One of the saddest results of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century was the distressing neglect of sacred Scripture that resulted in the Catholic Church. Officially, the church never neglected Scripture. more

Princess Mae of Teck came from a branch of the English royal family who lived under reduced circumstances. Although she was indeed a great granddaughter of George III, her family once had to move to Florence, Italy to save money. more

Bishop Edward Slattery, of Tulsa, Okla., has decided to celebrate Mass at the diocesan cathedral "ad orientem," i.e., facing the altar at the head of the people toward God in the distance in an effort to recapture a "more authentic" Catholic worship. more

The Gospel versions according to Sts. Matthew, Mark and Luke are often termed the “Synoptic Gospels” because the similarity among them can be observed “at a glance,” as the Greek word “synoptic” indicates. Nowhere is this evangelical agreement more evident than in the sacred authors’ reporting of Christ’s triple predictions of his Passion. St. Mark’s three chapter and verse references to the Passion are most easily remembered: 8:31, 9:3 and 10:33. more

A good friend on the West Coast, a dear cousin in the Midwest, and a respected local pastor were all impressed with the religious novel “The Shack” by William P. Young, a son of Protestant missionaries in the Orient and the heir to multiple religious influences. more

Flannery O’Connor (actually Mary Flannery O’Connor) was a celebrated author of short stories in the middle of the last century. A native of Georgia, O’Connor was characteristically southern in her frame of mind and in her turn of phrase. more

Father John Farley was a legendary philosophy professor at Our Lady of Providence Seminary College in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. An insightful teacher and a clever preacher, Father Farley would arrive five minutes late for class with his signature cup of coffee, lengthy cigarette butt and scruffy cassock. more

The question occasionally arises among Roman Catholics as to whether they should receive Communion when attending Episcopal Church services. After all, some argue, their Mass looks just the same as ours, and indeed it does. more

During these summer months, the Church’s liturgy wisely focuses the worshiper’s attention on the Eucharist. Chapter six of St. John’s Gospel is a glorious exposition on the Eucharist as a sacred banquet, a memorial meal, a cause of grace and a pledge of future life. more

My senior prom from La Salle Academy was held in the spring of 1958 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet. My date was Mary Kelly, a classmate from my parish grammar school. more

For many centuries even pious believers might have pondered why it was Eve rather than Adam who the ancient author of Genesis depicted as succumbing to the tempting serpent. By singling out Eve … more

My father, mother and I attended the 9 a.m. Mass every Sunday at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Woonsocket. Originally this was the children’s Mass, but even in my teenage years, we continued to attend at this hour since Catholics rarely went to Communion at the later Masses in those days. more

Ponder the threats to traditional marriage that contemporary society is experiencing nowadays. more

Jesus left no doubt in the minds of his Apostles, nor should there be any doubt in the minds of later believers, that Jesus’ ministry would be brought to a joyous completion by the Holy Spirit. more

My father’s sister lived most of her married life in Lyndhurst, Ohio. In the early 1950s, my father drove my mother and me via a rather roundabout route to visit my aunt at her home in this Cleveland suburb. more

At time of this writing, the prospect of so-called marriage between same-sex couples is being hotly debated in the state’s legislature, in the press, and on the Internet. more

It was not the front page or the editorial page or the letters to the editor in the Providence Journal a couple of weeks ago that caught my attention, but rather the real estate section. more

Shepherds occupy a prominent place throughout sacred Scriptures. In both the Old and the New Testaments, shepherds hold a special place in salvation history. more

Readers should go to their computers and google “The Bad Vicar” to watch a very amusing video about the contrast between religion and spirituality. more

My appreciation of poetry inclines more toward Emily Dickinson or perhaps even Mother Goose rather than toward the 19th century English Jesuit, Gerard Manley Hopkins. more