Andrea Maglio-Macullar is a Catholic artist whose religious art has appeared in many venues, including publications by Loyola Press and Our Sunday Visitor. Her art is bright, colorful, and eye-catching. Many of her pieces have a stained-glass quality to them which makes them very appealing. Maglio-Macullar has been drawing since she was a young child. […]
#Julia’sCaesar Even Me & Folly Cartoons has felt the ravages of SEQUESTER!! Due to a minor cut in our projected budget we’ve had to sell off all our inks and paints and send our cartoonist to work in a salt mine in Puerto Rico. We still had enough money for crayons, pencils, and this budget-slashing […]
Kermit Gosnell, the late-term abortionist charged with eight counts of murder for allegedly snipping the spinal cords of newborns and overdosing one patient at his squalid Philadelphia abortion facility, has rejected a plea bargain agreement that would have spared him the death penalty if convicted. Gosnell was brought to court on Thursday from a jail […]
Fifth Station Good Friday My God, My God, Why am I here? Why the tortures Horrors Grimly I fear This Dies Irae It seems so dark Lonely, lonesome O God, where are you? Answer Me! Matthew B. Rose
“I hope we get a nice pope,” a good Catholic woman told me soon after Benedict XVI announced his resignation. “I don’t care whether he’s nice or not,” I replied. “I just hope he’s strong.” Actually, I’d be glad if the next pope were nice, with a winning smile and a friendly manner. But vastly […]
This past week, health care journalist Charles Ornstein wrote a compelling piece for the Washington Post detailing his personal experience with heart-wrenching end-of-life medical decisions. Ornstein’s story of his mother’s death highlights the complexity of this little-discussed topic, and should serve as a wakeup call to every American family: End-of-life issues should not be avoided […]
ANALYSIS/OPINION: From this week’s e-mail, a message from a dad whose ex-wife doesn’t share his concerns about the influence of the culture on their high schooler and preteens: To: Marybeth From: A concerned dad How do you suggest defending against the culture’s assault on childhood when it starts coming via an “inside job”? My soon-to-be ex […]
Imagine my surprise when a friend who works with the parish youth group asked me to give a chastity talk to the middle and high school aged girls. “Who, me?” I said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. I thought, Why not someone who has actually lived chastely her whole life? Me? I did it all wrong. […]
Our first parents, endowed with every good gift and living in friendship with the benevolent Creator, yielded to the temptation to assert an autonomy that was never their own, exalting themselves over God. Thus, as illustrated in the masterwork of St. Augustine, was the “city of men” set in conflict with the “City of God.” […]
This is the third in a series in which I attempt to address the question, “What is purgatory, and why is it necessary?” by expanding on the simple answer that Purgatory is the state, place, or process by which a soul is purified for entrance into heaven. Part 1 is here and Part 2 can be found here. “So […]
The topic for discussion at my local Theology on Tap recently was evangelization and Christ’s instructions to His Apostles to go out and spread the Good News: Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in […]
When a civilization destroys its families, then it destroys itself.
On February 21 it was reported that the German Bishops of Trier released a statement announcing that emergency contraception known as the “Morning-after Pill” (MAP) can be used in cases of rape if it does not induce abortion. Politically progressive readers heard this news and rallied around these bishops for conceding to the use of […]
Comments agitating for “women in the priesthood” are found throughout the media, voiced largely by outsiders to the Catholic Church, either non-Catholics or those who have willingly distanced themselves from the Church, so when I read this headline – “Exclusive: Women deserve bigger role in Church, says key cardinal” — my visceral reaction was negative. […]
The word that comes to mind to describe my childhood and my abortions is obliterated. There are troubling similarities between the way I was treated as a child and the way I treated my unborn children. I believe that women who were maltreated are predisposed to have abortions. As I was looking for studies to corroborate […]
Having been duly warned about the dangers of praying for patience, just before Lent I did something nearly as foolish: I prayed for self-discipline. Because I haven’t got much of it. Some people do, and if that’s you, please understand that we goof-offs and layabouts aren’t really trying to ruin your life, or our own, […]
As I make my way through Lent, I like to periodically stop and assess how I’m doing, and re-orientate myself toward my Lenten goal. This year, I’m feeling a bit scattered, and although I’ve been doing a pretty good job at keeping my Lenten resolutions, I don’t feel as though I have a really good […]
I had a friend who first heard of the Divine Mercy Message just in time to celebrate the Feast in 2011. Within a year she was dead at the age of 55. She was blessed to learn of the Feast of Divine Mercy when she did but how many others will not. Over and over I hear […]
An ominous pattern has been developing, particularly of late: The Obama administration seems determined to subordinate public safety to political expediency. If a course-correction is not effected promptly, the result is predictable. Americans will be needlessly harmed, and perhaps killed. The most recent and obvious example was the release last week of hundreds of reportedly […]
On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case, which will determine if Proposition 8 – the 2008 ballot initiative protecting traditional marriage in California – is constitutional or not. Their decision will have grave implications for the entire nation. A decision against Prop 8 would set a precedent for […]
As a teacher, one of the most frustrating parts of my job is when I have spent time and energy planning and explaining an assignment or topic only to discover that my students have been left bewildered and overwhelmed by my presentation. Some times it feels as though I honestly could not make the topic […]
Recently while perusing Marian books at a Catholic gift store, I discovered many of the topics pertained to Marian apparitions, some approved and others not. Over dinner, I mentioned that I enjoyed the study of Mary, known as Mariology, and the other person shared with me that he had visited Lourdes. After giving a talk on the rosary, someone from the congregation asked, “What do you think […]
As the UN Human Rights Council considers whether to endorse a report praising comprehensive sex education programs, a new review of the disputed curricula finds they can do more harm than good. The report released in December by the increasingly-controversial High Commissioner for Human Rights states that adolescent health depends on “comprehensive sexuality education and […]
