Note: This letter appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Letter to the Editor on October 27, 2016 by Dan Andriacco Sr. Simone Campbell’s opinion piece in Monday’s Enquirer (“Follow Pope’s Example of ‘Meddling’ in Politics”) may sow confusion about the authentic Catholic teaching on responsible voting. She writes: “This election can’t …

Two of my grandchildren saw war – real war — for the first time in August. They saw the picture of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh, sitting dazed and bloody in the back of an ambulance in Aleppo, Syria. It was published on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. His …

By Father David Endres Q: Has Jesus always existed or was He created at His human birth? If He always existed, is there any mention of Him in the Old Testament? Mention of His birth is clear in the Scriptures, but what about prior to His birth? A: This question …

Catholic Thoughts–By Jeanne Hunt Is your world overcome with noise? There seems to be nowhere to get away from the constant harangue of music, talk, motors, humming machines, etc. Recently, I was reading 1 Kings 19:9–16 (NRSV), and the term the sound of sheer silence was used to describe the …

By Father David Endres Q: I am bothered by the Mass response, “We proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.” To me it seems that we are attempting to lock Jesus back in the grave. I know there are some who say “God is dead,” but I never …

Members of the archdiocesan central office staff recently attended a workshop that featured an extensive session on prayer. I’ll never pretend to be a theologian  but I have navigated tough situations and times over many years on instinct. That alone tells me that the Jesus’ teaching in Luke 11 should …

Q: Are the homilies of priests and deacons critiqued? The homily quality among preachers varies considerably. Some are outstanding; others are poor. Are continuing education classes available and/or required for clergy especially in the area of homily development and presentation? A: Yes, the homilies of priests and deacons, are always …

Watching my father care for his father proved a chore for a pre-teen boy with his head full of kid thoughts and body full of kid energy. They did not speak much on those days when we went to pick up laundry and tidy up grandpa’s tiny apartment over Frenchie’s …

What’s the difference between a frozen dinner and a millennial? The frozen dinner needs a couple minutes to be ready. Millennials are ready now. That’s what we tell our elders right? We say we’re ready for more responsibility at work, more money, more stuff to do. We go on about …

Q: In Matthew 24, Jesus says no one knows when the world will end. He says that the Son does not know, only the Father. The Son is consubstantial with the Father in the Trinity. How can the Father know and the Son not know? This puzzles me. A: The …