It was at this point, at the very end of the Church year, inspired by a tremulous confidence and the irresistible attraction of first love, that I established the habit of going to daily Mass. Every day at noon when the bells of St. Mary’s were ringing out the Angelus over New Haven, I drove into . . . . Continue Reading »
The entire culture surrounding death is one of the most engaging, alluring, rewarding, and comforting aspects of the Catholic faith. Continue Reading »
A year ago, with my two small granddaughters in tow, I visited a friend in an assisted living facility. Before her stroke, Terri was a daily communicant in my Catholic parish. Now she watches Mass on television. As she listed for my granddaughters the different programs she enjoys—Masses on . . . . Continue Reading »
I was a priest for three years before I realized I had never been validly baptized. Continue Reading »
My spiritual life is the most important aspect of my being, and the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of my faith—yet it was deemed less essential than daycare. Continue Reading »
Just as we must guard against a misguided zeal that allows public masses during times of contagion, so also must we beware of the risks of excessive precaution. Continue Reading »
Christian prudence subordinates every natural end to that of supernatural life. Continue Reading »
That the Church should suspend public masses temporarily is defensible as the most reasonable course of action given the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus. Continue Reading »
The sacrament of penance requires both joint physical presence and live, interpersonal action between the penitent and priest-confessor. Continue Reading »
If online Mass becomes a regular practice over the course of months, it could subtly undermine the local, communal, and cultic dimensions of Catholic worship. Continue Reading »
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