Articles
Remembering St. Oscar Romero 2026
On this day, the Church remembers the heroic witness of Saint Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador who was assassinated on this date in 1980 while celebrating mass, because he dared to proclaim the Gospel without reservation and denounced the powers of death who were threatening the humble people of El Salvador and causing great suffering for them with no accountability. Romero was called “the voice of the voiceless” because he dared to say what no one else would. He named the names of those who had disappeared, he gave voice to the pleas of their families, and he appealed to the consciences of the soldiers who were carrying out illegal orders and terrorizing their own people. Like Romero, the Church in the United States today must be the voice of the voiceless. We need to amplify the voices of those who are left in detention centers (or holding facilities) in unsafe and unhealthy circumstances and without due process. The voices of separated families and children removed ...
Read MoreThe Cost of Christmas
As Christians, what are we called to do because we have received God’s gift of love at Christmas? As Pope Leo XIV writes in his apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, “It is not enough to profess the doctrine of God’s Incarnation in general terms. To enter truly into this great mystery, we need to understand clearly that the Lord took on a flesh that hungers and thirsts and experiences infirmity and imprisonment.” “For Christians, the poor are not a sociological category, but the very flesh of Christ.” In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis wrote that Christ identified himself “with the lowest ranks of society” and with his love poured out in the end, he confirms the dignity of every human being, especially when “they are weak, scorned or suffering.” In the gospel about the Final Judgement, Jesus identifies himself as a brother in need of food, drink and succor.
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A Feast Day for Conscientious Objectors
On our nation’s secular calendar, November 11 is celebrated as Veterans Day, honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. But on the Church’s calendar, November 11 is the feast of St. Martin of Tours (316-397), who is recognized as one of the Church’s first conscientious objectors.
Read MoreSelective Outrage Is Not Justice: A Call to Moral Courage and Compassionate Truth
If we are serious about peace, we must be serious about truth. If we are serious about justice, we must reject narratives that distort and divide. If we are serious about compassion, then it must extend beyond borders, beyond politics, and beyond selective comfort. This is the heart of contemplative nonviolence work: not just prayerful reflection, but honest reckoning. Not just mourning, but movement. Not just empathy, but courageous action. Only then can we hope to live in a world where all lives are held sacred—and where no death is used to eclipse another.
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Nuclear Weapons
This article reviews several notable developments relating to nuclear weapons, including the status of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo (organization of Japanese atomic bomb survivors); “Living in the Light of Christ's Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament,” a pastoral letter by Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe; and the "Back from the Brink" Campaign. Links to additional resources are provided.
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