Commentaries
Parishes need to welcome and involve their young adults
Elise and Christopher had different experiences of Catholic life -- some good, some not -- but both see the necessity of getting young adults involved in the parish, beginning with the parish council.
Bishop Nelson Perez and a new moment for Catholicism
Hosffman Ospino writes that the naming of the former Philadelphia priest as the first Hispanic bishop of Cleveland, and of the entire Midwest, is a historical milestone and good news for U.S. Catholics.
Health care needs fixing, not the scrap yard
A guest editorial argues the universal health care system in the U.S. should be fixed for the 20 percent of it that isn't working, not repealed for the 80 percent that is. It's taken 150 years to get here.
Hope endures as four Bucks County boys are laid to rest
One might expect hopelessness in the wake of the recent murder of four young men. But as Matthew Gambino found at the funeral Mass for Jimi Patrick, faith and hope are accompanying his friends on their journey.
Jesuit journal’s essay was an overreaction to a questionable problem
Even if an "ecumenism of hate" exists someplace, it is hardly the huge problem two Rome-based authors imagine, writes Russell Shaw, who cites a growing convergence of views among Catholics and evangelicals on social issues.
Civilta Cattolica misses richness of Catholic-evangelical relations
There is much to admire about the relationship, writes Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen. Problems arise when those on either side, or both, force their partisan issues into social ecumenism or apply their political infighting skills to it.
Lessons in simplicity when the ground crumbles away
The simple life of Benedictine monks living on a California mountain has become much harder as rock slides threaten their monastery and livelihood, writes Maureen Pratt. Hardship is "what we train for," the prior said.
A Mass confusion, or sign of unity amid difference?
Seeing a "Balkanization" of Masses in one parish, Greg Erlandson doesn't think we need a "My Mass is better than your Mass" argument, but instead a recognition of blessed diversity in the liturgy.
Who speaks for Charlie Gard?
Richard Doerflinger explains how American law best reflects Catholic teaching with regard to a British baby boy with a serious illness. The courts should let Charlie live in the embrace of his loving family.
Almsgiving isn’t just for Lent
Father Eugene Hemrick saw the wisdom as his mother gave away all of his deceased dad's tools. Sacrificing one's personal goods to help others is mercy par excellence and a road to joy.