The aim of the newest technology boom in Silicon Valley: curing death. Over the last few years new research companies and grants have been established to fund this enterprise. One of the main assumptions in this area of inquiry is … Continue reading →

Across the street from the Dominican House of Studies, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, one of the largest Catholic churches in the entire world, dominates the skyline with its tremendous tower and signature blue dome. … Continue reading →

What color are the eyes of the Blessed Virgin Mary? I fancy they may be green, the rarest, which is slightly more likely among Mediterranean peoples than elsewhere in the globe. But perhaps, most likely, they are dark brown—the most … Continue reading →

An interview with Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M Cap., of Philadelphia; comparing and contrasting the Dominicans and ISIS; a new Bonfire of the Vanities; the “Last Dominican”: Dominicana Summer 2016 is here! As we celebrate 800 years of Dominican life … Continue reading →

In this seventh week of Easter we remember the brief time between Christ’s Ascension to the Father and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Nestled between two major feast days, this week often passes without notice. But since … Continue reading →

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, marking the day when the Blessed Mother first appeared to the three Portuguese children. What makes this particular apparition really stand out from the other times and places at which the … Continue reading →

While some people talk about the end of the academic year as “winding down,” for me it is more like accelerating, as the papers and exams pile up, caffeine intake increases, and sleep is a luxury that I can barely … Continue reading →

Sometimes T.S. Eliot is a grade-A sad apple. “Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind / Cannot bear very much reality.” But that does seem fair: we’re fragile beings, easily broken by the burden of truths we can’t anticipate. … Continue reading →

Saint Therese of Lisieux, upon hearing that her sister Celine would be attending a ball, responded not with sisterly encouragement but something different, and rather surprising: I felt unusually anxious, so much so that, in a torrent of tears, I … Continue reading →

“Where is the good in goodbye?” sings the barbershop quartet standard, a song musical buffs will remember from The Music Man. This wordplay expresses a common experience: goodbyes are often sorrowful, if not downright heartbreaking. Just think of the curbside … Continue reading →

Sometimes the best gifts we receive are the ones we didn’t know we wanted. It’s kind of marvelous when this happens. With such gifts, we enjoy more than the present itself (though that’s quite nice in its own right). We … Continue reading →

“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.” – Fr. Zossima (Brothers Karamazov) People are people, and people have opinions that can be emotive when provoked. Married couples get into occasional tiffs when … Continue reading →

Saint Martin de Porres is often seen in statues, stained glass, and pictures holding a broom and a crucifix, with a Rosary around his neck and animals at his feet. His fellow friars knew of the deep devotion he had … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the second post in a series on the vocation to the cooperator brotherhood on the occasion of the Order’s 800th anniversary. I will honor those who honor me. – 1 Samuel 2:30 What would you do? You’ve been … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the third post in a series on the vocation to the cooperator brotherhood on the occasion of the Order’s 800th anniversary. They shall beat their swords into plowshares,    and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah 2:4) The prophet … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the fourth post in a series on the vocation to the cooperator brotherhood on the occasion of the Order’s 800th anniversary. On April 6, 1252, St. Peter of Verona was assassinated by two men hired by the Cathar … Continue reading →

“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place; and I tried to trace such a journey…” … Continue reading →

Imagine that you’re on a seventeenth-century Spanish merchant ship, sailing back with wares from the East Indies. A storm overtakes you, with howling wind and monstrous waves. Who would you call on for help? None other than St. Elmo, of … Continue reading →

An Italian family typically erupts in joy at the birth of a child. Bl. Margaret of Castello, however, was unwanted from the day she was born. Had twenty-first-century technology been available to her thirteenth-century parents, she might not have been … Continue reading →

Have you heard that 2016 marks an important year for Catholics? Well, beyond the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy and the 800th Anniversary of the Dominican Order, there is another important anniversary celebrated in 2016. But, this anniversary should be … Continue reading →

“Infant baptism. That’s just a method you Catholics use to swell your ranks.” A co-worker once shared this criticism with me. From a purely political view, where numbers lead to might, which makes right, this accusation makes sense. It’s cynical, … Continue reading →

Disney Studios has caused quite a stir over its latest movie, Zootopia. There is little disagreement over the movie’s wit and charm, but its message has not received such universal acclaim. Interestingly, while many of the reviews out there praise … Continue reading →

Today the Church continues to reflect on how Peter and his brother apostles preach the Holy Name of Jesus. Before the Sanhedrin they boldly proclaim the kerygma, The God of our fathers raised Jesus, though you had him killed by … Continue reading →

Time is uncomfortable. That’s probably why we’re always trying to “kill” it. In a letter to Sheldon Vanauken, C.S. Lewis wrote, If you really are a product of a materialistic universe, how is it you don’t feel at home there? … Continue reading →