The day I achieved my Mass attendance goal (and kept going) November 5, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I could attend 226 Masses in 2026. But it’s amazing what you can do when you set a goal.
Traveler, there is no road November 5, 2026By Effie Caldarola OSV News Filed Under: Commentary So, as I begin my walk, I ask Jesus to give me a listening heart. I begin with thankfulness, gratitude. Then I acknowledge to him my present worries. I try to be very honest with Jesus about my fears and my feelings. I avoid the insistent prayers of petition that I can sometimes invoke, instead just briefly lifting them to Jesus to hold. I ask for the grace of listening, noticing.
A magical morning commute November 4, 2026By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window It was one of those crisp autumn mornings that felt brand-new. We decided to stay on the back roads.
Question Corner: Why do male religious get to final vows more quickly than female religious? November 4, 2026By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Q: Why do male religious get to final vows in about five years from date of entry while females take seven years or more before they may solemnly profess? (Flushing, NY)
Had enough of ‘AI slop?’ November 3, 2026By Sister Hosea Rupprecht OSV News Filed Under: AI, Commentary I enjoy scrolling through social media at times just to relax or distract my mind when it feels overwhelmed. Yet, scattered between videos from my favorite creators, lies all kinds of material that, while hyper-realistic, feels entirely unnatural. Other videos appear too perfect, too smooth and utterly devoid of meaning.
Souls on their way November 1, 2026By Christopher Gunty Catholic Review Filed Under: Amen, Amen Gunty Commentary, Commentary Each year, I find that I know more and more people on the other side of this earthly journey than the previous year. As we approach All Saints Day and All Souls Day, I frequently consider where those loved are now.
Question Corner: How does someone become an exorcist today? October 29, 2026By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Q: I heard that in the old days, seminarians were instituted as exorcists as part of “minor orders.” How does someone become an exorcist today? Is there some sort of special ceremony or liturgy?
Saint Friends October 29, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, Saints, The Domestic Church Every year as the new year begins, I use a random generator online to pick a saint for the year. The idea is to have a saint to learn about and maybe turn to in the days ahead. Some years, I’ve been matched with a saint I already knew. Often, though, it’s a saint I know less about, which is always an adventure. This year, I was matched with St. John Vianney.
A prayer basket for the month of All Souls October 28, 2026By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Every year, as we start November, I fill our prayer basket with slips of paper. Each one has the name of someone we know who has died.
Blaming Autumn: Unjust cranks in this excellent season of wonder October 27, 2026By Elizabeth Scalia OSV News Filed Under: Commentary Lately, instead of greeting the day with “thank you, Lord, that I get to have another one!” I rise with a cranky growl, mentally grousing at God and giving the saints a bit of Irish lip, too. Autumn, my favorite season, is partly to blame. I tell myself that I’m cranky because what delights me in October — sharp air, warm sweaters and breathtaking foliage — will disappear so swiftly into dreary November.
A trip to St. Rita’s Shrine October 22, 2026By Rita Buettner Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window It was a beautiful day—a day of friendship and prayer, a day of peace and discovery, and a day when we connected more deeply with a saint who is so beloved by so many.
AI and evangelization October 21, 2026By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: AI, Commentary, The Catholic Difference During a Gaudium et Spes 22 podcast on the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas this past June, I said to my friend Larry Chapp, perhaps more flippantly than the subject warranted, that the folks leading the AI revolution “don’t know the difference between metaphysics and Metamucil.” That is, they seem oblivious to the truth that there are deep truths inscribed into the human condition: truths that we can know by reason (and, Christians would insist, by revelation); truths that disclose the pathways to personal flourishing and social solidarity.
