Sts. Matthew, Mark and Luke write of Jesus' glorious transfiguration on Mount Tabor in their Gospel accounts. St. John characteristically makes no mention of this incident since, for the Fourth … more

One of the major complaints that hastened the American Revolution was the harboring of British troops in private homes. more

Modern technology owes an immense debt of gratitude to the Arabic world for the invention of written numbers — 1,2,3,4, etc. Roman numerals — I, V, X, L, C, D, M — simply would not have … more

When Martin Luther renounced the Catholic Church’s traditional framework and declared the Bible to be the sole rule of faith, he received a considerable amount of support from the Christian … more

My appreciation of poetry inclines more toward Emily Dickinson or perhaps even Mother Goose rather than toward the 19th century English Jesuit, Gerard Manley Hopkins. more

St. Mark has 34 references to exorcisms in his Gospel account. St. John the Evangelist makes no mention of Jesus casting out demons in his version of the good news. more

In a recent letter to the editor of the Valley Breeze weekly newspaper, Lincoln, Rhode Island, physician Paula Carmichael shrewdly describes abortion as a religious issue. A month earlier, Governor … more

The early Protestant reformers — Zwingli, Calvin and Cranmer especially — wisely insisted that all tokens of the old religion — altars, statues, rosaries, relics, pilgrimages, even saints and … more

In the late spring of 1961, some of my seminary classmates chose to pursue their priestly vocations in other dioceses. Ed Masse became a priest in Manchester, N.H. Roland Cloutier joined the Norwich, Conn., diocese. Richard Martin pursued his priestly studies for the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia, later joining the newly formed diocese of Arlington in that state. more

In the opening lines of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on the environment, he liberally quotes his predecessors in the Chair of Peter to illustrate that care for our common home — and the persons who live in it — has long been a Papal concern. more

One of the joys of Catholic school education in the 1940s and 50s was observing the Nine First Fridays devotion in honor of the Sacred Heart. If begun in October and concluded in June, children could … more

Certainly, the longest running feud within the Judaeo-Christian tradition is the struggle between faith and works. The first generation of Christians inherited from their Jewish ancestors a tendency … more

Pope Francis’ celebrated remarks on the return air flight from Brazil’s World Youth Day included a profound observation on the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Our Lady is more important than the Apostles! She is more important!” Our Holy Father offered this same observation later to the in flight reporters: “But I’d like to say something about this. I’ve said it, but I repeat it. Our Lady, Mary, was more important than the Apostles, than bishops, deacons and priests.” This second papal response answered a not unexpected question about women in the priesthood. more

Older Catholics will well remember when Catholics were distinguished by a series of good works. more

All four Gospel accounts record the celebrated confession of St. Peter in Jesus Christ as Messiah. As the Gospel account of St. Luke is read this Sunday, note that Jesus’ original question about his identity is addressed to all the disciples. more

The publication of a 50th anniversary commemorative edition of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical On Human Life by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a bit perplexing to say the least. The … more

God never shows up at the door unannounced. He knows that there might be cat hairs all over the living room couch and that the kids probably left their gym shoes and sweatshirts in the den and that … more

The Bishop of Rome has many titles. Certainly referring to our church’s earthly leader as “pope” is the most common usage. “Pope” is probably a development from “pater,” the Latin word for “father,” into the Romanesque “papa” and then eventually into the Gallicized “pape” and the Anglicized “pope.” more

The end of the world is regularly thought to be a dreadful event. The end-times connote destruction for the universe, condemnation for sinners, even trials for the righteous. more

The Woonsocket Call caused quite a stir recently when the local newspaper highlighted the questionable future of some of the city’s older parishes. No one sympathizes more with the parishioners … more