THE ANNALS OF sycophancy are, alas, replete with examples of churchmen toadying to political power. Here in the United States, we’ve seen too much of that among certain evangelical leaders recently. In today’s Sycophancy Sweepstakes, however, it’s hard to top Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
There is no greater joy than accepting the invitation, the challenge even, to love God more each day. He calls me to draw nearer to Him every day in my community as His spouse. This is religious life: an invitation to love.
If there’s anything Catholics in the United States should have learned over the past two decades, it’s that order – in the world, the Republic and the Church – is a fragile thing. And by “order,” I don’t mean the same old same old. Rather, I mean the dynamic development of world politics, our national life and the Church within stable reference points that guide us into the future.
A vocation is, like all graces, divinely initiated and totally unmerited. But as incarnate beings, vocations come to women and men in particular circumstances.
When I was in the seventh grade at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Kensington, I told my parish priest, Msgr. Gerry Langelier: “I want to be like you.”
It was a cold afternoon. The world seemed harsh and I felt somewhat miserable. I was letting the weather get me down. Then an act of love inflamed my heart and brought me such joy it made me think of heaven.
Teachers and media producers who care about early childhood education should check out the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., where Fred’s philosophy of media is being applied in new and creative ways so that his legacy of caring and wisdom can be carried forward.
by Jem Sullivan
IN THE AFTERMATH of Jesus’ violent death by crucifixion, his disciples were left shaken and doubtful. The risen Jesus’ appearances to his disciples moved them from fear to hope, and from doubt to faith.
THE SECOND VOLUME of my biography of “St. John Paul II, The End and the Beginning,” benefited immensely from the resources of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance [IPN, from its Polish initials], which was established after the Revolution of 1989 to preserve records related to the Polish experience under the Nazis and the communists.
Why ask the Hispanic cardinal question? For nearly 14 months, Catholics engaged in the process of the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry have been naming key concerns about their experience in church and society. Meaningful leadership is at the top of such concerns.
