Thoughts for Catholics impacted by the Boy Scouts of America membership policies

Two groups of Catholics are directly impacted by the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to not prohibit youth members who profess a same-sex orientation, namely, Catholic sponsoring organizations and Catholic scouts and their families. Please remember, as you read this, I write this with the approval of my bishop, and as Diocese of Phoenix Boy Scout Chaplain.

Medjugorje: No verdict yet, but faith, conversions abound

A very generous benefactor found out that after 10 years of writing for the Catholic press, I’d never been to Medjugorje, the site of...

Catholic and American? Part one in a series

If you asked Catholics in the United States in the 1950s if it was possible to be fully Catholic and fully American, most would have answered with an enthusiastic YES! Today, many Catholics have at best ambivalent feelings about the relationship.

Defining ‘Catholic’ — what’s it to you?

Chris Benguhe wants to know if what he writes about is “Catholic” enough. Make your voice heard in the comment box!

U.S. Catholics: overly assimilated?

Russell Shaw has become the bull in the china shop of U.S. Catholic history, knocking heroes off pedestals and overturning conventional story-lines.

Evidence is clear: We are hard-wired for generous love

A recent headline in The Wall Street Journal caught my attention: “Hard-wired for Giving.” The lead into the story questioned the Darwinian assumption that humans are basically selfish and pointed to a recent study in which scientists discovered the human brain is actually built for generosity.

Is Dr. Gosnell an aberration?

People look at Dr. Kermit Gosnell and wonder, how could he kill aborted babies born alive? Don’t wonder. He could well be just like a lot of doctors you know.

Thoroughly Dominican but not a Religious: St. Catherine of Siena

Fourth in a series She was a Dominican but not a religious. She held no leadership position in the Church or society but was one...

Tolerance is wonderful — if you agree with the cultural elite, that is

While it’s true that men and women have their fundamental differences, it’s also true that they are made by God so as to be complementary.

Confusions about ‘equality,’ ‘discrimination’

The debate over marriage will be at the forefront of American public life for the foreseeable future.