Co-Responsibility, Personal Vocation, and Charism Discernment

In a 2009 address to the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the mission of the laity in our times by introducing a new term into the Church’s parlance: co-responsibility. The term has both ecclesiological and p … [Read more...]

A Cross Like Yours: Perspectives On Infertility

According to the CDC,[1. www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/infertility/index.htm.] about 6 percent of married women in the U.S. between the ages of 15 and 44 fit the medical definition of “infertility,” that is, being unable to conceive a chi … [Read more...]

Discerning the Gift of Priestly Celibacy in Relation to Marriage

Every candidate to the priesthood, even those in the Oriental rites where celibacy is optional, must discern whether God is offering them the “precious gift of priestly celibacy.”[1. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 16.] In the Latin rite, priesthood … [Read more...]

Doing Ministry for the Sake of the Apostolate

In the fifty-plus years since the close of the Second Vatican Council, the Church has witnessed a rapid growth of lay ecclesial ministry, of members of the lay faithful participating in a wide variety of ministerial functions and roles in … [Read more...]

Father, Receive These Gifts

Pope Francis, in his 2016 annual meeting of the pontifical academies, called for local parishes to be “oases of beauty, peace, acceptance.” This is consistent with the Church being “Mother of us all” (Gal 4:26) — a place where all can be fed … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – July 2020

Catholic Marriage: A Pastoral and Liturgical Commentary By Edward Foley, ed. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) Vocation to Marriage and the Christian Family By Thomas McGovern. Reviewed by Matthew Rose. (skip to … [Read more...]

Accompanying, Discerning, and Integrating Weakness in Marriage

Chapter eight and its footnotes of Amoris Laetitia begins with the above title and has been pilloried extensively by much of the people of God’s thinkers due to some ambiguities in light of sacred Tradition. However, the title is a m … [Read more...]

Pastoral Care of Women Who Have Left the Convent

In the fall of 2014, I got on a train to enter the convent. I was happy and healthy, with an intact family, great friends, a list of accomplishments I was proud of, and no history of mental health trouble, having passed my psychological … [Read more...]

The Heart of a Priest

St. John Vianney

Father Patrice Chocholski is the successor of St. John Vianney as the pastor of the Parish of St. Sixtus in Ars, France. In July of 2018, Fr. Patrice brought the relic of the heart of St. John Vianney to the United States on a pilgrimage … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – January 2020

Infallibility and Canonization Question: Pope Francis recently canonized Pope Paul VI and Oscar Romero. Can you explain to me how canonization relates to the infallibility of the Pope? Answer: This is an important question because the … [Read more...]

Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear

Lessons from the First Pope

Saint Peter is perhaps the most fascinating, lovable, and relatable apostle. The insight which Scripture provides portrays this very fact, for the Gospels depict an amusing yet awe-inspiring image of a humble and sincere, bold and fearful … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Question: When we do not have enough consecrated bread for Holy Communion is it permitted to dip unconsecrated bread into consecrated wine? Does the Council of Trent give special permission in this regard? Answer: I am constantly amazed … [Read more...]

The Diaconal Call to Spiritual Martyrdom

The Foundation of the Servant Mysteries of Christ

“Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[1. Matthew 20: … [Read more...]

Re-evaluating the Diaconate

The Liturgical Potential of the Deacon

Robert Cardinal Sarah, the Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, delivered a riveting, yet controversial, address to the attendees of Sacra Liturgia Conference in Rome in July 2016. The Prefect … [Read more...]