The Working Catholic: Signs of the Times by Bill Droel How do we become aware that a new age has dawned? Did anyone in November 1492 proclaim that the modern age began the previous month when Native Americans discovered Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)? Did anyone in November 1517 realize that the modern age began the previous month when Rev. Martin Luther (1483-1546) challenged the Roman Catholic bureaucracy? Yet looking back to those events we trace global commerce, exploration, cultural imperialism, a... Read more

The Working Catholic: Green Transportation by Bill Droel “Bicycles are not only thermo-dynamically efficient, they are also cheap,” says Catholic philosopher Ivan Illich (1926-2002) in Energy and Equity (Harper Collins, 1974). “Bicycles let people move with greater speed without taking up significant amounts of scarce space, energy or time.” Jody Rosen affirms Illich’s contention in Two Wheels Good: the History and Mystery of the Bicycle (Crown, 2022). Bikes are “a remarkably effective device for converting human exertion into locomotion,” he... Read more

The Working Catholic: Identity by Bill Droel The pro-ethnicity movement of the early 1970s made some sense. Michael Novak (1933-2017), to mention one proponent, convincingly argued that the elite Hollywood and Wall St. and Beltway culture might not be “good for children and other living things.” He foresaw that the modern emphases on achievement, bureaucratic efficiency, tech-obsession, celebrity status and quick results leaves many people behind, especially those who live in de-industrial cities and in smaller towns. Novak’s The Rise... Read more

The Working Catholic: Thanksgiving by Bill Droel I’m at a disadvantage in our Mr. Baseball contest. Each March we select the teams that will make the playoffs and we predict which will go furthest. My problem is the Astros. They have already won the AL West but I didn’t pick them because of the trashcan cheating incident. They were not sufficiently punished, in my opinion. I carry my attitude about cheaters onto the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. If the... Read more

The Working Catholic: Social Doctrine, Part Nine by Bill Droel Capitalism today is of the libertarian or wild cowboy style. It destructs our middle-class way of life plus, let’s admit, it erodes the well-being of its supposed mega-beneficiaries. Alternative styles of capitalism are available. They preserve an industrial base, increase employee participation in the economy and improve the odds of maintaining peace. Along the way, the alternatives strengthen economic competitiveness. They support long-haul capitalism, a democratic capitalism. Germany has an... Read more

The Working Catholic: Too Much Talk by Bill Droel A book discussion group is a plus for a neighborhood. In fact, any neighborhood with several such groups likely has a strong social fabric. However, a discussion group is mistaken to think it is social action–even if its selections are current affairs. A small group gathers for breakfast after the 9 A.M. Mass.  Its regulars share parish comings-and-goings and the latest on clergy shenanigans around the country.  The breakfast club certainly... Read more

The Working Catholic: Social Doctrine Part Eight by Bill Droel Always do for others what they cannot do for themselves. That’s the rule of charity. Never do for others what they can do for themselves. That’s the rule of freedom. The Catholic principle of subsidiarity maintains the tension between the two. It guides the interplay of functions. It prevents charity from becoming disabling help and prevents freedom from becoming selfishness or libertarianism. Both extremes violate both charity and justice. The... Read more

The Working Catholic: Sin by Bill Droel U.S. Catholic participation in the sacraments has declined for nearly 55 years. Fewer weddings, fewer priestly ordinations, fewer sick people receive a sacramental anointing. Reception of the Eucharist is down, but not as dramatically as participation in the sacrament of reconciliation (aka confession). Confession has not lost its popularity because U.S. Catholics are suddenly angelic. It is because, as one theory has it, psychological categories have replaced moral categories. This is the thesis... Read more

The Working Catholic: Personnel Shortage by Bill Droel Nearly every nursing home is understaffed. The shortage is not new, but Covid-19 makes it acute. Since 2020 facilities across the country have seen 420,000 employees leave. Employers have difficulty paying competitive wages because insurance reimbursement is inadequate. The nurses and aides on hand are older. They have an increased case load and longer hours. Morale suffers. There are “several newly energized efforts to use robots and other technology to solve some... Read more

The Working Catholic: Social Doctrine Part Seven by Bill Droel There are scores of books explaining Catholic social doctrine. The outline for many of them is a chronology of papal encyclicals (from Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 On the Condition of Labor to Pope Francis’ 2020 On Social Friendship). Or the author might pick issues like peace, health care delivery, labor relations and the environment; quoting relevant official documents in each chapter.       The Church’s Best-Kept Secret by Mark Shea (New City... Read more