Columns

Belief in aliens not so far out for some Catholics

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — More than 2 million people RSVP’d to a recent social media invitation to “storm” Area 51 in Nevada, in the hope of discovering whether alien life or... More

The language of love and service

During a recent Catholic conference, I saw a Scripture quote on a poster that read: “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet...

Addressing suicide

People got upset. Last week the Associated Press ran a story about an elderly man in Seattle who was dying of cancer and decided to get help to end his life. You can do that legally in Washington...

Bishops, Parkland survivors together on gun violence

WASHINGTON — After the mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Feb. 14, 2018 — this century’s Valentine’s Day...

Recalling the harrowing trip to and across the border as a child

WASHINGTON — Bessy Jovel takes deep breaths, sometimes gentle gulps to talk about the trip of almost 2,000 miles she made as an 8-year-old from El Salvador to the U.S.-Mexico border almost...

The Real Presence: What do Catholics believe and how the church can respond

WASHINGTON — Do Catholics believe that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ? A Pew Research Center survey released Aug. 5 found that nearly 70 percent of Catholics...

In honor of the worker

Labor Day now pretty much means “the holiday that marks the end of summer.” Few people observe it as a celebration of labor, or know that labor unions first thought it up. Union...

To whom shall we go?

How do we live and remain faithful in the Catholic Church during a time of scandal? History teaches us that the community of believers called church have often done scandalous behaviors.

Reading Scripture with a grateful heart

The ideal way to read the Scriptures is to be informed by them and at the same time to be formed through them to live what we believe. Formative reading happens when we approach sacred texts as...

'Every day is a chance to start a new chapter'

A year ago, I sat on my couch, watched the news of the grand jury report, and sobbed. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and my heart ached for the victims, their families, the clergy,...

It's all part of the package

Fellow Pittsburgher Ronald Donatelli wants to tell his evangelical Protestant friends that Catholics are much worse than they think. He shared a “gotcha” post on Facebook. It’s...

Learning to trust in providence

For the past year, we Little Sisters of the Poor have been celebrating the 150th anniversary of our congregation’s arrival in the United States. Our sesquicentennial year will...

Exploring how faith groups can combat hate

WASHINGTON — Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers came face to face with hate and escaped its wrath Oct. 27, 2018, when it walked into the most unlikely of places: through the doors of his house of...

Driving under the influence of Jesus

There is a very powerful prayer from the 14th century called the Anima Christi, which means “the soul of Christ.” The prayer is still widely used today, usually after people receive...

The solitude of retreats

Many Catholics ask how they can deepen their prayer life and the awareness of the divine presence in everyday life. In a recent column (June 14 issue), I discussed how retreats play an...

Faith-based organizations shine light on human trafficking

WASHINGTON — At age 9, growing up in Cameroon, Evelyn Chumbow had dreams of coming to the United States, thinking she’d live like the characters in TV shows such as “The...

Put down the phone. Pray.

Sometimes you had to stop my parents’ car by pulling off the road and slamming on the brakes. It would keep accelerating until you did. You had to rev down the engine so you could drive away...

Vaccines preserve 'moral health' of communities

ALBANY, N.Y. — Measles, chicken pox and other diseases are making a comeback as more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children out of the fear of side effects, especially with...

We have an opening

Things are grim, kind of like the Pirates’ season before the winning streak. Maybe not quite Baltimore Orioles grim, 7,000 games out of first-place grim. But bad. I mean the decline in...

The Eucharist, our strength

On Father’s Day, June 16, I received a call from a man who lives across the country, and I have known him for more than 30 years. He was victimized sexually at the hands of a priest as a...

Concert marks 25 years of Vatican's ties with Israel

VATICAN CITY — Plaintive pleas and rousing, rhythmic recognitions of God’s goodness filled the air at Rome’s main synagogue as Israeli and Vatican officials celebrated 25 years...

Talk with youth about boundaries and safety

The information learned in this article will assist caring adults and parents with establishing and maintaining safety guidelines and principles to ensure all children are protected, and that...

Papal news conferences yield little tidbits

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ inflight news conferences are arguably less newsy than when his pontificate began, mostly because he has been insisting the past few years that most of the...

Two good summer reads

At the beginning of summer, a couple of suggestions for books to read. They’re not exactly beach reading. They’re books with meat on their bones, as my grandmother said about things...

Go deeper on retreat

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I want to experience a richer prayer life and a fuller life of devotion. I want to live my faith in a more meaningful way?” These thoughts are...

This summer let young and old climb aboard the same canoe

My fondest memories of summer are the times spent with my favorite aunt at her cottage nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. As a middle-school teacher, she had a gift for relating to kids in a way...