John Gottman knows what makes a marriage succeed. He can even predict which young marriages will last with 91 percent accuracy. He has studied marriage and the challenging and delightful dynamics between spouses for years. In The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, he discusses a host of behaviors that fortify or threaten this all-important relationship. …  

At this time of year, finding an empty sports field is a difficult task. With winter sports winding down, the tryout season has begun for sports such as baseball, rugby, lacrosse, and track. Students endeavor to show their skills and make the team, and to share in the camaraderie, adrenaline, and hope for victory… 

Johann Pachelbel, the great composer of the now-famous score that accompanies many brides down the aisle, died 311 years ago today. Popularly known as Pachelbel Canon in D, this piece of music evokes an ethereal wonder that can lift the ear, mind, and heart to contemplate beauty and love. No wonder it is… 

With yesterday’s ashes washed from our foreheads, we now undertake the Lenten experience that includes the annual custom of “giving something up.” This practice is an expression of the ancient practice of fasting. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus was upset that the hypocrites were fasting in…  

Sunday night several hundred million people are expected to watch the 89th annual Academy Awards from Los Angeles. The night has grown into the Hollywood’s version of Super Bowl Sunday. Both the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the National Football League have pumped millions… 

Fr. Tom Hagan, OSFS, who has served as a missionary in Haiti for more than 20 years, reports some dire facts about the country he now calls home: Unemployment soars at 80 percent, and deforestation at 98 percent. Equally painful facts abound about infant mortality, disease, and hunger. Yet, these two statistics…  

Until the New England Patriots showed a glimmer of life in the third quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl, it appeared that the highlight of the game was going to be the glamour and glitz of Lady Gaga’s halftime show. Halfway across the country, another glamorous lady took to a familiar stage to return to…   

Two masses in Washington, DC this past week gathered many to pray for peace, justice, and the dignity of human life.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and leader of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, celebrated mass on Thursday night, prior to the next day’s annual March for Life that calls for an end to… 

Cover me, Lord, with the cloak of innocence and the robe of love. My God, do not let me appear before you stripped of good works.
Of the many beautiful prayers found in St. Francis de Sales’ Spiritual Directory, the dressing prayer has remained a personal favorite of mine. It expresses Francis’ genius that…   

With tomorrow’s inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, our nation will pause to consider his words. Amid the pomp and pageantry, we yearn to be inspired. Certain presidential inaugural addresses continue to ring in our ears, even though we may have only read them or…

While technology grows increasingly helpful as we complete tasks at home and at work, moments arise when errors emerge without our awareness. Many friends and colleagues have bemoaned how Microsoft’s Word overrules the enumeration, spacing, or indentation intentions of an innocent author. …

This first week of 2017 follows the nation’s celebration of two federal holidays: Christmas and New Year’s Days. Since each fell on a Sunday, most places of business chose to treat their employees to a holiday on the following Monday. On many calendars, the word Observed appeared in parentheses. For workplaces… 

In addition to receiving the gift of Jesus in Holy Communion, we are also expressing our identity: We are the body of Christ. St. Paul (1 Cor 12:27) affirms this along with the great tradition of our church: We become what we celebrate. I remember, from my earliest days in Catholic school when we first learned… 

A recent story in The Wall Street Journal discussed appropriate occasions for bragging, which social psychologists are calling “self-enhancement.” First dates and job interviews appear to be acceptable contexts for promoting oneself. The article goes deeper, however, to suggest that two personal…   

As winter draws near, our days grow ever shorter. The alarm rings in the morning, and instead of awaking to the glow of sunrise, we must begin our day in the shadows. As we exit our schools and workplaces, we enter into the quickly fading glow of sunset. Our 21st century American society has found a way to continue our…

This week's reflection is written by Fr. Jim Greenfield, OSFS, provincial.

Advent has begun, and I’d like to suggest some good reading or offer an idea for a Christmas gift, for those who desire to know as much as they can about our pope: Mark Shriver’s recently released Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis. It is no surprise that Shriver employs the motif of pilgrimage as he comes to discover the real Pope Francis. Beginning the evening of…  

As we sit down to a Thanksgiving meal today, many people may have the experience of being at the table with someone they wished weren’t there. In general, we love our families, yet there is, at times, difficulties in family relationships that annoy or even hurt us, prompting the possibility of… 

The FBI released a report on Monday that mars the beauty of our country. The federal agency announced that last year hate crimes increased by 6.7 percent overall. What’s more painful is the massive increase by 67 percent in crimes against Muslims here in our country. Violence against blacks, Jews, and the…