Each year we hear the perennial objections of those who lament hearing the salutation, “Season’s Greetings” instead of “Merry Christmas.” The common complaint, of course, is that this season is about the birth of the Christ, the savior of humankind. Thus, the reasoning goes, recourse to the general reference of …

On Jan. 1, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to representatives of the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist Association, expressing his agreement with them about a certain understanding of religious liberty. Among other things, Jefferson said that he considered the religion clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had …

In Lucinda Williams’ song, “Joy,” the narrator tells an unknown person (presumably a former lover), “I don’t want you anymore/‘Cause you took my joy.” Complaining, “You got no right to take my joy/I want it back,” the narrator announces his quest to recover his joy by searching in specific geographic …

The first Respect Life Month after the overruling of Roe v. Wade by the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health is an opportunity to consider abortion access and regulation in a post-Roe world. It presents a challenge to both think clearly about the form (and limits) of pro-life legislation …

As recently as 10 years ago, very few people expected that we would have serious public debates in 2022 about what pronouns to use for people; whether public schools could be compelled to allow boys to use girls’ restrooms; if 14-year-old children should be permitted to have mutilating surgery on …

Last January and February, all of southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana were caught up in what might be described as a religious experience: the Bengals’ improbable run to the Super Bowl. We came together across economic, racial and ethnic identifications, committed to a single cause and united in …

Over the past few years, there have been contentious public arguments over who has authority to educate children and what should be included (or excluded) from the curriculum. Many politicians and pundits declared that parents should have little or no input into curriculum decisions and proposed learning outcomes. For example, …

On May 2, 2022, Politico, an online magazine, published a leaked draft majority opinion for the U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which tests Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. Written by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, the Dobbs opinion holds that Roe v. Wade “was egregiously wrong …

I write this month to congratulate Bishop-elect Earl Fernandes on his impending consecration as Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, OH. When he assumes the bishop’s chair (the cathedra), Bishop-elect Fernandes will join an unbroken succession of bishops that dates from the Church’s very first days. And, by virtue of …

In 1955, Pope Pius IX established May 1 as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, a day set aside to seek St. Joseph’s intercession on behalf of laborers. The date was chosen as an alternative to International Workers’ Day, to celebrate workers while avoiding association with May Day’s historical …