St. Irenaeus and the God who doesn’t need us
Several years ago, I participated in the annual meeting of the Academy of Catholic Theology, a group of about 50 theologians dedicated to thinking according to the mind of the church.
The power of witness
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of covering a story with ties closer to home. Every year we try to include something about the summer youth events – Extreme Faith Camp and Totus Tuus – that take place in the diocese.
The therapy of a public life
More than 50 years ago, Philip Rieff wrote a book entitled “The Triumph of the Therapeutic.” In it, he argued that widespread reliance upon private therapy today arose in the secularized world largely because community has broken down.
What St. Benedict teaches us about fatherhood
We call St. Benedict of Nursia the father of monks, and his teaching on spiritual fatherhood drew me, in part, to become a Benedictine oblate.
Wonder has left the building
Love can grow numb between two people, just as it can within a whole culture. And that has happened in our culture, at least to a large part
On not being defensive
In much of the secularized world, we live in a [...]
New book celebrates women religious poets
One Saturday morning last fall, I randomly – and providentially – discovered a renowned Catholic poet with ties to Cumberland while visiting the city’s historic library. Little did I know then just who Sr. Madeleva Wolff was, nor the impact she would have on my life and the potential impact I might have on continuing her work of promulgating creative writing, especially the art of poetry, as the spiritual tool she believed it to be.
Proportionalism the ‘slippery slope’ of reasoning
Speaking last week at a conference in Italy, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life and grand chancellor of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, seemed to suggest that, under certain circumstances, the assisted suicide of the infirm would be morally acceptable.
Mother’s Day in the footsteps of Mary
This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 14, just one day after the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Together, these two days make up a special weekend in this month already dedicated to our Blessed Mother. It is fitting that our celebrations of motherhood and Mary coincide because she is the guardian of mothers in this world. Mary is the model for motherhood in both joy and sorrow, and she shows the way of mercy at all times.
Notice from Bishop James P. Powers regarding scam solicitations
If anyone contacts you through any form of communication (such as calls, texts or emails) claiming to be me, someone from the diocese (Chancery office personnel), a priest, parish employee or anyone else honestly affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Superior asking you to send money or get gift cards of any kind, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT RESPOND TO THEIR REQUEST.