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Columns

Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics

By Russell Shaw
The Christians of first-century Corinth must have been a rowdy lot. St. Paul, writing to these converts, chided them for their less-than-edifying manner of celebrating the Eucharist and added a stern warning: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body […]
12/8/15
Reading Time 3 min

New CD counters secular spin to Advent season

By Beth Griffin
RYE, N.Y. – The secular world ignores Advent, begins celebrating Christmas the day after Halloween and packs up the holiday before the New Year, Paul J. Murray said. The director of music at a midtown Manhattan parish thought the Advent message was getting drowned out by the noise of commercialism, so he decided to make […]
12/4/15
Reading Time 3 min

No reality TV show

By Christina Capecchi
The wedding that Tyler Schwandt and his fiancee are planning could’ve been broadcast on national TV. But he’s perfectly content with a quieter, more intimate wedding Mass. The 23-year-old Catholic from Rockford, Mich., has the distinction of being the firstborn of 13 boys, the family whose improbable boy streak went viral with the 12th pregnancy […]
12/2/15
Reading Time 3 min

Living with a jealous Father

By Soren Johnson
“For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God.” I was helping my 6-year-old with her religious education homework the other evening when we came across this verse, tucked away within the 10 Commandments. All these years, I’ve skimmed over it as if it was some residue from the old King James translation, a […]
12/2/15
Reading Time 3 min

It’s not Christmas yet

By Elizabeth Foss
Just moments ago, I sat here in irritated frustration while a colored spinning wheel spun and spun and spun. It must have been 30 seconds or so. An eternity, really, in Internet time. I could barely sit still for the time it took to load a blank page upon which to write. We don’t wait […]
12/2/15
Reading Time 3 min

Heeding the call of Pope Francis

By Msgr. Charles M. Mangan
Of all the things that Pope Francis has said and done during his still brief pontificate, his insistence that we extend mercy to others as God has shown mercy to us remains front and center. It is no wonder, then, that the Holy Father announced the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy that will begin Dec. 8, […]
12/2/15
Reading Time 4 min

A patron saint for children: St. Nicholas

By Thomas J. Craughwell

An entire book could be devoted just to the patrons of children. More saints have been assigned to watch over infants, little boys and girls, and adolescents than any other group, perhaps because they are the most vulnerable members of the human family.

The saint with the longest history as patron of children is St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra and one of the most popular saints of all time.

12/2/15
Reading Time 3 min

The greatest gift

By Fr. Stanley Krempa
Imagine a motion picture that begins with a sweeping panorama of all the centers of power in our society: brokerage houses, banks, government offices, huge universities, skyscrapers, media studios and military bases. Then, it cuts away to a desert scene where one man shouts out words whose saving power is heard at first by only […]
12/2/15
Reading Time 3 min

Vatican Nativity scene, tree to be unveiled early for Year of Mercy

By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY – The Christmas tree and Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square will be set up and unveiled earlier than usual this year to be ready for the opening of the Year of Mercy. In preparation for the extraordinary event, which begins Dec. 8 with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s […]
11/30/15
Reading Time 2 min

Year of Mercy, Christmas, fill pope’s calendar

By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis’ calendar of Masses and prayer services for December and January are a combination of annual Advent and Christmas celebrations and added events for the beginning of the Year of Mercy. In St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass and open the […]
11/30/15
Reading Time 2 min

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