What amazes me most about Brandon Vogt’s excellent book Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World is Brandon Vogt himself. Almost three years ago, I published a review of Brandon’s first book, The Church and New Media, for Patheos. I loved that book, and this one, Saints and Social Justice, is its equal. I first met Brandon in May 2011, when we both found ourselves among 150 Catholic bloggers invited to attend the first-ever Vatican Blogfest. Brandon,... Read more
When Pope Francis brings together key religious leaders from around the world for the October 2014 Extraordinary Synod on the Family, it will be only the third time in modern Church history that such an event has been held. The two earlier Extraordinary Synods–in 1969 and 1985–afforded an opportunity for reflection and regeneration. For example, the Synod Fathers in 1985 saw a need for a tool to explain the tenets of the Faith with accuracy and consistency. What emerged was... Read more
Among all the hysterics following yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby, it’s Hillary Clinton’s response that is most troubling. The potential Democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential election finds it “deeply disturbing” that craft chain Hobby Lobby and other “closely-held” for-profit companies do not have to provide contraceptives to their employees if doing so violates their religious beliefs. During a Facebook Live interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, Clinton decried the ruling which restored the... Read more
Hobby Lobby wins! The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that the family-owned business will not be required to abide by the HHS Mandate, which requires employers to cover the cost of contraceptives for their employees. Join with me in a prayer of thanks at this ruling. But let’s remember, too, to continue our prayers for this nation. The Court did not unanimously see the logic in Hobby Lobby’s reasoned objection to offering free contraceptives and abortifacients. In fact,... Read more
St. Joseph Catholic Church stands across the street from Detroit’s historic Eastern Market. The 141-year-old church has a proud history serving the German settlers in Detroit; but in recent years, a failing economy and shifting population have meant financial uncertainty for the beautiful edifice. Enter the Mass Mob Movement. Patterned after a similar program in Buffalo, Detroit’s “Mass Mobs” attend weekend liturgies one Sunday each month at a struggling inner city church, bringing needed dollars to the collection plate. On... Read more
“What was wrong with me that I had to leave a place that I loved in many ways because I couldn’t be around religious people? Why was I always so close to an existential crisis that I couldn’t function like a normal person? Nobody struggled with that kind of thing. The other atheists I knew didn’t seem to have any problem with the fleetingness of human life. I’d never met anyone else who seemed troubled by the insanity of... Read more
Soccer star Clint Dempsey, captain of the U.S. team, is tough as nails, talented and clever–arguably the best U.S. player ever. If he’s not as fast as he used to be, he’s still a very dangerous attacker, very physical. He suffered a broken nose early in the U.S. team’s first game in the World Cup; but he’s still played every minute. Dempsey is the epitome of the gritty, never-say-die spirit that’s been the hallmark of U.S. soccer in recent years. He... Read more
A Massachusetts law that banned abortion protesters from standing within 35 feet of the entrance to an abortion clinic has been struck down by the Supreme Court. In a decision this morning, the Court unanimously ruled that the ban violated the First Amendment rights of pro-life leaders who sought to have quiet, one-on-one conversations with women entering the clinic, thus possibly saving the lives of babies. In its ruling, the Supreme Court said that the 2007 law which was intended... Read more
Secretly, you’re a writer. You bury yourself in historical novels, and you think, “Someday I’d like to write like that!” or… You love a good mystery, and you daydream about complex and unexpected plotlines; or… You have a remarkable personal story of your own conversion, your mother’s love even through the long, lingering goodbye of Alzheimer’s, your family’s unorthodox vacation memories; or… You have been successful in creating a small home-based business, and you think other families could benefit... Read more
This week, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed into law a bill which protects the religious rights of students in North Carolina schools. The new law, which takes effect immediately, protects student-led prayer–allowing students to pray silently, out loud, alone or with others, to the same extent as a student is permitted to reflect, meditate or speak on nonreligious matters. Students will be permitted to organize prayer groups and/or religious clubs. And students will be permitted to express their beliefs... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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