Bridging the Gap: 3-2-1
Bishop David Zubik invites the faithful to reflect upon two “snapshots” this Lent–Jesus going into the desert, and where we are at this present moment in life.
A vaccine for our soul
Father Rich Jones, a chaplain at UMPC Mercy, reflects on how faith is helping patients and families get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn from St. Joseph
Pope Francis has declared this as the Year of Saint Joseph. We can be inspired by Joseph’s example of obedient service.
African American spirituality enriches
Black History Month offers an opportunity for all Catholics to learn about African American spirituality.
Bridging the Gap: One Nation, Under God
Bishop Zubik’s monthly column calls for us to unite as neighbors.
Take 5 with Father Steve Neff: All in the family
A personal look at priests who help form us.
Spiritual inspiration for Latinos
In his monthly column written for the Latino community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Jorge Vela offers a reflection on ways to grow spiritually.
The Year of Saint Joseph
Columnist Father Frank Almade on the Year of Saint Joseph
2021: A time to stop, a time to start
When we make New Year’s resolutions, we should ask, what should I stop doing? What should I start?
Coaching lessons from a pandemic
Our soccer team learned new lessons playing during the pandemic.
Technology and ethics
Faith traditions have not been an obvious source of inspiration for tech firms, which tend to be run by hard-driving entrepreneurs whose empires were forged by mastering complex computer processes rather than philosophy.
Vigilia, a Christmas Eve dinner to remember
December 24! For me, as a youngster up to and including today, it is my most special day of the year. More important than my birthday, or my ordination anniversaries or my vacations.
Sharing God’s grace in 2021
Beginnings, such as the New Year, are important because they set the tone for everything that will follow. In sacred scripture we often find the human race is suspended between a blessing or a curse. Our destiny remains a question because the outcome is uncertain.
Passing the Faith
Each week in his post-game news conference, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin assesses the performance of his team by saying, “There is nothing perfect about our play but our record.” He means that though the scores show we have not yet lost a game, the opposition is waiting to dethrone us. The same holds true for our life of faith.
An Exile’s Advent
Each Advent, we usually reflect on variations on common themes: prayerful reparation for the coming of Christ, or excited anticipation of the arrival of our savior, or patience practiced by pregnant women. But in this uncommon year of 2020, my thoughts gravitate to a theme rarely explored by Christian preachers—exile.
“Bridging the Gap”: An Extraordinary Year
In an ordinary year, many of us would be busy making plans for celebrations with family and friends for Thanksgiving. We would be preparing to travel or getting the spare bedroom ready for an important visitor. But 2020 has been an extraordinary year.
Ministry to African Americans
Few Black Americans are Catholic, and few American Catholics are Black. No one should be satisfied with this. Members of all parishes, not only those with a large percentage of African Americans, should reflect on how this came to be and why it persists. It can’t be dismissed as “just the way things are.”
Secret of the Saints
One of my favorite patients is a man I’ll call Enzo, a 91-year-old with a full head of hair who emigrated from Italy to West Virginia when he was 25. A widower for more than a quarter century, he still delights in life.
Bridging the Gap: Christmas Eve 2019
Our Holy Father’s newest encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti, is a call for all human beings to live together as sisters and brothers, sharing with and caring for each other. Its many pages offer us much to reflect on, and each reader will likely find one message or another particularly meaningful or urgent.
Take 5 with Father Dan Waruszewski
One day while Father Jim Bachner was saying Mass, I had a profound sense that some day I needed to be on the other side of the altar, saying Mass.
Faithful Chronicles
I was working in a diocesan office when “Greek Wedding” came out, and remember one of my staff raved about it. So I went to see it. It was laugh-out-loud funny, so I told all my friends about it. Word of mouth.
Bridging the Gap, with Bishop Zubik
Over the past six months you and I have learned a lot about worshiping “remotely.” We learned how to Zoom for prayer meetings. We learned to FaceTime and YouTube our Masses. We longed for the day when we could return to Mass—as many of you are already able to do. We are making the most of being remote.
Take 5 with Father Joe Mele
The desire to be a priest, to love God and neighbor, to be bound more closely to Christ and to spend myself entirely for souls is the cause of my joy.
Catholic Social Teachings and African American Communities
Resilience is the defining characteristic of the African American experience, yet it is rarely acknowledged by politicians nor is it highlighted in mass media. Resilience is the thread that runs through our lives and it has sustained us for more than 400 years.
Take 5 with Father Adam Verona
1. How did God call you to the priesthood? People ask me this question often and my answer is always the same: I have wanted to be a priest for my whole life, ever since I can remember. From the time I was a little boy, I have been fascinated with the figure of Christ and […]
A Catholic understanding of “Black Lives Matter,” with Fr. Matthew Hawkins
It is a curious thing that the cry “Black Lives Matter” is met with so much opposition and misunderstanding outside of African American communities. This cry means many different things to different people, but it is grounded in reality and in a specific and concrete history and in contemporary social experiences.