Imagine a television commercial for Vatican II: Hundreds of bishops are gathered in a local beer joint. One prelate lifts his frothy stein in a toast...
Church history
Discover U.S. Catholic articles on church history that highlight social justice, reform, and the diverse voices that have shaped Catholic tradition.
In our December 2005 issue, Paul Boudreau reflected on the 40th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary...
More than 2,000 website visitors to USCatholic.org offered their take on the Second Vatican Council for our October Reader Survey. Although we don’t...
Vatican II still looks “fabulous at 50” to U.S. Catholic readers, who say the golden years are no time to retire its reforms. Web exclusive: Readers sound off...
While there are several definitions of the word “doctor,” they all go back to the Latin word for “teacher.” It is this meaning whence doctors of...
James Joyce said it best in Finnegans Wake that “Catholic means here comes everybody.” Our word “catholic” comes from a Greek adjective meaning “universal” and...
In this article from 2005, Tara Dix wonders if it is time for a new agenda forty years after the close of Vatican II. Leading up to this month’s 40th...
From the saints to popes and bishops to theologians, Catholic thinkers have long made the case for social justice, tracing its origins to scriptural accounts...
The Bible is considered the inspired word of God by the faithful. So you have to wonder: where did it come from? With all the writings floating around the...
In the late 1980s, when Robert Orsi had just begun his work studying devotion to St. Jude, he had dinner with a prominent liturgist who had spent years...
