E. Christian Brugger — who has three master’s degrees and a PhD in moral theology — regularly writes a column for the National Catholic Register on “Difficult Moral Questions,” from his Front Royal home. A parishioner of St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal, he and his wife, Melissa, have five children and have moved 19 times across the globe. He specializes in bioethics, sexual ethics and issues of moral cooperation.

Many have heard the quote, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings,” from the popular Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But unlike the winged angels perched over the Nativity creche, angels neither have wings nor resemble Renaissance cherubs, diocesan professionals say.