On the fourth of July, most Americans have their minds on picnics, fireworks, and other ways of celebrating American independence. But on the calendar of the universal Church, the day has a different meaning, and it’s one worth recalling this…

Mormon missionaries are knocking at the door. Some people, including many practicing Catholics, are irritated by the sight of these smiling, well-dressed young men who call themselves members of “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” But another way of looking at the situation is to see those visitors as an opportunity.

One hundred years ago, Pope St. Pius X published an encyclical letter that has been both praised and reviled like few other papal documents.  It was a firm response to a problem that was several decades in the making and…

In Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI's recent apostolic letter on the Eucharist, the Pontiff offers much food for thought and spiritual nourishment.  One thing he insists upon is that Catholics should come to understand and love better the Eucharistic prayer of Mass.

"The…

I suspect few high school teachers have had the experience of seeing their students break into applause at the news of a Supreme Court decision.  I did on April 19, the day after the announcement of the Court's ruling in…

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the leader of the Catholic Church in England, recently sparked a renewed discussion about legal abortion in that country.

Abortion is currently illegal in Britain after six months' gestation, except where there is substantial risk of fetal abnormality…

This month, American Catholics have an opportunity to mark a significant anniversary. On July 7, 1956, Pope Pius XII canonized Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Mother Cabrini was the first American citizen to be so honored by the universal Church, and…