Commentaries
Farewell to press: Student newspaper folds, priest fumes
Jesuit Father William Byron is sad to discover the University of Scranton's newspaper is going digital only. This collegiate generation's writing skills are lacking, and the students' decision is no cause for excitement, he writes.
Parents wring hands as engaged son moves in with fiancée
Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain offer some points for a married couple to discuss, in a calm manner, about cohabitation and the covenant of marriage.
A road trip to the resurrection
Bethany Welch, who leads the Aquinas Center in South Philadelphia, tells the story of a mother and son from Africa -- who settled happily here then fled to Canada in fear -- in the light of sadness changed into new life at Easter.
A volunteer’s experience can inspire a new generation
If you are young, want to volunteer and share the core values of spirituality, simple living, community and justice, Jesuit Volunteer Corps might be for you, writes alumna Effie Caldarola. But JVC's funding is threatened.
An open letter to President Trump: It’s time to govern
A Catholic editorial urges President Trump: Forget about the drama, which your opponents love, and focus on the tasks at hand. So many thought you could never get elected. You proved that you could. Now, prove you can govern.
South Sudan is desperately crying out for the world’s attention
The world's newest country remains destitute, violent, barely democratic and now facing a war-induced crisis of mass starvation that could impact 5.5 million people. Pope Francis might not travel there, but the country should not be forgotten.
The age of eroding respect
Politics has always had a dark side, but it also has an awesome side, observes Father Eugene Hemrick. Is its dark side clouding out its awesomeness, thus creating repugnant politics?
Who put Christ on the cross? People did, and still do
It would be easier to see the source of human suffering as the devil with horns and a pitchfork, writes Carolyn Woo. But the source is quite ordinary: indifference, self-centeredness, self-righteousness, pride; and these are seen in the mirror.
A March for Science is coming, but do we need it?
Let's give three cheers for science as a way to understand the natural world, writes Richard Doerflinger. But we need healthy skepticism when scientists say the rest of us should relax and let them run the country.
Rita Schiavone kept the miracle of the loaves and fishes alive
Two Catholic leaders recall how the late founder of Aid For Friends became a pioneer in efforts to serve hungry people in the Philadelphia region, along with archdiocesan Nutritional Development Services.