Perspective

(Photo: Lightstock) I did not want to write about screens. I did not want to because, Lord knows, we are struggling to figure out screens for our own family. We make rules and guidelines, find them hard to stick to, and before you know it, we are back where we started with too much screen time. It feels like once you open Pandora’s box regarding devices, there’s almost no going back. But then, I was in our dentist’s waiting room on two different occasions, and what I witnessed gave me a sort...

The defeat of an "assisted dying" bill in the United Kingdom is a welcome win for the culture of life. (Photo: Unsplash) Good news not being thick on the ground these days, I’m delighted to note some very good news from the mother country: on April 24, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to gain passage in the United Kingdom’s House of Lords, thus ending, for now, the efforts to legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales. A month earlier, the Scottish Parliament, by a vote...

Inspired by St. Teresa of Calcutta, a reflection on why faithfulness — not results — is the true mark of Christian mission. (Photo: Lightstock) By Meg Stout In the world, success is the standard of all things worth doing. It exerts such quiet authority over our thinking that even our noblest efforts are instinctively weighed by their results. Even if we are, by some extraordinary grace, completely purified of vainglory, we still want that to which we are devoted to achieve the ends we have in...

Pope Leo XIV smiles as he greets a child dressed as the pope from the popemobile while riding around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience March 11, 2026. (Photo: CNS/Lola Gomez) “All roads lead to Rome.” This proverbial saying from the ancient empire remained true even as Jesus’ disciples made their way across the world. The Eternal City, the capital of one of the world’s greatest empires, has served as the center of Christ’s Church for two thousand years,...

(Photo: Lightstock) By Jordan Langdon CEO + Marriage & Parenting Coach Families of Character During a recent Parenting Workshop at St. Thomas More Catholic School, I invited parents to reflect on their favorite childhood summer memories. “We rode bikes until the streetlights came on.” “My dad grilled every Sunday night.” “My cousins slept over for a week every summer.” “We caught fireflies.” “We went to the pool almost every day.” “There was always time.” As parents shared their memories, a...

(Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Denver Office of Catholic Schools) Before joining what once imagined itself the world’s greatest deliberative body, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) was a decorated naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut with four space shuttle missions to his credit. Now, like approximately 80% of his senatorial colleagues, Senator Kelly looks in the mirror in the morning and sees a future president. Before he takes the plunge, however, I hope Senator Kelly...

(Photo: Lightstock) By Randall Vette, PsyD St. Raphael Counseling, a ministry of Catholic Charities The most repeated phrase in all of Sacred Scripture is some variation of “Do not be afraid.” Apparently, the divine author knows what we need to hear because the most common mental health issue, by far, is anxiety — a fear-based emotion that becomes excessive. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 19.1% of U.S. adults experience clinical symptoms of anxiety annually. Generalized...

(Photo: Vatican Media) Imagine for a moment you were made a bishop by Pope Francis in 2015. Now imagine you were made a cardinal just two years ago in 2023. Now imagine your boss, Pope Francis, just recently passed, so you’re quickly ushered to the Vatican to help elect the next pope. You’re thinking there’s no possible way you’ll be elected. You haven’t been around all that long. You’re just a simple missionary priest at heart. You’re also an American, for crying out loud. Now imagine your...

A Denver mother shares how marriage, motherhood and grace led her from the Methodist church through OCIA and into the Catholic Church. Amanda Flageolle found her way home to the Catholic Church slowly, quietly, over time. Now three years a Catholic, she looks back with gratitude. (Photo by Bettinger Photography) By Amanda Flageolle 2012. A lovely spring day for a walk with my future husband. “Allen, what would you think about going to church with me this Sunday?” I asked as we walked through...

Pope St. John Paul II speaks at a gathering during World Youth Day 1993 in Denver. (Photo by James Baca/Denver Catholic Register) Thirty-five years ago, Pope John Paul II issued his most developed social encyclical, Centesimus Annus; its title signaled the author’s intention to honor the centenary of Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical, Rerum Novarum, which launched the modern papal social magisterium. Yet Centesimus Annus, while paying due homage to Leo XIII’s enduring insights, was far more than a...

(Photo: Pixabay) By Sandra Morales Associate Director of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Archdiocese of Denver A Lot of Content, Little Presence A couple of years ago, in my work with couples, I began to notice a recurring theme. I found myself reflecting on marriage and technology: how strange it is that we have more resources, tools, podcasts, books and apps than any previous generation and yet communion between spouses can feel surprisingly fragile. Sitting with couples who deeply love...

Sts. Philip and James Church in Baltimore, MD, where George Weigel was baptized 75 years ago. (Photo by Father Lawrence Lew, OP, Creative Commons via Flickr) Three-quarters of a century ago, on April 29, 1951, I was baptized by Father Thomas Love, SJ, in Baltimore’s Church of Saints Philip and James. Old Scratch must have thoroughly sunken his claws into my infant self; according to family tradition, I sent up such a howl when he was ousted by water and the Holy Spirit that my cousin Judy hid...