Friendship in a Time of Scandal

by L. S.

Substantive male-female friendships are hard to attempt, especially in a culture that idolizes sexual pleasure as the only salient human connection. Continue Reading »

25 Sep 2018

Such a Wreckage

by Dan Hitchens

John Bradburne—the saintly ascetic murdered in 1979 while caring for lepers in Rhodesia—was also the most prolific poet in the English language.  Continue Reading »

18 Sep 2017

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given

by Sr. Alicia Torres

Depending on divine providence opened up a whole new world of possibilities in the kitchen, and prepared me for Chopped—and for serving God's children. Continue Reading »

7 Oct 2016

Hypervisible Church

by Catherine Addington

When a nun is stopped on the street, it is often so that a person can work out their issues with the Church, not with her. And when Fr. Jacques Hamel is made to kneel and die, it is the Church that is attacked in his body. Continue Reading »

27 Jul 2016

“Must be the Recession”

by Fr. Dominic Bouck

One thing that I’ve heard from several people when I mention the surge in Dominican vocations (and the surge of many dioceses and orders male and female) is “Oh, it must be the recession.” Truly, I have not met one religious who set aside marital joys, self-determination, and wealth . . . . Continue Reading »

16 Jul 2015

Dismantling the Cross

by Patricia Snow

Generally speaking, there are two principal vocations in the life of the Catholic Church: marriage on the one hand, and celibate priesthood and religious life on the other. Both are expressions of conjugal love. In the normal calling of marriage, an individual binds himself for life to another human . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Apr 2015

Pope Francis and the Hidden Path to Holiness

by Daniel J. Heisey

Five years ago the Catholic Church had a Year of the Priest, and now Pope Francis has declared a Year of Consecrated Life. To mark this year, he has issued an Apostolic Letter, building upon Vatican II’s decree on religious life, Perfectae Caritatis (1965), and St. John Paul II’s post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata (1996). While everyone seems to have a concept of the priestly ideal, the unique charism of consecrated life, especially for men, is more obscure. In particular, religious brothers tend to have lower profiles than do priests and nuns. Continue Reading »

2 Feb 2015