On April 8, a total solar eclipse in North America will coincide with the Solemnity of the Annunciation. OSV News editor-in-chief Gretchen R. Crowe points out the connection between the moon’s shadow falling on Earth and Mary being “overshadowed” by the Holy
The Catholic Church’s teaching that in vitro fertilization contradicts God’s design for marriage is controversial. To some couples who are unable to conceive by normal means, IVF seems like an opportunity to get the child they desire. But the Our Sunday Visitor
Father Patrick Briscoe shares an encounter he had with a drunken man on the streets of a foreign neighborhood and how it led to deeper prayer: “I pretended I didn’t hear him. His faint cry drifted over the four lanes of traffic.
Not long ago, Easter was a time for purchasing a new set of clothes, which many would then show off in Easter parades. New clothes publicly stated that, in celebrating Easter after faithfully observing Lent, the wearer truly was a new person.
The Catholic Church says in Unam Sanctum (A.D. 1302), “Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” But Lumen Gentium (A.D. 1963) says, “Those also can
A reader writes: “Wasn’t Mary a surrogate mother? Did she not bear a son for someone other than her husband, Joseph? Jesus was the Son of God. Was he not conceived by artificial insemination? She didn’t have intercourse with anyone. … I
One of the saddest things for a Catholic is when a friend abandons the Faith because of suffering. We might think they have given up without a fight, and our first instinct may be to rush in and let them know how
A significant majority of couples in Catholic marriage preparation programs are not wholeheartedly committed to a Catholic sexual ethic. Presenters are not simply speaking with couples who plan to use artificial methods of contraception, but with couples already using such methods. Our
For months, Vatican watchers have been reporting on a document on human dignity expected in early April from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the head of the dicastery, has confirmed the coming document in various
Venerable Fulton Sheen once wrote, “Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.” None of us can understand the joy of Easter without the suffering of the passion. John’s Gospel tells us, “Standing by the