Catholic Colleges That Are Not Catholic

Last updated on: July 11, 2022 at 3:38 pm By Lois Kerschen

Isn’t the purpose of a Catholic college to strengthen and promote the Catholic faith through its students? To educate future Catholic leaders in their spiritual development and cement their Catholic principles? The Catholic nature and environment of a school should permeate student education and not be altered to accommodate forces outside the Church. Loyola Marymount University and Planned Parenthood The shocking situation at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles this past week is an example of how far astray from... Read more

Incompatible with Life? Prenatal Diagnoses and Options

Last updated on: November 4, 2021 at 9:48 pm By Lois Kerschen

Perinatal Hospice is only part of the picture when an unborn child is not expected to live past birth. There are other issues to consider when a diagnosis is termed “lethal” or “incompatible with life.” In a previous blog on September 22, 2021, I discussed using perinatal hospice to comfort parents of a stillborn or dying baby. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/musingsfromthepew/2021/09/blogs-musingsfromthepew-p272/ However, in cases where the unborn child has serious medical issues, there is more to be considered before death occurs, if it... Read more

Capital Punishment: Forgiveness, Hope, Nonviolence and God’s Decisions

Last updated on: November 1, 2021 at 7:36 pm By Lois Kerschen

Opposition to capital punishment involves forgiveness, hope and nonviolence, but the main issue is God’s sole power over life and death. In 2018, the official Catechism of the Catholic Church was changed to declare that capital punishment is “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and “inadmissible” in all cases. The previous Catechism had permitted capital punishment if it were the only way to defend human lives against unjust forces, but such executions were thought to be... Read more

Hope for Tomorrow in College Evangelists

Last updated on: October 30, 2021 at 6:09 pm By Lois Kerschen

Why is there a critical need for college evangelists? Citing a 2009 Pew survey on its web site, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) answers that question: Almost 80% of those who leave the Catholic faith do so by age 23. Only 30% of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. A 2018 study on young adults leaving the Catholic Church found people stopped identifying as Catholics at a median age of 13, long before they ceased attending... Read more

Catholic Connections to Abortion History

Last updated on: October 27, 2021 at 1:14 pm By Lois Kerschen

Since more than half of U.S. Catholics (56%) favor legal abortion, we should review the Catholic connections to legal abortion history. Perhaps an understanding of how Catholics were targeted will help those deceived to see the value of the Church’s position. Pro-abortion people say abortion is a women’s issue, so men should have no say in the matter. Funny thing, it was two men who founded NARAL and engineered the acceptance of abortion in America. Lawrence Lader and Bernard Nathanson... Read more

Church Bulletins and What They Reveal

Last updated on: October 24, 2021 at 8:57 pm By Lois Kerschen

What’s in a church bulletin? Anything important? Do you take one home each week? Do you actually read it, or do you just check for certain reminders and bypass the rest? In our travels, I always make sure to pick up the bulletin of any church we visit. It is a wealth of information about that church community — an indicator of parish life. Only a very few times have I looked at a bulletin and said, “This parish is... Read more

Submissiveness: Wife to Husband or the Other Way Around?

Last updated on: October 21, 2021 at 7:11 pm By Lois Kerschen

Misogynists love to quote St. Paul’s admonition about the submission of wives to their husbands in Ephesians 5:22-33. However, they usually cite just the first three verses because, like all those wanting to twist the truth, they need to quote out of context. The lines about wives read pretty much like the societal rules of the times. St. Paul was steeped in those rules, having been a learned Jewish zealot before his conversion to Christianity. It is not unexpected that... Read more

Priests and Homilies on Abortion

Last updated on: June 28, 2022 at 1:26 pm By Lois Kerschen

In our travels, my husband and I happened to witness an unforgettable response to a parish priest who dared to bring up the subject of abortion in his homily. We were at a friend’s parish, and it was October, just before a national election. The point of the priest’s homily was that his parishioners had a responsibility to vote pro-life. He was very careful not to mention any candidate’s name or any political party. He talked only about pro-life issues,... Read more

Being Catholic First

Last updated on: October 17, 2021 at 4:33 pm By Lois Kerschen

We all identify with a lot of different categories: family member, occupation, hobby, political affiliation, club memberships, and so on. The one that ought to come first, though, is Catholic. God, country, family. That is the order of priorities I was taught, and it used to be a common standard. It meant you put God’s laws first. It meant you understood you sometimes had to answer the call to serve your country. It meant you set the common good before... Read more

God’s Wonder and Colorado History in Leadville

Last updated on: October 15, 2021 at 4:06 pm By Lois Kerschen

Part of the attraction of traveling is the wonders you discover along the way. Among those are architecturally dazzling churches with fascinating history. As the “Wandering Pew,” my husband and I were delighted to attend Mass in Leadville, Colorado, at Annunciation Church, an absolute gem and part of the rich history of this town. Leadville sits at 10,200 feet next to the two tallest mountains in Colorado and the headwaters of the Arkansas River. It boasts of the highest golf... Read more

Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments?