Vol. 80, No. 1

Cover

The labor of adoption

By Katie Bahr

Families can experience growing pains when confronted with the challenges of adopting a child. The first step in successfully navigating the process is knowing what to expect.

Web-only sidebar:

The changing world of international adoption

An ‘adopted child of God’: A Sister of Mercy shares the story of her adoption

Feature

Real faces of immigration

By Laura Fletcher

Women have been hit especially hard by America’s immigration crisis. Now the fight for reform has become the new frontier of the women’s movement.

Expert Witness

An isolating epidemic

An interview with Sister Maria Cimperman
The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS can sometimes be as devastating as the disease itself, says this expert on outreach to the afflicted. The church cannot be silent about the needs of those battling the illness.

Web-only sidebar:

The challenges facing religious life today

Sounding Board

Reconstructing theology

By Emily Reimer-Barry
The church needs to update its understanding of the roles of women. Who better to lay the foundation than women themselves? In Feedback, readers reconsider gender roles in the church.

Essays

(Essays, short stories, and poems may not be available online.)

Poem: Maybe

By Terry Cahill

Essay: Faithful partners

By Sue Stanton

A visit to a household in the West Bank offers a new perspective on our Western notion of what it means to be a good spouse.

Practicing Catholic: Prayer patterns

By Marianne Antczak

A quiet afternoon spent with needles and yarn can produce more than a new sweater. Knitters can form a perfect prayer one stitch at a time.

Departments

Editors’ Note

You May Be Right (Letters to the Editor)

Signs of the Times (News)

Catholic Tastes (Humor)

Reviews

At Home with Our Faith (Family spirituality)

Eye of the Beholder (Art meditation)

Glad You Asked: What is the preferential option for the poor?

Columns

The Examined Life: Silent treatment
By Meghan J. Clark

Margin Notes: Fat cats getting fatter
By Kevin Clarke

Culture in Context: Unwedded bliss
By Meghan Murphy-Gill

Testaments: If today you hear God’s voice
By Alice Camille

*Some articles are available only in the print issue.