins saved from abortion when it was legal in Chile, are now both Catholic priests. The siblings say their mother’s determination to protect them in her womb fostered their vocations. “My mother was told to abort because the baby she was carrying had two heads, three legs, and four […]
When I grow up, I’m going to be a priest and a policeman.” “I want to be a nun who rides horses and sings. Can a nun have babies?” “Mummy, when I grow up I’m going to marry you.” I smile as I remember these statements made by some of my children when they were […]
Is Pope Francis our first anticlerical pope? Technically speaking, he isn’t–his two predecessors also were more or less critical of clericalism–but he is well on his way to being the most outspoken one. Consider a widely circulated quote from a 2011 interview he gave while he was still Cardinal Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. In case […]
Three men, brave and determined men, took that final leap into a new life; complete with new titles, responsibilities, and new homes today….never to be the same again. But they prepared for this over a seven year-span, immersed in the spiritual, biblical, and examples of those around them. They definitely had the support from family […]
Question: Hi Mary! I’m 16, and discerning. At the moment, I feel God wants me as a sister, but I’m still unsure. There’s a guy I know who has expressed his interest in me, and I feel the same way. I’ve asked several people if it would be wrong to date if I felt drawn […]
Indonesian websites describe the country as a tropical paradise and ecological wonderland. Its lush forests, mist-enshrouded mountains, and palm-studded beaches draw visitors from all over the world. Komodo National Park, covering a large aquatic and terrestrial area between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, is one of the most ecologically diverse regions on earth. The […]
Television is discovering the Bible makes for good viewing. In addition to The History Channel’s airing an epic 5-part Bible series, the second season of The American Bible Challenge game show begins this Thursday, March 21 at 9 pm EST on GNS. Hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, this fast-paced, one-hour game show pits Bible loving groups […]
The heart of this simple sinful man aches today as our Church bides the Holy Father a prayerful farewell from the visible throne of Peter. It is often said that we rarely appreciate those who are in our midst until they are no longer with us. No doubt, this will be the sentiment with respect […]
In most Catholic communities, “discernment” is a buzz word. Normally when I hear this word, my mind automatically connects it with another word: vocation. To be honest, this word used to frighten me. Every time I would hear the word at Mass or at another gathering, anxiety would soon follow. The following thoughts would stream […]
“While the Lord continues to raise up examples of radical conversion, like Pavel Florensky, Etty Hillesum and Dorothy Day, he also constantly challenges those who have been raised in the faith to deeper conversion.”—Pope Benedict XVI, at his next-to-last General Audience, this morning in the Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City Benedict Reaches Out […]
Each year, Inside the Vatican magazine chooses 10 people we believe are examples of great courage, fidelity to the Church and heroic Christian charity. Our choice for “Person of the Year”: Pope Benedict XVI. He passed through the crucible of the “Vatileaks” scandal and continued to preach the Gospel, in season and out of season… […]
The continuing dissent of the Catholic left from the fundamental tenets of the Catholic Church is not a news flash, and to be clear, the dissent did not start with the campaign leading up to the 2012 election. But the campaign and election did produce a clarification as many Catholic politicians, Catholic university professors, prominent […]
In “Nightmares and Dreamscapes from the Desert,” a These Stone Walls post during Lent last year, I wrote of a recurring dream I’ve had throughout 18 years of imprisonment. The dream had multiple variations and outcomes, all of them anxiety producing, but one version in particular seemed to be an archetype for the dream’s central […]
The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) reports the former Reverend Roy Bourgeois has been formally notified of his dismissal from his religious community and the priesthood. Bourgeois is a vocal proponent of women being ordained priests. In 2008, he participated in the simulation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders involving a woman. Shortly thereafter, says the […]
If you mention the word “celibacy” on your local street corner today, you will probably not get a favorable response. It will more than likely spark a conversation about recent tabloid news involving sex scandals, homosexuality, or other negative publicity. Or, it may conjure up images of monasteries, cobblestone streets, and oil filled lamps. And […]
The cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints gave the “go ahead” on December 10 for Paul VI’s beatification, Italian Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli reported on his Vatican Insider website on December 14. “The late Pope’s Positio – the collection of documents used in the process by which a person is […]
In 1958, a congenial old man, Angelo Roncalli, was elected to the chair of Peter. He was to be a caretaker pope, someone to keep the ship steady while the cardinals identified a more long-term leader. That smiling old man soon stunned the world by calling the first ecumenical council in nearly a hundred years. […]
This article marks the beginning of the “In the Trenches” series, which examines the efforts of average Catholics to combat the culture of death. If you have a story to share, a victory to highlight, or a promising pro-life project, e-mail Philip Primeau at (Enable Javascript to see the email address). Although the fight to […]
For half the 20th Century, Saint Padre Pio suffered the wounds of Christ. All of them, including the cynicism of doubt and the tyranny of false witness. In the August-September issue of Inside the Vatican magazine, Australian journalist Paul MacLeod has a fascinating article reviewing two books by Paul Badde, The Face of God (Ignatius Press 2010) […]
In 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned a 1.8 million dollar study, popularly known as the “John Jay study,” to uncover the patterns and causes of the sex abuse crisis since 1950. The National Review Board—the entity designated to implement the study—gave the first John Jay report in 2004. In this report, […]
The Catholic Press Association’s June convention handed out lots of awards, but none was for covering the story of Catholic priests falsely accused. This is Part II of a post I wrote [on my blog] at this time last year entitled “The High Cost of Father Marcial Maciel and Why I Resent Paying It.” To […]
From 1945-1959, Mrs. Ida Peerdeman of the Diocese of van Haarlem (Amsterdam) claimed to receive private revelations. The claims became known popularly as “Our Lady of All Nations” or simply “Amsterdam.”[i] The case was examined by the local Ordinary of van Haarlem, Bishop Johannes Huibers, who decided the claims were not supernatural in origin. His […]
For Part I of this series, go here; for Part II, here. When I was a little girl, like all little girls, I was interested in naming and categorizing my relationships. You could be my friend, or you could be my best friend, and those things were totally different. I also had a temporary category […]
