America: The National Catholic Weekly

America Connects Features

Welcome to America Connects, home to America's new web-only content. Check back here in the coming weeks for audio interviews, video meditations, archive articles and much more.

The Downsizing of Stories - Weekly commentary

When Priests Leave the Church

How common is Alberto Cutié’s journey to Protestant ministry?

Health Care Round-Up

The New Breed

From May 23, 1964

The Pope's Call for Charity

An examination of Benedict XVI's encyclical on the economy

Deacon Dialogues

The discussion continues

Berrigan and the Peace Movement

Embryonic Confusion

Understanding church teaching on stem cell research

Stonewalled

A humanitarian trip runs aground in Gaza

Barack Obama and Vatican II

The president's persona and the spirit of the council

The New Man in Westminster

Introducing Archbishop Vincent Nichols

Church and the Nutmeg State

What was behind the church-state clash in Connecticut?

The Case for Empathy

Why a much-maligned value is a crucial qualification for the Supreme Court

Catholics and Obama

Can the church work with the new administration?

Once Every Hundred Years

Reporting from our Centennial Mass

The Infallibity Debate

From July 7, 1973

The Waters of Life

From 2003: a bishop on the spiritual power of rivers

America's First Issue

Scroll through the pages of our inaugural edition.

The Death of Gandhi

From 1948: In Gandhi's death, memories of Abraham Lincoln's tragedy

March 16 Podcast - The End of Catholic Health Care?

March 9 Podcast - Women in Parish Leadership

March 2 Podcast - Travel Tales

Barry Levinson's 'Diner'

From May 8, 1982

Along the Camino

A slide show of the famous Spanish pilgrimage

February 23 Podcast - Oscar Race 2008

After Election Day

How can Catholics engage the new Democratic majority?

Mary and the Feminist Movement

From December 18, 1993

America Authors

William J. O'Malley, S.J.

February 16 Podcast - The Radical Roots of the Pro-Life Movement

After Election Day

How can Catholics engage the new Democratic majority?

The Motown Beat

Video clips from Hitsville, U.S.A.

A Disconcerting Thing

From October 4, 1997

After Election Day

How can Catholics engage the new Democratic majority?

Our Readers on Joe McCarthy

From April 17, 1954

February 9 Podcast - The Spirituality of 'Lost'

Catholic Business School Grads

Profiles of notable industry leaders

February 2 Podcast - Greg Kandra on Blogging

A Disconcerting Thing

From October 4, 1997

December 8 Podcast - The Fantasy Films of 2008

Vatican II: Early Appraisal

From March 9, 1963

January 19-26 - Xavier: Missionary and Saint

Vatican II: Early Appraisal

From March 9, 1963

Video Advice for Barack Obama

Future Imperfect

The TV season in sci-fi

The Art of George Tooker

A slideshow looking at the artist's long career

The Partition of India

From Summer 1947

The Devil You Know

In Conor McPherson's 'The Seafarer,' Satan stops by for a card game.

Future Imperfect

The TV season in sci-fi

The Mosaics of Marko Rupnik

A video and photo gallery

January 5 -12 - America's New Look

Yet There Is Movement

From September 21, 1996

The Birth of a Christmas Classic

From December 28, 1929

The First Catholic School

From December 21, 1929

Painting the Word

The wondrous biblical art of Marc Chagall

December 22-29 Podcast - Tony Blair on Faith & Globalization

The Devil You Know

In Conor McPherson's 'The Seafarer,' Satan stops by for a card game.

Uncertain Sympathies

John Patrick Shanley's 'Doubt'

The Legacy of Avery Dulles, S.J.

