A forum of Catholic Thought

Boston and the nation respond to the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, Californians were awoken by what the U.S. Geological Survey calls "one of the most significant earthquakes of all time." Several shocks occurred throughout ...



See you in the storyLaura Kelly Fanucci

My son stands in the center of his bedroom, wailing to the heavens while his sleepy brothers tuck into bunk beds. Tonight, there has been no time for stories, since the family party ran late. But I hadn't ...

Popular devotions and the liturgyFather Robert M. O’Grady

Recently, I was asked, "Is the Easter Bunny pagan?" Apparently, some priest told this individual that the Easter Bunny was pagan, and so should not be in Catholic environs. I had never heard of this, ...

The shepherd's voiceScott Hahn

Jesus, in today's Gospel, says that He is the good shepherd the prophets had promised to Israel. He is the shepherd-prince, the new David -- who frees people from bondage to sin and gathers them ...

Physician-assisted suicide is a slippery slopeCardinal Seán P. O’Malley

It has been said that at the heart of the physician-assisted suicide debate is the moral-medical distinction between curing and caring for patients. The United States has an unmatched capacity for curing ...

The Fight for Our FaithMaureen Crowley Heil

What would you do if you were told you couldn't attend Mass anymore? Or that your children couldn't attend school unless they took instruction in another religion? What if local governmental authorities ...

No line-drawingMichael Pakaluk

A good way to grasp the central idea of "Infinite Dignity," the recent Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, is to set down this rule: if we are engaged in any project of line-drawing ...

The new Temple: How Easter changes religionDr. R. Jared Staudt

"Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days." This mysterious statement led, in part at least, to Christ's death, brought forward in the conflicting witness of his trial before the Sanhedrin. ...

Scripture Reflection for April 21, 2024, Fourth Sunday of EasterJem Sullivan

Acts 4:8-12 Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 1 Jn 3:1-2 Jn 10:11-18 Throughout 2,000 years of Christian history, artistic expressions of faith can always be found. From the rustic art of the ...