Restoring Sacramental Magic
This summer, I attended the biennial congress in Leuven, Belgium of Societas Liturgica, an ecumenical gathering of liturgical historians, theologians, and musicians from throughout the world. The congress’ theme…
Articles
Artificial Wombs and the Intellectual Tasks of Building Cultures of Life
When Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI met with artists in the Sistine chapel in 2009, he noted that “an essential function of genuine beauty, as emphasized by Plato, is that it gives man a healthy 'shock,' it draws him out of himself, wr...Things I Received at the Fordham Catholic Imagination Conference
When I received this treasure of practical writing and reading advice I also received a deeper awareness of God at work.The Confused Catholic Imagination
It is commonplace to assume that the imagination is opposed to reality. This is not the prevailing understanding of the imagination in contemporary theory and theology. Let’s start with the following classic rock lyrics to clarify ...A Memory of Peace
Millions of people converged on Krakow, Poland about a year ago. While among them I gained the ability to imagine a world at peace. I can now imagine global peace. I also know that the Church has something to teach the world about it. In...Agrarian Insights on Ecological Conversion
Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ posed a tremendous challenge for the Church and the entire world. Although the encyclical letter was seen widely as an intervention on climate change negotiations, it in fact offered much more ...
Dissecting Jesus
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ . . . and the Mystical Body of Christ is the Church. I cannot remember the number of times I had to explain this to my ecclesiology classes: “The Church is . . . ?” (Without alacrity)...A Crisis of Eucharist: Will Our Children Stay Catholic?
My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and you pay a...
The Good of Communal Life
I sat at my community’s small dining room table with my heart overflowing in gratitude. The events of that evening gave me occasion to pause and consider the ways that I have been blessed to live in an intentional faith community w...
St. Maximilian Kolbe and the War Against Indifference
More than one concentration camp survivor has remarked that one would need the pen of Dante to describe the horrors that afflicted the “great army of unknown and unrecorded victims.”[1] Hell is that abyss that skews vision an...
The Hope of the Assumption
Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, who today were exalted above the choirs of Angels into eternal triumph with Christ (Entrance Antiphon, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) Elite athletes exist at the edge of the possible...
The Supper of the Lamb
Today, I boarded a train from Leuven (where Societas Liturgica is meeting) for Ghent. After years of teaching the Mass to undergraduates, of inviting them to gaze with wonder upon the supper of the Lamb of Van Eyck, I couldn't leave Belg...The Ignatian Spiritual Journey
Megan Shepherd on the life and conversion of St. Ignatius.
Echo Alumni Interviews: Michele Chronister
In celebration of the graduation of Echo 12 on Saturday July 29, 2017, Church Life featured interviews with select Echo alumni. This interview is with Michele Chronister, of Echo 6. Michele served as an Echo apprentice at the parish of&#...
Echo Alumni Interviews: Sophie Lorenzo
In celebration of the graduation of Echo 12 on Saturday July 29, 2017, Church Life featured interviews with select Echo alumni. This interview is with Sophie (Jacobucci) Lorenzo, of Echo 9. Sophie served as an Echo apprentice at the pari...Echo Alumni Interviews: Beth Franzosa
In celebration of the graduation of Echo 12 on Saturday July 29, 2017, Church Life featured interviews with select Echo alumni. Today's interview is with Beth Franzosa, of Echo 2. During Echo, Beth served at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish...Echo Alumni Interviews: Michelle Ross
In celebration of the graduation of Echo 12 on Saturday July 29, 2017, Church Life featured interviews with select Echo alumni. This interview is with Michelle Ross, of Echo 10, who served as an apprentice for the Archdiocese of Galvesto...Symposia Recap: Summer at the MICL
South Bend is not widely known for its beautiful weather. But summer in South Bend blesses the hardy natives, who patiently bear the brunt of the harsh winters, with a welcome respite, and impresses visitors with stunning skies straight ...Announcing: Cultures of Formation, a Pre-Synod Conference
McGrath Institute for Church Life presents a Pre-Synod Conference: Cultures of Formation: Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment March 5–7, 2018 The 2018 Vatican synod dedicated to “young…An Interview with Rev. Stephen Giannini
The following interview with Rev. Stephen Giannini, of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, appears in conjunction with the second annual John M. D'Arcy Program in Priestly Renewal at the McGrath Institute for Church life on Notre Dame's Cam...