Faith: Catholic
“All of nature spoke to Francis,” says Fr James Gardiner of the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. “The more we learn to reverence all of creation, we might learn to reverence and cherish one another better… I think Francis would approve.” More
“Not only are the people here benefiting and becoming stronger communities, but the [volunteers] from the states are learning about the people here. They’re learning about each other, and it’s very uplifting,” says Paula Claussen, founder and president of Project Mercy, a nonprofit that replaces the shanties and lean-tos of poor residents in Tijuana with real homes. More
“This is a silent revolution that’s transformed health care so that every person can have their inner life, their spirituality addressed as an integral part of their care,” says Dr. Christina Puchalski, founder and director of the George Washington University Medical School’s Institute for Spirituality & Health. More
“When a monk gives his life to God, he has to express that in a physical way, not just an intellectual way, and singing involves the whole body and the mind and the soul, and so it’s a wonderful way of keeping this relationship between God and the monk,” says Father Cassian, prior of the Benedictine monastic community in Norcia, Italy that was damaged extensively in Central Italy’s recent earthquake. More
“This most traditional of women is a very modern saint,” says Rev. James Martin, SJ, author of “My Life with the Saints.” “She is a saint for doubters and seekers and people who wonder where God is in their lives.” More
“We had the exact same training – two nights a week, one weekend a month, summer internships. I wrote every paper he wrote,” says Maureen Garvey, who along with her husband took classes to prepare for the diaconate. “The only thing that was different was the day of ordination, I had tears in my eyes when all the guys were called up and they left their wives there sitting in the pews.” More
This poignant collection of correspondence between brothers Daniel and Philip Berrigan, arguably two of the most important Roman Catholics of the 20th century, offers a window into the Catholic peace movement they led and a sense of their epistolary devotion to one another. More
“The rich nations of the north, like us, have the capability and therefore the responsibility, to admit a larger number of asylum seekers and even more, I would say, to assist these poorer countries who are already hosting most of the world’s refugees. The funds being provided by this burden-sharing by us in the north need to be substantially increased,” says Rev. David Hollenbach, SJ, director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College. More
“One of our great strengths is to make visible in appropriate ways the migrant men, women, and children we serve,” says Rev. Sean Carroll, SJ, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic ministry in Mexico and the US. “The more visible they become, even to our political leaders, I think that will change their minds and hearts and help them find the political will to pass immigration reform that’s just and humane.” More
“There’s no abstract family. There’s no ideal family,” says Father Tom Reese, SJ, senior analyst at National Catholic Reporter. The pope, he adds, “is tired of the church being judgmental and laying down rules. Instead, he wants us to walk with these couples with compassion. Treat them as Jesus would treat them.” More