Commentaries
Pa.’s abortion rates decline as pro-life support grows
Are tougher laws and stricter standards the reason fewer women are choosing abortion? Maybe. But what if it is the other way around? What if abortion restrictions are succeeding in state legislatures because more people think abortion is the wrong choice?
Jan. 22: Marching for the Unborn
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will march for life in Washington next week for the unborn who many deem not worthy of life, like his own brother. Archbishop Chaput will lead a morning Mass at the national shrine before the March for Life.
Widen your perspective, see how amazing the world is
This year, columnist Karen Osborne wants to see what astronauts see from space: a united world where people will work together for the advancement of all. That's what God wants us to do as Catholics.
Do yourself a favor: Take up fasting
It wasn't the abundance of Christmas food or New Year's resolutions that got columnist Effie Caldarola to recommit to fasting for the good of her body and her soul.
The federal budget deal that overlooked millions
Columnist Steve Kent's modest proposal for hammering out a budget: Roll out a $122 million F-35 fighter jet and assemble a sufficient number of unemployment recipients until the sum of their annual benefits match the cost of the plane. Then let each side make its case for the money.
Might a child’s death also mean end of a marriage?
In their Marriage Matters column, Deacon Paul and Helen McBlain address the worst possibility for a parent. The strain of grieving for their child puts enormous stress on the parents' relationship, but there are ways to cope.
Christianity is a movement, not a monument
Jesuit Father William Byron writes that the rigidities of rule can cripple the movement Jesus began and replace it with monumental cathedrals, chancery offices, a promotion culture and brick-and-mortar barriers to the flow of loving people and liberating ideas that Jesus launched.
Life inside and outside the chapel at St. Charles Seminary
Brendan Monahan, now a veteran seminarian, shares the challenge and the deep joys of preparing to become a priest. The seminary experience is at its best, he observes, when he touches the lives of homeless men once a week in service.
In 2014, bringing hope to those struggling through despair
In 1969, singer Peggy Lee came out with the song, "Is That All There Is?" In it she reflects on major events in her life, and after each one sings, "Is that all there is?" leaving us with the feeling that life can sometimes feel empty.
Opting out of the Belgian solution
Recently, Belgium's Senate voted overwhelmingly to extend legal euthanasia to children of any age. The proposal, which will likely become law, limits the practice to children who are terminally ill, suffering great pain and have their parents' permission.