Current Issue

The 'Home of Boundless Love'

This past spring, amid our own present worries, a story of love and courage bloomed in radiant colors at Holy Trinity Church in Somersworth, N.H. It’s a story that began on a frigid Christmas Eve in 1944 in a small village deep in Nazi-occupied Holland. Mayor Jan Elders took a risk and smuggled a German couple, the Froehlichs, into the back pew of his local Catholic church so they could attend Midnight Mass. Georg Froehlich was Jewish, but his wife, Edith, was a Catholic convert with Jewish ancestry. 

Want to read more about a New Hampshire woman's heroic role in the Dutch Resistance? Please click here to learn how you and your parish can receive Parable.

Dear Father Kerper

Dear Father Kerper: For many years, my parents have supported the Church’s charitable works and taught us to respect all people regardless of race. I’m teaching my children the same. But I recently read a disturbing statement about racism from a Catholic leader. He said: “For me as a white person, saying I’m not a racist is like saying a fish is not wet. In America, racism is no longer a question but rather it’s the toxic water in which we all swim.” It appears that the Church is identifying my family and me as racists regardless of our behavior and values. Can you clarify what the Church teaches about these matters?

Thanks for sharing your concern about what sounds like an accusation of universal and unrepentant racism among all faithful Catholics. This statement actually came from a mid-level employee of a small Catholic diocese on the West Coast. His assertion of “systemic racism” expresses a specific academic theory, not Catholic doctrine. While Catholics can hold different opinions and theories about racism, we need to know exactly what the Church proposes as true and certain.

Want to read more of Father Kerper's response?  Please click here to learn how you and your parish can receive Parable.

Journeys to the Prieshood

By Paul McAvoy | Photography by Jeff Dachowski

You want to be the best priest you can possibly be. So there is the idea, what do we need to be as a priest?”

These are the reflections of Rev. Joshua M. Livingston, who was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Manchester June 6 with Rev. Ryan C. Amazeen. Father Livingston was eager to begin priestly ministry this summer, crediting a good background forged in seminary and his diocesan parish assignments as a transitional deacon.

“When you’ve been preparing for the priesthood for so long,” he says, “it is a joy to experience some of that ministry as a deacon, and I’m looking forward even more to priestly ministry.”

Like what you see? Want to learn more about these men's journeys to the priesthood? Please click here to learn how you and your parish can receive Parable.

The Ouija Board Isn’t Just a Game

This is the time of year when my kids start begging to visit those pop-up Halloween shops that appear in vacant storefronts. We let them go, but we use caution, because the aisle with silly wigs and spooky skeletons is right next to the aisle with Ouija boards and pentagram necklaces. One minute you're having fun, and the next minute you're literally summoning spirits. Like so much of parenting, dealing with issues like magic, occultism and plain old spookiness is a balancing act; and like most balancing acts, there's danger on both sides. 

Want to learn more about drawing the line between Halloween fun and dark spiritual forces? Please click here to learn how you and your parish can receive Parable.

Other Columns in the Current Issue

Bishop's Message - We Stand with the Lord in Fighting Racism
Catholic Quiz
On Call With Dr. Pepe - CMC's Unwavering Mission in Times of Chnage
Dear Father Kerper - What Does God Have to Say About Racism?
Marriage and Family Life: The Ouija Board Isn't Just a Game
Feature: Journeys to the Priesthood
Catholic Charities Report - Food on the Move
Cover Story: The 'Home of Boundless Love'
Your Faith - Do Simple Things With Great Love
Catholic Life: Take a Gratitude Walk
CPA Awards: Parable Wins Nine Catholic Press Awards
Local News
Calendar of Events
Have You Ever Thought of Being a Priest? Meet Father David Harris
7 Days a Pastor: Reflections from Father Andrew Nelson - In Search of the Lost Sheep
Mission Moment - St. Teresa of Calcutta's Feast Day Reminds Us Hope Prevails Through Suffering and Loss