Jesuit School Spotlight
Daniel Pérez had a transformative experience as a Nativity student. Today he leads their national coalition of schools.
Mr. Pérez is now the executive director of the NativityMiguel Coalition, a national network of faith-based schools that follow the Nativity model for helping children prepare for rigorous high school curricula.
Of Many Things
Matt Malone: Why I’m stepping down as editor in chief of America Media
Last month, I informed the board of directors of America Media that I will step down as the president and editor in chief at the end of 2022.
Your Take
How should the U.S. respond to acts of terrorism? Our readers weigh in.
Christopher Braun wrote an article for America, “Is violent revenge against terrorists moral? Just war theory says no.” The following responses were submitted shortly after the article was published.
Editorials
The Editors: Reverence for the Eucharist transcends politics
The disagreements we have in the Catholic Church in the United States around the Eucharist are largely about discipline, not doctrine.
Short Take
Facebook wants to make ‘Instagram for kids’. Christian parents should keep their kids far, far away from it.
The real promise of “digital discipleship” should not prevent Christians from engaging in honest conversations about the harms of technology, especially to children.
Dispatches
A Franciscan sister joins the fight for Indigenous rights in Brazil
In a region of vast distances, weak infrastructure and a relatively small number of priests, religious and laywomen like Sister Laura are the mainstay of Catholic spirituality.
The pandemic has made Americans more aware of others’ needs. The result? More charitable giving.
A likely increase in 2021 charitable giving is being driven by two factors: increasing financial security and a “heightened sense of people’s needs in the philanthropic marketplace” because of the continuing Covid-19 crisis.
Engaging the next generation of Catholic philanthropists will mean leaning into the church’s social justice tradition
Catholic ministries face an uncertain financial future as religiosity decreases among younger Americans—including, perhaps, descendants of prominent Catholic philanthropic leaders.
Explainer: Why did the Catholic Church cooperate with the Canadian government’s abuse of Indigenous children?
The discoveries of unmarked burials have left many wondering what motivated Catholics to participate in a colonial system that would be responsible for the loss and violation of thousands of Indigenous children.
Pope Francis: Rigidity in the church ‘is a sin against the patience of God’
“There is much resistance to overcome the image of a church rigidly divided between leaders and subordinates, between those who teach and those who have to learn,” the pope said during an audience with the faithful from the Diocese of Rome.
Features
Can the U.S. bishops be saved from partisan politics?
As the U.S. bishops’ conference discerns a path forward, veterans cite legacy of work for the common good
Confessions of a pro-life Catholic Democrat in a divided nation
I was one of the last pro-Life Democrats in Congress. Extreme partisan division may have cost me my seat—but it could cost the country even more.
Faith and Reason
Young women, #MeToo and clergy sex abuse: Lessons from my students
My students at a Catholic women’s college have taught me—and can teach the rest of the church—a great deal about living in a church marred by the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy.
Faith in Focus
I am a young person living with chronic pain. Please don’t tell me it’s just part of God’s plan.
I live with chronic pain, and often it seems like no one really understands what this means. Having chronic pain, especially as a young person, can often feel lonely and isolating.
Retirement taught me this hard truth: We are all replaceable.
I have found that there’s more to life than work. That I am replaceable in my job but urgently needed in other roles and relationships in my life.
Afghan refugees and the Good Samaritans of Twitter
As images of desperate Afghan refugees flooded the news last week, I felt overwhelmed by my own inadequacy. Then I saw an Amazon wishlist of refugees’ concrete needs — and logged on to Twitter.
Ideas
I like many of Glennon Doyle’s messages for women. But some of her ideas about family are problematic.
For Catholics, the basic unit of society is the family and our local church, not the individual.
Books
Review: A poet’s life in letters
Beyond all its virtuosity and shine, James Merrill’s writing style always had a canny, wry and often mensch-like grasp of human nature.
