America Magazine - In All Things

Murder at Fort Hood

Author: Michael Sean Winters;

It is strange. I have a pretty good memory, but I can’t seem to remember the religion of the students who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre. Nor, for that matter, can I recall the religion of the young man who killed 31 people, and then himself, at Virginia Tech in 2007.

But, there was Sean Hannity last night asking an army officer, who knew the alleged shooter in yesterday’s killing spree at Fort Hood, Dr. Nidal M. Hasan, whether Hasan was a devout Muslim or not. I had gone to bed expecting to call this morning’s blogpost, "Hannity is a Pig." Then, this morning, the front page of the Washington Post has a headline "Suspect, devout Muslim from V

Tall Tales

Author: Jim Keane, S.J.;

Sad news from Boston came yesterday: Thomas P. O'Malley, S.J., passed away on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, at the age of 79.� TPOM was a former editor of America magazine, among the many jobs he held in the Society of Jesus: He was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College from 1973 to 1980; was president of John Carroll University in Ohio from 1980 to 1988; was the 13^th president of Loyola Marymount University from 1991 to 1999; then went to Boston College, where he taught Latin and was involved with the honors program.

His obituaries will (and shoul

An "Ignatian-Style" Rosary

Author: James Martin, S.J.;

A reader sent me a link to this. And, no, I hadn't heard of it either. But check it out. It's from the California Province Jesuits. They suggest using the techniques of Ignatian contemplation (imagining yourself in the scene) and applying them to particular events in Jesus's life, for a new way of doing the Rosary. Interesting. See what you think here. (But where's the First Contemplation?)

James Martin, SJ

Immigration Policy Reform is Overdue

Author: Thomas Massaro, S.J.;

Woodstock Theological Center in our nation’s capital sponsored a November 3 forum titled “Honoring Human Dignity and the Common Good: A Catholic Approach to Immigration Reform.” The impressive panel of speakers included Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Octavio Gonzalez of Stanford Law School, and Donald Kerwin, Jr., of the Migration Policy Institute, a preeminent think tank on immigration policy issues. The main speakers and other interlocutors brought much knowledge and first-hand experience to this important topic, and this Georgetown University event serves as an illuminating reminder of the close association of our nation’s Catholic community with al

"A Vast Jesuit Missionary Ginseng Conspiracy"

Author: James Martin, S.J.;

On this Feast of the Jesuit Saints and Martyrs, this tasty item from Salon, entitled "A Vast Jesuit Missonary Ginseng Conspiracy, which begins with this deck:

From Wisconsin to the court of the Kang-Hsi emperor, with cameos by Daniel Boone and John Jacob Astor

Gov. Jim Doyle announced a trade agreement between the Wisconsin Ginseng Board and a Chinese company today he said will result in $12 million for state producers