I have increasingly had the feeling that I’m reaching a breaking point. In this current crisis of health, wealth, and love of neighbor, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. Maybe you’re feeling it too, and asking yourself: Am I doing enough? Am I doing anything? Am I staying healthy? Sane?...
Initially, this installment of “Loneliness Today” was going to be about either the loneliness faced by parish priests (who, in the age of COVID-19, I’m sure miss public celebrations of the Mass just as much as we do) or the loneliness of the “nuclear family” in navigating a society where adult friendships and...
Yesterday I got together with Paul Fahey and Dan Amiri to discuss Pope Francis’s extraordinary Urbi et Orbi ceremony and how it has been received. We also talked about the need for respect for the lives of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. We concluded with a discussion of the Church’s pastoral response...
First Things has published several articles in the past few weeks dismissing the attempts by churches and governments to reign in the COVID–19 pandemic, suggesting they are overreactions. In R.R. Reno and Bioethics of a Pandemic, Dr. Pedro Gabriel addresses these articles from the perspective of a medical doctor and in light of...
Last Friday’s extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing received a very positive reception. Most Catholics on social media, even many who are usually critical of Pope Francis, praised the ceremony as a much-needed beacon of hope in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic we now face. The strength imparted by the pope’s homily, which...
Six months ago, my unborn son died. He was 22 weeks old. My wife and I are still grieving him and, if we are honest, we will grieve him for the rest of our lives. I don’t mean, of course, that we will be sad every day for the rest of our lives....
“Dear brothers and sisters, elderly friends! In a world like this which often makes a myth of strength and power, it is your mission to witness to the values which truly count, going beyond appearances, and which endure forever because they are engraved on the heart of every human being and guaranteed by...
This evening, a memo by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Hartford issued a memorandum on the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, in response to inquiries from US Bishops on two questions of sacramental practice in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, regarding whether it would be acceptable for the Sacrament of Reconciliation...
In recent days, we have seen the rise of many articles in American media (and particularly in Catholic publications), questioning the public health regulations implemented around the world to prevent the spread of COVID-19. One of those articles stood out, both because of the negative feedback it received and because it encapsulates the arguments...
Today the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Alabama, and has appointed Bishop Steven Raica, bishop of the diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, to replace him. Typically, the transfer of a bishop from a tiny diocese in Northern Michigan (46,000 Catholics) to another small diocese...
Many parents are wondering right now: how do I talk to my child about a global pandemic? We parents are still trying to wrap our minds around this situation ourselves. We may be trying to balance working from home, attempting to homeschool, checking in with loved ones and friends, and trying to maintain...
Over the last several decades, those in the pro-life community have fought tooth and nail for the rights of unborn children. We are convicted of their inherent dignity and value. The energy and passion that swells in the pro-life movement suggests that many of us would do whatever it takes to prevent a...
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