Every January 1, millions of people make resolutions for the coming year--and, before the month is out, most of them will have broken them. Still, the impulse is a ... Read More

A reader writes: When am I supposed to put up my Christmas tree? And when do I take it down? I am told that one should never leave one's Christmas tree up ... Read More

I'd like to wish all of the faithful readers of the Catholicism guidesite a Happy Thanksgiving. It's been a wonderful year for me and my family, as we welcomed ... Read More

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Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, and yet, as it has historically been celebrated in the United States, it's also one of the least Catholic. The ... Read More

A reader writes: How does a Catholic describe to non-Catholics the meaning or point of blessing objects and owning blessed objects? This is a great question. Many non-Catholics look with suspicion ... Read More

What do you expect in a Catholic college? At one time, most Catholics would probably have replied that they would expect a higher standard of education, much as Catholic ... Read More

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On November 12, 2008, at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Francis Cardinal George of Chicago released a statement congratulating President-elect ... Read More

A reader writes: I know that the Catholic Church considers both immersion and pouring/sprinking on the head to be valid forms of the Sacrament of Baptism. My question concerns the traditions of ... Read More

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Is the world overpopulated? Is starvation imminent? And, if so, is the answer to be found in contraception and abortion? I receive a surprising number of e-mails and blog ... Read More

On Election Day, voters in California overwhelmingly supported Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, yet they also passed Proposition 8, which defined civil marriage to be between one man and one ... Read More

Each month, Pope Benedict XVI announces his special prayer intentions--particular things that he wishes all Catholics to pray for that month. (When, for instance, we pray the rosary and ... Read More

As the weather grows colder and the leaves fall, and Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, it is natural that our thoughts turn to those whom we have loved who are no ... Read More

A reader writes: On All Souls Day, our pastor discussed Purgatory during his sermon, but he said that we don't really know what it is or how long people stay there. ... Read More

For Catholics, the election of Barack Obama presents certain challenges. His devotion to abortion rights exceeds that of any previous candidate for the presidency. Yet the exit polls ... Read More

This week, iTunes is offering a free audio dramatization of the New King James Version (NKJV) Gospel of John (link will take you to the iTunes store in iTunes). ... Read More

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"Let your conscience be your guide," Jiminy Cricket told Pinocchio. Oddly, many Catholics have come to believe that these words are found in Scripture, or at least in the ... Read More

As I mentioned last week, November 2 fell on a Sunday in 2008, so many Catholics who would not normally attend Mass on All Souls Day had the opportunity to ... Read More

The Bible tells us that "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins" (2 Maccabees 12:46), and especially ... Read More

Having lived almost all of my life in the Upper Midwest, All Saints Day always calls to mind cold, damp weather, with overcast skies, often with the threat of biting ... Read More