George Weigel

The Amazing, and Now Venerable, Father Al

AT AN INCH OR so over five feet and weighing, I would guess, something on the underside of 100 pounds, Sister Winnie, a soft-spoken Filipina, is not your typical dinner speaker. Yet a few weeks ago she held a room full of Washingtonians spellbound with her story, which is also the story of a largely unknown American […]

Effie Calderola

Heading to the Beach – With the Pope’s Encyclical

The pope’s writing on climate change and the environment garnered a lot of press, even hostile criticism, before it was published. Let’s hope it continues to command attention. It’s long, but not difficult.

George Weigel

Flannery O’Connor and Catholic Realism

From this vale of tears, one can never be sure about the boundaries of acceptable behavior at the Throne of Grace. Is laughter at earthly foibles permitted? I like to think so. Which inclines me to believe that this past June, Miss Mary Flannery O’Connor of Milledgeville, Georgia, was having a good cackle.

Maureen Pratt

Goal Setting Puts Dreams into Context

LIKE MILLIONS OF others, I cheered as American Pharoah, with jockey Victor Espinoza aboard, raced to the finish line at Belmont Park and became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. American Pharoah is an amazing horse who provided an amazing time in the horse racing world.

George Weigel

Progressive Catholic Authoritarianism

BACK IN THE late 1960s or thereabouts, Father Andrew Greeley, the model of an old-fashioned liberal Catholic, accused Father Daniel Berrigan (the beau ideal of post-conciliar Catholic radicalism) of harboring an authoritarian streak in his politics. Father Greeley meant that, were Father Berrigan and his radical friends to achieve power, their aggressive sense of moral superiority would lead them to put Father Greeley and his liberal friends in jail. It was classic hyperbole for Father Greeley, but like some of his polemics, there was a grain of truth in it.

Summer Reading for Children

By Regina Lourdan If you have children at home, here are some books to pray and learn with all summer long: “The Ten Commandments” by Sophie Piper. Paraclete Press (Brewster, Massachusetts, 2015). 48 pp., $14.95 This interactive and creative book cube will entertain and inform toddlers and older children. Little readers will learn the Ten […]

Book Offers Catholic Insight To Raising a Happy Child

Tired and sensitive pregnant mothers and new parents beware. “Then Comes Baby: The Catholic Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the First Three Years of Parenthood” by Greg and Lisa Popcak is no exception to the lot within the genre of parenting books. There will be a few points of contention amid the advice that the couple extolls.

An Attitude of Joy Brings Good Health

by Father John Catoir My aim in my work is to encourage everyone I come into contact with to live a more joyful, optimistic life. In the face of all the troubles we encounter in this world today, I realize that this task can seem daunting to some. But I also know that everyone can […]

Karen Osborne

Going Out of Your Way to Be Inclusive

I recently moved to a new city, so I’ve been trying to find a new running group. Last week, I joined a group that had no idea what the word “hospitable” meant. The leader greeted returning runners, who clumped into small gaggles of people who were not interested in talking to the new girl. Nobody said hello, nobody welcomed me.

George Weigel

The Church and The New Normal

IN THE WAKE of the Supreme Court’s marriage decision, these sober thoughts occur: (1) The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has rendered a decision that puts the Court at odds with the Constitution, with reason and with biblical religion.