I always had a special affinity toward St. Francis of Assisi. Maybe that’s because I was surrounded with animals all my life.

Why study journalism?

As director of the journalism program at St. John’s University, Jamaica, I routinely get that question when the new school year begins.

“You are so precious,” she whispered to the baby in my arms.

I recently completed my eighth silent retreat in the Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Ky. Its most famous monk was Thomas Merton, and aside from the appeal of silently praying among the same trees he did, I have been drawn there for the immensity of God’s presence I find there. While God is certainly everywhere, I think he vacations in Kentucky!

This month, I will celebrate a milestone birthday. I’ve done the math and know what the numbers say, but I have to beg to differ: I do not feel like my age, not by a mile. My optimism and faith, life graced with God’s goodness and wonderful friends and family — these bring a sense of youth that not even lupus flares erase. And, I know I’m not the only one who feels younger or older than her (or his) age:

by Father Eugene Hemrick“Mom, how is it going?”“Gene, I lost another friend. I guess this goes with the territory of getting older.”

by Sister Shirlee Tremont, M.F.P. This pilgrimage from Great Meadows, New Jersey to Doylestown, Pa., began in early June when Father Mariusz Koch, C.F.R., proposed the possibility to me. At first, I thought it was absurd, but I agreed to pray about it. Once I got the details, I was convinced that it was not for […]

by Msgr. Steven Ferrari“Oh, my God! I think I threw away my wallet!” My 21-year-old niece, Marlina, sat next to me at the Irish Rep Theatre on West 22nd Street, off Sixth Avenue, in Manhattan. It was intermission of a matinee performance of Sean O’Casey’s “Juno and the Paycock.” Marlina was frantically searching the contents of her large backpack.

For high schoolers, the college application process is daunting. It seems that every year, getting into college becomes more difficult, increasing the stress level of juniors and seniors.