Synod on Synodality faces task of helping Catholics evangelise effectively, writes Kimberley Heatherington “Evangelising,” Pope Francis has said, “is the Church’s mission. It is not the mission of only a few, but it is mine, yours and our mission.” How the Church equips Catholics to carry out this mission to preach the Good News…
David Mills A writer and I were going back and forth about how the best devotional article won’t get as many readers as a political article by the same writer. Publish a wild rant claiming that God hates Biden or that God hates Trump and the numbers shoot up. Publish a deep meditation on God’s…
Fr Patrick Briscoe OP Chesterton once wrote, “Newspapers not only deal with news, but they deal with everything as if it were entirely new”. There’s a lot of new talk surrounding synodality. But, insofar as synods have been an ancient model for Church governance, there’s something quite old there. Which is why I propose…
CS. Lewis’s thought continues to influence believers and non-believers alike, writes Jonathan Luxmoore In a rambling red-brick house on the western edge of Oxford, England, a melancholy desk sits at a bay window looking out over tangled woodland. In the foreground, an ancient ashtray stands broodingly against a worn leather armchair, surrounded by wall maps…
Fr Eric Banecker When we speak about the Incarnation, the reality of the second person of the Trinity taking on human nature, we can fall into two bad habits. One is to resort to technical language, which, though necessary at times, can serve to obscure the sublime truth of this dogma. The other tendency is…
Gretchen Crowe For almost two years, the Church has been actively engaged in a process of listening and discernment. Maybe you participated in synod conversations at your parish, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you chatted about topics with friends or colleagues, maybe you didn’t. But very soon, this Synod on Synodality, which opened October 18, 2021,…
It can help to have a plan of action for parish closure in these trying times, writes Susan Erschen Fewer priestly vocations. Shrinking Catholic populations. An influx of immigrants bringing with them different religious traditions. Aging Church structures that need cost-prohibitive repairs. These are just a few of the reasons parishes throughout the western world…
David Mills You want to start a vigorous discussion among Catholics, make a definitive statement about what ‘good worship’ is. Be as specific as possible. Every level of detail will double the emotional investment other Catholics will be feeling. Arguments Which is to say: Don’t do that. It won’t get you anywhere, it won’t change…
Jaymie Stuart Wolfe With all the talk about ChatGPT, and Pope Francis’ ongoing criticism of bad preaching, a dark question crossed my mind: What if the homilies we heard at Mass were composed by artificial intelligence? Would they be better than what the average Catholic hears in the average parish every Sunday, or somehow, even…
The beatification of an unborn baby has raised interesting questions for theologians, writes Maria Wiering When the Ulma family was beatified September 10 as martyrs who gave their lives to protect Jews during the Holocaust, it may be the first time the Catholic Church has beatified an entire, specific family together, as well as the first beatification…
Chai Brady