For those of us who experienced pastoral planning at parish or diocesan levels over time, we have seen changes that make the practices of the past seem unrecognizable. Key to those changes is a re-examination of the underlying purpose of … [Read more...]
Articles
Pastoral Planning 101
A Stronger Communion for the Sake of the Mission: A Better Church
August 23, 2024 by Jim Lundholm-Eades
Twenty-five Years After the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
How an Ecumenical Achievement Offers Catechetical and Pastoral Opportunities
July 26, 2024 by Rev. Bradley D. Easterbrooks
This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). The declaration, first signed on October 31, 1999 by representatives of the Catholic Church[1. The Catholic signatories were … [Read more...]
Revolution in Theology?
A Closer Look at the Significance of Pope Francis’ Ad Theologiam Promovendam
July 26, 2024 by Fr. Andreas Kramarz, LC
A theological outrage was frothing in the wake of Pope Francis’ November 1, 2023, apostolic letter motu proprio: Ad Theologiam Promovendam (henceforth ATP), which accompanied the approval of new statutes for the Pontifical Academy of T … [Read more...]
Pain, Suffering, and Redemption: Where Faith and Reason Mingle
July 26, 2024 by Stephen Doran, MD
Much has been said about the compatibility between faith and reason, religion and science. But they are more than parallel tracks that share mutual respect. Rather, they are integrated; they inform one another. In a particular way, the … [Read more...]
Understanding Pain
Pastoral Approaches to Help Those Who Suffer
July 26, 2024 by Fr. John W. Love
“Understanding Pain: Pastoral approaches to help those who suffer,” by Fr. John Love, The Priest, March 2024. ©OSV. Used by permission. No other use of this material is authorized. “If you feel pain, you’re alive. If you feel other people’s … [Read more...]
Why Israel Matters: The Biblical Roots of Catholic Zionism
July 26, 2024 by Dr. André Villeneuve
The horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza have raised many questions among Catholics: Should they support Israel? And if so, should they do so on purely political or moral grounds (such as … [Read more...]
Adoration and the Struggle of Prayer
June 28, 2024 by Fr. Philip Nolan, OP
Surely one sign of hope of Eucharistic revival is the ever-increasing interest among U.S. Catholics in the practice and theology of Eucharistic adoration.[1. For the historical context of the practice of Eucharistic adoration outside of … [Read more...]
Why Did God Become Incarnate as a Man?
June 28, 2024 by Perry J. Cahall, Ph.D.
Seeking the answer to the question that is the title of this essay[1. I would like to thank Sr. Mary Ann Fatula, O.P., Professor Emerita at Ohio Dominican University, for her invaluable comments that helped to improve this essay. I would … [Read more...]
The Feast of Beholding Jesus
June 28, 2024 by Brandon P. Otto
Liturgy is fleshy, concrete, material; it is the prayer of smoking resin, sloughing wax, swirling wine and water; it is the remembrance of God made man gutted on a Cross; it is the celebration of a grilled Lawrence, a gouged-eye Lucy, a Fr. … [Read more...]
Eucharistic Amazement
June 28, 2024 by Rev. Thomas G. Morrow
We speak of the Eucharist in two senses: the Mass and the Sacrament. The first is the re-offering of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The second is the Blessed Sacrament, which we adore in the tabernacle or monstrance, and receive in … [Read more...]
Changes to College Priestly Formation: A Defense
May 24, 2024 by Fr. Etienne Huard, O.S.B.
Belonging to a few online priest support groups, I have noticed a question gaining popularity: the value of the changes in priestly formation. The concern is focused on the perception that this change creates an additional year of … [Read more...]
The Exaltation of the Cross and the Restoration of Identity
May 24, 2024 by Fr. Richard Veras
The bronze serpent mounted on a pole in the Book of Numbers (21:9) is one of the Old Testament types cited by Jesus himself: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” (Jn 3:14) The original … [Read more...]
Are AI-Generated Homilies Suitable for the Edification and Flourishing of the Catholic Faithful?
May 24, 2024 by Pedro Vega
Approach to the Subject Of late, many ethicists, computer scientists, and media experts have highlighted the emergence of data processing systems known as Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) not only because they promise a … [Read more...]
Three Catholic Preachers: Insights from Interviews with 43 Priests
May 24, 2024 by J.E. Sigler
If you ask laypeople why preaching in the Catholic Church is disappointing, they’ll usually give some variation on the answer, “Well, there’s a priest shortage, so priests are really busy, so they probably don’t have much time for preachi … [Read more...]
Review of Verbum 10
INTRODUCTION By Rev. John P. Cush, STD When I published my first book, The How-to-Book of Catholic Theology (Our Sunday Visitor Press, 2020), I was asked to schedule an interview with Mr. T.L. Putnam, who ran a weekly radio program … [Read more...]
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