Positive message

His journey to the church via the University of Portland, his fiancee/wife and RCIA reminds us of good news despite negative worldly news.
Last instruction

The last instruction Jesus gave at the Garden of Gethsemane was, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.”
Saints and shooters

Rather than writing about killers, our mission is to tell the stories of the everyday saints among us and the church’s teachings that form their goodness.
Conscience protected

Kudos and thanks to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for recent work to protect the conscience rights of health care workers.
From the Archives

Inch by inch, step by step, foot by foot, squarely and fairly did the fire-boys, assisted by our citizens, fight the conflagration, but aided by the fierce north wind, which seemed to have combined with the flames for the city’s ruin, the devouring element spread headlong onward.
It’s not Norway

I wonder, do the big houses of Norway have lots of Southsiders, Nortenos or Latin Kings in the prison mix? Does Oslo have sizable neighborhoods of Crips, Bloods or Gangster Disciples? Are the arctic regions home to neo-Nazis and white supremacists?
Spirit still here

To my mind, the Spirit moves through us and through time and followers of Christ need to be open to the Spirit’s voice in the present, not downplay its contemporary influence.
Is it a sign?

Now the dollars are flowing in by the millions to rebuild Notre Dame. But perhaps we are being given a sign — is it time to rebuild the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church?
Note to president

But because I care about you as a fellow Christian, and because I care about our nation and those who turn to us for hope and relief and a better shot at life, I remind you now.
Motherhood, milestones, and Mary all celebrated in May

On May 12th we honor motherhood by celebrating Mother’s Day. May is also a milestone for the family. During May thousands of children will receive their first Communion. In Catholic families it’s a time to celebrate your child receiving the Eucharist. And of course, May is also the month we recognize Mary; the ultimate example of motherhood, the one who carried Jesus in her womb, thereby making it possible that we all can experience the joy of receiving the Eucharist. I believe these events are connected.
God’s sign

I believe it was God’s sign to trust in his loving care and his plan included the church who pray for me.
Whitewashing Planned Parenthood

I hope "Unplanned" changes some hearts and minds on the subject of abortion -- and encourages greater scrutiny of the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Mom’s song

For many years my mother told me a poignant story. Her mother, Jennie Parrott, a concert pianist in the 1890s, played only for family and friends after getting married. Four-year-old Ruth (my mother) especially liked to hear her mother play and sing the ballads of the time. My mother said one song always made her cry, but could not remember the name of the song.
Nobody Gets Hurt?

PHILADELPHIA — A few years back, I gave a talk entitled “Thinking Through the Transgender Question” at a local parish. In the audience were several individuals supporting the transgender movement. During the question-and-answer session, one of them, a young woman, raised this difficulty: “If someone wants to transition, how does that hurt anybody else? If my friend wants to be transgender, how would that harm any of us?”
Persecution of Christians worse now than ever – do we care?

“The persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history,” says Aid to the Church in Need – a papal charity – in its report on oppressed Christians titled “Persecuted and Forgotten?” (see: https://bit.ly/2DimV2a).
Why are people leaving?

Satan hates the Mass. He hates the Catholic Church. Satan loves the sexual abuses. Satan goes throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
‘He is risen!’

What proof do we have that this story of the resurrection isn’t just another tale we believe simply because this is what we’ve been taught? I would like to take a shot answering this question by citing two facts.
Light in the darkness

It’s no secret that there’s darkness in the world. The Easter attacks in Sri Lanka are just the latest example of it. But in the darkness, we can find the light.
Another notre Dame

While OKC’s star Russell Westbrook taunted, whimpered, thundered, boasted and gloated his way through the contests, with Lillard as the main target, Dame remained mostly dignified, letting his play do the talking.
From the Archives

The bronze statue of Joan of Arc, the gift of Dr. Henry Waldo Coe to Portland, was placed on its base in Laurelhurst, at East 39th and Glisan streets, on last Saturday.
Educate us

