ach-logo-en.svg

Columns

America’s cultural polarization

By Russell Shaw
Although the wave of battles now underway in several parts of the country over religious freedom laws and LGBT rights may come as a surprise to some people, it shouldn’t. At least since last year’s Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, and probably longer than that, it’s been clear that something like this was bound […]
5/17/16
Reading Time 3 min

Duties of a deacon distributing communion

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q: Recently I attended a youth Mass in another diocese, which was celebrated by an elderly priest, assisted by a deacon. The priest was evidently infirm, and at Communion time, the priest retired to a chair while the Eucharist was distributed by several of the students as well as by the deacon. The deacon, who […]
5/12/16
Reading Time 2 min

A document both maternal and pastoral

By Russell Shaw
Now that the dust stirred by publication of Pope Francis’ new document on marriage and the family has started to settle, it’s time for assessments that avoid the overwrought tone of some early responses. Here, then, some preliminary thoughts. Shortly after the document was released, I got a phone call from a reporter in Rome […]
5/12/16
Reading Time 3 min

Can I throw away religious ‘junk mail’?

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q: I receive, on a daily basis, mailings from multiple religious organizations requesting monetary help. Often they include address labels, holy pictures, prayers cards, etc. I feel guilty just trashing them, so I collect them and when the pile gets big, I mail it to one of the organizations, hoping that they will know how […]
5/11/16
Reading Time 2 min

The ‘Francis effect’ on wedding planning

By Christina Capecchi
It had been a long Thursday, and Brooke Paris couldn’t wait to take off her heels, peel off her contacts and wipe off her make-up. She changed into her pajamas, climbed into bed and opened her MacBook to the pope’s new apostolic exhortation. “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) was released two weeks after Brooke’s […]
5/10/16
Reading Time 3 min

Tongues as of fire

By Fr. Jack Peterson, Ya
Something enormously significant happened to Jesus’ followers 50 days after the Resurrection. St. Luke recounts that day in the Acts of the Apostles by using intense images and language. “And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there […]
5/10/16
Reading Time 4 min

Remembering moms, dreams of motherhood lost

By Katie Scott
My son was born late last May, and this will be my first Mother’s Day with him outside the womb. Since my husband and I met later in life and I had health issues in my 20s, I don’t take motherhood for granted. I’m blessed to be showered with love and hugs every day, but […]
5/4/16
Reading Time 2 min

The joy of the Ascension

By Fr. Robert Wagner
St. Luke’s account of Our Lord’s Ascension into heaven is rather terse: “He parted from (the Apostles) and was taken up to heaven” (Lk 24:51). It is puzzling why St. Luke offered so little description of this singular event in history and great mystery of our faith. The next verses of Luke’s Gospel are puzzling […]
5/4/16
Reading Time 3 min

Homily shopping

By Soren Johnson
Garrison Keillor once described a type of sermon that is like watching paint dry on a barn. Several years ago while observing paint dry in a now-forgotten parish in a far-off diocese (to be clear, Father Mosimann, this was another diocese), I glanced around at my fellow laymen and saw that most of them had […]
5/4/16
Reading Time 3 min

Popular

Popular