Category: Essays & Profiles
Editorial: Our Collective Fragility
However we choose to modify our behavior in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it will be rooted in a new understanding of our interdependence.
Women and Power in Catholic Ministry by John Wijngaards
In a church context, the supreme power of love is Christ’s power brought to us through the eucharist and the other sacraments. May we deny people that power because ancient prejudice judged women unfit to channel it?
The Nun Who Stopped Riots on the Streets of Belfast by Michael Ford
A profile of a tireless peacemaker. “I would like to be on the same wavelength with everybody, finding unity with every human being and, above all, unity with God.”
Faith in a Time of Chaos by Deacon Thom Crowe
Practical wisdom for ways to grow in faith during this global pandemic.
A Plea for Priority: The Crisis of Climate Change by Jane M. Bailey
The Association of US Catholic Priests, the Catholic Climate Initiative, and numerous other groups are leading the response to the climate crisis. Here is what you can do to help.
Divine Maternal Power by Christine Schenk
People who live close to the earth have much to teach us about living in harmony with a fractured world beloved by God, who in Pope John Paul I’s words is “our father; even more he is our mother.”
Christopher Dawson and a Catholic Philosophy of History by Roger Karny
Notes on a philosopher who felt that the biggest trial of our time was the way in which Western culture must learn to integrate its passion for freedom with the need for unity.
Beauty, Fragility, and the Icon of Tenderness by Michael Ford
There is a relationship between a gentle God and his beloved creation, no matter our disadvantages, inadequacy, or fragility. Living a contemplative life helps us appreciate these connections.
A Lenten Assessment of the State of the Church by Ed Burns
Are we, as a community of Catholic believers, being faithful to our vocation to be the presence of the Risen Christ in the world?
Editorial: “Think Bigger”: On Bishop Robert W. McElroy and the Conscience of the Catholic Vote
Catholic voters are called to reconcile spiritual and civic life in the lead-up to the 2020 elections.
Connecting Church and Labor by Clayton Sinyai
Pope Leo XIII, in the encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), saw that modern society was dividing into two classes: owners of capital, whose wealth consistently increased, and hired workers, who were pressed toward poverty by highly competitive labor markets.
Contemplation Roots Authentic Revolution by Alex Mikulich
We may miss that this seasonal and societal dark night, so fraught with brokenness in our minds, bodies, and spirits, is God’s milieu of prayer.
From Child Star to Hospital Chaplain by Michael Ford
"One of life’s lessons is that intense pain takes each of us on a highly personal journey—we’re alone with it and have to muddle through in the hope that the sunshine will one day make its way back into our lives."
Small Groups and Social Justice by Claire N. Dale
Opportunities for learning, listening, sharing, and social justice outreach abound in a New Jersey parish.