It’s now the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but for native Baltimoreans of a certain vintage (like me) it is, was, and always will be “the Old Cathedral:” the first of its kind in the United States. The genius of its architect, Benjamin Latrobe, was long muted by ill-conceived mid-20th century alterations; a restoration completed in 2006 recovered the extraordinary play of light within the building, by which Latrobe and Archbisho

By Deacon Joe Donoh oe Director of Deacon Personnel for the Archdiocese of Denver The Archdiocese of Denver has just released a Deacon Resource Manual providing information on the different service ministries of permanent deacons. It is meant to help the Catholic lay faithful understand and engage in the many ministry opportunities available in Northern Colorado. This resource manual is not all inclusive of deacon responsibilities but provides many services that respond to t

One of the adornments of American Catholicism turned 90 on May 21: Dr.  Paul R. McHugh, longtime head of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins and a healer after the heart of the Divine Physician. Few scientists have made greater contributions to unraveling the mysteries of our complex inner lives than Paul McHugh; few men of such eminence have suffered such calumnies from critics who haven’t one-fifth of his intellectual wattage or one-tenth of his moral courage. He has been a sign of

With the latest edition of the Denver Catholic magazine , I am completing the telling of our story as children of God the Father. You...

The Church has had a rocky relationship with the modern world, to say the least. It’s all the more difficult that contemporary culture arose largely in opposition to the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, putting the Church on the defensive. The Second Vatican Council sought to reset these relations through greater openness and dialogue, although in the decades following the Council, a wave of confusion swept over the Church. The Church opened her windows, following the in

(Photo: Adobe Stock) Picture this: you’re driving and the light changes from green to yellow. Judging the distance, you decide to apply...

(Photo: Lightstock) Jesus seemed to be gone forever, but when the Holy Spirit rushed upon the Apostles like a wind and appeared over...

On May 7, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, SJ, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, sent a letter to Archbishop José Gomez,...

The Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (often referenced by its Latin title,  Gaudium et Spes ) is typically regarded as the most “progressive” of the 16 documents of Vatican II: the conciliar text that bespoke a new Catholic embrace of modernity while aligning the Church with liberal democratic political forces throughout the world.  Like every other conciliar document, however, the Pastoral Constitution only comes into clear fo

Featured image: The Annunciation, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo , c. 1660 Where would we be without our mothers? We wouldn’t be! Father Gregory Cleveland, OMV, shares a beautiful quote from Cardinal Mindszenty on the importance of motherhood: “The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection

I claim no expertise in climate science. I do claim a certain competence in detecting spin in the media; for I’m a card-carrying member of that clan, as I’ve committed print journalism for more than 40 years and worked in television for over 20. Thus credentialed, I rise to note that serious spin has dominated media coverage of climate change for a long time now. There are, to be sure, exceptions to this rule. Since Hurricane Katrina, though, it’s generally been all-hysteria-

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash Last month was my Mom’s 89th birthday. And the three-month anniversary of her death. I have written...

Unfortunately forgotten in most U.S. Catholic circles today, Cardinal Albert Gregory Meyer, archbishop of Milwaukee from 1953 to 1958 and archbishop of Chicago from 1958 to 1965, was one of the country’s leading churchmen in the mid-20th century. A biblical scholar and a deeply holy man, Meyer played a crucial role in the first three periods of the Second Vatican Council. On November 19, 1962, for example, he made an important intervention at a critical moment in the council’

CORDOBA, SPAIN - MAY 27, 2015: The Holy Family painting in church Convento de Capuchinos (Iglesia Santo Anchel) by unknown artis of 18. cent. Joseph — son of David, husband of Mary, the humble builder, and adoptive father of the Messiah — stands as one of the greatest saints in the life of the Church. Throughout history, we, as members of God’s family, have realized more and more the crucial role that Joseph plays as “the wise steward the Lord has placed over his household” (

During his 1977 rookie year with the Baltimore Orioles, future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray got a piece of advice from veteran Lee May: If you’ve got talent, May told the 21-year-old slugger, fame can’t help you, but the odds are it’ll ruin you. Murray followed May’s sage counsel and avoided the limelight. Father Hans Küng, the mediagenic Swiss Catholic writer who died at age 93 on April 6, didn’t. Therein lies a sad tale.  Hans Küng certainly had talent. His doctoral dissertat

On April 14, 2021 America Magazine , as part of its ongoing “Conversations” in America Media , published an article I wrote entitled:...

It seems like a paradox to say we can learn from St. Joseph, a man who does not have a single word attributed to him in the Scriptures,...

(Photo: Unsplash) At my first Mass as a priest, and at Masses I have offered since, I have prayed quietly one of two prayers offered by...

The Paschal Triduum this year seemed like a return from exile: Holy Thursday’s Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, in church; Good Friday’s Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, in church ; Saturday evening’s Easter Vigil, in church – what a blessing. Thanking God, I could only be aware of those for whom the exile continues, whether because of the pandemic or, like my friend Jimmy Lai, because of unjust imprisonment for the cause of Christ and freedom in Hong Kong. May their

Ten years ago last month, the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church took a striking decision: it elected its youngest member, 40-year old Bishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, as leader of the largest of the eastern Catholic Churches, a choice confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI. In the ensuing decade, what appeared bold and even risky now seems brilliant and providential. For Major-Archbishop Shevchuk has become one of the world’s most dynamic Catholic leaders under exceptionally ch