Columns
Catholic author hopes book helps families enjoy spirit of Christmas together
It was 1996 when Catholic author Patricia Mohan Gallagher’s 9-year-old daughter came to her and said that someone at school told her Santa Claus wasn’t real. This brought tears to Gallagher’s eyes. Though she knew her daughter, Kristen, had recently stopped believing that Santa was real, she couldn’t bear the thought there were other children who did still believe in him but were being told by someone else that he wasn’t real.
Immerse yourself in faith this Advent
I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy belated Thanksgiving. I hope and pray that, in spite of how very different it was for most, your Thanksgiving was truly a time of giving thanks to God for all his many gifts and blessings.
Prayer, peace and Thanksgiving
In 1859, the radical abolitionist John Brown was executed for treason and murder after leading raids and uprisings. Raised in a Calvinist, anti-slavery home, he was so moved by an 1837 abolition meeting that he swore to dedicate his life to ending slavery. Many lives were lost – including three of his sons – as he launched his guerilla warfare.
Finding ways to give thanks
An unexpected headline in the New York Times recently caught my eye: “A Disrupted Thanksgiving Leaves the Turkey Business Guessing.” The article that followed discussed a question that is, according to the author, on the tip of everyone’s tongue – “Just how many whole turkeys will Americans cook this year for a holiday whose wings have been clipped by the pandemic?”
A Thanksgiving Prayer
Heavenly Father, in this time of Thanksgiving, in a year filled with so much turmoil, confusion, violence, angst, and COVID-19, let us pause in your presence truly knowing and feeling your loving embrace.
Parishes could benefit from communal study of book on priesthood
Father Bonnot thought through and wrote this book as a meditation upon the meaning of his 50 years as a Catholic parish priest. Jesus, he notes correctly, was not a priest among his own people, not a descendant of Aaron.
General dispensation reinstated
As we prepare for the Solemnity of Christ the King, it is with hope and faith in our Lord’s power and desire to bring healing to our world. He is the Divine Physician, and we know that his will is to heal; he is the Good Shepherd, and we know that his will is to lead, guide and protect his sheep.
Statement regarding David Haas
In late May 2020, it was reported that liturgical composer David Haas was accused of sexual misconduct. Since then, Catholic news sources reported that allegations have come from 44 women regarding abusive sexual conduct from 1979 to 2019.
Unity and orthodoxy
In a few short months, our country has faced a global pandemic, widespread protests, riots, wildfires and hurricanes.