Free Republic

Father James E. Coyle, an extraordinary priest and Knight of Columbus in the early 20th century, courageously stood up against widely-held anti-Catholic views at the risk, and then cost, of his life.The Irish-born priest was scarcely in his 20s when, after his ordination in Rome, he was dispatched to Alabama to begin his priesthood. The Catholic population in Alabama had exploded with a promise of jobs, especially in and around Birmingham’s network of coal mines, steel mills and iron foundries. Father Coyle arrived in the city shortly before a wave of anti-Catholicism flooded the country, and the revived Ku...

MinnPost photo by Bill Kelley Sister Brigid McDonald on Pope Benedict XVI: "I can't even begin to imagine what he could say or do that would change religious women's beliefs." As a rule, Sister Brigid McDonald tries not to pay too much attention to papal pronouncements, but Pope Benedict XVI’s recent decision to rein in American nuns, found by a Vatican investigation to harbor “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith,” caught her attention.Last month, Benedict announced that a four-year Vatican investigation had found the Leadership Conference of Women Religious has challenged church teaching on homosexuality, the ordination...

Featured Term (selected at random):CONGREGATION FOR RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR INSTITUTES Originally established by Pope Sixtus V in 1588, it was reorganized by Pope Pius X in 1908. Its competence extends to all religious orders and congregations, societies of common life, secular institutes, third orders--whether of men or women. It has no territorial limits, and no questions pertaining to a life of perfection need be remitted to other Roman congregations. It has power of dispensation and, as required, important affairs, such as the approval of constitutions, quinquennial reports and formation, are confided to various commissions. In 1967 it established a School...

In case after case, centers run by nuns seeking ways to redefine themselves or raise money are embracing a spiritual method called reiki -- which is also sweeping through other parts of the Church -- and it is a lesson of why something is defined as occult (or "New Age").  We reported on this several weeks ago: the infiltration of questionable spiritual practices, of which reiki may be the most prevalent, in Catholic retreat centers across the continent.That propensity can be expected to increase as the number of nuns -- and their resources -- dwindle and as they feel...