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A population implosion?

By Richard Doerflinger
Remember when everybody worried about a “population explosion” filling the world with too many people? In the 1970s, this fear drove campaigns to legalize abortion and pour billions of dollars into birth control programs.   Now experts warn about the opposite. While birth rates remain relatively high in developing nations, they are lower than predicted. […]
8/3/17
Reading Time 3 min

Priest holes and history lessons

By Christina Capecchi
Nicholas Owen was canonized 364 years after his death. Such is often the case with the Catholic Church, charged with curating a 3,000-year treasure trove of saints and stories, rovers and relics. Owen’s tale is unlike any other. Born in Oxford, England in the mid-16th century, his devout family prepared him well for his remarkable […]
8/2/17
Reading Time 3 min

Our conversion and the Transfiguration

By Fr. Robert J. Wagner

The glory of Jesus was revealed on Mount Tabor in the dazzling brightness, in the presence of Moses and Elijah, and in the voice of the Heavenly Father coming from a cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him.”

8/2/17
Reading Time 3 min

Six deadly sins

By
One of my favorite criticisms of the church is that it is fixated on sex. “Why is the church so obsessed with what I do in the bedroom,” I will be asked with great seriousness.   I find the observation hilarious because I watch TV, read books and go to the movies. And guess what? […]
7/28/17
Reading Time 3 min

How are parishes welcoming young adults?

By
Recently, while in Rome, we asked a longtime Vatican journalist how she keeps her faith strong while covering the ups and downs of church life. She pointed to St. Peter’s Square behind her and remarked that “my faith isn’t lived out there.” She then added, “It’s lived out in my local parish.”   As readers […]
7/27/17
Reading Time 3 min

The pearl of great price

By Fr. Stanley Krempa
Gospel Commentary Mt 13:44-52   Most people at some point in their lives dream of “striking it rich.” It might be our imagining that we will win a lottery and how it would change our life. Many years ago, there was a program in the early years of television called “The Millionaire.” The program’s premise […]
7/26/17
Reading Time 3 min

The company of good people

By John Garvey
St. Bonaventure says, in his little treatise “Bringing Forth Christ,” “Seek the company of good people. If you share their company, you will also share their virtue.” With this thought in mind, we used to pay close attention to who our children’s friends were.   We encouraged them to invite kids to our house, so […]
7/26/17
Reading Time 3 min

Painful grace

By Elizabeth Foss
We close the covers of the beautiful book, and sit and look at each other. She sighs contentedly, the deep and satisfied sigh of a 10-year-old who has just heard the story of Beauty and the Beast translated from its original French. She sighs the fairytale sigh, the one that says, “They were good, but […]
7/26/17
Reading Time 3 min

What is a dean?

By Zoey Maraist

The Arlington Diocese is made up of seven geographical groupings of parishes, or deaneries. A dean, also known as the vicar forane, is a priest recommended by his peers and appointed by the bishop, usually for a five-year term.

7/24/17
Reading Time 5 min

Who speaks for Charlie Gard?

By Richard Doerflinger

A seriously ill 11-month-old child in Great Britain has garnered the attention of President Donald Trump and Pope Francis and sparked an international debate. 

 

7/18/17
Reading Time 3 min

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