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After the Virgin Mary, St. Francis of Assisi is probably Catholicism's most popular saint. Sure, other saints do more practical things: St. Anthony can help you find lost car keys, [...]

SUBVERSIVE HABITS By Shannen Dee Williams (Duke University Press, 2022) I recently found a book I received as a first communion gift. It is about famous American Catholics and is [...]

People seeking a saint's intercession to help with their love lives might appeal to St. Valentine, but he's not the only saint available for relationship advice. Dedicating Valentine's Day to [...]

BUILDING A BRIDGE Directed by Evan Mascagni and Shannon Post (Player Piano Productions, 2021) According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, LGBTQ Catholics 'must be accepted with respect, compassion, [...]

CARRY ON: REFLECTIONS FOR A NEW GENERATION By John Lewis (Grand Central Publishing, 2021) In the summer of 2020, as people took to the streets to express their anger and [...]

This article explores the history and significance of tarot cards, particularly in relation to the Catholic Church. Tarot cards originated as a card game in Italy and were later condemned by religious authorities as rigged and dishonest. However, in the 16th century, tarot decks began to be used for divination and fortune-telling. The Catholic Church teaches that tarot and other divination practices contradict the respect and fear owed to God alone. The article suggests that the popularity of tarot reading stems from its promise to bring order to chaos, and proposes that the church offer alternative solutions to address the anxieties that lead people to seek out tarot readings. [Extracted from the article]

"Kidnapped" is a film directed by Mario Bellocchio that explores the bewildering aspects of Catholicism through the lens of a child. The story is based on true events that took place in 19th-century Bologna, where a Jewish child named Edgardo Mortara was secretly baptized by his family's Christian housekeeper. When the Roman Inquisition discovers this, they demand that the child be taken from his family and placed in the custody of Pope Pius IX. The film delves into the tragic absurdity of the situation, highlighting the struggles faced by Edgardo's family and the controversial decisions made by the church. [Extracted from the article]

Set in the southern Italian port of Bari, Edoardo Ponti's The Life Ahead weaves together the lives of marginalized people caring for one another. At the center of the story [...]

It has been more than 50 years since the FBI conspired with the Chicago Police Department to murder Black Panther leader Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) in his sleep. Shaka King's [...]

Midway through the documentary Francesco, Pope Francis endorses civil unions for same-sex couples and states that they have the right to a family. And, just like that, two minutes of [...]

On Ash Wednesday we are told to 'remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.' It can be a bleak message and may be why some churches [...]

STRANGE RITES By Tara Isabella Burton (PublicAffairs, 2020) In an era when religious questions can be contentious and divisive, Tara Isabella Burton's Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World [...]

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Directed by Aaron Sorkin (Netflix, 2020) As The Trial of the Chicago 7 nears its finale, two of the antiwar activists on trial for [...]

HARRIET Directed by Kasi Lemmons (Focus Features, 2019) As part of a lesson on persuasive writing, students at my daughter's school recently wrote essays on the topic, 'Who was the [...]

THE IRISHMAN Directed by Martin Scorsese (Tribeca Productions and Sikelia Productions, 2019) The audible surprise of the man next to me in the theater notwithstanding, few people head into a [...]

RED STATE CHRISTIANS By Angela Denker (Fortress Press, 2019) When coming across the statistic that 81 percent of white evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump, there usually follows a litany [...]

When we tell someone 'You're a saint,' we are usually complimenting them on their ability to selflessly shoulder a relentless torrent of mundane tasks we would rather not do. Our [...]

One of the most vivid descriptions author Shusaku Endo uses to describe his faith was to call his Catholicism an ill-fitting suit. It's such a relatable sensation that just to [...]

TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (Magnolia Pictures, 2019) Anyone who has read a Toni Morrison novel knows she understood the power of language. Addressing the [...]

HESBURGH Directed by Patrick Creadon (O'Malley Creadon Productions, 2019) Narrated by a voiceover reading the writings of Congregation of Holy Cross Father Theodore Hesburgh and cutting back and forth between [...]

THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD Directed by Peter Jackson (Warner Bros., 2019) Peter Jackson, best known for the Lord of the Rings movies, seems to love a good gimmick. Some [...]

SAY NOTHING by Patrick Radden Keefe (Doubleday, 2019) In 1972 an armed gang barged into Jean McConville's Belfast apartment and demanded the 38-year-old widow come with them; her 10 children [...]

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Participant Media, 2018) The plot of ROMA, named for the neighborhood of Mexico City, where director Alfonso Cuaron grew up and where he filmed the movie, [...]

ISLAM: A LIVING FAITH by Natana J. DeLong-Bas (Anselm Academic, 2018)There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today, yet when most people in the United States hear the word [...]

Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West (Magnolia Pictures, 2018) Early in the documentary RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsburg addresses a group of high school students visiting the Supreme Court. Holding [...]

POPE FRANCIS: A MAN OF HIS WORD Directed by Wim Wenders (Focus Features, 2018) Midway through the documentary Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, there is an image that [...]

NOVITIATE Directed by Margaret Betts (Sony Pictures Classics, 2017) In the opening scene of Margaret Betts' Novitiate, a movie about a group of young women seeking admission to a convent [...]

CHRISTMAS: A BIOGRAPHY By Judith Flanders (St. Martin's Press, 2017) Every year, it begins. First a low rumbling, as Starbucks blows right past Thanksgiving and decks their stores in 'holiday' [...]

HACKSAW RIDGE Directed by Mel Gibson (Summit Entertainment, 2016) Based on the life of the World War II medic and conscientious objector who pulled 75 injured soldiers to safety during [...]

FIRE AT SEA Directed by Gianfranco Rosi (Rai Cinema, 2016) The opening titles of Italian documentary Fire at Sea reel off a stark, if familiar, set of statistics. Only eight [...]

THE PILGRIM JOURNEY James Harpur (BlueBridge, 2016) The basics of pilgrimage, which author James Harpur defines as 'a physical journey ... to a special destination, accompanied by a particular state [...]

watch THE FITS Directed by Anna Rose Holmer (Oscilloscope Laboratories, 2016) Reading only a quick plot summary, one could be forgiven for thinking The Fits is a horror movie: New [...]

HE HAMED ME MALALA Davis Guggenheim (Fox Searchlight, 2015) Heading in to watch the documentary He Named Me Malala, I expected to be moved. After all, what isn't moving about [...]

In a season filled with red Santa suits and green Christmas trees, the purple and pink candles of the Advent wreath can seem incongruous with many Catholic families' usual Christmas [...]

As news of Benedict XVI's resignation broke, Rome's La Repubblica newspaper sent a reporter to gauge the reaction in the streets of the city. Some said they were speechless. Others [...]

The Wolfpack Directed by Crystal Moselle (Kotva Films, 2015) After watching Star Wars as kids, no wrapping paper roll in my house was safe; my brothers and I stole them [...]

INVENTING A CHRISTIAN AMERICA By Steven K. Green (Oxford, 2015) Teaching the history of religion I frequently have to wave my students off from 'always' and 'never' statements. 'Jews and [...]

Recently, I received some free life advice at Starbucks, courtesy of the horoscopes baristas had clipped from the newspaper and taped to the back of the espresso machine. Apparently, I [...]

'71 Directed by Yann Demanqe (Roadside Attractions, 2015) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The political thriller '71 opens with soldiers training in the English countryside to be deployed to Germany to stand guard [...]

Since the early Middle Ages, all Christians have used the same method for determining the date of Easter, though they arrive at a different result. Described authoritatively in The Reckoning [...]

Since 1963 the church has taught that Catholics can be cremated, abolishing its longstanding prohibition of the practice. Cremation was fairly widespread in the ancient world, but early Christians rejected [...]

ST. VINCENT Directed by Theodore Melfi (The Weinstein Company, 2014) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] St. Vincent follows the growing friendship between Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), a shrimpy misfit uprooted by his parents' recent [...]

Traditionally, Catholics believed that a person could reach heaven only if he or she was buried in a Catholic cemetery. But limited space meant few people could be buried in [...]

JESUS: A PILGRIMAGE By James Martin, S.J. (HarperOne, 2014) In his latest book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, Jesuit Father James Martin travels to Israel, visiting the sites of Jesus' life. Combining [...]

In 1955, Pius XII reformed the liturgy to make foot washing part of the Holy Thursday Mass. Since the 14th century, it had been practiced in a separate liturgy. Then [...]

EARTHLY MISSION By Robert Calderisi (Yale University Press, 2013) At the end of Earthly Mission: The Catholic Church and World Development, economist and former World Bank official Robert Calderisi claims [...]

The historic news that emerged from the ecclesial council held on February 11, 2013 was Pope Benedict XVI's resignation. But that was not the day's only newsworthy event: Benedict called [...]

FRANCIS OF ASSISI By Andre Vauchez (Yale Press, 2012) Francis the ecologist, Francis the stigmatic, Francis the peace activist, Francis the crusader. With so many Francis of Assisis, anyone can [...]

If you missed the feast of Francis of Assisi in October, the Christmas season offers another opportunity to commemorate the saint. Anyone who has erected a nativity scene is following [...]

Before the obligatory 'Ave Maria' and a crazy aunt leading 'YMCA' at the reception, guests at a Catholic wedding witness 'a covenant by which a man and a woman establish [...]