The latest date scholars give to Mary's Assumption, if they have faith and believe in the Assumption, is the early 60s AD. The earliest date at which scholars place the writing of John's Gospel is around 70.
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There is something astounding and simultaneously humbling about turning 50. "Happy birthday to you," sang my family and friends. A choir of cheerful voices counted: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50! Big applause.
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Here are six more ideas to help prune your sacristy, parish, and personal libraries. Keep in mind that there are pastoral ministers and parish staff, not only clergy, who may need to have access to these and other texts.
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On September 24, 2026, our former National Director, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, will be beatified in St. Louis, Missouri. To say we are thrilled is the understatement of the year! Archbishop Sheen has long been an inspiration to those of us in ministry with the Pontifical Mission Societies. His talks, his example, and even his sense of humor in the face of the many obstacles he faced have shown millions a pathway to Christ through service to others.
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Most of us are the foreigners, the non-Israelites, about whom today's First Reading prophesies. Coming to worship the God of Israel, we stand in the line of faith epitomized by the Canaanite woman in today's Gospel. Calling to Jesus as Lord and Son of David, this foreigner shows her great faith in God's covenant with Israel.
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Is 56:1, 6-7 Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 Rom 11:13-15, 29-32 Mt 15:21-28 This Sunday, one thing becomes clear: God really doesn't check passports or papers. That is one of the messages of this Sunday's scripture, and it couldn't be more timely or provocative. In our polarized world -- a world divided by nationalities and religions, raging at each other with drones and missile strikes, seeking to expel foreigners and build walls -- these readings offer another way. Here is a way of mercy and acceptance and a love that knows no borders.
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How does the world view the U.S. right now? How do we deserve to be viewed? Are we working to create "the beloved community" which Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned, which is another way of saying "the kingdom of God?"
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Q: I'm returning to the Church after many years away, and I'm talking to my priest about having a convalidation ceremony. From what I understand, I need to do this because my first marriage was invalid in God's eyes. Does this mean I need a new civil marriage license? How does this work if the Church considers Catholic weddings to be valid even without a civil marriage ceremony? (Ohio)
Read moreOct. 3 will mark 800 years since the death of St. Francis of Assisi. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a Jubilee Year of St. Francis from Jan. 10, 2026, to the following January. The fact that the entire Church is invited to enter this Jubilee shows us just how important the witness of St. Francis remains as a man truly conformed to Christ-crucified and dedicated to living the Gospel to the full.
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A few weeks ago, at a gathering of priests, the issue of new liturgical books came up. Inspired, it seems, by the recent release of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), which replaced the long-used Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults with its familiar initialism RCIA. Many had not heard about this revision, and therefore, about the new book.
Read moreMany faithful in the archdiocese still remember the visit of Pope John Paul II to Boston on Oct. 1-2, 1979, particularly the rainy outdoor Mass on Boston Common. Others will recall that he first visited our archdiocese in 1969, when he was still Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow. Next week, Aug. 14-16, marks the 50th anniversary of his 1976 visit to Boston as the guest of Cardinal Humberto Medeiros.
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Please welcome Joan Ryan Lamar, who joins us in telling the stories of the growing mission Church. -- Maureen Crowley Heil Jesus often likened the kingdom of heaven to something small, or something hidden -- a buried treasure, a bit of leaven, a pearl, a mustard seed. Hiddenness is how Father Lasantha Fonseka, a priest from the Diocese of Galle in Sri Lanka, describes the "plantation people" whom he serves. They are a people on the margins and, in many ways, a forgotten people. "Nobody knows about their lives," said Father Lasantha. "So many people travel to surf the beaches of southern Sri Lanka or visit the UNESCO site of the Galle Fort, but they don't know about the people who live and work the plantations in the nearby countryside." However, as is often the case with the mysteries of God, there is a veiled nature to how and where God works. Some might say it is here in the lives of these hidden people that the kingdom of God is found.
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How do we find God in the storms and struggles of our lives, in the trials we encounter in trying to do His will? God commands Elijah in today's First Reading to stand on the mountain and await His passing by. And in the Gospel, Jesus makes the disciples set out across the waters to meet Him.
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My social media feeds have recently been full of discussions of "the common good." It is mostly driven by advocates of "classical liberalism" or libertarianism, who essentially negatively equate common good with something like totalitarian collectivism.
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What happens when an AI system goes rogue? It is no longer a theoretical question left to sci-fi movies like "Terminator" or "Blade Runner" or "2001: A Space Odyssey." It is happening now, and the implications are huge.
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Q: The nondenominational church near my house offers praise and worship nights with music. I've been interested in attending, not because I want to convert, but because I like that style of music and any opportunity to join in prayer with others. Would it be wrong for a Catholic to attend this event? Am I putting my soul at risk or opening the door to the devil? (Tacoma, Washington)
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In 1958, at age 14, I learned a personal lesson about patriotism on a Boy Scout pilgrimage to Europe. Our first stop was the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. As we viewed the various pavilions, of course we stopped at the United States pavilion first. There was perhaps a little disappointment because we saw a very honest portrayal of the problems America faced at the time: racial divisions, housing needs, poverty and an economy that barely supported a nation of our size.
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Recently, a youthful acquaintance shared with me his future career ambition to be "an influencer." As a sign of my ever-increasing age, I was skeptical that the full-time influencer life is "a thing" for anyone other than celebrities. To my surprise, however, I learned that recent surveys indicate that over half of Generation Z aspires to have a career as an on-line influencer!
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After the blessing, the deacon or priest dismisses the assembly to "go out" of the church into the world with the Mass. Originally, I had titled this "The end of Mass." Probably from the dismissal previously used, "The Mass is ended. Go in peace." But then, I "read the black."
