A forum of Catholic Thought

What is truth?Michael Reardon

The role of Catholic schools transcends mere academic instruction. It stands as a beacon of hope and a pillar of support for countless low-income families across our communities. As we reflect on the ...

The 75th anniversary of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, Chestnut HillThomas Lester

July 31 will mark the 75th anniversary of the dedication of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, which serves Boston College and the surrounding community. The parish itself had been erected ...

The most important prayer you already knowLaura Kelly Fanucci

Want to hear a secret? You likely know a prayer that can reorient you to everything in your life. And it goes like this: "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy ...

Two years after DobbsRussell Shaw

Two years ago, the Supreme Court vindicated the right to life by reversing a 1973 ruling which abruptly asserted the existence of a constitutional right to abortion that no one had ever previously heard ...

Scripture Reflection for July 21, 2024, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary TimeDeacon Greg Kandra

Jer 23:1-6 Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 Eph 2:13-18 Mk 6:30-34 I don't run into shepherds very often, but a few years ago, I ran into a shepherd (via Google) by the name of Kim Goodling. She and her ...

'These holy paintings can heal us'David Lopez

(Following is the text of the prepared remarks addressed by Spanish artist David Lopez to Cardinal O'Malley describing the 1,300 sq. ft. hand-painted altarpiece at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Jamaica ...

The little way to pray all day, even if you have no time to spare!Elizabeth Scalia

There is a saying, dubiously attributed to St. Francis de Sales but it sounds more like Venerable Fulton Sheen to me: "Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer every day, except when we are busy -- ...

The responsibilities of freedomMichael Reardon

''Those who expect to reap the blessings of Freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.'' So opens Thomas Paine's "American Crisis Number IV." "Crisis Number IV" ...

President Polk's 1847 visit to BostonMatthew Radulski

On June 29, 1847, Bishop John Bernard Fitzpatrick wrote in his journal: "The President of the U. States arrives in the City, is received by the authorities and citizens. A procession is made through the ...

Patriotism, then and nowRussell Shaw

Here to salute the 4th of July are a few troubled thoughts on patriotism. Orestes Brownson, the most prominent American Catholic public intellectual of 19th century, discerned a divinely bestowed mission ...