By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. Jan. 1, 2016, is a holy day of obligation. But our parish calendar shows that next year, Jan. 1 will not be a holy day of obligation – i.e., Jan. 1, 2017. If holy days are so important, why do some oblige Mass attendance while others do not? Doesn’t this send a message that […]
1/8/16
Reading Time
2
min
By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. At Mass recently, I was stunned by a statement made by the deacon who was giving the homily. That has made me wonder whether deacons have sole independence when preparing remarks or if the priest exercises oversight. (City of origin withheld) A. On the parish level, the pastor has the ultimate responsibility for the […]
1/6/16
Reading Time
1
min
By Elizabeth Foss
I’ve been looking forward to this new year, eagerly anticipating the calendar change, setting my hopes on a new digit in the “year” column making all things new. I’m not sorry to see 2015 slip away. I hear the drumbeat, steady and rising, propelling me forward: We can do better. We can do better. We […]
1/4/16
Reading Time
4
min
By Russell Shaw
With the election of a new president less than a year away, at least one thing about the outcome seems reasonably clear: Whoever the winner turns out to be, a majority of the voters identifying themselves as Catholics will probably have voted for him or her. That’s been the pattern for a long time now, […]
12/29/15
Reading Time
3
min
By
For one day this Advent, Dec. 18, Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville lifted people out of their 21st century lives and took them to ancient Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Jesus. Margi Loesel, Lisa Gogal and Carrie Hall, all friends and parishioners of Holy Trinity, wanted to bring the real meaning of […]
12/23/15
Reading Time
1
min
By Ashleigh Buyers
Saint Nick himself made a special pre-Christmas appearance at St. John the Evangelist’s annual Breakfast with Santa fundraiser event. But instead of arriving in his bright red sleigh, he arrived in a yellow helicopter, a first in the event’s history. The Air Care four team from Front Royal escorted the “jolly old elf” in their […]
12/22/15
Reading Time
1
min
By Fr. Matthew H. Zuberbueler
People who know a lot about history and language say that the word “teenager” is relatively new. The word is used frequently today in our society, and its use can invite a grimace, a response that can show how little we expect from this specific group of people. The scholars of the ancient and biblical […]
12/22/15
Reading Time
3
min
By Soren Johnson
New Year’s Resolutions, Inc.-surging in a bull market as I write these words-may appear benign but it propagates a Doctrine which should offend and scandalize every Christian. I should know. I was once a loyal foot soldier, disseminating its pamphlets. I used to be a card-carrying member of the Doctrine and its Party. The Doctrine […]
12/22/15
Reading Time
3
min
By George Weigel
We American Catholics are, in the main, notoriously uninterested in our own history. So it likely escaped the notice of many that Dec. 3 marked the bicentenary of the death of John Carroll, one of the greatest who ever lived among us. The adjective “first” is applied to John Carroll more frequently than to any […]
12/21/15
Reading Time
3
min
Water and fire