A solid program for adult religious education involving all our parishes would be the place to begin.
It’d be nice

It would be nice if we Roman Catholics would say: “I am privileged to go to Mass.”
You left it out

It was a wonderful article on the theology and church teaching regarding artificial birth control, but I find the lack of an allusion to the post-fertilization (abortifacient) effects of a great many of the currently available contraceptive methods disturbing.
‘Unplanned’ – the movie you have to see

“Unplanned” is an inspiringly powerful movie that will deeply touch your heart. It will move you to feel uncomfortable, angry, sad, enlightened, encouraged, vindicated and joyful. You’ll probably even shed some tears, as I did.
No more hiding

It is difficult to ask a victim to forgive when abusers hide and are hidden.
Not afraid

We at Parents’ Rights in Education are not afraid. We are the group that stopped the infamous Adolescent Sexuality Conference held every year in Seaside right across from Our Lady of Victory Church. This Catholic will continue to support the goals of PRIE.
We are an Easter people

Once upon a time, each of our young children crafted ornate artworks proclaiming one glorious word: “Alleluia.” They beamed as they presented us with their crayon- and marker-infused creations. Some of the pieces dripped with healthy helpings of glitter paste and others were adorned with leftover Valentine’s Day stickers.
Not health care

Infanticide is a moral, not political, issue. This crime should be shouted down from the pulpits of every church in our country.
Come together

What appear to be “new” changes at Mass are causing a division within our church. There are two factions: pro-change who support our pastor, and anti-change who oppose our pastor.
Try the military

I think you overlooked one other avenue a person could take if he didn’t want to go to college. That would be the armed services.
Here’s to Hughes

Humbly, Patrick Hughes provided a harbor and springboard in Oregon for many immigrant Irishmen.
Inject joy into climate fix

As winter ended and spring began, almost 5,000 volunteers cleared more than 21,000 pounds of debris that had washed onto the Oregon coast. For us, the annual beach cleanup increasingly enters a Catholic milieu. And importantly, the project could serve as a model for confronting the global environmental crisis.
Study the saints

Mark Twain helped me fall in love with Joan of Arc. The writer of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” penned a book about the illiterate, intelligent peasant girl from medieval France who would lead an army and burn at the stake at age 19.
To bury the dead

Execution laws should remain on the books to give police room for negotiation with serial murders.
We have a duty

The horrific treatment of families along our border needs immediate attention.
My curiosity led to Catholicism

Since my conversion, my whole paradigm has shifted. All of my relationships have been transformed. I see myself as part of an enormous spiritual family. I see sanctification and conversion as ongoing lifelong processes. I recognize the communion of saints and the daily battle for souls.
In two corners of the world

On Sunday, April 8, 1938, my Aunt Pleuna, then a day-dreamy, 18-year-old Dutch farm girl with her life ahead of her, posed for a photo in the family garden. She loved the beauty of things and above all, she loved her Queen Wilhelmina, and oftentimes dreamt of royalty.
Well-portrayed

I live and move among many who either are incarcerated or on the move on the outside. I thought you portrayed the realities with care.
It takes force

St. Pope John Paul II worked for social justice but he worked against liberation theology and communism. The modern usage of “social justice” seems to advocate redistribution of wealth and equality through totalitarian mandates.
Austerity affirmed

In the Middle Ages it was a common practice to observe the removal of the word “Alleluia” from the liturgy during Lent with some degree of ceremony and pageantry. The practice is returning in many places.
Magnificent gift

Did you know that after only eight weeks, an embryo’s organs are functioning, and at 12 weeks, it can smile and make a fist? How lucky we were to have our precious child at a time before it was legal for a doctor and parent to make the newborn infant comfortable while they collaborated on whether or not they would kill it.
NATO military alliance incompatible with Gospel nonviolence