Read moreRosalie Markezich smiled when she realized she was pregnant in 2023. The young woman from Louisiana waited a week before telling her then-boyfriend, who was initially supportive. Then, she says, he changed his mind.
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What do Winnie the Pooh, historian David Attenborough, Kool-Aid, and World Mission Sunday have in common? They're all celebrating their 100th birthday this year! On April 14, 2026, Pope Pius XI declared the penultimate (second to last) Sunday of October would be celebrated as World Mission Sunday. It is set aside as a day for Catholics throughout the world to recommit themselves to the missionary mandate of our faith, given to us by Jesus -- Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. (MT 28:19-20)
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In Jesus and the Church, Isaiah's promises in today's First Reading are fulfilled. All who are thirsty come to the living waters of Baptism (see John 4:14). The hungry delight in rich fare -- given bread to eat and wine to drink at the Eucharistic table.
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Bless our hearts, when my husband and I had been married all of three months, we signed up to become a team couple with our local Engaged Encounter program. We had enjoyed the retreat that we took as a requirement of our pre-Cana preparation, surprised to find it fun and helpful, not the drudgery we'd expected.
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"The best thing about being 80 is that you outlive the clocks that have been chasing you. It's freedom from that lie than anything was ever under control." -- Bob Dylan In anticipation of President Trump's 80th birthday, The New York Times asked prominent celebrity octogenarians, Bob Dylan, Gloria Steinem, Robert De Niro and others, to share their thoughts on the best and worst things about experiencing such blessed longevity. I say blessed because, as the psalmist says, "Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong" (Ps 90:10).
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Q: What is the current situation with marriages and the SSPX? I have heard different things about whether or not weddings at SSPX chapels are valid. A: From the time of Pope Francis' pontificate, there was a fairly limited pathway for a valid Catholic wedding ceremony in chapels of the Society of St. Pius X, but it seems clear that this is now no longer an option.
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Is 55:1-3 Rom 8:35, 37-39 Mt 14:13-21 This familiar passage from Matthew about the multiplication of the loaves and fishes gives us a lot to chew on (so to speak) but it's about more than grabbing a bite to eat on a hot afternoon in Galilee.
Read moreSt. Augustine uses the image of two cities to define the central conflict that runs throughout history between the self-love that constitutes the City of Man and the divine love that forms the City of God. Unsurprisingly, the first Augustinian pope, Leo XIV, shapes "Magnifica Humanitas," his first encyclical, around this image: "Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together" (1). In contrast to Babel, a tower meant to demonstrate humanity's prideful power to reach the heavens, Leo presents Nehemiah's rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls as a model of peaceful cooperation for the glory of God and the common good.
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''Human first; human last." These were the words shared during a recent conversation with a group of school leaders regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI). As the conversation progressed, the concept of human dignity was raised and the need to not let AI take precedence over this powerful truth: all people by their very nature have dignity, and this must be respected.
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We have all read bulletin reminders or heard verbal warnings from the sanctuary about leaving Mass early. Usually this is addressed to those who leave after receiving Holy Communion. There is an easy way to know when the Mass has ended.
Read moreThe Archive Department is currently processing the photographs of Msgr. Edward G. Murray (1906-1986), rector of St. John's Seminary from 1938 to 1950, friend and confidant of Cardinal Richard J. Cushing, leader in ecumenical and interreligious affairs, and longtime pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale.
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How can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] Good News!" (Rom 10:14-15)
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What is your new life in Christ worth to you? Do you love His words more than gold and silver, as we sing in today's Psalm? Would you, like the characters in the Gospel today, sell all that you have in order to possess the kingdom He promises to us? If God were to grant any wish, would you follow Solomon's example in today's First Reading -- asking not for a long life or riches but for wisdom to know God's ways and to desire His will?
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A recent set of experiments at Columbia University seeking to genetically modify human embryos has rightly generated shock waves. Led by geneticist Dieter Egli, the research relied on a newer technology for modifying genes known as "base editing." In contrast to earlier methods like CRISPR that typically cut and replace longer stretches of DNA, base editing, as summarized in news reports, "allows scientists to replace individual genetic letters more carefully. In simple terms, it works less like cutting a page out of a book and more like correcting a typo."
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Q: Why is it that when the SSPX says Mass, it's only illicit, but now going to confession with them would be not only illicit but also invalid? A: The short answer is because the Sacrament of Penance has a much stronger juridical or "legal" dimension than most of the other sacraments.
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It's been many years since I drove my kids daily to their Catholic school in Anchorage, Alaska. Every mom -- and everyone who was ever a kid -- remembers the occasional chaos of school mornings, grabbing breakfast, homework, lunch bags, negotiating who gets the bathroom next.
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Martha, Martha, Martha. I have always had a fondness in my heart for St. Martha. Alas, because she made one complaint recorded in scripture she has been forever remembered as a whiny sister. Yet, I admire her enthusiasm for all the details of hospitality and the hard work she put into welcoming Christ into her home in Bethany. Anyone who has ever welcomed me as a guest knows I appreciate good food and fresh coffee! Because of this, she is now the patron saint of a diverse throng that includes cooks, innkeepers, servants, waiters, homemakers, and dieticians, among others.
Read moreThis summer has led me on an unexpected pilgrimage related to the founding of the United States. I wrote previously about traveling some of the paths taken by Spanish explorers in 1776, including the trek through Colorado and Utah by DomÍnguez and Escalante, and Antonio Garcés' desert journey in northern Arizona. For the 250th anniversary itself, I found myself on the other side of the country, in upstate New York, praying at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville.
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