The Catholic Church seems to be engaged in a slugfest. I know a scant bit about boxing because my Dad enjoyed the sport, something he learned in the Army. He felt the manly art of self-defense was something I needed to learn because I was hopelessly not fleet of foot. …

My mother is in her mid-80s and would like to know if viewing Mass on television fulfills her obligation to attend weekend Mass. Getting to church is not easy for her, but she drives herself to the grocery and to get her hair done. She also has children that would …

By Jeanne Hunt How are you about waiting? You are in the grocery store line with a gallon of ice cream and the person in front of you has 30 coupons; road crew is placing cones down the road, and traffic is backed up for a mile; you have an …

Q: Are parish priests evaluated? If so, by whom, how often, and in what areas? Catholics rightly hold their priests to a high standard. When I was a seminarian, I remember reading a survey of what parishioners wanted of their priests. The report determined that among the qualities of the …

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 …