Category: Essays & Profiles
Mission by Mission: A Soldier’s Journey of War, Faith, and Healing by Jane M. Bailey
A new memoir processes the pain of war and its aftermath. Featuring an interview with author TB Stamper.
Words and Music: On the Work of Niall Williams by Leonard Engel
Novelist Niall Williams renders the essence, the spirit of place, of an Irish parish at a particular moment in time.
When Coming of Age Was Horror Time by Joe Pagetta
I’d never put together who I was then with the Catholic writer I am today until I went back and listened to those songs.
Evaluating the Synod, Part III: The Jesus Story Is the Answer by Gene Ciarlo
We need the voice of the faithful to remind us all, and especially the Catholic Church hierarchy, where we have gone wrong.
Jesus as a Priest for Our Time according to the Order of Melchizedek by Fr. Bob Bonnot
An excerpt from a new book on the priesthood from Fr. Bob Bonnot, as well as a video interview with the author.
“God Is Good to Us” by Michael Ford
Michael Ford recalls his friendship with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died last month at age 90.
The Tenacity of Hope by John Alonzo Dick
Beginning the New Year on a note of hope.
A Christmas Story in Another Pandemic by Michael Harank
A family gathered in a small room of a public hospital for the poor recalls the love, mercy, and compassion of the first Christmas morning.
Beginning with Reality: The Pope’s Visit to Greece and Cyprus
Drawing attention to the root causes of migration, especially well-financed wars and the arms trade.
Evaluating the Synod, Part II: Catholic Catechesis and Spiritual Growth by Gene Ciarlo
Our current models of religious instruction are not preparing young people to contribute to a synodal church.
Catholic associations promoting a “do-it-yourself” synodal program
A joint effort between the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests and the Catholic Committee of the South aims to include those on the margins of the synodal process.
Evaluating the Synod, Part I: The Church Gathers Its People by Gene Ciarlo
In spite of commendable preparatory work for the synod, follow-up is sorely lacking in excitement, inspiration, enlightenment, and awakening prompted by the Spirit of God.
Mixed Messages: Recapping the USCCB Conference
By threatening to politicize the Eucharist, the bishops cast a pall over their recent assembly and amplified the divisions already rending the nation.
See, Judge, Act by John Alonzo Dick
Cardinal Joseph Cardijn's exhortation to "See, Judge, and Act" is a valuable tool for navigating our contemporary world.