“Women and children first” has been the motto of gentlemen perhaps since the chivalrous days of the Middle Ages and certainly since the era of stiff courtesy that marked the nineteenth century. … more

The various books in the New Testament were not written days or even weeks or even months after Jesus returned to his Father in heaven. The sacred written word had at least 30 years to mature and … more

Years ago, the last week of January was celebrated throughout the Catholic world as the Church Unity Octave. Beginning on the former feast of St. Peter’s Chair at Rome and concluding on the current feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, observers of the octave prayed for the unity of various Christian communities with the Church of Rome. more

The sad news from Pew Research Associates that the percentage of Rhode Islanders who claim to be Catholic has diminished to 42% is matched by the equally distressing information that the number of Rhode Islanders who have no religious affiliation at all has increased to 20 percent. more

The Gospel accounts of Ss. Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as the passage from the Acts of the Apostles to be read at this coming Sunday’s Mass list the twelve apostles with amazing similarity. St. … more

My arriving early for the 8 a.m. Saturday Mass at Sacred Heart Church allowed me time to examine closely the décor of the modest Romanesque building on Second Avenue in Woonsocket’s Fairmount … more

Although Napoleon Bonaparte is often recalled as a French military celebrity, the Emperor was no Marshall Foch or General deGaulle. If fact, the Corsican usurper was more like Attila the Hun than … more

My senior prom from La Salle Academy was held in the spring of 1958 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet. My date was Mary Kelly, a classmate from my parish grammar school. more

After Martin Luther posted his celebrated 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg’s church, he spent a year in voluntary seclusion in a tower at nearby Wartburg Castle. With bed, chair, desk, quill, … more

October 31 will mark the 499th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Pope Francis will be travelling to Sweden, once a Lutheran stronghold, to begin a year of inter-religious observances of … more

Readers should go to their computers and google “The Bad Vicar” to watch a very amusing video about the contrast between religion and spirituality. more

Other than the impressive changes in the Holy Week liturgy proposed by Pope Pius XII in the 1950s, the first change in the church's ritual before the Vatican Council’s dramatic adjustments was the dropping of the second Confiteor by Pope John XXIII in the early 1960s. more

American Christmas cards and English Christmas carols will more often than not proclaim, “Peace on earth; good will toward men.” more

Saints Matthew, Mark and Luke all locate Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness immediately after his baptism at the Jordan by the Baptist. Some Biblical commentators see a constant Scriptural theme in this juxtaposition: commitment is always followed by testing. The Jordan baptism signaled Jesus’ commitment to public life. He would no longer be the reclusive carpenter at home in Nazareth with his widowed mother. more

Scripture scholars often discern seven signs in the first half of the Gospel according to St. John. Chapters 2 through 11 feature seven misfortunes — some just a matter of inconvenience, … more

The brief Letter to Philemon, written by St. Paul from his Roman prison cell, will be proclaimed as the second reading at Mass this coming Sunday. The letter is certainly the most personal writing … more

One area of life that would seem to be exempt from the cross, at least in the popular imagination, is sexual relations. more

The part of the Mass known today as the Psalm Response, recited in chorus with the congregation after the first reading, was formerly listed in missals as the Gradual. It received this practical … more

Certainly among the most quoted words of Jesus Christ are the few phrases found in this coming Sunday’s Gospel. How often are offended parties told to “turn the other cheek!” Countless times … more

A thoughtful reading of the Sermon on the Mount, actually chapters five, six and seven of St. Matthew’s Gospel, provides overwhelming testimony to the centrality of the fatherhood of God in the thought and ethics of Jesus. The fatherhood of God was no metaphor in the preaching of Christ. more