Category Archives: Uncategorized

Last month the George W. Bush presidential library declassified a secret letter Bush received from Pope John Paul II in 2003. The papal letter contains no surprises, according to Paul Moses, contributing editor to Commonweal magazine. The Pontiff strenuously objected … Continue reading →

In my dream, I am in an Air Force dormitory room surveying my clutter. My clothing is strewn around the floor and black socks and white boxers tumble out dresser drawers. I am anxious because this is the day I … Continue reading →

Here it is again. I’ve told this story many times and I can’t resist telling it each year at Epiphany. It helps me understand the awe that must have been generated by the three magi when they traversed rural Palestine … Continue reading →

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s remains were transferred last June from the Archdiocese of New York to Peoria, Illinois. The move came after three years of sometimes bitter wrangling between Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Ill., who wanted Sheen’s body to … Continue reading →

Gerrit Smith’s mighty shadow over Peterboro, N.Y., did not fade after his death in 1874. All of us who grew up in or near the tiny Madison County village knew who he was. Peterboro, where Smith lived, was an outpost … Continue reading →

The Divine Doc M and I binged our way through season 3 of the Netflix miniseries The Crown. The series purports to make reasonable guesses about what Queen Elizabeth II, the Royals, and a succession of prime ministers said to … Continue reading →

Thanks to a file of old clippings in my bookshelf, I know exactly what I was doing 52 years ago. I was sitting at my gray desk in the base chapel at RAF Station Woodbridge, England, pressing a special pencil … Continue reading →