Becoming an organ donor seems like a win-win situation. Some 3.3 people on the transplant waiting list will have their lives extended by your gift (3.3 is the average yield of solid organs per donor). You’re a hero, and at no real cost, apparently. But what are you giving up when you check the donor Read more
MEXICO CITY – Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Latin America takes him to the region’s most Catholic country…and its least. In Catholic Mexico, towns throw parties for their patron saints, pilgrims prostrate themselves at shrines and many people still cross themselves every time they pass a church. In Cuba, abortions are legal and many adults have been divorced Read more
The Washington priest who denied a Lesbian the opportunity of Holy Communion at her mother’s funeral, says it was the only thing he as a faithful priest could do. As reported in CathNews, Fr Marcel Guarnizo denied Holy Communion to Barbara Johnson, a known lesbian in a relationship at her mother’s funeral, in a statement the Read more
It’s only in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas and the Roman soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, that the early community — the disciples of men and women, the first church — finally come to understand Jesus. There they realize just how serious Jesus is about life-giving nonviolence. Lent invites us to come to the Read more
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). Even with the passing of half a century, among Catholics there is still contention and ambivalence about the legacy of this momentous meeting. Many of a conservative bent see the need for reforms to be reigned in, and a Read more
As the golden anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s opening on Oct. 11, 1962, approaches, men ordained in the years bookending the council predominantly embrace “the spirit of Vatican II” as a wellhead for their lives and ministry even as other Catholics disparage that “spirit.” At the same time, many of these “Vatican II priests” Read more
The huge earthquake that struck northeast Japan on March 11, 2011 tested a nation and its faith. On this first anniversary we pause to remember that day, with prayer and reflection on what it means. Without warning, on a cold sunny day, an entire region was shaken by one of five most powerful earthquakes ever recorded; Read more
A World Bank report offers rare good news on global poverty. According to World Bank estimates released on Feb. 29, in every region of the developing world the percentage of extreme poverty, people living on less than $1.25 a day, and the total number of global poor declined between 2005 and 2008. World Bank researchers Read more
I’ve taught a lot about prayer over the years and how it is really just talking to God. Prayer is such a basic foundation of a Christian’s relationship with God. It’s how we communicate and fellowship with Him. But a surprising number of people, young and old, new and even long-time Christians, say they’re not Read more
Rick Santorum was, in his own words, a “nominal Catholic” when he met Karen Garver, a neonatal nurse and law student, in 1988. As they made plans to marry and he decided to enter politics, she sent him to her father for advice. Dr. Kenneth L. Garver was a Pittsburgh pediatrician who specialized in medical Read more