We know for certain when the summer months are truly over the warm sunny days recede into the distance of memory and evolve into the long dark winter evenings of the present the humid breezes turn into an autumn chill the green grass fades while the many-colored leaves start their migration from

The appointment of Holy Cross Sister Joan Marie Steadman as executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious bodes well for the organization that serves superiors of about 80 percent of the women rsquo s religious orders in the United States Aptly named Steadman brings experience

We may be learning to see and to value our commons again In my last print column for America I wrote about the intersection between Catholic tradition and the notion of the commons mdash a kind of economy in which shared treasures are governed by those who depend on them not by a state or market

Since the end of the Oct 5-19 Synod of Bishops on the family news outlets have portrayed the outcome as a quot setback quot or quot loss quot for Pope Francis mdash even a quot rebuke quot to him Journalists have pointed to the absence in the synod 39 s final report of an earlier version

Fitness has become a religion of sorts for many people We set fitness goals and seek out endurance events such as Tough Mudder and Crossfit to prove ourselves to others I will be the first to admit that I relish these kinds of challenges But what are we hoping to gain from these experiences Th

Ross Douthat rsquo s article in the nbsp New York Times on Sunday sounded the alarm Pope Francis through his Synod on the Family has brought the church to the edge of a precipice If the synod continues on its present trajectory it will ldquo sow confusion among the church rsquo s orthodox adhere