Roman Catholic Church

All posts related to, or originating from, the Roman Catholic Church

What Does Prayer Do?

What is it, exactly, that prayer is meant to do? We can begin with the theologian Oliver Crisp, who writes that prayer is often considered a “solution to a problem — or, at least, as a means by which a perso... Read More...

The End of the Liturgy

By Jonathan Mitchican  The modern Church has been consumed by fights over liturgy, many of which have been proxy battles for social or political issues. Joseph Ratzinger became a lightning rod in these debat... Read More...

What Is a Child?

By Neil Dhingra What is a child? For Karl Rahner, a child is already a Mensch. If children have to grow, strengthen, learn, and mature, what must remain is a mystery in childhood, “which endows us with the p... Read More...

In Praise of Unspiritual Things

By Samuel Keyes Pondering the recent commemoration of St. Dominic, I came across this little gem from the 19th century Anglo-Catholic leader Stewart Headlam: If it be true ... that St. Dominic was much trou... Read More...

Sacramental Discipline

By Sam Keyes When the news came that Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone had barred Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Holy Communion, I wondered how quickly Episcopal bishops would scramble over one another to declare t... Read More...

Easter and the Asceticism of Festivity

By Timothy O’Malley If you are friends with clergy or other pastoral workers, the first days of Easter are a time of catching one’s breath. Yes, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil require a g... Read More...

In the Shadow of the Cross

By Neil Dhingra Imagine two friends, one Protestant and the other Catholic. Perhaps they first met in a university History of the Reformation course, much like the version I once took, which, even in a secul... Read More...