As foreign ministers of the 29 member nations of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), gathered in Washington, D.C. on April 3-4 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of this largest military alliance in the world, nonviolent peace activists across the U.S. and from around the world also gathered in Washington to proclaim: “No to NATO – Yes to Peace.”
Not so fast

I probably shouldn’t admit this in front of my grandchildren, but I am a fan of McDonald’s fish sandwiches. When I was a young lawyer in San Francisco, my firm’s office was right across Market Street from a McDonald’s, and every day for a year, I had two fish sandwiches and a chocolate shake for lunch. I am ashamed. But I still like them.
'We have one to spare'

Traveling through Lent, we note that Jesus Christ asks us in the Gospels not to worship him, but to follow him, and that he set an example of sacrificial love and healing the sick. Heather Hannam and Euvira (Vi) Beaty of St. Philip Benizi Church in Redland, near Oregon City, found an opportunity to follow him.
Congress and infanticide

Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft once found himself arguing with an abortion supporter, and said to her: "Give me one argument that defends abortion that doesn't also defend infanticide."
It’s not just about the frozen embryos

I remember a conversation I had with a married Catholic couple a few years ago. They were feeling lost and desperate over their inability to conceive a child. They were casting about for options.
See the distinction

Critics can disagree with the media’s opinionating pundits, but when the goal is truth, it’s a self-defeating act to demonize reporters.
Hello, brother

The response from Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, brought comfort even here in Oregon, on the other side of the planet, after a terrorist killed 50 at a mosque in that faraway land. Ardern showed us how to grieve and how to lead.
Catholic social teaching’s message to the national budget

Thirty plus years ago, the U.S. Catholic bishops wrote a very challenging pastoral letter titled “Economic Justice for All.” In their opening statement they prophetically declared, “Every perspective on economic life that is human, moral and Christian must be shaped by three questions: What does the economy do for people? What does it do to people? And how do people participate in it?”
From the Archives

"You will also have part in a sizable investment in War Bonds."
Include laity

I believe that clergy sex abuse would have been greatly reduced if parents and married couples had been appraised of the magnitude of the misconduct decades ago and been given an opportunity to be heard.
Define them

Perhaps you could explain the words for our enlightenment.
A caring priest

St. Agatha Parish, you are very fortunate to have such a caring priest.
Little knowledge

Those who would welcome a return to Latin in worship would leave many of us as outsiders.
Not champions

These politicians and legislators think of themselves as champions of social justice. Clearly, they are not.
Train leaders

Unfortunately, the majority of bishops and priests are not educated or equipped to confront the foundational leadership issues inflicting great damage on our church. The leading and management of an organization requires specialized education the church does not currently provide.
Broke my heart

How can the faith which sustained me for 75 years not recognize the intellectual dishonesty of such “scientific” claims?
Total delight

I had the vision that our young Catholic and other children in our schools are getting prepared to make wonderful contributions in the years ahead.
A Dutchman in New York

As he disembarked, my dad could not believe how cordial New York was. The city actually threw a parade with marching bands, in honor of the newly arrived immigrants. In fact, even the archbishop and the mayor showed up. To top it off, all the beer in Times Square was free. My dad felt so honored, that he paraded down Broadway, right alongside the marching bands, waving at the crowds, waving to all his new countrymen.
All you need is love this Lenten season

We’ve barely scratched the surface of our Lenten journey, which means I’ve faltered at least 462 times in my observances so far, with approximately 2,954 failures to go until we finally reach Easter Sunday.
Becoming Peter's father

Then I met a girl, and from April 1 to April 6, 2012, we I we had a baby. But we wanted him gone, and we had our way.
From the archives

Funny creatures, we are, and never content.
Remember the woman

How beautiful is it to remember that every life, even one seemingly insignificant is in fact incredibly significant?
The whole package

The late Father Francis Kennard loved a reverent liturgy and was a giant in western Oregon’s social justice movement in the mid-20th century. He’s a patron we could use now.
Leave it to God