Review: Tola Rotimi Abraham traces interior universes in her debut novel
Tola Rotimi Abraham is from Lagos, Nigeria. She writes this, her debut novel, with one foot placed in the intimate and communal confines of Lagos and the other inside her characters’ heads.
Review: A murder mystery with a twist of Greek tragedy and myth
Alex Michaelides’s new novel is a taut and diligently plotted detective story, entertaining as well as readable in a single sitting.
Review: How to apply principles of economics to parenting
Emily Oster’s new book wades through the data on questions relevant to many parents of school-age kids. But the book is less about the data itself and more about how to frame decisions on these topics and others in the most effective, logical and efficient way.
Poetry
Michelangelo’s Late Drawings
Four scaffolded years risking a fall like Adam’s
Meditations on an Apple
Whether you’re pie or cider some of you will be human
The Word
Spiritual preparation for Christmas can (and should) involve actively engaging with your community
We are reminded not to be consumed with things that distract from the focus of the season of Advent.
How do we make sense of royal imagery in Scripture?
The feast of Christ the King is an opportunity to think about ways that we promote God’s kingdom in the world.
Preparing for the season ahead
The themes of power, timeliness and anticipation are prominent.
We should not benefit from corrupt financial systems at the expense of the vulnerable
The readings present two women as models of living charitably, selflessly showing kindness to others.
Last Take
A challenge to Planned Parenthood in Texas: Don’t shut down. Support women with life-affirming prenatal care.
If Planned Parenthood does not trust crisis pregnancy centers, the abortion Goliath should beat the centers at their own game.
Faith
Spiritual preparation for Christmas can (and should) involve actively engaging with your community
We are reminded not to be consumed with things that distract from the focus of the season of Advent.
How do we make sense of royal imagery in Scripture?
The feast of Christ the King is an opportunity to think about ways that we promote God’s kingdom in the world.
Preparing for the season ahead
The themes of power, timeliness and anticipation are prominent.
We should not benefit from corrupt financial systems at the expense of the vulnerable
The readings present two women as models of living charitably, selflessly showing kindness to others.
Daniel Pérez had a transformative experience as a Nativity student. Today he leads their national coalition of schools.
Mr. Pérez is now the executive director of the NativityMiguel Coalition, a national network of faith-based schools that follow the Nativity model for helping children prepare for rigorous high school curricula.
Young women, #MeToo and clergy sex abuse: Lessons from my students
My students at a Catholic women’s college have taught me—and can teach the rest of the church—a great deal about living in a church marred by the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy.
Engaging the next generation of Catholic philanthropists will mean leaning into the church’s social justice tradition
Catholic ministries face an uncertain financial future as religiosity decreases among younger Americans—including, perhaps, descendants of prominent Catholic philanthropic leaders.
The Editors: Reverence for the Eucharist transcends politics
The disagreements we have in the Catholic Church in the United States around the Eucharist are largely about discipline, not doctrine.
Matt Malone: Why I’m stepping down as editor in chief of America Media
Last month, I informed the board of directors of America Media that I will step down as the president and editor in chief at the end of 2022.
Pope Francis: Rigidity in the church ‘is a sin against the patience of God’
“There is much resistance to overcome the image of a church rigidly divided between leaders and subordinates, between those who teach and those who have to learn,” the pope said during an audience with the faithful from the Diocese of Rome.
I am a young person living with chronic pain. Please don’t tell me it’s just part of God’s plan.
I live with chronic pain, and often it seems like no one really understands what this means. Having chronic pain, especially as a young person, can often feel lonely and isolating.
Retirement taught me this hard truth: We are all replaceable.
I have found that there’s more to life than work. That I am replaceable in my job but urgently needed in other roles and relationships in my life.
Afghan refugees and the Good Samaritans of Twitter
As images of desperate Afghan refugees flooded the news last week, I felt overwhelmed by my own inadequacy. Then I saw an Amazon wishlist of refugees’ concrete needs — and logged on to Twitter.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts