Commentaries

Live Aid Put the Fun in Fundraiser, Left a Legacy of Unity

Forty years ago, the all-star concert event raised money for famine relief. Participant Matthew Gambino remembers that day at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium as a call to unity that echoes to the present.

The ‘Big Bill’ in Congress Imperils the Poor, U.S. Bishops Warn

Writer Matthew Gambino takes a close look at the letter that a group of Catholic bishops sent to U.S. senators last week about the problematic provisions of a bill now in its final stage of review.

This Summer, Include a Catholic Pilgrimage on Your Family’s Trip

Whether your family is planning a vacation far away or staying local, Sarah Albanese suggests using the time to visit a Catholic church or shrine and make lifelong spiritual memories.

Catholic Teachers Make Pilgrimage of Courage for Racial Healing

A pilot program by “New Encounters: Catholics Confronting Racism” invited 18 teachers from local Catholic schools to tour sites of significance to Black Catholics in Philadelphia and address ways to heal from the sin of racism.

One Culture, Three Religions

On a tour of Spain with interfaith leaders, Msgr. Gregory Fairbanks reflects on how at one time Christian, Muslim, and Jewish residents of the country lived and worked together, and how more unites people than divides.

Goodness, Truth, Beauty Remain Amid Year of Changes at Seminary

Bishop Keith Chylinski reflects upon St. Charles Borromeo Seminary’s move to its new campus, his own time as its rector, and the endurance of God’s abundant grace.

Pope Francis Renewed Our Commitment to the Common Good

The leader of Interfaith Philadelphia, Abby Stamelman Hocky, looks back on the late pope’s 2015 visit to the city as a moment when people of all faith traditions were awakened by his humble call for collective responsibility for social action.

Pope Francis Called All to Mercy of God Through Missionaries of Mercy

Msgr. George Majoros, the first of 10 archdiocesan priests commissioned by the Pope in 2016 to forgive sins generously, reflects on the late pontiff’s special experience with God’s Divine Mercy.

The Pope of Hope: Reflection From a Catholic Young Adult

Aaron Lemma’s life was changed by Pope Francis -- Laudato Si’ was his guidepost, and a Jesuit-Franciscan approach to leadership is his aspiration. The Pope has died, but the Holy Father’s example remains alive in the work of countless people.

Fire of Faith Has Been Lit in France; it Burns Here Too

The numbers of converts to the Catholic faith are rising in the U.S. and are way up in France, marked mostly by young adults who didn't grow up in a Catholic culture. They seek the Lord, and have been found, writes Matthew Gambino.