August begins the annual ritual of children dragging their parents to the shopping mall for new clothes, backpacks and sneakers, in preparation for their return to classrooms, playgrounds and athletics fields. The nervous anticipation of going “back to school” is as common to the American experience of growing up as …

Catholic diocesan seminarians head back to campuses and classrooms in August. In some ways, they will have experiences similar to most—days busy with reading texts, attending lectures, writing papers and enjoying extracurricular activities. Additionally, Catholic seminarians are in the process of formation, as men who will serve God by serving …

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is an encouraging milestone in the midst of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival. Roughly forming a cross between the four corners of the U.S., the processions witness to Christ’s life-changing presence in the world. Pilgrims from the four routes will converge in Indianapolis on July 16 …

FIRST PLACE Best Book Review Section Kenneth Craycraft, Fr. Kyle Schnippel, Matt Swaim, Fr. Jacob Lindle and Margaret Swensen SECOND PLACE Best Photograph – Sacramental Being Christ to Others Danny Schneible Best Reporting on Vocations to Priesthood, Religious Life or Diaconate The Long and Winding Road Patricia McGeever THIRD PLACE  …

Every rite, ritual, discipline and devotion of the Catholic Church is ordered by and around the Eucharist, which the Second Vatican Council calls the “source and summit of the whole Christian life” (Lumen Gentium 11). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) further underscores that “the moral life finds its …

In May 2024, I will complete my fifth year on the full-time faculty at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM). This is in addition to the three years I taught as an adjunct. These have been the most satisfying eight years of my professional career. I should …

In 1992, British novelist P.D. James departed from her usual genre of detective fiction to write a dystopian novel about the growing prevalence of what Pope St. John II later called “the culture of death.” This culture, wrote John Paul in the 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, is “fostered by powerful …

The Very Reverend Anthony R. Brausch, President & Rector of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) announced a pair of promotions for members of the MTSM faculty this week. Dr. Kenneth Craycraft’s is now a Professor of Moral Theology, having his promotion from associate professor approved by …

The most obvious association that people have with Lent is of “giving something up.” In many cases, of course, this is perfectly legitimate. Along with prayer and almsgiving, fasting is one of the three traditional pillars of Lenten observance, and it is mandated (with exceptions) on Ash Wednesday and Good …

As most Catholics are well aware, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. And, of course, almost everyone associates Lent with giving something up, even if they do not understand the penitential importance of the season. “I gave that up for Lent” is a common refrain, …