More reasons against capital punishment

The death penalty ultimately provides no justice to victims and discredits us as citizens. Because we must be certain of guilt, appeals drag on for years. Repeatedly, families are forced to read again the gruesome details of crime. The money spent on the death penalty could be better spent on counseling or even financial support for the victims' families.

Caring for the frail and sick also is part of being pro-life

It's good to be reminded, or to realize for the first time, that caregiving is pro-life. What seems so obvious can be easily overlooked, especially if you're a caregiver. So busy (at times so overwhelmed) with your caregiving duties, you may tend to think that you no longer can contribute to normal duties. But you can also fail to notice what you are doing. You're the light of the world in a moment of darkness when it comes to the value of life.

Students should spend time outside our linguistic empire

Hablas espanol? What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. And three languages? Trilingual. And someone who speaks just one language? An American, of course. It's an old joke that speaks for itself, but behind it there's a long back story. We Americans are victims of our own success -- with a bit of the credit going to our British forebears. By the 19th century the sun never set on the English language. And its world dominance came with the rise of America's military and then economic power in the mid-20th century. It has turned us all into linguistic imperialists.

America shrugged: What we lose without a sense of awe

Renewing our commitment to protect and heal

The theme of the National Safe Environment/Victim Assistance Coordinators Conference in Omaha, Neb., that I attended the week of Aug. 13 was “Chosen to Heal and Protect.” Over five days participants from dioceses across the nation learned from one another and renewed our commitment to protecting children and helping victims of clergy sexual abuse to […]

Thought-provoking issues about death are more than just table talk

What’s a floppy disc? How quickly the world changes

You can often judge a person’s age by learning about the toys he or she played with as a child. Some toys are timeless, such as Barbie. Others will always be associated with a certain moment in time. Children of the 1980s fondly remember the furor over Cabbage Patch Kids and Transformers. Those born a […]

Why should we register to vote?

A long time ago I asked a fellow college student if she was excited to register to vote on her upcoming 18th birthday. My classmate replied, “Why would I do that, I’m not a political science major?!” I never forgot her words. She asks an important question: Why should we register to vote? In Pennsylvania, […]

Our faith should transform our politics

The following guest editorial appeared Sept. 5 on the website of Columbia magazine, a publication of the Knights of Columbus, by Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author. His latest book is “Beyond a House Divided: The Moral Consensus Ignored by Washington, Wall Street and the […]