Category Archives: Commentary

Giving Space vs Competition

Posted on 17 May 2019 by

In the short book of two Harvard Divinity School lectures, From Brokenness to Community, Jean Vanier explores community as a space of conflict. He gives four moments of conflict. I’ve experienced, seen, and alas, perpetrated, these over the years. He … Continue reading →

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Of Brokenness

Posted on 14 May 2019 by

I’ve been absent from online for a bit, but not from some enlightening reading. The death of Jean Vanier inspired me to recheck my libraries–home, work, parish, and county. Among others, I found the slim volume From Brokenness to Community, a … Continue reading →

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The Coddling Of The Catholic Mind

Posted on 7 May 2019 by

I ran across this piece when it came out a few years back. I recognized similar patterns in my university parish. It was less driven by liberal ideology and more by a certain Catholic circle-the-wagons protectionism. A guest speaker made … Continue reading →

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Teilhard, Attack And Defense

Posted on 6 February 2019 by

I found myself on the fringes of a facebook discussion about Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the concern over his being the subject of a fandom and his supposedly foundational racism, his defense at commonweal, and the suggestion this defense is … Continue reading →

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Waiting For Good News

Posted on 20 January 2019 by

So, a lot of heat and a bit of light for the unfortunate March For Life post-game between Native Americans protesting their own thing, and Trump-attired Catholic teen boys waiting for the bus. Until this story broke, most of what … Continue reading →

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Catholic Historians On Abuse And Cover-Up

Posted on 10 January 2019 by

An interesting bit on a meeting of Catholic historians here. According to those who’ve studied it, the epicenters are not Boston, Philadelphia, or the environs of Archbishop McCarrick: Instead, rural, Western dioceses such as Fairbanks, Alaska; Helena, Montana; and Spokane, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, sex abuse | Tagged | 1 Comment

Good Times, Not

Posted on 4 January 2019 by

NCR’s MSW pontificates on the US bishops and the hopes and fears for 2019. He cited a correspondent and a bishop from history. Lay person first: When the hierarchy turned their backs on the poor, the suffering, the marginalized, the … Continue reading →

Posted in bishops, Commentary | 1 Comment