Wearing a brown scapular can deepen Catholics' devotion to Mary—as long as the practice is not approached superstitiously.

The books U.S. Catholic writers have enjoyed this month, including “Nervous Systems” and “Beyond Priests.”

The modern rosary isn't the only prayer tradition that involves praying with beads, but it's probably the best known.

Canon law requires that parents or the minister of baptism designate a godparent, who must be capable of understanding the responsibility.

Choosing a new saint name at confirmation isn’t mandated, but it offers a chance to express personal spirituality.

The books U.S. Catholic writers have enjoyed this month, including “Films for All Seasons” and “Walking with God Through the Valley.”

I knew that today is called Armistice Day in Europe. I did not know that it was called Armistice Day here in the U.S. until 1954. Apparently, a World War II veteran felt excluded by “Armistice Day” and pushed for a holiday to honor all military…

In today’s episode of “Michelle’s Unpopular Opinions, Fight Me!” we find our middle-aged pop culture research geek shaking her head after a deep dive into the now-popular claim that the iconic sitcom Friends was a rip-off of the slightly earlier,…

Reproductive Justice and the Catholic Church By Emily Reimer-Barry (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024) The first time I became uncomfortable with pro-life activism was when I discovered the possible origin of the slogan “We are the pro-life generation.”…

Call me a crabby, bitter spinster, but a new trend has been popping up over the last few Olympics cycles and I hate it. Just plug “woman gets engaged at the Olympics” into your favorite search engine and a plethora of stories will pop up. Seeing…

When I decided to convert to Catholicism in 1995, entering the church was tougher than I imagined. In the fundamentalist Protestant culture in which I’d been raised, new converts would be warmly welcomed, fast-walked through orientation classes and…

Robed figures carrying lighted candles process into a darkened cathedral, followed by a man vested in cope and miter. Chant and a tolling bell fill the grim silence. Finally, the cleric speaks: “We declare him excommunicate and anathema. We cast him…

I enjoy reading Reddit’s popular forum, Am I the A**h*le? (AITA). Curious souls who wonder if they might have behaved badly submit their conundrums to the often very biased judgment of the Internet, which tells them in no uncertain terms whether or…

Title: Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish LifeAuthor: Shai HeldBook Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2024)Review Publisher: U.S. Catholic (May 2024) Some years ago, I took classes in Judaism. One day, the rabbi talked about…

The church can take a long time to approve a Marian apparition. In 2010, when Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, announced the apparitions given to Adele Brise in 1859 were “worthy of belief,” it capped a process that took…

As news of the death of O. J. Simpson broke a month ago, my social media newsfeed began to fill with reactions from friends and strangers. I wrote a quick reaction of my own: “Thirty years to the year. All I find myself capable of wishing for O. J.…

Title: (R)evolutionary Hope: A Spirituality of Encounter and Engagement in an Evolving WorldAuthor: Kathleen BonnetteBook Publisher: Cascade Books (2023)Review Publisher: U.S. Catholic (February 2024)In his Confessions, St. Augustine famously asks,…

Catholics are already arguing about a new movie set to hit theaters in March. Cabrini, produced by Angel Studios, which also gave us the television series The Chosen, tells the story of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint. Mother…

When I became Catholic in 1996, it was Testimony Time in the Church in the United States. Conversion stories were everywhere—audio and video presentations, magazine articles, books. There was even a television show on a Catholic television network…

Some years back, I watched a discussion unfold on social media about the devil. A Catholic woman anxiously asked her friends for prayers that could be used to “banish” and “bind” Satan. Her lights had been flickering, she said, and she feared a demon…