Voices constantly scream at us with urgent demand, including our own anxieties. How is it that only a third of Catholics believe in the Eucharist? How am I supposed to evangelize a culture that is increasingly hostile to truth? Is there a … [Read more...]
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
A Theological Reflection on the LORD’S Prayer as a Model for the Parish
February 23, 2024 by John Grim
Priestly Obedience in a Post-McCarrick Church, Part II
November 25, 2022 by Rev. Philip Smith
Go to Part I Now that we have traced the nature and the theological implications of obedience and ecclesial authority, let us now look at authority and obedience as complementary responsibilities. Church documents emphasize that … [Read more...]
Stir into Flame: A Response to the Survey Among Recently Ordained Priests
June 24, 2022 by Fr. Andrew LaFramboise
Saint Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy is particularly encouraging to young priests. Being a young priest, I can relate to Timothy and his vocation to shepherd the people of God in the midst of challenging circumstances. Paul writes to e … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – July 2021
July 15, 2021 by Book Reviews
Real Philosophy for Real People: Tools for Truthful Living. By Fr. Robert McTeigue. Reviewed by T.S. Barbarossa. (skip to review) Catholic Parishes of the 21st Century. By Charles E. Zech, Mary L. Gautier, Mark M. Gray, Jonathon L. … [Read more...]
Mother Church, Tota Pulchra
A Call for Ecclesial Communities
May 20, 2021 by Samantha Mattheiss
In the Gospel of John, we read “Neque vocem ejus umquam audistis, neque speciem ejus visistis” (John 5:37), or “Neither have you heard His voice, nor seen his ‘speciem.’” “Speciem” is defined as “visual appearance . . . splendour, beauty, vi … [Read more...]
Making Parishes Home Sweet Home
Parish-Based Homeschool Cooperatives for the Next Academic Year and Beyond
February 12, 2021 by Fr. Anthony Stoeppel
John Kingdon proposed that public policy change comes about when the three streams of problems, policies, and politics come together at the same time.[1. J.W. Kingdon, Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies (Boston: Little, Brown and … [Read more...]
Father, Receive These Gifts
July 2, 2020 by Samantha Mattheiss
Pope Francis, in his 2016 annual meeting of the pontifical academies, called for local parishes to be “oases of beauty, peace, acceptance.” This is consistent with the Church being “Mother of us all” (Gal 4:26) — a place where all can be fed … [Read more...]
Absence — the Appeal for Love’s Presence
Three Points on Priestly Reform in a Time of Pandemic
April 27, 2020 by Fr. John Nepil
“There are moments when you must physically absent yourself in order to learn what it means for something or somebody to exist in his own right.”[1. A. Bloom, Beginning to Pray, Paulist Press, New York 1970, 12.] The first days of pan … [Read more...]
Parochial Solipsism
July 26, 2019 by Fr. John Nepil
It is not excessive to suggest that three quarters of the life of the American pastor is consumed with administrative governance. He is, for all intents and purposes, the head of a small business. He hires and fires, reviews budgets, … [Read more...]
Alexis de Tocqueville, Subsidiarity, and Clericalism
October 29, 2018 by Fr. Charles Klamut
One of my proudest accomplishments in college was reading Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville’s 1830s masterpiece on what really made “democracy” work here, after so many near-misses or never-starts in history. The book was assigned … [Read more...]
Intensive or Extensive Religious Education?
September 18, 2018 by Dr. Michael Brummond
Why do parish religious education programs so often seem to be one-size-fits-all? Whether a parish’s program is dubbed religious education, faith formation, or good ol’ CCD, parish-based catechesis of children tends to be rather coo … [Read more...]
An October Mystagogy
A Proposal
November 27, 2017 by Fr. Benjamin Roberts
We count people in October. Each year in the parishes of the dioceses of the province of Atlanta, we count the number of people who are attending Mass each weekend. The reason for the choice of this particular month has been lost to … [Read more...]
Writing that Connects with Parishioners
September 27, 2016 by Msgr. Mike Heher
In an essay about his father, William Buckley, Christopher Buckley wrote that he noticed that the parts that sounded most characteristic of his father were actually added to the drafts late in his process of writing. His father, a famously … [Read more...]
Sacramental Fruitfulness and the Power of Pentecost
August 1, 2016 by Dr. Ralph Martin, STD
It has become quite evident that there is something like a “sacramental crisis” occurring in the Church today, that Sr. Sara, in her opening remarks, referred to as “this extraordinarily critical moment.” I would like to briefly explore thre … [Read more...]
A Garden Unfinished
May 28, 2016 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart: … [Read more...]
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