“The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.” Just about any baseball fan or English major is familiar with those famous lines from the Ernest Lawrence Thayer poem Casey at the Bat. The poem resonated …

 It’s a word the Catholic Church has long avoided being associated with — scandal. Far from it to be a cause of disillusionment or a stumbling block against faith. In the past, the very mention of scandal being a possibility was, depending on the activity, enough to get someone to …

“There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear.” Now that you may have the Buffalo Springfield song in your head, in a world where we see so much change daily, there’s something happening. This is the Year of Faith, of a New Evangelization, a new Holy Father. One …

As the first days of Pope Francis’ term of office dawned, there was a great deal of excitement about who this stranger from a far land was, what is going to be his main focus, what new initiatives will he bring to the life of the church? The research started …

The tomato wars are about to begin. Hundreds of local gardeners have their starts under grow lights and can’t wait to plant their little seedlings. It isn’t sugarplums they dream of. It is big, juicy tomatoes, straight from the garden on a warm August day. The dream includes a “mater-sandwich:” …

By Father Timothy P. Schehr Palm Sunday: Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 This Sunday we hear the dramatic account of the Lord’s suffering and death.

This story is exclusive web content from The Catholic Telegraph Xavier University announced Wednesday that one of its athletic dreams was coming true. The school, along with Butler and Creighton, will join Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, St. John’s, Providence, Seton Hall and DePaul in a reformulated Big East. Learn more about …

By Father Timothy Schehr Fifth Sunday of Lent: Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11 This Sunday’s Gospel should be very familiar. The scribes and Pharisees bring a sinful woman before the Lord for a verdict. But rather than condemning her for her sin, Jesus sets her on a new path. …

Thousands of Catholics in our archdiocese will come to Mass on Easter Sunday. At least 40 percent of these good people haven’t been to church since Christmas. For their sake and for the sake of all of us who are so pleased to see them, I offer a few instructions …

One thing that both amuses and frightens me about Jesus is His table manners or, better and more honestly put, His table mates. In contrast to the ascetical practices of John the Baptist, Jesus is accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” …