Ninety-year-old evangelist Billy Graham has announced through his son that he is not in the running for unofficial White House chaplain, an informal position he has sometimes held in previous administrations. more

The almost 50 years since the commencement of the second Vatican Council have witnessed a remarkable change in the activity of lay persons in the Catholic Church. And frankly, those same 50 years have observed an equally notable change in the role of clergy and religious in the Catholic Church. more

The Bible employs exalted names for God like king, ruler, warrior and judge, along with other worthy metaphors like rock, fortress, shield, and refuge. more

America is becoming less religious. According to a new Pew Research Center analysis, young adults, known as millennials, have a low level of religious belief: 20 percent of Americans born between … more

It might be disrespectful, perhaps even sacrilegious, to write that Jesus proclaimed his celebrated eight beatitudes with tongue-in-cheek. more

One of Pope Benedict’s favorite themes in his preaching, his publications and his official pronouncements is the natural law. more

St. Thomas is mentioned in all four Biblical references to the twelve apostles. Matthew 10, Mark 3 and Luke 6, as well as Acts, 1 find St. Thomas faithfully listed among Christ’s dearest disciples even though these books were written decades after St. Thomas himself had moved on from Jerusalem. Although the fourth Gospel account by St. John does not list the twelve apostles as these other writings do (in fact, St. John never uses the word “apostle”), he recalls St. Thomas quite personally by informing the reader that this man Thomas was nick-named Didymus, a Greek word meaning twin. Thomas itself, for that matter, is actually the Aramaic word for twin. more

Ian Paisley (1920-2014) was a Northern Irish Presbyterian minister who, at age 25, broke from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland to found the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. He was elected … more

“O God, our refuge and our strength…,” begins a traditional prayer for the needs of the Church. “Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus..,” introduces the prayer … more

Pastors — and maybe even parishioners — who get perturbed when crying babies and unruly children interrupt the Sunday sermon are often reminded of Jesus’ attitude toward children when the apostles tried to shush them as they crowded around Jesus on the streets of Jerusalem. more

This Sunday’s Gospel account of the guests invited to the wedding feast following so closely after last Sunday’s Gospel passage on the vine grower and his inhospitable workers might seem to be a variation on the common theme of Gospel rejection. Certainly for St. Matthew, both parables share a sad tale of refusal. more

Towering over the pleasant fields of rural Kentucky is a reputedly full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, the ark is an engineering … more

Atonement for sin is a notion that pre-dates Christianity and probably even pre-dates Judaism. more

Although separated by centuries in time, Naaman the Syrian healed of leprosy and the thankful Samaritan also healed of leprosy both experienced an inner transformation that began with faith and evolved into love. more

Sts. Matthew, Mark and Luke, no doubt taking their lead from Christ, denote the Christian life in terms of the kingdom. more

An enduring event within the religious community in my native Woonsocket has been the annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service offered at the city’s Holy Family Church, (this year, on Sunday, November 18, at 3 p.m.). Father Edward St. Goddard, a fellow alumnus of St. Bernard Seminary in Rochester, N.Y., and pastor of the South Main Street church, has long been involved in interfaith and intrafaith activities throughout the state. more

Angelo Cardinal Scola is the archbishop of Milan and was ranked quite highly among those cardinals being considered for the papal office in the recent election. Cardinal Scola obviously remains in Milan but he has made quite a contribution to church life in a scholarly work entitled “The Nuptial Mystery.” more

Forty-eight years ago, within weeks of my ordination to the priesthood, I offered a Sunday Mass in my home parish of St. Charles Borromeo in Woonsocket. After Mass, a young mother presented herself to me and asked to be “churched.” This was the only request for churching in my half-century of priestly ministry. more

The Sunday Gospel readings for this new liturgical year will be drawn mostly from the Gospel account according to St. Mark. Mark’s account is the shortest of the four Gospels, only sixteen … more

There is not a believer anywhere who has not demanded from the depth of his soul, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” The words of the eager Greeks in today’s Gospel echo the sentiments of everyone who seeks a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. more