If we stand by as executions happen, then we, as Catholic citizens, must acknowledge that not everyone has a right to life.
The radical call of Lent

Imagine you’re sitting in front of your doctor, and he says that your health definitely needs to improve. He then looks you square in the eyes and says, “If you wish to live a healthy long life, you must stop eating junk food and living a sedentary lifestyle, and start eating plenty of healthy foods and exercise every day.”
Nary an apology

To anyone who saw the full video recordings of the Covington boys at the D.C. March for Life, it’s obvious that these Catholic high school students were lined up on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, waiting for their bus, when they were confronted.
Pray for leaders

Pray for our president and other leaders, asking forgiveness for our sins, fasting and praising God for his goodness and love. Yes, my continued prayer is for God’s sovereignty, divine providence and glory to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
In God’s eyes

Created in God’s image, we are all equal before God with human dignity and rights. Our church, communities and country benefit from the courage, skills, energy, aspirations and cultural diversity of newcomers.
Transformation

We need to remember and believe that altar bread and wine, once consecrated, has undergone a complete transformation into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord God, Jesus Christ.
Pray, even if poorly

“I’ll pray for you.” In college, these words felt like nails on a chalkboard to me — pretentiously pious. Were they really going to pray for you? At my Catholic university the phrase was as common as Claddagh rings and miraculous medals. For some it was sincere, for many it seemed showy.
Trust, but verify

With the conclusion of the Vatican’s summit on sexual abuse by clergy, what should we average Oregon Catholics in the pews do now? To quote Ronald Reagan, “Trust, but verify.”
Fast, but keep some calories for good works

As adults we learn to give instead of giving up, or maybe we do both. We give our time, our efforts and our caring to volunteer in a classroom, or help a neighbor child with homework. Driving a carless person to get groceries is always appreciated, as is visiting a lonesome person of any age.
The New Evangelization

With the advent of social media, when it is easier to reach masses at the push of a button, it is crucial that the church leap forward with these innovations to spread God’s word on a scale unseen before.
‘Exceptions’ and the undermining of the moral law

PHILADELPHIA — Whenever we make small exceptions to universal moral rules, we shouldn’t be surprised that the rules themselves can be quickly undermined. Establishing an “exception” in one case makes people think they’re due an exemption for their case as well. Certain norms of moral behavior, however, do not admit of any exceptions, and we risk undermining morality altogether if we don’t recognize them. Moral norms governing the protection of human life are one such example.
Is it practical?

I applaud the directives as pointing us toward meaningful worship but wonder how it will be worked out in the real world.
Church credibility ruined by silent hypocrisy, sister tells summit

VATICAN CITY — The hypocrisy of Catholic leaders who claimed to be guardians of morality yet remained silent about clerical sexual abuse has left the church's credibility in shambles, an African woman religious told bishops at the Vatican summit on abuse.
U.S. bishops confront racism and call us to brotherhood

Drawing forth specific examples of racism, the bishops highlight the fact that often Hispanics and African Americans “face discrimination in hiring, housing, educational opportunities, and incarceration.
Know the science

If we truly want to end the scourge of child sexual abuse — and I believe the church does — then we must understand pedophilia, hebephilia, and ephebophilia, otherwise the changes we institute will miss the mark with devastating consequences.
Proof in pudding

Acupuncture was a great influence and I am thankful that God sent me there or I wouldn’t be writing you this missive today.
Which is better?

Which political philosophy is better for religious freedom
Truth is truth

Despite what some argue, the teachings of the church do not change.
A letter instead

Do you realize how many people will not have medical services because of this recommendation?
Can we kill?

Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty hold the viewpoint that a death penalty represents more violence. In fact, the death certificate on an executed person lists the cause of death as “homicide.”
Amid scandals, a way forward

We should be as well informed as necessary. But how much information do we need to act responsibly as Catholics? Do we need, for example, to read the sordid details of every instance of abuse?