It has been a wonderful Easter season. In the process of reading the Bible and attending Holy Week and Easter services I also learned in reading from Bob Gass and the Word For Today about noticing that the “cross” has two posts: vertical and horizontal. The vertical represents your relationship with God, what He wants…
William Buckley, Jr. is considered to be the “undisputed godfather of modern American conservativism.” He was on the national stage for 50 years as the founder and publisher of the National Review, which is published semi-monthly; and also as the TV host who had the longest-running public affairs show in television history, Firing Line (33…
In recent weeks, long lines streamed into the Morgan Library to see a display of J.R.R. Tolkien’s memorabilia and his art, mostly drawings and watercolors. Other authors like William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor sketched as an avocation, but these pictures were very much an integral part of Tolkien’s symbolic world in The Lord of the Rings, The…
There are books worth reading, and then there are books worth sharing after you’ve read them. I heartily recommend the new book by Father Bill Miscamble, a Holy Cross Father, at the University of Notre Dame. It’s called American Priest: The Ambitious Life and Conflicted Legacy of Notre Dame’s Father Ted Hesburgh , and it profiles the…
The English priest John Colet was influenced by his friends Erasmus and Saint Thomas More. As Dean of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, he founded Saint Paul’s School for boys in 1509 on humanist principles. Graduates have included John Milton, Samuel Pepys, John Churchill, G.K. Chesterton, three recipients of the Victoria Cross and Field Marshal…
CNA—Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia called for broad participation in a pro-life rally this week, scheduled in response to a Penslyvania state representative’s livestreamed harassment of a woman praying outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic. “These videos, which Representative Sims took himself, have rightly sparked broad outrage … His actions were unbecoming of an elected…
Catholic Business Journal is pleased to introduce John Abbate as our newest Catholic business columnist—ed. As the owner-operator of several McDonald’s franchises and a Catholic business leader, I believe I have a responsibility to bring the virtue of hope into my business and into the lives of my employees. I am fortunate to have the…
Every writer is familiar with the word “obelism,” which refers to an editor’s abbreviations in the margins indicating corrections to be made. An author in a passive-aggressive mood may counter by writing the Latin “stet,” which means to let the text remain as is. When the Temple authorities were scandalized that Pontius Pilate had ordered…
After going through his own “Road to Emmaus” experience, Catholic businessman John Abbate wanted to encourage business leaders at all levels to stay true to their faith-driven, ethical compass. To that end, and as a successful central California owner-operator of 37 McDonald’s outlets and one of central California’s largest employers, Abbate was inspired to author…
In the radiance of the Resurrection, the Church relates to the emotions of the first witnesses: grief, fear, bewilderment, and then exultation. In each generation, believers experience all of these in various ways. On Good Friday our local custom is to meditate on the Seven Last Words, using meditations written by Blessed John Henry Newman.…
CNA—Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix did not mince words when he called on a gathering of the nation’s Catholic leaders to stand up to the heresies of the modern age by defending the dignity of the human person, body and soul, as an integral part of defending the faith. Speaking at the National Catholic Prayer…
CNA—The following is a previously unpublished essay from Pope emeritus Benedict XVI: On February 21 to 24, at the invitation of Pope Francis, the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences gathered at the Vatican to discuss the current crisis of the faith and of the Church; a crisis experienced throughout the world after shocking revelations of…
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the president of the US Bishops’ Conference, shared his shock and sadness over the Notre Dame blaze, calling the cathedral “a world treasure.” In a statement to the people of Paris, DiNardo said the cathedral has “long been a symbol of the transcendent human spirit as well as our longing for God.”…
The more science shows of the universe, the more its beauty almost takes one’s breath away. There is nothing about it that could be called vulgar or in bad taste, for those are categories applicable only to what humans on our little planet do with things. It is possible to mock the harmony of the…
Sermon for the Salutations to the Holy Cross with His Eminence, Metropolitan GerasimosHoly Cross Greek Orthodox Church—April 4, 2019—This past January, during a visit to Rome and other parts of Europe, I had a rare and truly privileged opportunity that I will never forget for the rest of my life: a face-to-face encounter with Jesus…
Review of Sam Zell’s Am I Being Too Subtle? — I enjoyed reading Sam Zell’s Am I Being Too Subtle?: Straight talk from a business rebel . Zell, a Chicagoan, is a self-made billionaire who founded Equity Group Investments and helped create today’s $1 trillion public real estate industry. While a distinct personality, he shares…
As a schoolboy, George Washington copied out in elegant script the 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. Later on, our first President tried to figure out how a head of state who was not a monarch should conduct himself with his fellow citizens. His solution was to be a gentleman, obedient to…
On February 18, 2019, Bishop Borys Gudziak was appointed by Pope Francis as the Metropolitan and Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. A native of the U.S., for the last six years, Bishop Borys served as eparch of the Eparchy of St. Volodymyr in Paris, serving the Ukrainian Greek Catholic faithful in France,…
CNA—Newly appointed Archbishop Wilton Gregory made an uncompromising commitment to transparency during his introduction to the faithful of Washington, DC, at a press conference Thursday. “First of all, I believe that the only way I can serve this local archdiocese is by telling you the truth,” said Gregory at his formal introduction as the next…
Thirty-five years ago I admired the neo-Gothic buildings of a Catholic college in Westchester County. But I was surprised to find that the confessional in the beautiful chapel was being used as a broom closet. There had been some misunderstanding about aggiornamento, or bringing the practice of the Faith up to date. That was the College…
