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U.S. Catholic ∙ Vol. 77, No. 2 ∙ February 2012

COVER STORY

Performance review
By Scott Alessi
With President Obama's term up for renewal, nearly 700 visitors to USCatholic.org judge the incumbent's record against the promises that swept him into office.

Reader feedback: The unabridged version of what readers had to say about the president.

INTERVIEW

Dancing with the stars
An interview with astronomer George Coyne, S.J.
Stars aren't just giant balls of glowing gas, says the former director of the Vatican Observatory. They are our parents and grandparents, cosmically speaking.

FEATURES

New man on campus
By J. D. Long-García
Catholic coeds have long relied on the Newman Center to keep the faith at college, but now teams of missionaries are taking the gospel to the quad, two by two.

Web-only:

A brief history of Newman Centers

Empowered by the Spirit: The U.S. bishops on campus ministry

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Off the corporate ladder
By Leslie Scanlon
As full-time parish positions become a career option, many laypeople are seeking a new degree of expertise.

Web-only:

Degrees of service: More on lay ministry programs

Not in it for the money: Why some Catholics jump off the corporate ladder and into church ministry

ESSAYS

Admission impossible
By Gerald J. Beyer
A college education is a proven path to the middle class. So why are Catholic universities failing to provide this option for the poor?

Sorrowful mysteries
By Michele Weldon
A single mom's cancer diagnosis rekindles her relationship with the mother of God.

A Mass
By Brian Doyle
Miracles do happen. Sometimes there's reggae music humming in the background.

Wise Guides: Woman of substance
By Julia Smucker
12th-century visionary Hildegard of Bingen can still help contemporary believers see their way to unity despite differences.

DEPARTMENTS

Editors' Note
You May Be Right Letters
Signs of the Times News
Catholic Tastes
Culture in Context: Reviews
Glad You Asked: Would God lead us into temptation?
At Home with Our Faith  
Eye of the Beholder 
Jerry Bleem, O.F.M.

COLUMNS

The Examined Life - Bryan Cones
Stay of Execution

Margin Notes - Kevin Clarke
Unbalanced diet

Culture in Context - Patrick McCormick
Curious about George

Testaments - Alice Camille
Medicine man

Guide to Colleges and Universities