QUESTION CORNER Can’t stand the incense Q: Our pastor is very old-school and loves elaborate liturgy. He uses incense frequently, and my wife — who is seriously affected by the smoke — is at the point of not going to Mass at all. (She never knows when he might fire up the censer.) I […]
Effie Caldarola: Just do it
FOR THE JOURNEY Many years ago, my spiritual director was a no-nonsense nun. When I arrived for my companioning session with her, I would notice the little sign on her desk, “Just Do It.” That phrase is, of course, a trademark of the shoe company Nike. But on her desk, it spoke, not to Sister […]
John Garvey: Holy mother church
INTELLECT AND VIRTUE I’ve been having some trouble lately with the Nicene Creed. The First Council of Constantinople in 381 added the sentence, “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.” It’s the holy part, as you might expect, that’s bothering me. The Pennsylvania grand jury report released in August disclosed years of unholy […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: What if the priest is a worse sinner? And how to mark your baptism day
QUESTION CORNER Q: I know of several Catholics today who refuse to go to confession because they feel that the priest might be a worse sinner than they are. But yet if they get sick, they want their parish priest to come immediately to give them a blessing. How can I explain to them their […]
Laura Kelly Fanucci: Good news for crowded churches
FAITH AT HOME Quick reminder for those of us who attend Mass regularly. Many people who don’t normally come to church joined us on Dec. 24 and 25. They took our parking spots and our usual pews. What fantastic news! More people crowding in the doors? Not enough chairs to drag up from the basement? […]
Vatican names two reconciled bishops to head Chinese dioceses
By Michael Sainsbury Catholic News Service SYDNEY — As part of its ongoing efforts to reconcile China’s Catholic communities, the Vatican recognized two previously excommunicated Chinese bishops as heads of dioceses. The move came after an unprecedented Beijing meeting that included a group of Vatican officials led by Pope Francis’ chief China negotiator, Archbishop Claudio […]
Father Eugene Hemrick: A peaceful 2019 to you
THE HUMAN SIDE No matter where we look, peace is a rare commodity. How then can the new year be more peaceful? Start the year with avoiding certain behaviors and doubling up on civility. St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians often deals with adversity in his communities. Stop your strife and avoid jealousy, he counseled. […]
U.S. returns church bells to Philippines after more than 100 years
By Catholic News Service MANILA, Philippines — After more than a century, the United States government has returned three church bells swiped by American forces as war booty from the central Philippine town of Balangiga. Ucanews.com reported that, after years of repeated demands for their return, the bells were brought home aboard a U.S. military […]
Cardinal Pell found guilty of sex abuse, expected to appeal, reports say
By Catholic News Service MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian Cardinal George Pell reportedly has been found guilty on five charges related to serious sexual misconduct involving two boys at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990s. The trial, the specific charges, the testimony and almost all other details involving the accusations against the 77-year-old cardinal […]
Brett Robinson: Matters of life and death
THE THEOLOGY OF TECHNOLOGY Of the many technologies that have changed the course of culture, contraception may be the most pernicious. In his landmark encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” St. Paul VI foresaw that the rise of artificial birth control methods would also lead to more marital infidelity, the lowering of moral standards and the objectification of […]
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