On Wednesday, August 15th Catholics from all over Northeastern United States and Canada will converge on one of the hidden jewels of Detroit; a 131 year old replica of the miraculous Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. In 1858, a peasant girl by the name of Bernadette of Soubirous claimed to see a […]
Dr. Paul Fox has been a family physician for over three decades in the sticks of rural Virginia, Florida and western Pennsylvania where he earned the respect and trust of his peers and patients. He and his wife have four children and six grandchildren. Dr. Fox is a convert to Catholicism and worships in the Byzantine […]
JI attended a Protestant church a while ago for a worship service. A friend and colleague had died, and I was there to pray for him and his family. The church was beautiful. High ceilings, with stained glass windows on the back wall of the sanctuary. A pulpit made of beautiful wood, raised high in […]
The early teen years are a time when charming misinformation is passed on from kid to kid with the solemn, easy assurance of time-tested wisdom. “Schnauzer” is a dirty word in German. The F-word is an acronym meaning “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” (in fact, that became a Van Halen album title towards the end of […]
In March of 2007, less than a month after I had turned twenty-two years old, I was deployed to Afghanistan with my engineer unit. I would remain in Afghanistan, with the exception of twenty day’s vacation in January of 2008, for the next fifteen months. At that point in my life my faith was quietly […]
I have another reason to count my blessings these days: My sleep rhythms have settled down. I can consistently sleep 9 hours a night and arise refreshed in the morning. Sounds like a pretty small triumph, doesn’t it? But I remember the days not so long ago when I was sleeping twelve hours or more, […]
President Obama’s position on gay marriage has won some converts, from (perhaps) the entirety of the Democratic Party to (especially) young people. As to the latter, one of them emailed me recently. A good-hearted, thoughtful young man, who this fall will be a freshman at a very liberal college in the Northeast, I’ll leave him […]
On Friday, a federal judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction barring the HHS mandate from taking effect against a small, family-run business that holds strong beliefs that abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives, and sterilization violate their religious faith. The Newland family owns and operates Hercules Industries, a private, for-profit HVAC equipment manufacturer. Their 265 full-time employees […]
My friend Gary Zimak recently wrote, “One of the biggest mistakes that we can make is to treat the Bible as an ordinary book. Although it may look like a book, it is so much more. When we open up the pages of Sacred Scripture, we can actually hear Jesus speaking directly to us.” It inspired […]
The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, today announced it has filed an emergency motion asking that Federal District Judge Robert H. Cleland of the Eastern District of Michigan stop the HHS Mandate which goes into effect on August 1, 2012. The motion was filed late […]
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 The air of centuries ago is healthful to inhale, especially when it blows balmy and pristine. Wafting from the past, the great Christian revolution of the 4th century has the capacity to ennoble modern hearts and uplift minds that have sunk like stones into what is seen […]
When we perform an act of faith, hope, or love in God, we are in direct contact with Him, and this is especially true at Mass. God is no longer remote, He is as close to us as any two persons can be because Christ is not only present in the Eucharist, He dwells in […]
Most Catholics are familiar with the three vows taken by most religious of poverty, chastity and obedience. To these three, St. Benedict (whose feast we celebrated July 11), added a fourth for the Benedictine order, the vow of stability. Our summer seminarian who had considered joining the Benedictines at one time spoke to us today […]
There in the desert [the whole Israelite community] complained to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt…you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.” …in the morning there was dew all around the camp. When the dew evaporated, there […]
Science is worthwhile for its own sake — even if normal people don’t understand it. “Yes,” the reporter said, “But what can it do? What difference does the? Higgs boson make in the day-to-day lives of ordinary people?” The physicist on the radio stumbled over his words. He had already explained this once, but she […]
First he heard the bells. Sunday afternoon, mid-1920s, Blessed Sacrament Parish, the Bronx. The altar boy rang them during Benediction and young Jerry Ryan, then age four, thought the beautiful sound was coming from the monstrance. Now a monsignor, Father Ryan has been a priest for sixty-seven years. At age seventy-five, he retired, as required […]
“Smart move.” That’s how many loyal Catholics reacted to the announcement that the Vatican had hired a veteran American newsman as a consultant to grapple with its communication problems. In many respects, the reaction was correct. As an experienced professional with Fox News and Time, and a serious Catholic, Greg Burke is an excellent choice […]
The readings for the Sunday Liturgy recently included passages from Ezekiel, St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, and the Gospel of St. Mark. Ezekiel is sent by God to proclaim to the “impudent and stubborn” Israelites that he is their faithful God, and to repent and return to Him. Say to them God tells […]
Jehovah’s Witnesses want you to live forever with them in paradise on earth. To entice you into accepting their offer of a “free home Bible study”, they will show you brightly colored pictures of idyllic garden scenes, beautiful lakeside homes and children romping with lions. The Jehovah’s Witness will ask: “Wouldn’t you like to live […]
As I write this, the country awaits a decision by the Supreme Court regarding the scope of government power and intrusion into all of our lives for the foreseeable future. This is a crisis. It is not a crisis that will be resolved by the Supreme Court’s decision, regardless of the decision. Within our generation, […]
On June 23rd, the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral of Providence, RI opened her arms to embrace three new priests, who were ordained in a marvelous ceremony that showed the Church at her finest. Bishop Thomas Tobin was supported by five fellow bishops, scores of priests, numerous joyful Religious, and delighted lay faithful—all of whom […]
A friend wrote me: I’ve been talking to someone who is interested in what the Church teaches but has a BIG problem with the Church hierarchy. Basic argument: If we love God we keep His commandments. Keeping His commandments out of love is BETTER than keeping them out of fear. And following God’s rules are […]
Father’s Day invites us to ask a very important question – what does it mean to call God “Father?” Most of the great religions of the world believe in one God and teach the gist of the Ten Commandments. But that the supreme Being is not just “King of the Universe” or “Master” but “Father,” […]
The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, the communion wafer and the altar wine are transformed and really become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Have you ever met anyone who has found this Catholic doctrine to be a bit hard to take? If so, you shouldn’t be surprised. When Jesus spoke about […]
