A week before his pastoral visit to Cuba and the United States, and his visit to the White House, Pope Francis spoke of a civilizational shift that is occurring in our times—a pivotal moment in which the mission of Christian families will p … [Read more...]
How Priests Can More Effectively Evangelize Catholic Men
September 14, 2015 by Matthew James Christoff
Though the New Evangelization has been a major effort in the Catholic Church for over forty years, it has failed to stem the disastrous losses of the faithful in the U.S. The New Evangelization is faltering: since 2000, 14 million Catholics … [Read more...]
Preaching the Homily and the New Evangelization
June 13, 2015 by Deacon Peter Lovrick
Preaching in all its forms is indispensable to the Church’s mission given to her by Jesus Christ: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching the … [Read more...]
What Is the Spirit Saying through Pope Francis?
March 11, 2015 by Fr. Michael Najim
When I was in seminary, I learned in moral theology the importance of avoiding moralistic preaching. In short, moralistic preaching is when a priest simply states the rules. For example: a priest preaches that abortion is wrong and sinful; … [Read more...]
Witness “Begets” Witnesses
February 12, 2015 by Francis Etheredge
Introduction[1. The “witness” section of this paper (Part III) was given verbally to visiting seminarians from Minnesota as part of an Introduction to the RCIA at the Maryvale Institute, 2/22/2014 and the rest of this paper was given in sup … [Read more...]
Laying the Foundation for Forming Disciples in Our Parishes
January 29, 2015 by Fr. Matthew J. Albright
A recent mailing of the Franciscan University of Steubenville declares, “The age of casual Catholicism is over. The age of heroic Catholicism has begun.”[1. Fr. Terrence Henry, TOR, Franciscan University of Steubenville. ] Men and women sta … [Read more...]
Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology of Beauty and the New Evangelization
January 29, 2015 by Dr. Matthew J. Ramage, PhD
“I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth…are the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated.”[1. Joseph Ratzinger, “The Feeling of Things, the Conte … [Read more...]
Winter Reading for January 2015
January 29, 2015 by Book Reviews
New Evangelization: Passing on the Catholic Faith Today. Cardinal Donald Wuerl. (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2013) 91 pages. (Reviewed by Dr. Edward Peters) ______ A Future Built on Faith: Religious Life and the Legacy o … [Read more...]
A Pastoral Society
The Renewal of Catholic Culture and the Flourishing of Human Society
December 2, 2014 by Deacon Peter Trahan, MATh
Introduction In the Catholic intellectual community, there is a growing call for the renewal of Christian culture as a solution to the impoverishment of 21st century society. This intellectual movement has two momentums: on the one hand, … [Read more...]
The Eucharist: From Corinth to Liege
October 13, 2014 by Fr. Stanley Smolenski, SPMA
Many converts to the Catholic faith are surprised by the lack of devotion to the Eucharist evident among those attending Mass—their poor unconvincing responses to the liturgy, their matter of fact attitude at Holy Communion. As one such c … [Read more...]
The Problem with “A Personal Relationship with Jesus”
July 10, 2014 by Dr. Jay Boyd, PhD
... a baptized, confirmed Catholic who faithfully partakes of the sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Communion in the manner prescribed by the Church certainly has a “personal relationship” with Jesus, whether or not he or she uses that p … [Read more...]
Benedict XVI on Freedom in Obedience to the Truth: A Key for the New Evangelization
May 12, 2014 by Dr. Matthew J. Ramage, PhD
... the more fundamental task ... is to form human hearts, beginning with those who have already been evangelized and need to be “newly evangelized,” those who know something already, but are not living it; those who are showing up in the pe … [Read more...]
Catechetical and Pastoral Emphasis in the Apologetics of Frank Sheed
May 9, 2014 by James Iovino
Vatican II calls the laity to take a more active role in not just the worshipping life of the Church, but the teaching life, too. While Sheed agrees ... we evangelize best principally through a pastorally oriented and properly formed … [Read more...]
Poland Remembers: A Firsthand Look at Blessed John Paul II’s Impact on the People of His Homeland
May 9, 2014 by Christina Serena
The reason Pope John Paul II had more of an indirect spiritual impact on Poland than the United States is because his way of speaking about God, and his Church, is so fundamentally Polish. "Santo subito! Santo subito!" ("Saint now!") … [Read more...]
A Priest by Any Other Name
April 8, 2014 by Fr. Donald J. Planty, Jr., JCD
The nature of Holy Orders is both collegial and personal. Collegially, all priests are addressed as “Father” because all share in the one priesthood of Jesus, icon of the Father. Personally, each priest retains his own individuality, his ow … [Read more...]
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