The day after Labor Day, I attended the opening year convocation at the University of St. Thomas. Father Dennis Dease, president of St. Thomas and a close friend, gave what I thought was an instructive and wholesome speech on “civility in our communications.” It was a meaningful and appropriate speech from which many of us could benefit.
Archive for Category: "Opinion"
Two men of science, two very different paths to fertility
Most of us don’t think of people suffering professionally because of their faith, but it still happens.
Dr. Josef Roetzer, who died earlier this month, was an example. Roetzer is the Austrian doctor who improved fertility awareness science in the 1950s. His work led to the development of the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning.
The depressing Pew Forum Study
The Catholic Church is suffering mightily today from two self-inflicted wounds.
The first is the clerical sex abuse scandal, involving the gross violation of the most vulnerable members of the community by some priests and the countenancing or enabling of this crime by some bishops. This outrage has been the perfect storm. Not only has it deeply wounded young people; it has also compromised the work of the church in almost every way, since it has undermined so thoroughly the credibility that the church requires in order to teach, preach, catechize, and evangelize.
Answers to questions on ‘Preserving Marriage’ initiative
After taking phone calls protesting the Minnesota Bishops’ creation of the DVD “Preserving Marriage in Minnesota” and reading many e-mails, there are common presumptions that are repeated again and again, which are simply not accurate.
Catch the contagious love taught by Mother Teresa
One of the many wise sayings of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta is: “Never let anyone come to you without coming away better and happier.”
Every human being has a hero to admire and for me it is Mother Teresa. Her impact in my life is so deep that it comes into every sphere of my priestly life and it is contagious to others, young and old.
We need to change our approach regarding poverty
The Catholic Spirit asked readers in its Sept. 23 issue to answer the question: “What new steps should be taken to reduce poverty in the United States?”
Catechism, not politics, guides bishops on marriage
The bishops have every right to enter public policy discussions, as they have for a very long time on both the state and national levels.
We are many faces, but we share in one mission
When you think of “the missions” what images come to mind?
Maybe you are propelled to foreign and remote parts of the world where the people look, talk and act very differently than you.
What kind of Minnesota do you want?
Creating the space for civil discourse is a contribution the church could and should make as we debate the important issues before us. The church, as a sanctuary of peace, could be the place that gives us the solace and calm to listen attentively to other members of the community as we discern the kind [...]
Letters to the Editor – September 23, 2010
My thanks to Joe Towalski for his thoughtful editorial about ground zero and the proposed site of a Muslim community center [Aug. 26]. It brought to mind the No. 1 rule of St. Benedict: All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.
Whether technology or parish life, change is never easy
Kay was “old school” before you ever heard the phrase. In the 40 years and four cities that I’ve worked at newspapers — both dailies and Catholic papers — Kay was the absolute best proofreader I ever saw.
She knew how to spell every word in the English language, she double-checked the spelling of every name, and she added columns of numbers both up and down to make sure reporters’ math added up.
But Kay loved her typewriter.
Letters to the editor – September 9, 2010
My intention was to read Laura Stierman’s “My Turn” reflection, “A Catholic response to immigration and Arizona law” [Aug. 12], with an open mind. I found that difficult because it did not seem to have been written with an open mind.
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