Franciscan Spirit

Pope Francis leaves at the conclusion of an evening prayer service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 31, 2021. The traditional service on New Year's Eve is to give thanks for the past year. (CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)

Pope Francis: Fix the Clergy Sex-Abuse Crisis Now

Dear Pope Francis: I write about how the Catholic Church responds to clerical sexual abuse and the bishops or superiors who have enabled it. 

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plant poking through dry soil

A Reflection on Planet Earth

In an era when people form and reinforce their opinions entirely within a chosen bubble of like minds, any earnest quest for truth seems almost quaint. How did truth become so passé?
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St. Clare of Assisi: A Little Plant or a Mighty Oak?

East of the Piazza del Commune in Assisi, stands the Cathedral of San Rufino. Near the church and its adjacent piazza once stood the home of the nobleman and knight, Favarone Offreduccio and his wife, Ortulana.
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Mother and son cooking | Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Mothers Unite!

I have an announcement to make: My kids are not perfect. They never have been; they never will be. They throw fits, argue with one another, cop attitudes, and don’t always listen very well. They’re kids. And I love them more ...
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The Franciscan Saints: Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII, as Pope Francis said, “was a country priest, the priest who loves all the faithful, who knows how to care for the faithful, and this he did as a bishop, and as a nuncio.”
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The Franciscan Saints: Padre Pio

Capuchin Friar, Mystic (1887–1968) Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar of peasant background, spent virtually his entire life in a monastery in southern Italy. In most respects he was indistinguishable from his fellow friars. But for some mysterious purpose, Padre Pio ...
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The Franciscan Saints: Solanus Casey

Capuchin Friar (1870–1957) Solanus Casey, the son of Irish immigrants in Wisconsin, felt called to the priesthood after witnessing a drunken sailor stabbing a woman. Somehow, this scene of sin and suffering caused Casey to dedicate himself to God and ...
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