A forum of Catholic Thought

Parish priests and their people

''Hello, Father, are you a Jesuit?" The parish priest's unspoken response to this question is "No, but I am literate." The parish priest is the ordinary version of a Catholic priest. Very ...



The Christmas crecheFather Robert M. O'Grady

Christmas traditions abound -- around the globe, in various nations, among various peoples, and even in neighborhoods and families. Here are a few. From Italy, we have La Befana, the Christmas Witch, ...

Tolkien's world, still popular on the big screen, began with faith and wordsCecilia Hadley

In the beginning were the words. J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth -- the world of "The Lord of the Rings" and now the new animated film "The War of the Rohirrim" -- was born, first and foremost, from ...

Feeling like ChristmasJaymie Stuart Wolfe

With highs in the 60s and 70s (and lows staying above 40), it doesn't exactly "feel" like Christmas in southern Louisiana, at least not for anybody who was raised well north of the Mason-Dixon Line. ...

Give a Christmas Gift to the MissionsMaureen Crowley Heil

As Christmas draws near, we take time to reflect on God's many blessings -- including those of friends like you whose kindness and compassion supports the Church's missionary work in the poorest ...

Be the carolArchbishop Richard G. Henning

More than 20 years ago, I found myself in the pediatric outpatient clinic of a hospital two days before Christmas. The youngest member of my family was there for chemotherapy. At two years of age, he ...

A mother's greetingScott Hahn

On this last Sunday before Christmas, the Church's Liturgy reveals the true identity of our Redeemer: He is, as today's First Reading says, the "ruler . . . Whose origin is from . . . Ancient ...

Scripture Reflection for Dec. 22, 2024, Fourth Sunday of AdventDeacon Greg Kandra

Mi 5:1-4a Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 Heb 10:5-10 Lk 1:39-45 Ironically, as our Advent journey is drawing to a close, another journey is beginning. It's right there in the first three words of this ...

Getting adult children to Christmas MassGreg Erlandson

There are two kinds of families that I notice at Christmas Mass. The first are those with young children dressed up in their best Christmas finery, excited about the whole day. The kids sing the songs ...