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To winterize or procrastinate

By Soren Johnson
Unbelievably, gold leaves are already spilling over the edges of our gutters. A/C window units – now silent – have yet to be moved to the basement. The entire yard cries out for a deep clean. The peeling back deck still needs that new coat of sealant. The other day I saw a friend (I’ll […]
10/7/15
Reading Time 3 min

The struggle to control the synod

By Russell Shaw
In years gone by, it was hardly unusual for periodic assemblies of the world Synod of Bishops to pass largely unnoticed by the media and just about everybody else. Not this time. The Oct. 4-25 Synod on the Family, the second to be held in barely a year, is being viewed with something approaching apprehension […]
10/7/15
Reading Time 3 min

Inspired to ask

By Fr. Matthew H. Zuberbueler
When we think of the teachings of Jesus we might be inspired and grateful that Our Savior, who knows us so well, thinks so highly of us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly refers to what was taught before giving what He came to teach and to make possible. For example, His teaching […]
10/1/15
Reading Time 3 min

The need for conscientious objection

By Russell Shaw
Let’s begin by recognizing that the case of the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because same-sex marriage conflicts with her religious faith raises questions that both sides in this argument need to take seriously. Up to a point, this particular dispute has been settled – more or less. […]
9/29/15
Reading Time 3 min

Asking questions

By Christina Capecchi
I’m reading a book that speaks to me as a journalist, Brian Grazer’s 2015 release A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. In it, the 64-year-old Emmy-winning movie producer recounts his practice of conducting “curiosity conversations” twice a month for the past three decades to fill up his knowledge reserve and walk in […]
9/29/15
Reading Time 3 min

Non-Catholic cantor?

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. I have attended a Catholic church with my husband for 15 years. I am not a Catholic, but I am Christian. We have raised our children as Catholic, and we all attend Mass each week. When I go up in the Communion line with my family, I cross my arms and receive a blessing. […]
9/29/15
Reading Time 2 min

Wedding Mass in a closed Catholic church

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. I am having a hard time understanding why a Catholic church closed by a bishop can no longer be used for Masses, weddings and funerals. For more than 100 years, this particular church – built by my great-great-grandparents – was considered sacred ground. Now my grandson wants to get married in that beautiful little […]
9/29/15
Reading Time 1 min

Hope for synod 2015

By George Weigel
The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family begins with Mass in St. Peter’s Oct. 4. No synod in modern Catholic history has drawn such worldwide press attention or generated such controversy within the church (with the possible exception of the special synod called by John Paul II to examine […]
9/29/15
Reading Time 3 min

To the mother at home: You are enough

By Elizabeth Foss
“Is it not enough,” she asked me earnestly, “to be a woman at home, caring for a family? Everyone around me has a job that enables her to contribute to her family financially. Even within the church, I’m bombarded every day with clarion calls to do more, to give more. And here I am doing […]
9/23/15
Reading Time 3 min

A time of change

By Fr. Jack Peterson, Ya
In our passage today from the Gospel of Mark, we might ask if Jesus was having a bad day. As a rule, Jesus exhorts His followers to live and He models for them the great virtues of compassion, gentleness, patience and tenderness. However, Our Lord is quite fervent in His speech today. Perhaps He had […]
9/23/15
Reading Time 3 min

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