In the 2015 film, Brooklyn, there are a number of scenes in which young Eilis Lacey, a recent immigrant from Ireland, goes to several dances organized by her local church. There, she and her friends are courted by young gentlemen, one of … [Read more...]
Articles
Being Single in the Church
Pastoral Approaches to a Growing Demographic
April 27, 2016 by John O'Brien, S.J.
Serving LGBT Students in Catholic Schools
April 27, 2016 by Dan Guernsey
How do Catholic schools best serve students who struggle with same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria (popularly called “transgendered”)? What should a school’s policies prescribe in order to prevent confusion, disputes and even litig … [Read more...]
The Fundamental Option
A Faithful Student’s Guide to a Competing 20th Century Moral Theory
April 27, 2016 by Dr. Mark S. Latkovic
For years now in the post-conciliar period, the concept of the fundamental option—which some have likened to St. Thomas Aquinas’s notion of a commitment to an “Ultimate End” as the first principle of moral action (see Benedict M. Ashley, O.P … [Read more...]
A Comment on Vatican II’s Perfectae Caritatis and Its Aftermath
April 27, 2016 by Michael Petruzzelli
It has been 50 years since the close of Vatican II, and certainly the Church has found great hope for the future in the Spirit-guided accomplishments of that great ecumenical Council. The Church has experienced authentic renewal in her … [Read more...]
Evangelization & Scripture: The Pastoral Prerequisites for Mass
April 27, 2016 by Brandon Harvey
The Sacred Liturgy is “an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ” by which the sanctification of mankind is “signified by signs” “and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs … it is a sacred action surpassing … [Read more...]
Ideas for Pastoral Ministry from the Philosophy of Love of Dietrich Von Hildebrand
April 27, 2016 by Ronda Chervin, PhD
My Encounter with the Philosophy of Love of Dietrich Von Hildebrand In the year 1958, I was a young atheist philosophy major about to give up on finding truth or love—as I couldn’t find either truth or love at the non-religious uni … [Read more...]
And the Two Become One Flesh
A Model for Marriage and the Universal Church
April 14, 2016 by Veronica A. Arntz
The world is facing a crisis: the family, seen as the fundamental unit of society since the days of Cicero and Aristotle, is now crumbling at its very foundations. But this is not only a crisis for the world, as the secularization of the … [Read more...]
A Reflection on the Gifts of the Glorified Body
April 14, 2016 by Fr. Dylan Schrader
From the turmoil over sexual orientation and gender identity, to the questions of abortion and euthanasia, the significance of the body for human identity and well-being is before our eyes as much as it ever was. In Veritatis Splendor, Pope … [Read more...]
Salesian Reflections on Divine Mercy
April 14, 2016 by Rev. William J. Nessel, OSFS
St. Francis de Sales’ ideas on divine mercy contained in his Spiritual Conferences, the Treatise on the Love of God and the Introduction to a Devout Life, provide for a most worthy reflection this time of year. You may be content reflecting … [Read more...]
The Twin Treasures of Life and Love that Gush Forth from the Sacred Heart of Jesus
April 14, 2016 by Jayson M. Brunelle, MEd, CAGS
Using concepts derived from Aristotelian philosophy, Aquinas provides a tremendous insight into God’s essence by explaining how the latter is the sole Being whose “essence” and “existence” are one and the same: “... God is not only his own e … [Read more...]
The Shroud of Turin
March 23, 2016 by Raymond F. Hain III
The Shroud of Turin was on public display from April 19, 2015 through June 24, 2015 in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. More than two million visitors came to Turin from around the world to view the Shroud. “Some say t … [Read more...]
“Shrouded” in Mystery
A Theology of Holy Saturday
March 23, 2016 by Dr. Robert P. Miller
Holy Saturday is often the forgotten, and most neglected, day of Holy Week because it gets lost among the great liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. Holy Thursday celebrates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with the w … [Read more...]
“Do This in Remembrance of Me”
March 23, 2016 by Fr. James Swetnam, SJ
The Most Holy Eucharist is the heart of Catholic Christianity. The reason for this is obvious: the Eucharist generates the Mystical Body of Christ and the Mystical Body of Christ is the Church (The Catechism of the Catholic Church {CCC} … [Read more...]
The Sufferings of Jesus
March 23, 2016 by Brent Withers
When we see loved ones living a lifestyle that we know will only lead to misery and tragedy, not only for themselves, but also for all those whom their life touches, we are filled with sadness, and a certain helplessness. No amount of … [Read more...]
Contraception as a Lesser Evil
From Modern Moral Problems
February 29, 2016 by Msgr. William B. Smith
The following are excerpts from a new book which is a compilation of the writings of Msgr. William B. Smith who was a regular contributor to Homiletic and Pastoral Review, from October 1992 to July 2005, for the magazine's "Questions … [Read more...]
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