Thanks to my friends at the Catholic Peace Fellowship, I spent my Advent being reminded of many of the great insights of Dorothy Day. (“Like” their Facebook page for a stream of great classic pieces.) In particular, I’ve been thinking of late about the importance Dorothy placed on using the “weapons of the Spirit.” This was a concept that she drew from Read more
Before reviewing the major “events” of 2012 in moral theology, I would hasten to point out that the most important challenges faced may not be any of these. In the long run, the economic and environmental challenges faced by the largest-consuming nation in history are grave and deep. Further, we continue to struggle with a culture of violence – in our cities Read more
The debate about the fiscal cliff is the latest Federal political crisis which is a product of a deeper problem: a vicious circle of the American public’s failure to meaningfully participate in how we order our common life, which reinforces and is reinforced by the old political practice of gerrymandering. At base, Congress is debating whether there exists a direct corollary between Read more
In 1999, when I began teaching at St. Louis University, my students were a mix of Catholics and Protestants. When asked about their faith, a few would say that they were “raised x but questioning,” but most identified with a Christian denomination. In the fall of 2012, my students were split down the middle between Christians and “Nones” (those who do not Read more
Leading sociologist of marriage Andrew Cherlin writes an important piece on a recent large-scale study of couples receiving extensive marital support services. He summarizes the project and its key result: The Administration for Children and Families engaged well-known and dedicated researchers and clinicians to design new “relationship skills” programs to improve communication, avoid conflict and build trust — an approach that had Read more
Time magazine is well-known for publishing an issue each year that names the “Person of the Year.” The person so named is a person who most impacted news and influenced peoples’ lives – positively or negatively. It publishes a large issue at the end of each year, detailing the person of the year, runners-up, and other influential people. In that spirit, I’ve Read more
In their press conference on Friday, in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the NRA proposed adding armed guards to elementary schools. To be sure, learning does require a safe environment. Years ago, I worked in an elementary school in a rough neighborhood of Chicago helping students who were behind in math and reading. I remember one of my students Read more
Since last Sunday, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans have been celebrating Las Posadas, a nightly celebration of Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging in Bethlehem. Each night, people dressed as Mary and Joseph, or statues representing them, lead a procession to homes or churches where they ask for lodging (“posada” is Spanish for “lodging”). In some celebrations the procession is turned away at several Read more
The USCCB has now issued an official statement on responding to the tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut. The full text is available on their website. The statement calls for three basic responses. It asks for regulation of firearms, for standards which would limit violence in the entertainment industry, for consideration of our treatment of those with mental health issues. Finally, it turns our Read more
It is entirely too easy to dismiss as irrational the recent comments from Mike Huckabee when he asked why “we should ‘be so surprised’ at the violence when ‘we have systematically removed God from our schools,’” or the more inflammatory remarks by the now infamous members of Westboro Baptist Church, who “sing praise to God for the glory of his work in Read more
Saturday Morning: 8:00 am
Saturday Vigil: 4:30 pm
Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:45 am,
12:30 pm, 5:30 pm
Saturday Vigil: 6:15pm
Sunday: 9:00am, 7:15pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 8:30 am
