Blog
Catholic perspectives on the news that matters
Pastor Benjamin
Why Pope Leo XIV's Illness Might Change Less Than People Think
The obvious story is the pope’s surgery and diagnosis. The more interesting one, to me, is that Rome said it plainly, and that changes something.
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Why Pope Leo's Quick Return Feels Bigger Than Good News
Pope Leo XIV is set to leave Gemelli just four days after lung cancer surgery. I'm glad, obviously, but what stays with me is how public his frailty has been.
Father Lucas
Why the Church Still Gets Mental Illness Half Right
Pope Leo XIV put mental health in front of the whole Church, and I'm grateful for that. Still, the harder part comes after the prayer, when someone's panic follows them right into the pew.
Father Lucas
Why Pius XII Still Makes Catholics So Nervous
People want Pius XII to be simple, either the pope who failed or the pope who saved the day. History, and holiness, are usually messier than that.
Father Lucas
Why Leo Ended His France Trip in a Border City
Pope Leo XIV didn't finish in Paris or Lourdes. He finished in Metz, and that detail matters more than people might think.
Father Lucas
Why Fulton Sheen Still Feels Dangerous to Read
Now that Fulton Sheen is Blessed, a lot of people are celebrating the halo-adjacent headlines. Fair enough. What grabs me is something quieter, and harder to imitate.
Father Lucas
Why This Surrogacy Case Won't Sit Quietly in the Law
The court declined to step in, and maybe that was predictable. What isn't predictable is how calmly we've learned to talk about a contract that included an abortion clause.
Henry S. Wallace
Why a Minnesota Missionary Priest Feels Strangely Timely
A missionary priest in northern Minnesota is now a Servant of God, and I can't shake how current his witness feels. Not flashy, not strategic, just stubbornly close to people.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Matthew's Job Still Scandalizes Good Church People
Matthew's call is comforting, sure. It's also irritating, if we're honest. Jesus didn't wait for a cleaner candidate, and that says more about us than we'd like.
Pastor Benjamin
Why Malta Kept Mary Close Long Before 1854
What grabbed me here wasn't just church history. It was the stubborn, centuries-old way a small Catholic place kept loving Mary before Rome ever settled the wording.
Father Lucas
Why the Vatican Is Talking to Unions About AI First
The striking part of this Vatican conference wasn't the tech anxiety. It was the insistence that workers belong in the room before the damage is done.
Henry S. Wallace
Why La Salette Still Feels Uncomfortably Close
La Salette isn't a cozy apparition. That's part of why I think we still need it. Mary's tears and her warning about Sunday have lost none of their sting.
Henry S. Wallace
What a $400 Million Reckoning Still Can't Fix
The Chicago figure is staggering, but the money isn't the headline to me. The harder truth is what it says about how long survivors have had to carry this alone.
Father Lucas
Why Pope Leo Spent His Birthday in a Library
Pope Leo could've made his birthday about celebration. Instead he went to the Vatican Library, remembered his mom, and said something small that stuck with me.
Father Lucas
Why Illinois Couldn’t Force Catholic Nurses to Play Along
A federal judge temporarily shielded more Catholic health providers from Illinois' assisted suicide law. I keep coming back to one stubborn question, what is medicine for?
Pastor Benjamin
Why Bishop Boxie Didn't Flinch at the DEI Label
Bishop Robert Boxie didn’t dodge the insult. He named it for what it was, and I think that matters more than some Catholics want to admit.
Jacob Whitman
Why Some Catholic Parishes Are Talking About Polling Places
When a priest says he carries his passport card to the corner store, the conversation about voting stops being abstract. That's where this hit me.
Father Lucas
Why Two Tiny Silver Scrolls Still Feel So Close
The oldest surviving biblical text wasn't found in a grand library. It was worn close to someone's body, and I can't stop thinking about what that means.
Jacob Whitman
What Three Popes Saw in YOUCAT That We Sometimes Miss
Benedict, Francis, and Leo each put their voice behind YOUCAT. That isn't just publishing trivia, it tells us what kind of faith formation the Church keeps hoping for.
Father Lucas
What Pope Leo XIV's Family Tree Says About the Church
People love a pope with an interesting family tree. I do too. But Leo XIV’s French roots matter less as trivia than as a picture of what the Church actually is.
Pastor Benjamin