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The Vatican’s synod department issued a new document Wednesday defining the steps to be taken ahead of the 2028 ecclesial assembly in Rome.Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops. Credit: Screenshot from @synod-va YouTube channel.The 6,000-word text, published May 20, details...

What happens after we die? Someone once gave examples to help formulate an answer. His help was in the form of questions: Have you tried to describe a rainbow to a man born blind? Or a Tchaikovsky symphony like Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake, to a person born deaf? Explain the exquisite fragrance of a...

Jesus, Scripture, and the Catholic Church teach that water baptism is necessary for our salvation. It washes away our sins, infuses our souls with grace, and puts us in communion with God and His Church. Still, many wonder why we need water for baptism. Why can’t faith in Jesus be enough? Accordingl...

About twenty years ago, I was at a Mass celebrated by Fr. Richard McAlear, OMI (frmac.org), a well-known priest with the gift and charism of healing. Fr. McAlear prayed over each person who came forward and spoke a few words with them. When it was my turn, Father held my face, looked into my eyes an...

Allow a moment for two brief definitions for the terms in the title of this reflection. They will be essential for understanding the progression of thought through this two-part series. The first term, “inheritance,” is the acquisition of a valuable possession or condition from a previous generation...

I had a very difficult situation arise in the wake of my father’s death. A person in a position of authority, who by all accounts was filled with light and joy, led us astray. I knew it was false. I battled against it alone. The difficulty for me was the seemingly radiant light and joy emanating fro...

Why Beginnings Matter for Bioethics and Moral Courage When does a human being begin to be? At first glance, the question seems simple, much as the question of when a person dies can seem simple. In reality, both stand at the center of the most urgent bioethical debates of our time. The question of h...

In our time, many Catholics are cautious about herbal medicine, fearing it may be something New Age or pagan. Or perhaps we think of it as “grandmother’s home remedies”—something people practiced when they couldn’t afford modern health care. And yet, by every measure, Americans are sicker with chron...

Q&A with Mystic Alicja Lenczewska, Part 2 On May 18, as the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception marks the birthday and liturgical memorial of its founder, St. Stanislaus Papczynski, it is fitting to reflect on this. One of the Congregation’s three principal aims is to help th...

The Gospel of St. John, in my humble opinion, offers one of the most important messages you will hear in the entire Bible. If the Catholic world fully embraced this message, the world would be set ablaze. Sadly, though, we do not fully embrace it, due to our pride. We think to ourselves, I know bett...

On February 9th, 2026, seventy-eight-year-old Catholic democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in a Hong Kong prison. His crime: advocating for freedom of speech in China. As his daughter Claire Lai stated, “he will die a martyr behind bars.” Jimmy Lai: a name all lovers of democracy...

I recently picked up the book Joy Within His House: A Cloistered Nun’s Reflections on Following Christ by Sister Mary Magdalene of the Immaculate Conception Prewitt, OP. The book explores life within the cloister, which is a mysterious place for 99.999% of the world’s population. Her revelations are...