A patron saint for life
Amidst the myriad canonizations and beatifications proclaimed by John Paul II, some have involved exceptionally dramatic lives. Think of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan martyr of charity who offered his
The Kerry challenge
During his campaign for the presidency, Senator John Kerry has tried in various ways to square his self-description as a “believing and practicing Catholic” with his unalloyed record of support
“Young fogeys” and disappointed liberals
Just a year ago, when it was edited by the late Michael Kelly (who died in Iraq in the first weeks of the war), The Atlantic could publish an article
Having the time of your life
Father Shane Baxter was ordained this past summer and is now doing a fifth year of theology in Rome. One of the North American College’s nicest traditions is to invite
Evelyn Waugh, 1903-2003
According to an often-repeated tale, British novelist Evelyn Waugh was once accosted at a party by a matronly lady who had taken offense at his manners; Waugh, it may be
Robert Pickus – a life lived vocationally
I didn’t keep very accurate daybooks in the first years of my professional life, so I’m not sure whether I first met Robert Pickus in November 1976 or May 1977.
A living prayer of self-sacrifice
Shortly after John Paul II’s difficult September pilgrimage to Slovakia, I received an e-mail from a Polish friend, a poet and longtime friend of the Pope’s. In language whose insight
The great Christian witness of our time
My favorite memory of John Paul II? I must have been asked that question dozens of times in recent weeks, as the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Pope’s election approaches. The
Mr. Leahy’s Limbo
Readers born before 1955 or thereabouts will remember “limbo,” that post-mortem place of “natural happiness” where, according to one theological opinion, unbaptized infants would spend eternity. There hasn’t been much
The Pope and the Genius
In his new poem, “Roman Triptych,” John Paul II makes extensive references to the Sistine Chapel, which has a special hold on his mind, heart, and soul. Karol Wojtyla is
A saint from Lackawanna?
Even its most ardent partisans concede that the Buffalo area has hit a fallow period. Once a major Great Lakes port, Buffalo, terminus of the Erie Canal, was a gateway
No just war possible?
For sixteen years, Archbishop Renato Martino did important service for the Church at the United Nations, where he was the Holy See’s Permanent Observer. He vigorously defended the cause of
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