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Commentary

Hikers on a Path on the Breithorn, Switzerland

The Way of Pilgrims

The experience of hardship and unfamiliarity that marked pilgrimage travel added to its profundity. Modern tourism's focus on ease stops us from experiencing places on their own terms.

Dr. Ryan Womack
Feb 4, 2021
A field of wheat

Vocation and the Purpose of Our Lives

Each human life is unique and unrepeatable, possessing a meaning and vocation meant only for you: a vocation is a calling from God with our name on it.

Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput
Jan 10, 2021
Woman Praying before an Icon

In Defense of Christian Art

Christian art is defined by two distinctive qualities: the unique doctrine of the Incarnation permeating a work, and the purpose and function of art in the life of the Christian viewer.

Dr. Elizabeth Lev
Jan 6, 2021
Mont-Saint-Michel, France

What St. Benedict Teaches the Dark Ages – His and Ours

In the midst of the evening of a civilization, St. Benedict and his monks rediscovered how to live life as an organic whole, providing a "curriculum" for those seeking to live in the light.

Dr. F. Russell Hittinger
Jan 1, 2021
Three Friends Hiking

Friendship in Pursuit of Truth

Much of the formation of the habit of mind by which students possess an integrated understanding of the truth occurs in the context of friendship and community at the university.

Dr. W. Scott Cleveland
Dec 28, 2020
An Elementary Classroom

The Calling of the Teacher

When one recognizes that personal interactions are central to the teaching task and that teaching must begin with the soul, it becomes clear that teaching is a vocation rather than merely a job.

Dr. Carmelita Lamb
Dec 28, 2020
Crucifix and Altar

The Purpose of a University Chaplain

The university chaplain is not primarily a counselor, a friend, or a mascot; rather, he serves as the unworthy yet unifying presence of Christ on campus.

Rev. Dominic Bouck
Dec 28, 2020
Marian Grotto at the University of Mary

She Looked at Me As if I Were a Person

Restoration of mind is necessary before a healthcare worker can meaningfully encounter and look upon patients as persons first—just as Mary did to St. Bernadette at Lourdes.

Dr. Lauren Emmel
Dec 28, 2020
Students sitting on "A" Mountain in Tempe, overlooking ASU

The Reintegration of Intellectual and Moral Education in the University

The reintegration of intellectual knowledge and moral formation is an urgent necessity at Catholic universities if students are to receive the formation they need to navigate life.

Dr. Jonathan J. Reyes
Dec 22, 2020
The University of Toronto and Toronto Skyline

Institutionalizing a Catholic Culture in Professional Schools

The mission drift experienced by so many Catholic professional schools is rarely intentional, and the proper response is to institutionalize mission.

Dr. Michael J. Naughton
Dec 22, 2020