Opinion
Religious leaders affirm respect for human rights
Terry Jones might not be aware of the law of unintended consequences. If not before last week, he is now. He’s the pastor of a small nondenominational Christian community in Florida who proposed burning copies of the Quran. Fortunately he changed his mind, perhaps realizing how bad an idea it was all along. One consequence […]
The Blessed Sacrament brings unity
By Father Stephen Perzan On Sept. 11 our parish church, St. Helena, marked the beginning of its 40 Hours devotion. Traditionally, this is a time for quiet prayer and reflection before the spanine presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. As I began my hour of prayer I brought with me another holy presence […]
Remembering September 11
By Father Tom Baima As we approach the anniversary of the terrorist attack on America on Sept. 11, 2001 and as Muslim Americans celebrate the month of Ramadan, there is a need for Christians to pause and evaluate what 9/11 means to our national identity. We believe that times of national tragedy call out both […]
Teach your children to participate in faith
Children throughout the Archdiocese hit the books again this week as schools began the fall term. Students in Catholic high schools, grade schools or parish religious education programs (PREP/CCD) need to remember the Catholic identity of their education, and themselves. The brand new Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford has already seen publicity […]
The track to unity? Prayer
By Father Leonard Peterson I had the chance on vacation to spend some quality time with two of my loves, both of them safely in a book. It’s a new one at that, which combines my love of trains with that of history. The book is “FDR’s Funeral Train” by Robert Klara. Before moving on, […]
How we believe
Lex orandi, lex credendi. That’s an old Latin phrase that translates as “the law of prayer is the law of faith.” It’s rooted in the very beginnings of the Church herself. Cardinal Justin Rigali offered a contemporary take on the saying recently in the National Catholic Register newspaper, saying, “The way we pray reveals what […]
In defense of Israel’s legitimacy
George WeigelThe Catholic Difference Last month, I was happy to join with former Spanish prime minister José María Aznar, Nobel Peace Prize laureate David Trimble, Italian philosopher and political leader Marcello Pera and several other international figures in launching a global “Friends of Israel” initiative, which debuted in the United States in a July 8 […]
A way toward renewal
In a long, hot summer, one hot-button issue that seems to grow more heated every day is the proposed building of a Muslim mosque and cultural center in downtown New York City. The flashpoint is its location only two blocks from Ground Zero, the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Among the many […]
Adoption law needs an upgrade
By Kassandra MeholickSpecial to The CS&T Archdiocesan Catholic Social Services has been assisting families, birth parents and adoptees for more than 100 years. The agency’s Adoption Services department believes in the innate dignity and value of every human life, and that every child is entitled to an environment in which he or she is loved […]
Local Church bears cross of the moment
The poet W.H. Auden observed in 1940 that some people long for the “good old days” of the past or a perfect future just around the corner. But if change would be required of them, they would rather be ruined, and would rather die “than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions […]