John Padberg, S.J., the noted Jesuit historian, died on Christmas Day. He is remembered here by his longtime friend and colleague, John W. O'Malley, S.J.

In a year filled with good news and bad, more than a few Catholics stood out in the crowd (for better or for worse).

Sixty years after the publication of ‘Black Like Me,’ John Howard Griffin's book can still be part of much-needed discussions of race for many white Americans who remain unaware of racism's ongoing effects.

Covid-19, the 2020 election and racial justice remained hot topics in 2021. But the past year also brought new debates within the Catholic Church, including over the Latin Mass.

The new policy instructs priests who currently celebrate a form of the Mass, sometimes called the Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass, which was supplanted with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, to request permission from the archbishop if they wish to continue using the extraordinary form.

Our Dispatches contributors were kind enough to share some thoughts on what stories are likely to be important in 2022 as we cross off, in some relief, the concluding days of 2021.