Two items came across my radar screen this week, as we commence the holy season of Lent.

Since the suicide of his 29-year-old daughter Katie, who had bipolar disorder, Dcn. Ed Shoener has made it his mission to reduce the stigma and misconceptions around mental illness in church circles and to guide parishes in creating their own mental health ministries. Dcn. Ed joined me recently on “Christopher Closeup” to share his story.

On Jan. 25 is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, when we commemorate a monumental event in the life of the early Christian church.

Catholics have long held that all genuine authority derives [...]

There are countless persons, basilicas, churches, shrines, seminaries, convents, towns and cities named after St. Joseph. My native country, Canada, has him as its patron.

I am sure every religious person, every believer in God, at some point wonders, “Why doesn’t God just straighten everything out?”

When Sr. Ave Clark was a special education teacher, her students made her an Advent wreath. Only it wasn’t round like the store-bought ones.

Earlier this year, one of my older brothers died. By every indication, he had lived an exemplary life, one lived mainly for others. He died much loved by everyone who knew him. His was a life lived for family, church, community and friends.

Harvard psychologist Robert Coles, in describing the French mystic Simone Weil, once suggested that what she really suffered from and what motivated her life was her moral loneliness. What is that?

Each October, the Catholic Church in the United States observes Respect Life Month as a time to focus on the protection of God’s precious gift of human life. The theme of the month varies from year to year, but it usually concentrates our attention on the issue of abortion.