Despite the strong economy that has been a boon for millions of Americans, many others remain locked in a poverty that includes hunger. All but ignored in the current political debate, this dark reality served as the background of a three-day conference held in Washington, D.C., in late February. Ca

The day after returning from a conference in Washington, D.C., in late February on the persistence of hunger in the United States, I took the subway to the upper west side of Manhattan to hear Mario Cuomo speak on a similar theme. His address was part of a forum called "The Intransigence of Pov

With civil wars exploding around the world the essays in The Open Door come at an opportune moment Originally given as annual addresses before the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland co-publisher with the Center for International Health and Cooperation they represent the thought of some of the

Oscar Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980. Marking the 20th anniversary of the death of this saintly manthe process for his beatification has already beguntwo books have appeared. One is Oscar Romero: Reflections on His Life and Writing, by Marie Dennis, Renny Golden and Scott Wright (Orbis).

The congregation of the Sisters of Life was founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor of New York to promote the sanctity of human life. Among the first to join, Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., has been superior general since 1993; she resides at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent in New York

Learn a new language at the advanced age of 60? Surely madness even to try. But having come to New York in 1994 to work for America, I moved after my first year of living at America House to a Jesuit parish on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Knowing that Nativity Parish is primarily Hispanic, and

As the seat of the nation's government, Washington, D.C., should serve as a model city in the care of its poorer residents - but in fact its record is bad. In at least one low-income neighborhood, however, an idea of what can happen when a community pulls together has assumed concrete form. The

Lives on the Line is a powerful account of what low-income Americans endure in their struggle to raise children in surroundings of poverty The detailed descriptions of these quot lives quot profiles of 10 families of diverse racial and geographical backgroundsare placed in meaningful context by th

The Rev. Jim Consedine, a priest in the Diocese of Christchurch in New Zealand, is national coordinator for his country’s Restorative Justice Network. A prison chaplain for 21 years, he is the author of two books: Restorative Justice: Healing the Effects of Crime (1995, 1999) and, with Helen B

Praying on a New York City subway train? Those who view New York as chaos incarnate might consider such an undertaking impossible. In fact, though, many commuters find some of the very conditions of subway travel to be ideal for prayer. If you are lucky enough to have a seat, the fixed position is i