Commentaries
To reduce deaths, we must reduce guns
Even before the Orlando shooting spree, Moises Sandoval noted that last year 33,000 Americans lost their lives in gun violence. Making guns less available would "leave this earth better than we found it."
A life-giving idea: A place for those who need a kind listener
Effie Caldarola finds a social service agency on the second floor of a city bus terminal whose clients come not to be "fixed," but for someone to listen to them. "Listening is a sacred act," said the agency's head.
HB 1947 treats churches, other private institutions differently
Under the state bill, non-public schools and non-profits would be exposed to retroactive claims dating back decades, while public entities such as schools could only be sued for abuse that occurs in the future, explains Joelle Shea.
Put down the phone and say hello to civility
Father John Catoir wonders how we've come to the point of cellphone obsession that diminishes our sensitivity to the feelings of others. We can't control others' behavior, but we can control ours at home.
Sisters’ care is so good, people hope to be poor to get into their home
Megan Schrieber remembers the heartache of watching old people die alone in a nursing home. She also knows the joy flowing through Holy Family Home, the Philadelphia facility run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
New graduates about to walk the twisting paths of life
For those graduating high school or college, it's an exciting and frightening time of new doors opening to happiness -- however that's defined -- in this life and ultimately toward salvation, writes Maria-Pia Negro Chin.
Kids are growing up before him, but Dad’s eyes are on TV
In their Marriage Matters column, Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain advise a man who still wants to watch sports with his buddies, while his wife raises the children without him, to grow up and spend time with his family.
A view of unfairness and financial ruin, from one who went through it
Delaware lawyer Stephen Jenkins saw first hand how lifting the statutes of limitations for sex abuse lawsuits routed church ministries in the First State, and he warns of a double standard for abuse in public schools in Pa.
Why can’t women vote in the Vatican?
Father Ken Doyle explains to a reader that among the 800 citizens of the Holy See, only cardinals can vote in an election -- for the pope. The priest in his Q&A points out recent gains by women in the Vatican.
‘Follow your dreams’ — then get to work
Slogans such as "do what you love" can be a recipe for disaster, writes Erick Rommel, if we don't have an unwavering commitment to the kind of hard work that leads to success.