December 15 Podcast - Pius XII & The Nazis

Sister Thea Bowman (1937-1990)

From April 28, 1990

More Than A Scary Face

The moral and spiritual force of George Tooker's art

December 8 Podcast - The Fantasy Films of 2008

Germany’s Race Religion

From September 29, 1934

Praying with Icons

December 1 Podcast - John Dear's Struggle for Peace

America on the U.N. & Human Rights

From 1948

Painting the Word

The wondrous biblical art of Marc Chagall

November 24 Podcast - The Music of Olivier Messiaen

A Glimpse of the New Feminism

From July 6, 1996

Defending Community Organizers

Don't be misled about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

The Art of Georges Rouault

A video and a slideshow

Willy Loman's Sons

'Mad Men' and the demise of the American Dream

November 17 Podcast - Therese J. Borchard on Battling Depression

Reviewing 'A Man for All Seasons'

America on the original play and the 1966 film

Dissecting 'A Man for All Seasons' - America Video

November 10 Podcast - One Church Celebrates the Pauline Year

A Sit Down with St. Paul - America Video

In the Steps of Saint Paul

A slideshow of Pauline pilgrimage sites

'America' and the Sacred Heart

From May 26,1956

November 3 Podcast - John W. O'Malley, S.J., on Vatican II

J. F. Powers, R.I.P.

From July 17, 1999

A Guide for the Perplexed Voter

Lessons and temptations

October 27 Podcast - America's Colorful History

Abortion & Politics

From October 25, 2004

The Myths of Drug Legalization

From March 16, 1996

A Classroom of the Heart

The surprising lessons of a summer spent playing ultimate frisbee

Pigskin and Parchment

From October 12, 1929

A Ring Requiem

From April 21, 1962

October 20 Podcast - Dave Anderson's Life in Sports

Immigration's Dark History

From February 18, 1995

Questions for the Candidates II

The financial crisis and other pressing domestic issues

October 6 Podcast - Kathleen Norris on The Noonday Demon

What Theology Is and Is Not

From June 8, 1996

Love Sounds

Elvis Presley, John Paul II and the truth about rock ‘n roll

Questions for the Candidates

What should American foreign policy look like?

September 29 Podcast - The Synod on the Word of God

The Council and The Word

From February 26, 1966

The Catholic Imagination of Bruce Springsteen

From February 6, 1988

September 22 Podcast - Mark Stricherz on the Catholic Bosses

Barack Obama and Abortion

A response to John Kavanaugh, S.J.

Religion and Science in Dialogue

From February 7, 2005

Visions of Justice

Cinemax's 'Portraits of a Lady,' reviewed

Debating 'Souled Out' III

Faith, feeling & the GOP

Sept. 15 Podcast - Donna Freitas on Young Adult Fiction

Sept. 8 Podcast - Uwe E. Reinhardt on Health Care Reform

Religious Oppression in Mexico

From December 4, 1915

Barack Obama and Abortion

A response to John Kavanaugh, S.J.

An Interview with Miguel d'Escoto

From November 16, 1985

Sept. 1 Podcast - The Life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Debating 'Souled Out' II

Are the Democrats expanding their tent?

Debating 'Souled Out'

Religion, politics and the Democratic party

Shrouded in Mystery

From July 5, 2004

God & 'The Dark Knight'

The surprising religious imagery at the heart of Christopher Nolan's blockbuster

August 18-25 Podcast - Forgiving Priests Guilty of Abuse

Our Lady of Purification

A slideshow of the restored church

'Humanae Vitae' 25 Years Later

From July 17, 1993

Caring for PVS Patients

Two ethicists consider the church's teaching

Technical Difficulty

The Diabolical Plot

From April 19, 1933

The Legacy of Avery Dulles, S.J.

