My first encounter with the knitting Madonna (as some call her) was not in church or in a museum, but rather on the internet. I was aimlessly cycling through my preferred social media apps when I came across a post featuring a...
The knitting Madonna honors how women’s work shapes the world
Images of Mary practicing fiber arts remind us that sewing, knitting, and mending are avenues for emulating God's work of creation.
New from our staff
June 2026
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE
I’ll be damned
For centuries, religious leaders have emphasized the threat of hell to motivate people to seek heaven. But rather than incentivizing a life of ethical flourishing, fear of eternal damnation might be doing spiritual harm. Many theologians agree that’s not exactly what Jesus had in mind when he talked about Gehenna.
BY DON CLEMMER
Shapes of resistance
Catholics can learn from nonviolent movements how to avoid the pitfalls associated with activism.
BY JOHN NOBLE
Beyond allyship
White allies of racial justice advocates have sometimes veered from solidarity into erasure. This historian details what authentic interracial advocacy could look like.
AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID F. EVANS
Work of women’s hands
Medieval depictions of Mary practicing fiber arts highlight the power of women’s work as a way to create a better future.
BY CEIRE KEALTY
Our fathers
Memories of our fathers and father figures can both comfort and challenge us throughout our lives.
BY DONNA WHITSON BRETT
“As liberation theologians have told us, without the perspectives of the poor we cannot fulfill our call to mercy as a Christian community.”
Berit Reisenauer Guidotti
