Russell Shaw
Is spiritual direction just for nuns and clergy?
Is spiritual direction intended only for a small elite group composed of clergy and nuns and a handful of laity... Read more
What the Pew Research Center is telling us about religion in America
The first and arguably most important thing to say about the Pew Research Center’s new overview of American religion is... Read more
The Persecution Has Begun
The persecution of the Catholic Church and other morally conservative religious bodies has begun in the United States. As predicted,... Read more
The Pope’s visit and same-sex marriage
When Pope Francis comes to the United States in late September, chances are good that he will arrive in the... Read more
The Devil is Real
Is the devil real? Here is Msgr. Ronald Knox on that: “It is stupid of modern civilization to have given... Read more
Hope in secularized times
A man I know was walking his dog when a neighbor woman approached him and inquired about his wife. Not... Read more
The Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
The likelihood that the Supreme Court next June will announce its discovery of a constitutional right to same-sex marriage raises... Read more
The problem of unserious politics
I try to take American politics seriously, I really do. Serious issues are at stake, after all. But sometimes, entirely... Read more
Ideals and Norms
Is the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage, including indissolubility, an ideal or a norm? Although the question may sound abstract,... Read more
Great Society
President Lyndon Baines Johnson had spoken the words “Great Society” before, but on January 4, 1965 he brought the pieces... Read more
Real Life Heroes: Unknown and Unrecognized
Let’s face it, 2014 was a rotten year for heroes and hero worship. Sure, it brought plucky, admirable people who... Read more
The Culture War
For months after the Supreme Court abruptly legalized abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision of January 1973, people who... Read more
Dietrich von Hildebrand vs. Hilter and the Nazis
To many Germans in the early 1930s, Adolf Hitler looked like just what Germany needed. Here, they imagined, was a... Read more
The crisis the synod ought to have talked about
During the 10:30 Mass in my parish a couple of Sundays ago 32 boys and girls stood in front of... Read more
Our new Mideast war
The headline on a recent Washington Post Op-Ed about the rise of the Islamic State proclaimed “The Return of Evil.”... Read more
The Francis Effect and the Chicago Appointment
At the American bishops’ fall general meeting last year reporters pressed hard to find signs of the Francis effect. But... Read more
Don Alvaro
As Pope John Paul II was leaving Opus Dei headquarters in Rome after paying his respects at the wake of... Read more
The Caregiver
The 36-Hour Day (Grand Central Life & Style) is a handbook familiar to many caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and... Read more
The Common Core controversy
Longer ago than I care to remember, I spent three years working for a Washington-based national education organization. I liked... Read more
Was Vatican II needed?
Why did we need the Second Vatican Council? Did we need it at all? Hearing those questions, most Catholics who’ve... Read more
