Island Queen: A reflection on Our Lady of Charity

By María Ruiz Scaperlanda| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Saints, Feasts, and Seasons
Our Lady of Charity warms the hearts of Cubans both on the island and dispersed throughout the world.

As Cuban refugees in Puerto Rico, my parents made it a priority in our upbringing for my brother Ignacio and me to learn Cuban history and traditions, from music and family stories to geography and José Martí’s poetry.

María Ruiz Scaperlanda is a freelance author living in Norman, Oklahoma, is the author of the upcoming biography Edith Stein: Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Our Sunday Visitor). See more posts by María Ruiz Scaperlanda

Island Queen: A reflection on Our Lady of Charity

By María Ruiz Scaperlanda| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Saints, Feasts, and Seasons
Our Lady of Charity warms the hearts of Cubans both on the island and dispersed throughout the world.

As Cuban refugees in Puerto Rico, my parents made it a priority in our upbringing for my brother Ignacio and me to learn Cuban history and traditions, from music and family stories to geography and José Martí’s poetry.

María Ruiz Scaperlanda is a freelance author living in Norman, Oklahoma, is the author of the upcoming biography Edith Stein: Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Our Sunday Visitor). See more posts by María Ruiz Scaperlanda

Blessed are you: John Paul II

By Bryan Cones| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Vatican
How do we honor a pope whose complexities are still fresh in our memory?
Bryan Cones is a writer living in Boston. See more posts by Bryan Cones

Leading man: Pope John Paul's media legacy

By Patrick McCormick| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Vatican
Following Pope John Paul II's death, Patrick McCormick reflected that the spotlight that followed him is a great a part of his legacy as the reasons he was in the spotlight.

Pope John Paul II’s funeral may have been the largest media event of modern times. Presidents, prime ministers, and prelates from more than 200 nations joined a sea of 3 million pilgrims flooding into St. Peter’s Square from every corner of the globe.

Patrick McCormick is professor of Christian ethics at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. See more posts by Patrick McCormick

What's left in his legacy: John Paul II and social teaching

By Kevin Clarke| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Vatican
As a voice for peace and justice, Pope John Paul II was a man for all political reasons.

Kevin Clarke is a writer living in New York.

See more posts by Kevin Clarke

If I were pope: A survey on the papacy after John Paul II's death

By Heather Grennan Gary| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Vatican
U.S. Catholic readers told us what they thought of Pope John Paul II and the papacy in his last years and right after his death. Take a look at how their opinions hold up now that John Paul II is beatified. 

Heather Grennan Gary is a former editor of U.S. Catholic.

See more posts by Heather Grennan Gary

When in Rome: John Paull II's legacy at the Vatican

By Richard R. Gaillardetz| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Vatican
In his 26 years as pope, John Paul II gave new shape to the papacy, Richard R. Gaillardetz reflected shortly after his death. With his beatification, it's worth looking back on his papal legacy to see whether Pope Benedict XVI has followed in John Paul II’s footsteps or found his own way.

Habemus papam. We have a pope. The election of Pope Benedict XVI marks the conclusion of one of the most significant transitional moments in Roman Catholicism, rivaled only, perhaps, by the convocation of an ecumenical council.

Richard R. Gaillardetz is a professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Toledo in Ohio and author of By What Authority? (Liturgical Press, 2003).

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Boxed in: Do you need to be set free from stuff?

By Bryan Cones| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Saints, Feasts, and Seasons Spirituality
Lent is a good time to ask whether the stuff we hold on to is actually holding us back.
Bryan Cones is a writer living in Boston. See more posts by Bryan Cones

Celtic crossovers: May the Lent of the Irish be with you

By Joyce Rupp| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Saints, Feasts, and Seasons
Joyce Rupp suggests seven ways to let Celtic spirituality be your guide this Lent.

I shy away from many popular spiritual movements, which seem to come and go like feathers in the breeze. But Celtic spirituality is not one of these. Celtic spirituality is solid and deeply rooted in a spiritual heritage. I have been deeply drawn to Celtic spirituality with its creation-centered orientation. It has been a "coming home" for me because I have always felt a strong bond with creation.

Joyce Rupp, O.S.M. is a spiritual director in Des Moines and an author whose most recent books include Prayers to Sophia (Innisfree) and Out of the Ordinary (Ave Maria).

See more posts by Joyce Rupp

Civil writer: Daniel Rudd, founder of the National Black Catholic Congress

Online Editor| Print this pagePrint | Email this pageShare
Article Saints, Feasts, and Seasons
The founder of the National Black Catholic Congress inspires a modern-day Black Catholic to keep working for the church he envisions.

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