Perspective

As the United States marks 250 years, the story of Franciscan missionary Francisco Garcés reveals a Catholic legacy that helped shape the American Southwest. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) After writing about Escalante and Dominguez’s exploration of Colorado, I unexpectedly found myself driving Route 66 across Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona (as the road celebrates its own centennial). Providentially, I was already reading an account of a great missionary and martyr who first...

As one YouTuber announces the abortion of their child, who potentially would have had Down syndrome, the life of Christy Hockel Davenport offers a powerful witness to the beauty, dignity and purpose of every human person. (Photo courtesy of the Hockel family/Mary Beth Bonacci) Just a few days ago, YouTuber Jesse Ridgway announced that he and his wife have made the “difficult decision” to abort their baby after testing indicated the child may be born with Down syndrome. In the announcement, he...

Jimmy Lai in 2019. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) At his May summit in Beijing, President Trump made an effort to convince Chinese leader Xi Jinping to release Jimmy Lai from his imprisonment in Hong Kong. Jimmy, whom I am honored to call a friend, is a 78-year-old diabetic who has been in solitary confinement some seven hundred days longer than the United States was engaged in World War II, and is now serving a twenty-year sentence for threatening Chinese national security....

(Photo: Unsplash) I just read a study that started by saying, “Pre-marital sex predicts divorce, but we do not know why.” The study found that the odds of divorce for these couples are double to triple — increasing as the number of sexual partners increases — over those who saved sex for marriage. These results remained consistent even after adjusting for religiosity, beliefs and values. In other words, it isn’t just because the “savers” are religious and hence don’t believe in divorce. Nor...

Pope St. John Paul II speaks during World Youth Day 1993 in Denver. (Photo by James Baca/Denver Catholic Register) When he was elected Bishop of Rome on October 16, 1978, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła had a rather limited experience of the Catholic Church in the United States. He had met American churchmen at the Second Vatican Council, and a few of them visited Poland in the ensuing years. The Cracovian cardinal had made two visits to the United States, one during the national bicentennial in 1976,...

The story of America and Colorado is ultimately a story of God’s faithfulness, mercy and invitation to holiness. (Photo: Adobe Stock) Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. That formula for an apostolic blessing, a benediction that bishops give, has a lot to teach us as we reflect on our country’s last 250 years and our state’s last 150 — years marked by courage, sacrifice and perseverance — and as we look forward to...

On the cusp of the United States’ 250th anniversary and Colorado’s 150th, the Centennial State and its Catholic witnesses show modern Catholics a path forward. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, completed in 1912, has stood as a visible symbol of the Catholic faith in Colorado for over a century. (Photo: Archdiocese of Denver Archives) Colorado celebrates its own 150th anniversary this year, as the rest of the country marks 250 years since the founding of the...

Part Six: To accompany others, we must share the Good News, the Gospel, the saving message of Jesus Christ. (Photo by Grant Whitty) Editor's Note: This column is part of a yearlong series on evangelization, breaking down what often feels like a tall order into real, practical, actionable steps towards intentional accompaniment. Part One: A Practical Guide for Everyday Catholics Part Two: Be A Disciple First Part Three: Discern Who to Accompany Part Four: Build Authentic Friendships Part Five:...

With the help of the Holy Spirit, traditionally depicted in the form of a dove (also a symbol of peace), we can create meaningful peace that will last. (Photo: Unsplash) Repetition, it’s said, can be the mother of learning. So, in light of recent Catholic debates about the pursuit of peace in the Middle East and elsewhere, permit me to reprise, with slight adjustments, parts of a column from twenty-four years ago. The points I made then seem to me as salient today as when I first made them:...

One woman shares how childhood wounds, anxiety and loss shaped her life — and how Christ led her toward grace, healing and freedom. A young Amanda, pictured here with her parents shortly before their divorce. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Flageolle) By Amanda Flageolle I’d like to tell you a story. It isn’t a fairy tale, though it does have a happy ending. It isn’t a tragedy, though it does have loss and sadness. It’s a true story; it’s my story. My story of belonging to a secret club I never...

The pierced heart of Christ reveals a path of mercy, communion and mission for the Church in America today, ahead of its 250th anniversary. (Photo: Unsplash) By Father Jim Thermos This June 11, the bishops of the United States are inviting each of us to draw nearer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as they consecrate the United States to that heart, burning for love of us. As that day approaches, we can glean new insight into that Heart and the call to intimacy that Jesus makes in each of our...

Through Bouguereau’s Pietà, one mother reflects on Mary, suffering and the staggering beauty woven into love itself during the month of mothers and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pietà by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, c. 1876. (Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons) “What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?” Venerable Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty As a mother, I can only answer, “nothing.” And while there are myriad paintings I could have chosen to honor the month of...