August 4-11 Podcast - Austen Ivereigh on Lourdes & Lambeth

Raising Money for the Pope

From February 27, 1988

Young Adult Catholics

From March 27, 1999

July 21-28 Podcast - Chris Korzen on the Common Good

The Theology of Food

Biblical Scholarship 50 years After Divino Afflante Spiritu

From September 18, 1993

Q&A with Jennifer Fulwiler

Responding to readers' questions

July 7-14 Podcast - Ron Hansen on Exiles

June 23-30 Podcast - Courting the Latino Vote

A Moment for Peacemaking

From May 21, 1983

On Religious Liberty

From November 30, 1963

We Meet Again, Dr. Jones

June 9-16 Podcast - Foley Award Winner Michael Suarez

The Art of Olafur Eliasson

The Jesuits of Baghdad

From May 26, 2003

May 26-June 2 Podcast - A History of the New York Church

Red State Blues

The Florida recount and the perils of pluralism

May 26-June 2 Podcast - A History of the New York Church

Mass Without the Consecration?

From May 12, 2003

The Church in America As Viewed By Belloc

From September 18, 1937

America's First Issue

A Christian Community: Toward a Third Millennium

From May 2, 1998

May 12-19 Podcast - Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis

America on Darwin

From April 1909 & January 1910

April 28 Podcast - Top Ten Catholic Novels

A Man for All Seasons

'John Adams: Parts VI & VII,' reviewed

May 5 Podcast - David Gibson on the Pope's Visit

Animals in Distress

Benedict in America

The Enduring Problems of Religious Liberty

From November 30, 1985

April 21 Podcast - 'Sex and the Soul'

The Legacy of Avery Dulles, S.J.

A Labor of Love

A reflection on Cardinal Avery Dulles' McGinley lectures

April 14 Podcast - America's Centennial Begins

A Man for All Seasons

'John Adams: Parts VI & VII,' reviewed

Return from Russia

From March 28, 1964

A Man for All Seasons

'John Adams: Parts VI & VII,' reviewed

John Tracy Ellis and Catholic Intellectual Life

From June 3, 1995

A Man for All Seasons

'John Adams: Parts VI & VII,' reviewed

March 31-April 7 Podcast - The Power of Forgiveness

A Man for All Seasons

'John Adams: Parts VI & VII,' reviewed

A Man for All Seasons

'John Adams: Parts VI & VII,' reviewed

March 24 Podcast - Remembering Oscar Romero

Paul VI's Populorum Progressio

From April 1967

Paul VI's Populorum Progressio

From April 1967

A Meditation on Death and Life

From November 28, 1987

March 17 Podcast - Roger Haight on Catholic Theology Since Vatican II

Debating 'The Boys from Dolores' II

Civil society in Cuba, and the future of a stormy relationship

Debating 'The Boys from Dolores'

A journalist examines Fidel Castro's formative years

March 10 Podcast - On Catholic Poetry

Caring for the Elderly

From January 30, 2006

Understanding Reconciliation

From March 7, 1992

Five Minutes With the Pope

From September 19, 1987

March 3 Podcast - Best Picture Roundup II

Praying with Art

February 25 Podcast - Best Picture Roundup I

The Lesson of Lourdes

From January 18, 1958

Pilgrimage to Chimayo

February 18 Podcast - Jesuit Mission in Nigeria

The Legacy of the Schiavo Case

From June 6, 2005

Bob Dylan Is Not Dead

Todd Haynes chases an elusive legend in 'I'm Not There'

The First Political Casualty of 2008

The near death of conventional wisdom

February 11 Podcast - Sidney Callahan on the Meaning of Suffering

On Loving Lent

From March 30, 1985

Khmer Rouge: Bleak Utopia

From August 2, 1975

The Art of Alfonse Borysewicz

February 4 Podcast - Entering the Jesuits During a Time of Scandal

Hipster Orthodoxy

The rock 'n roll theology of Craig Finn & The Hold Steady

Hitler and the Jesuits

From November 4, 1944

January 21-28 Podcast - John Paris, S.J., on Bioethical Dilemmas

The Jesuits' Congregation: A Historical View

From November 19, 1983

Foley Poetry Contest

$1,000 Cash Prize

January 7-14 Podcast - Maureen O'Connell on Religious Street Murals

The Draft: An Occasion of Sin?

