Catholic Voices

First-person reflections on scriptural interpretation, theology, and Catholic social teaching.

Lake Effect

Surviving grief, looking for a path back home The stillness of my apartment is deafening. I wake to the sun beating through my blinds and the drone of the air...

Good eatin’

A hot dog tastes better when served with a side of justice. 'We answer to a higher authority” is the tagline for Hebrew National’s famously...

My father, our Father

It can take a lifetime to step past a history of hurt, but 12 steps is a good way to start. When my young son asks me what God looks like, I want to tell him...

Proceed with caution

Now is not the time to rush World War II's pope to a place among the beatified. "But why now?" came the bewildered question from my fellow...

Postively pro-life

Catholics must focus on the battle for hearts and minds to be successful in the effort to end abortion. The United States will make history this month...

Morality check

The global fight against HIV and AIDS requires all the means at our disposal. Thirty-three million. Twenty-five million. Eleven million. These numbers are...

Mea maxima culpa

Among the many victims of the Iraq war have been our own fellow Catholics. I have a confession to make: Back in 2003, when the Bush administration directed our...

Gag order

Pumping up priesthood at the expense of lay ministry is no way to renew the church. The full, conscious, and active participation of laypeople in the liturgy...

A more perfect communion

Christians can manage to be the one church of Christ without agreeing on everything. A church divided over the role of women, at war over the place of gays and...