It all started with a jerry can. A classmate and friend of mine started her own non-profit organization to fight the water crisis by implementing clean water systems in places where people do not have access to clean water. I had no clue what the water crisis was, and it seemed like a problem that… Read More One Person, One Small Action Can Change the World
“People may well have a growing ecological sensitivity but it has not succeeded in changing their harmful habits of consumption which, rather than decreasing, appear to be growing all the more. A simple example is the increasing use and power of air-conditioning. The markets, which immediately benefit from sales, stimulate ever greater demand. An outsider… Read More Pope Francis, Our Energy Addiction, and the Socially Disruptive Virtue of Temperance
In the past month, several black churches have been burned to the ground, three as a result of suspected arson. People of faith should be deeply saddened and worried. There have been attempts – by the media and by individuals – to downplay how disturbing these church burnings are. Some have dismissed these acts of… Read More Black Churches are Burning, the Faith Community Must Act
There was a point in my life when I thought I wanted to be a Buddhist. Disillusioned with the strict dogma and old-fashioned views of Catholicism, I began to look elsewhere for my religious fulfillment. I had heard through multiple friends about the benefits of meditation, and once I started to meditate I began to… Read More Catholicism: A Story of Identity
As the United States continues to experience senseless acts of violence and deepening societal divisions, I’m reminded as both a Catholic and a citizen that all of us have a responsibility to promote and protect the common good and the general welfare. Nothing reminds me more of such responsibilities than when I read the speeches… Read More How We Should Respond to Violence and Division
As a parish pastoral associate , one of my favorite “ice-breaker” questions for small groups is: “What has been your most profound experience of Liturgy?” The answers are usually quite revealing, ranging from wedding Masses to funeral Liturgies to “mega-Masses” like those at World Youth Day. My answer, however, is always the same: my most… Read More Liturgy and Perfection
The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs… Read More Plain Persons, Popes, and the Benedict Option
Millennial 