From August 9, 1980

His Dark Materials, Indeed

Is 'The Golden Compass' anti-Catholic?

America Essay Contest

Making the case for God

The Conversion of Tony Blair

December 24-31 Podcast - Fr. Jim Martin Reflects on Christmas

The Church and the Fiction Writer

From March 30. 1957

Christmas Reading Picks

Gift ideas from America's editors

December 17 Podcast - 'Havin' A Laff' with Jim McDermott, S.J.

Kennedy on the Campaign Trail

From May 21, 1960

Pope Benedict on Hope

Considering the pope's new encylical

December 10 Podcast - Leo O'Donovan, S.J. on Rembrandt

Carl Sagan's Gospel of Scientism

From February 7, 1981

December 3 Podcast - Matt Malone, S.J. on the Bishops' Meeting

The Clintons & Health Care

From November 27, 1993

Debating 'The Stillborn God' II

Augustine, the Catholic Middle ages and religion in America

Debating 'The Stillborn God'

Is Mark Lilla right about religion?

November 26 Podcast - A Conversation with George Anderson, S.J.

Technical Difficulties

The Election of Father Kolvenbach

From October 8, 1983

Catholic Fundraising

From December 23, 2000

November 12-19 Podcast - Bill McGarvey on Bruce Springsteen

Don Pedro in History

From February 16, 1991

November 5 Podcast - John W. O'Malley, S.J. on Vatican II

Catholics and Politics

From election season 2004

On Dying Well

From July 29, 2000

Perspectives of an Indian Convert

From July 31, 1993

October 29 Podcast - Karen Sue Smith on Japan

Healing after the Sexual Abuse Crisis

From April 22, 2002

Six Questions for Virginia Lucey

October 22 Podcast - What's Good on TV

Into the Theater

A review of Sean Penn's 'Into the Wild'

A Look at Postwar Japan

From Spring 1947

Victory of the Auto Workers

From November 28, 1970

The Alternative in Iran

From December 23, 1978

October 15 Podcast - Matt Malone, S.J., on Iraq

The Jews and Vatican II

From November 30, 1963

October 8 Podcast - Audio Book Club: Be Near Me

October 1 Podcast - Talking Fall Books

The Mystery of Bernard Lonergan

From October 11, 2004

The Case Against Perfection III

Michael Sandel, Darth Vader and the quest for eternal youth

The Case Against Perfection II

Distinguishing between therapy and enhancement

The Case Against Perfection

Sept. 24 Podcast - Mother Teresa's Spiritual Struggles

On Mother Teresa and Lady Di

From October 4, 1997

Fr. James Martin on "Colbert"

Sept. 17 Podcast - A conversation with James Martin, S.J.

The Imagination of Jesus

From December 20, 1975

Debating "The Camden 28" II

Activist nuns, punk rock and the demise of the Catholic Left

Debating "The Camden 28"

A scholar and an activist discuss a new film about the Catholic Left

September 10 Podcast - Conversations with Jim Keane and Fr. Jim DiGiacomo

Little Gray Cells

From May 30, 2005

Open House Ends

Dominus Iesus & Ecumenism

From October 28, 2000

Special $12 Offer

August 27-Sept. 3 Podcast - A conversation with John Coleman, S.J.

The Contemporary Person & the Church

From July 30, 2001

August 13-20 Podcast - A conversation with Fr. Joseph O'Hare

Five Questions for Andrew Greeley

Alarm Bells in the East

From September 11, 2006

July 30-August 6 Podcast - A conversation with Grant Gallicho

Fathering an Adolescent Boy

From June 4, 1988

Six Questions for Vincent Gragnani

July 16-23 Podcast - A conversation with Fr. Drew Christiansen

Religion in the Emerald Tiger

From March 12, 2001

July 2-9 Podcast - A conversation with Terry Golway

Open House

June 18-25 Podcast - A conversation with Fr. James McDermott

June 4-11 Podcast - A conversation with Patricia A. Kossmann