Jack and Elizabeth (names have been changed) were engaged and living together when they asked me to marry them. They were a very sincere young couple who wanted a better understanding of their Catholic faith and help for living it out. In fact, during Jack’s first conversation with me, he expressed a desire to be confirmed before their wedding. More »

Burning napalm. Fleeing refugees. Soldiers slogging through rice paddies and jungle trails. Booby traps, snipers, ambushes, bloody firefights. The anguished faces of the wounded and dying, desperate for compassion and comfort. When we think of the Vietnam War, these are the images we see. More »

The radio on the counter crackled. “Storm warnings posted along the entire northeast coastline,” the announcer said, “with high seas and gale force winds.” I smoothed another wrinkle with my fingers and pressed the steaming iron over the sleeve of my daughter’s blouse. More »

Let us join with Christians around the world in praying for these special intentions: More »

“We have some wonderful memories,” I said as Brother Art lay on his deathbed. “Yes, some wonderful memories,” he replied, almost as if singing. More »

Traffic lights are a way of life for anyone in or near an urban area. They seem to be lurking on almost every street corner. I know they are there for our protection and to regulate traffic, but sometimes they just get to be too much. And I don’t know about you, but I have an uncanny ability to hit light after light just as it turns red. More »

“O Lord, you have probed me and you know me.” (Psalm 139:1) More »

In 1534 the English Parliament passed legislation that declared King Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England. Holding fast to the Catholic Church’s teaching on papal authority, Sir Thomas More (b. 1478) refused to take an oath recognizing the king’s supremacy, which was required by the law, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. More »