Beyond Left and Right: Catholic Church on Immigration

Last updated on: November 15, 2025 at 2:25 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

Because immigration touches on human dignity, labor, the family, and the common good, it resists partisan labels. Right-left language is too narrow to describe the richness of Catholic Social Doctrine. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB] recently finished its annual plenary session and came out with an immigration statement. Bishops are not called to make a political statement but rather to give witness to the Gospel in an ever-changing world. Called to Prophetic Action The bishops recognize their... Read more

If You’re Not Building, You’re Breaking

Last updated on: November 15, 2025 at 2:21 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Are we building up the Church or breaking it down? Sometimes, it can feel embarrassing to be Catholic. Maybe there is a comment in class that makes fun of some Catholic teaching. Or we are with friends and they say something that is offensive to Catholics and we are not sure how to respond. How can we stand up for the faith in a world that often seems openly hostile to our religion? Today, we celebrate the Basilica of St.... Read more

I like praying in cemeteries

Last updated on: October 27, 2025 at 11:07 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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I like praying in cemeteries. During my formation years in Germany especially, I liked to stop by cemeteries when I was on a hike. We would trek through the countryside and each small town or village had its own small cemetery. I liked walking through the tombstones and looking at the names and dates. A tombstone has an incredible way of summarizing a life in a few basic details. Standing among those markers of lives lived and finished, I often... Read more

Why is there Catholic Education?

Last updated on: October 28, 2025 at 6:59 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Education is not an accessory, but central to evangelization. – Pope Leo XIV Yesterday, a representative from Seton Teaching Fellows visited our students at Duke University. He shared how graduates can dedicate a year to educating underprivileged children. It’s inspiring to see Catholic organizations leading such initiatives. This continues the Church’s long tradition as a force of education throughout the world. At times, it can seem that the Church has fallen out of touch with the world. It appears the... Read more

Contraception and Catholics

Last updated on: October 27, 2025 at 11:14 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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When Pope Paul VI published his encyclical Humanae Vitae, the world was stunned. Many expected a green light for artificial contraception. Instead the Pope reaffirmed a truth about love and life that had guided Christianity for centuries – and in doing so, set himself against the spirit of the age. Why was he trying to take the Church back into the Middle Ages with his archaic teaching on human sexuality? You might say that the drama began in 1930 with... Read more

Just Trying to Be Good

Last updated on: October 27, 2025 at 11:08 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Why is it so hard to be good? Don’t we sometimes have the impression that Christian life is like running on a treadmill and that no matter what we do, it is never enough? Nature of Grace Grace is not an abstract ideal, but a way of life to be actively lived. Jesus illustrates this truth in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (cf. Lk. 18:9-14). The Pharisee could have defined grace, but his heart was hardened... Read more

Faith Beyond Fairness

Last updated on: October 20, 2025 at 12:21 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Have you ever felt like your cries for justice are falling on deaf ears? When the woman of today’s Gospel (cf. Lk. 18:1-8) complains to the unjust judge, does she have any hope of gaining a resolution? Will she not be ignored while the abuses continue? Is she being righteous or just complaining? Compassion sees the person, not just the problem. Stoking anger Have you noticed how many people want to make us mad? I am not talking about ordinary... Read more

Pope Leo on Love for the Poor

Last updated on: October 10, 2025 at 1:07 pm By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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With the publication of his first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi te, Pope Leo XIV has offered the Church a powerful meditation on love for the poor – a message that bridges the papacies of Francis and Leo with striking continuity. An Apostolic Exhortation is a papal document that encourages the faithful to live out a particular aspect of the Gospel. Often, they follow a Synod or continuing a theological theme. Option for the PoorPope Building on the text from his predecessor,... Read more

The Treasure Meant to Be Shared

Last updated on: September 26, 2025 at 6:42 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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We’ve all seen those cringeworthy videos where someone films himself “helping the poor” more for clicks than compassion. It raises the question: Is wealth itself evil? Jesus definitely challenges some of the assumptions of the day with the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (cf. Lk. 16:19-31), where material wealth was viewed as a sign of God’s blessings. How well can you enjoy eating when you know that others are starving? The rich man threw parties while Lazarus starved... Read more

Faithful in Little, Faithful in Much

Last updated on: September 19, 2025 at 11:11 am By Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Something the Gospel message is simple: be faithful in small things before being entrusted with great ones (cf. Lk. 16:1-13). That simple truth is powerful enough to carry an entire movie plot. In the movie The Ultimate Gift, Jason Stevens is a trust fund kid who has to learn some lessons in life before he receives his inheritance from his grandfather. In the family, everybody knows that he is leading a dissolute life and is likely to get himself into... Read more

What material was used to make Moses' basket waterproof?