Columns

Introducing your friends to Mary

By David Mills

The Mother of God, she is to us an example, a friend, a mother, the Queen of Heaven. She’s someone to whom we turn in trouble and sorrow, someone who intercedes for us at the highest... More

Pope: Christians called to aid poor

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — At a time when “situations of injustice and human pain” seem to be growing around the globe, Christians are called to “accompany the victims, to see in...

Healthy boundaries help to prevent abuse

Our lives are made up of a series of relationships — including relationships between family members, colleagues, peers, acquaintances, mentors, our friends and other people in our lives.

Ahead of 2020 election, campaign stresses civility

WASHINGTON — Rancor in politics, especially these days, may be the norm, but a national effort is underway to remind people that civility in political discussions is a virtue. The U.S.

Moving forward

One of those sentences that sets me off is, “We always used to do it this way.” Or any use of the verb “used to.” We say this often. “That new pizza shop is...

What does aridity mean in the life of prayer?

To answer this question, we need to ask another one: What caused this aridity (dryness, lifelessness) to occur? From a human perspective, it may be due to apathy, discouragement or fatigue.

Rediscover the saints

One of my favorite courses in the seminary was hagiography, the biographies of the saints. Nothing excited me more than studying the lives of these heroes of our faith. In every century God has...

Praise for St. John Henry Newman

“Otherwise, we’re going to come in for some loud throat clearing,” said a Protestant writer in the comment box. He objected, very politely, to Bishop Robert Barron calling the...

The saints, your BFFs

“The church in heaven is All Saints,” explained English priest and writer Ronald Knox. “The church in purgatory is All Souls. The church on earth is all...

Pray the rosary, pope asks

VATICAN CITY — Told that some people think Pope Francis isn’t exactly a fan of the rosary, Jesuit Father Federic Fornos practically shouted, “What?” “Pope...

Defending life: We have to start somewhere

Every four years since 1976, the Catholic bishops of the United States have issued a statement helping the faithful to “interpret the signs of the times” as our country approaches a...

Grooming: Psychological, physical and community

The Protecting God’s Children program highlights three important tactics that child abusers employ to get closer to children so that they can molest them, called grooming techniques. It is...

Righteous among the nations

She died just three weeks ago, at the age of 99 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Diet Eman was a hero you probably never heard of. I hadn’t. Her story appeared on the Accidental Talmudist...

Doxing: What is that?

On June 20, the Washington Post reported, “Ex-Senate staffer sentenced to 4 years for ‘doxing’ GOP senators in Kavanaugh confirmation fight.” The newspaper article relayed...

Happy Anniversary

Anniversaries not only remind us about our past, they also challenge us to determine what we value in the present. This past Labor Day, the Diocese of Pittsburgh hosted the 60th annual Mass...

U.S. Encuentro process blazed a cultural trail

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ call for church of missionary disciples who go to the peripheries to listen and accompany those most in need may have seemed radical and new at the start...

Serve one God

Every morning I sit in the front bedroom of our house and iron my clothes for the day. The ironing board is in front of a large window, so while I am ironing I can see my neighbors as they emerge...

Belief in aliens not so far out for some Catholics

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...

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...