All Opinion Posts
How to help Catholics come back to church
Posted on April 13th, 2012Why do Catholics leave the Church? It’s a fair question that occupies the minds of Church scholars and leaders. It also occupies the hearts of people sitting around kitchen tables because almost every Catholic knows another Catholic who does not practice his or her faith.
A son or daughter, sister or brother, parent, loved one, friend [...]
The federal mandate and the crushing of religious freedom
Posted on April 13th, 2012On Jan 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a mandate placing first amendment rights and religious freedom in the crosshairs.
The mandate, as a provision of ObamaCare, requires “preventive health services” to be covered by all health insurance issuers and all group health plans. Those insurance plans must provide (with no [...]
HHS Mandate: The More It Changes, The More It Stays the Same
Posted on March 2nd, 2012Since the announcement of the Department of Health and Human Services mandate that would force religious employers to violate their consciences and pay for abortion-causing drugs, sterilization and contraception, much misinformation has been bantered about regarding health care, Catholic Church teaching and the impact this new regulation will ultimately have.
On Feb. 10, the Obama Administration [...]
Lenten sacrifice an act of ‘living for others’
Posted on March 2nd, 2012The beautiful and familiar “Peace Prayer” attributed to St. Francis of Assisi concludes, “It is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
This prayer, although timeless, offers all of us a directive for Lent. It touches on the core [...]
What are you going to give up this Lent?
Posted on March 1st, 2012The Lenten rules about fasting from food and abstaining from meat have been considerably reduced in the last forty years, but reminders of them remain in the fast days on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and in the abstinence from meat on all the Fridays of Lent. Beyond these common sacrifices that unite us spiritually [...]
Lent should be time of grace, defeating temptation, Pope says
Posted on February 22nd, 2012VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The 40 days of Lent are a time of spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter, but they also are a time to recognize that evil is at work in the world and even the Catholic Church faces temptations, Pope Benedict XVI said.
The Pope explained the meaning of Lent during his weekly [...]
Nickels, dimes and family size
Posted on February 21st, 2012A few years ago, I spoke with a young man preparing to get married. His aunt told him that she thought he and his fiancée were too financially-strapped to have a child, and that it wouldn’t be fair to bring up a baby in poverty. Keenly aware of his joblessness and his minuscule bank account, [...]
Six more things everyone should know about the HHS mandate
Posted on February 13th, 2012This first appeared in the USCCBlog, Feb. 13.
1. The rule that created the uproar has not changed at all, but was finalized as is. Friday evening, after a day of touting meaningful changes in the mandate, HHS issued a regulation finalizing the rule first issued in August 2011, “without change.” So religious employers dedicated to [...]
Free exercise no longer free or exercisable
Posted on February 7th, 2012By now you’ve heard of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) religious liberty-violating mandate that employers must cover sterilization, abortion-causing drugs and contraception. The directive includes no real regard for religious beliefs or dictates of conscience, and will be applied to nearly all employers, including Catholic schools, hospitals and charities.
Never stop telling the stories
Posted on January 25th, 2012Many years ago, I was listening to a homily, where the priest urged the congregation: “Never stop telling the stories.” He was reminding us that it was our responsibility, some as the elders, and some as someday to be elders, to tell the story of our history; to tell the story of our heritage. We [...]
