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...]
Questions Answered
March 2014
March 21, 2014 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Can you tell me the origin of the discipline of celibacy and why the Western Church puts so much emphasis on it? Has the Church changed its teaching on the subject of condom use to prevent the spread of the HIV virus? Question: In … [Read more...]
Our Lenten Imitation of Christ
Editorial for March, 2014
March 4, 2014 by David Vincent Meconi
...Lent is a time of imitating Christ ... a plan to follow Christ, led by the Spirit, to wherever he desires to take us. For the Church’s Season of Lent this year, Pope Francis has invited us all to reflect on the significance of 2 Cor … [Read more...]
“Where your synthesis is, there lies your heart.” An Early Look at Pope Francis’ Vision for the Church
February 21, 2014 by Fr. Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ
Jesus Christ is the center – the driving source – of the entire Exhortation. Those who have been called, and have accepted Christ are sent into their particular life’s world to spread his name, and to do it joyfully. The sentence: “Wher … [Read more...]
God Gave Burdens, Also Shoulders: A Yiddish Proverb
February 20, 2014 by Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP
In all of our lives, there are times when encouragement makes or breaks our stamina. Even when all is well, we know a deeper happiness if our efforts find appreciation. Recently, I came across a publication of the Mayo Clinic and was … [Read more...]
A Liberationist Pope
February 7, 2014 by Dr. Michel Therrien, STD
Read carefully: We should see in this critique (by Pope Francis), not an embrace of socialism, or a condemnation of the market economy, but a call to adopt a different ethic for the marketplace. Pope Francis is a Jesuit, a prelate from … [Read more...]
The Papacy: The Person Versus The Office
February 3, 2014 by David Vincent Meconi
What draws the secular media to the Vatican ... (for now) is the man who is able to translate these truths into action, and to proclaim our doctrine with personal conviction. It is one of those few moments forever emblazoned on my mind … [Read more...]
Where is Prayer for Christian Unity in Our Parishes?
January 19, 2014 by James Likoudis
Every post-conciliar Pope has emphasized, with Vatican II, that ecumenism is a necessary aspect of the Church's mission, and one involving the effort of all the faithful, clergy, and laity alike. It was once quite common for many C … [Read more...]
Time Magazine Nominated Pope Francis as “Person of the Year”
December 12, 2013 by JESUIT CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES
A Statement from the Society of Jesus on Time Magazine’s Selection of Pope Francis as Person of the Year Head of U.S. Jesuit Order Congratulates Pope on Honor December 11, 2013 — Pope Francis has been named 2013’s “Person of the Year, … [Read more...]
Understanding Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium”
December 12, 2013 by David Vincent Meconi
Evangelii Gaudium is ostensibly the Pope’s response to the Synod last October ... but it is much more than a simple reporting on what happened there. It is the outlining of the key themes Pope Francis hopes will constitute his po … [Read more...]
USCCB President Archbishop Kurtz Responds to ACLU’s Lawsuit
Statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
December 8, 2013 by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The Church urges respectful, compassionate care for pregnant women and their children. ACLU claims are “baseless” and lawsuit “misguided.” Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called a suit by … [Read more...]
Freedom in Our Souls
November 11, 2013 by Dennis Phua
We cannot exercise freedom from inordinate attachments unless we have accepted the purifications which are necessary to be freed from our self-centered instincts. St. Augustine This is salvation: to live in the consolation of the Holy … [Read more...]
Jesuitizing the Church: Under Francis, Would That Be So Bad?
September 26, 2013 by Fr. David M. Knight
Francis has made this strategy the most visible difference in the lifestyle he has adopted as Bishop of Rome ... rejecting ... the “riches and honors” that, over the centuries, have attached themselves to the papal office like barnacles to a … [Read more...]
What Happens to a Church When the Members Won’t Grow Up?
September 24, 2013 by R. Thomas Richard, PhD
The problem for the Church is ... the spiritual immaturity of men and of women in the Church, and the lack of guidance they are receiving on how to grow up to spiritual maturity as Catholic Christians. What happens to … [Read more...]
The Latest Book Reviews
September 23, 2013 by David Vincent Meconi
Early Fall Reading For September 2013 Reviews for the following books: SPOUSAL PRAYER: A Way to Marital Happiness. by Deacon Jim Keating, Ph.D., (Institute for Priestly Formation,Omaha, NE ) 54 pp. PB $6.95; and THE PARISH AS A SCHOOL O … [Read more...]
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