commeNTARY CommentarydeaconsSynodality Analysis: Permanent deacons are key to a ‘synodal missionary church’ — the synod needed them Kimberly HeatheringtonOctober 25, 20248 min read Most of the world’s dioceses do not have permanent deacons as envisioned by Vatican II — in fact, the United States alone accounts for almost 21,000 of the some 50,000 permanent deacons globally in the Catholic Church today. CommentarySeek the City to Come Changes at St. Dominic hit close to home Gerry JacksonOctober 24, 20243 min read As the Archdiocese of Baltimore gets ready to merge parishes and eventually shutter some sites throughout Baltimore City, one change hits close to home. BlogCommentaryOpen Window 100 Masses in a Year Rita BuettnerOctober 23, 20244 min read Back in December, my husband told me about a friend who set a goal to spend 100 hours on his boat during 2023. I found myself wondering what I could do 100 times in a year. I told our oldest son that maybe I would try to go to 100 Masses. “You probably already go […] CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: What is church’s teaching on transgender issues? Jenna Marie CooperOctober 23, 20244 min read The church is against any “gender ideology” that would separate the concept of psychological gender from biological sex; or which would propose that one’s sex could be changed through medical or surgical means; or which would hold that one’s bodily sex could be somehow wrong or mistaken in light of one’s self-perception of one’s gender. 2024 ElectionCommentary Forming your conscience heading into the 2024 election Bishop Nicholas DiMarzioOctober 21, 20244 min read Voting after reflecting on a Catholic well-formed conscience will not be an easy matter in this election, but as we vote, we must seek God’s assistance. CommentaryEucharist A Eucharistic Word: Fruitfulness Michael R. HeinleinOctober 20, 20244 min read The Eucharist truly is the gift that shapes our character into his. We pray, as St. Augustine preached, that we will ever more fully become who we receive. Commentary Reunions in graveyards Effie CaldarolaOctober 18, 20243 min read It’s not macabre to love a graveyard. On the contrary, there’s a feeling of continuity, of belonging, of hope in resurrection. It impresses on me the shortness of this earthly journey and the gratitude I have for my loved ones. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: If most of us go to purgatory at death, are Catholics ‘saved?’ Jenna Marie CooperOctober 16, 20244 min read Although purgatory is not exactly a “punishment” in the way we would tend to use the term today, traditionally purgatory has been understood to involve a degree of suffering. 2024 ElectionCommentary Proclaim the good news in this election cycle Scott P. RichertOctober 16, 20244 min read You don’t need to attack a candidate to explain why this policy that he has proposed, or that action that her administration has taken, doesn’t align with Catholic teaching. Commentary Hail Mary: ‘Now, and at the hour of our death’ Jaymie Stuart WolfeOctober 15, 20244 min read The “Hail Mary” reminds us that life is short. By asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to pray for us not only now but when we will need her intercession most, we prayerfully place the rest of our earthly lives in her maternal hands. Previous 1 … 1 2 3 … 234 Next