At some point in the American psyche – and not so long ago – looking and acting “cool” seems to have overtaken character as a prized personal identifier. The cult of celebrity, long cultivated in Hollywood by a glamorization of movie stars has now proven just as lucrative for the sports and music industries. Remarkable […]
Editorials
Courage to Lead the Peace
At the moment, so much of the information we are receiving about deteriorating conditions in Egypt, especially in Cairo, is full of confusion and contradiction. What is clear, however, is that innocent people are being slaughtered simply for what they believe, in particular, our Christian brothers and sisters whose places of worship are being tagged […]
Keep It Personal
We are blessed to have at our disposal so many excellent resources to assist Christian parents, catechists and teachers in their important mission of evangelization. One could become overwhelmed at a catechetical ministry fair exploring all the programs, manuals and audiovisual aids that abound as never before. Courses and seminars are even developed to help […]
Transparent Papacy
The Holy Father continues to amaze with the direct and transparent style with which he is conducting his Petrine ministry. While retaining a dynamic public presence through his remarkably warm and engaging charism for connecting with so many different people, he is – almost systematically – disengaging the papacy from much of its conventional protocol. […]
Profiling Prejudice
Even the torrid weather itself seems to be reflecting the conflagration of passions ignited by the Zimmerman trial verdict last week. While the decision of the jury may have reasonably followed that evidence presented – as most legal analysts seem to concur – an unsettling sense of justice denied lingers. Nothing offends a human being […]
Summer Rage
As summer sets in and temperatures rise, there is nothing like a few political hot potatoes on the grill to add to the heat. The meaning of marriage, immigration policy reform, the IRS, voting rights, drones and espionage – matters about which few feel indifferent – are all smack at picnic table discussion before the […]
A Remarkable Freedom
As Independence Day approaches, a cacophony of voices tempts us to look back on what was or might have been – instead of forging ahead. “Wasn’t it nice when…” is one such chorus. To that theme belong many variations, which sing of past glories, national and ethnic, or even ecclesial – for it cannot be […]
A Bishop of Charity
Words cannot count nor render account for all of the good works that Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan did for so many. He was an outstanding bishop and a wonderful human being. We will miss him. With his passing, not only do the Catholics of our diocese lose his warm and comforting pastoral presence, with […]
‘Our’ Church
What if “the” Church really became “our” Church? What if each of us took personal responsibility not only for some of the great works accomplished by the Church but also in the face of the corruption that, during its pilgrimage throughout history, has tarnished the Church, its purity and sometimes its reputation? Catholics have much […]
The State of Marriage
No one ever asked Jesus to define marriage. At least, we have no specific scriptural reference. One man united with one woman for life in mutual support and cooperating in the procreation and rearing of children was essentially normative even in pagan circles throughout the Jewish diaspora of Christ’s time. We do, however, have a […]