In linking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with the devotion to the Sacred Heart, the bishops invite us to reflect with gratitude on the blessings God has bestowed on our nation but, at the same time, devotion to the Sacred Heart demands that we consider how we might foster truth, justice and charity in American life.

The heroic love of God and neighbor that motivated her was formally recognized in 1946 when Frances Cabrini was declared a saint. That made her the first U.S. citizen to be canonized — even though she remained, in the words of a historian, “Italian … to the very marrow of her bones.”

Hypothetically, what would happen if the bishop accidentally left out the part of the ordination Mass where the future priest promises celibacy? That wouldn’t mean that the new priest was actually free to marry, would it?

As America approaches its 250th birthday, it would do well to remember that the emblematic figure of the second half of the twentieth century had such high hopes for us: hopes that now seem a call to a national examination of conscience.

If you use artificial intelligence for certain tasks, a good Catholic question to ask is simple: Am I aware of how my use of AI — and my support of AI systems — affects human dignity and the common good? Catholic social teaching offers principles of discernment to help answer that question.

My son and I were hurrying to an appointment, and the parking garage was packed. We snagged a spot on the top level of the garage and walked over to the elevator. I don’t always have much faith in elevators, and I would prefer to take the stairs, but we were in a rush, and […]

It can be easy for Catholics to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Sometimes we can lose sight of the bigger global picture, get distracted from what matters most for humanity, even give into the temptation to zero in too much on internal ecclesial life. In more recent years, the Church has also been burdened by internal debates and feuds which distract us from the mission Christ entrusted to us.

In many ways, Father Michael J. McGivney was just one more of that band of hardworking Irish-American priests who spent themselves building up the church in America in the latter years of the 19th century. But in one truly extraordinary respect, he was unique: Before he was 30, Father  McGivney had founded what was to become the largest Catholic men’s organization in the world: the Knights of Columbus.

Every procession on Corpus Christi says, in its own public and beautiful way, that we are made for more than what this world can offer. We are pilgrims, and this sacrament is food for the journey. What we receive under sacramental signs now, we hope one day to behold unveiled.

Coming in at 42,000 words, Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” is massive. It’s huge. It is clear-eyed and comprehensive and so chock-full of good stuff that it must be consumed bit-by-bit, like a many-coursed Roman feast — best to go at it slowly, savoring small bites, perhaps even taking a little break between morsels if you hope to make it to the caffe and cannoli.