ach-logo-en.svg

Columns

Do Catholics still receive the last rites?

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. A few years ago, we lost a son who was 50 years old. We had called his parish priest to administer last rites. When the priest arrived at the hospital, our son had already passed. When we asked about the last rites, he told us that they don’t do the last rites anymore. Did […]
3/9/16
Reading Time 3 min

God’s response to sin

By Fr. Robert Wagner
One of the most beautiful characteristics of Our Lord is His hunger for souls. The Son of Man became incarnate to free us from sin and offer us eternal life. His suffering and death on the cross show the lengths that He will go in order to save us. During the season of Lent, and […]
3/8/16
Reading Time 3 min

The conflict within the conflict over the Supreme Court

By Russell Shaw
To no one’s particular surprise, the process of filling the Supreme Court vacancy created by Antonin Scalia’s death has morphed into a huge Washington-style power struggle. What may not be so obvious is that the struggle is actually three struggles in one. These layers of meaning are worth examining for the light that sheds on […]
3/8/16
Reading Time 3 min

You get to write the story

By Elizabeth Foss
“You get to write the story.” The first time I said it this week was via text message to a boy in despair. You get to write it. You’re the hero of your story, and you get to decide how it unfolds. He wasn’t buying it. The second time, it was a whisper into a […]
3/8/16
Reading Time 3 min

Learning to listen again

By Effie Caldarola
I was sitting in a reconciliation room once, confessing my usual garden variety list of sins when I was suddenly aware that the priest was gazing out the window. Being reflective, perhaps? No, I was fairly sure he was daydreaming. I left my confession with the feeling that I was forgiven by God but ignored […]
3/8/16
Reading Time 3 min

The nun who kissed Elvis

By Christina Capecchi
Dolores Hart was 19 when she filmed her first movie scene: kissing Elvis Presley. The aspiring actress was dressed in a polka dot dress with her honey-brown hair swept in a ponytail. He wore a denim jacket with the collar turned up, his glossy bangs grazing his brow. They were directed to kiss again and […]
3/7/16
Reading Time 3 min

Three reasons for priests to be celibate

By Russell Shaw
Speculation and trial balloons floating lately over the Vatican walls suggest that Pope Francis wants to open up a discussion of married priests in the church. According to reports, this will be the topic of the next world Synod of Bishops in a couple of years. Yes, I know the church already has some married […]
3/2/16
Reading Time 3 min

The three journeys

By Fr. Stanley J. Krempa
The parable of the prodigal son is a perfect match for the season of Lent and for this Year of Mercy. The characters in the story are ones with whom we can all identify – the wasteful son, the forgiving father and the elder son. These are not simply storybook characters but roles each of […]
3/2/16
Reading Time 3 min

What ‘Friday Night Lights’ got wrong

By Mary Beth Bonacci
How did we ever live without Netflix? I work out on my treadmill in the mornings. And now, thanks to the the iPad and the wonders of online entertainment streaming, I can binge-watch TV shows while I’m exercising. My current binge is “Friday Night Lights.” It’s a good show about high school football in a […]
3/2/16
Reading Time 3 min

Father-son challenges

By Soren Johnson
“We cannot depart here unchanged,” said Father Paul D. Scalia in the funeral homily for his father, Justice Antonin Scalia. Indeed, as I listened to a son reflect on his dad and glimpsed the justice’s nine children and 36 grandchildren at the funeral, something about Justice Scalia’s fatherhood confronted me. “I have found his death […]
3/2/16
Reading Time 3 min

Popular

Popular