-
Return of the Vocations Crisis
The recovery in priestly vocations seems to be over. Between 1978 and 2012, after the great crisis of the 1970s following Vatican II, seminaries around the world enjoyed a season of growth. The growth was not constant, nor was it uniform across countries and continents. But the trend was clear.... Read more -
The Mysterious Church at the End of the World
Even though I lived in France for three years while doing my doctoral studies, I never managed a visit to Mont Saint-Michel, the mysterious, mystical, and hauntingly photogenic abbey situated on a promontory just off the Normandy coast between Caen and St. Malo. But last week, in connection with... Read more -
Cardinal Lustiger: 10 years after death, Jewish convert still looms over Church in France
When Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger died on August 5, 2007, his funeral Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral began with the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. It was an unconventional liturgy for a man whose tenure as Archbishop of Paris spanned almost a quarter-century, but it was fitting for a... Read more -
Spanish Cathedral Targeted for Reversing the Reconquista
The Cathedral of Córdoba, officially titled the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and also commonly known as the Mosque-Cathedral, has been the ecclesiastical heart of the Diocese of Córdoba since 1236. Ranked as one of the most impressive architectural wonders of the world, and... Read more -
Abused by a priest, now a champion of the church
The letter is in a folder on the mantel, near a crucifix that once belonged to a Catholic bishop. Michael Vanderburgh sits a few feet away, sipping coffee and reading email on his phone. The sun isn’t up yet on this early January morning, but he’s trying to get a head start on work while... Read more -
Why the drafting of ‘Humanae Vitae’ matters, 50 years later
Paul VI issued his encyclical in 1968, after a commission of theologians and experts spent four years meeting to study in-depth whether the Church could be open to the contraceptive pill or other artificial forms of birth control. In his encyclical, Pope Paul VI reaffirmed that sexual... Read more -
The Church in the Wilderness
When looking at the American Catholic Church and the surrounding culture, the honest, orthodox Catholic is left with at least two sobering conclusions: we are losing the culture war both outside the American Catholic Church and inside its precincts. The Obergefell v. Hodges decision (same-sex... Read more -
We Need a New Pentecost
CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - On that first Pentecost the early followers of Jesus gathered as their Lord had instructed them, expecting the fulfillment of the promise he had made to send the Holy Spirit. We refer to Pentecost as the "birthday" of the missionary church for a good reason.... Read more -
Lessons on Motherhood from the Visitation
Today is the Feast of the Visitation of Our Lord. It is a feast day that draws us into a deeper love of Our Lord and Our Heavenly Mother. It is also through the Visitation that mothers can enter more deeply into the joy of their vocation, as well as the joy of ministering to one another on the... Read more -
Pope Francis: I am suspicious of ongoing Medjugorje apparitions
Vatican City, May 13, 2017 / 01:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Asked by journalists about the alleged appearance of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje, Pope Francis said the original apparitions more than three decades ago deserve further study, but voiced doubt in the supposed ongoing visions. He stressed... Read more
Church
