Magazine

The Benedictus: Hope for Priests

Introduction: Intimidating Indicators When asked to preach to priests, I recall the advice of a bishop: “Preach hope. The guys need to hear a hopeful message.” Presbyterates needing hope is a theme I’ve heard for many years, perhaps becau … [Read more...]

A Letter to Senior Priests

Dear Fathers, Thank you for answering God’s call to be a priest and for your many years of active ministry in parishes, shrines, hospitals, schools, colleges, the military, retreat centers, and the missions. Thank you for all of the t … [Read more...]

Cooperative Catholic Elderly Living Experiments

Many Catholics, such as myself, who are old and living alone think about what our options are for better ways of life. We will often consult our pastors. Our greatest motivation is probably loneliness, but also the need to be taken care … [Read more...]

The Tragedy of Shamelessness

A New York Times editorial surfaced recently concerning the death of a famous “pioneer” in gay pornography. One might have expected some skepticism about this man’s accomplishments despite the cinematic quality of his work. Producers of porn … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – August 2023

Question: Does an erroneous conscience bind a person to act since it does not correspond to reality? The most difficult problem in contemporary morals is not the doubtful conscience, but—given the tendency in the subjectivism of the p … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – August 2023

Murmuring Against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies. By John S. Bergsma and Jeffrey L. Morrow. Reviewed by Fr. Peter Heasley. (skip to review) The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to … [Read more...]

Homilies for July 2023

For July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, and July 30 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 2, 2023 Readings: 2 Kgs 4:8–11, 14–16a • Ps 89:2–3, 16–17, 18–19 • Rom 6:3–4, 8–11 • Mt 10:37–42  bible.usccb.org/bible/re … [Read more...]

There but for the Grace of God

“O wonder of your humble care for us! O love, O charity beyond all telling.” Exultet One of the four Americans mentioned by Pope Francis in his address to the joint session of Congress on September 15, 2015 was Thomas Merton. Thomas Mer … [Read more...]

Vir Catholicus: Seminary Formation in Affective Maturity

The Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, written in 1992, was a major gift to priestly formation from Pope St. John Paul II. Most fundamentally, it was an encouragement to all involved in priestly formation to take seriously the human … [Read more...]

Just a Click Away: Morality for Gen Z

Offering Formation of Good Conscience

Generation Z, or the Zoomers, are those who were born between 1996 – 2010. Their parents are mostly Generation X. Although many developed countries are struggling with aging populations and declining birth rates, Generation Z (hereafter: G … [Read more...]

Rethinking Vocational Discernment

Nearly everyone reading this has probably heard something on the subject of vocational discernment. For those accustomed to Catholic terminology, these words may evoke images of a retreat for young people praying to find their path in life, … [Read more...]

The Importance of the Value of Reputation, Part I

Note: This article is derived from a part of the author’s JCD thesis, “The Right of a Cleric to Bona Fama” (Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, 2022). It is difficult to put a price on the value of someone’s reputation. Throughout Sc … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – July 2023

When Conscience Is Mistaken Question: Much has been made of the primacy of conscience today in morals. Even some bishops have claimed that as long as a subject is following their conscience, the Church must support their decision no matter … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – July 2023

In the School of the Word: Biblical Interpretation from the New to the Old Testament. By Carlos Granados and Luis Sánchez-Navarro. Reviewed by Sr. Mary Micaela Hoffmann, RSM. (skip to review) Jesus Becoming Jesus (Volume 3): A T … [Read more...]

Homilies for June 2023

For Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul Solemnity of … [Read more...]