Current Issue

Making House Calls to Those With No Home

By Cori Urban | Photography by Tom Roy

When Brian McVeigh makes house calls to his patients, he doesn’t park in the driveway, walk to the front door, take an elevator to their floor or ring a doorbell.

Instead, he steps along railroad tracks behind a shopping center, makes his way beneath a highway underpass or treks through the woods off a busy thoroughfare.

His patients are “experiencing homelessness,” but he enters their space with reverence for what, at the time, is their home — perhaps a tent, a car or a campsite.

Want to learn more about CMC's Health Care for the Homeless? Please click here to learn how you and your parish can receive Parable.

Dear Father Kerper

Dear Father Kerper: For a long time my parish had a pastor who was very liberal. Now we have a priest who is very conservative.

It seems that the Church now has two internal denominations: liberal Catholics on the left and conservative Catholics on the right. Some friends have even switched parishes when they thought the priest was too liberal or too conservative. How am I supposed to react to the big differences I see among priests today?

Your comments and question unmask a deep wound within today’s Catholic Church, namely the gradual formation of what appears to be permanent factions.

This tendency has worsened as Catholics apply labels like “liberal” and “conservative” or “left” and “right” to their priests. These terms, which come from politics, never accurately describe the Church.

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

Should parents fight in front of their kids?

If you ask a child if their parents should fight in front of them, you'd probably hear that they should not. Kids crave stability, peace, predictability and harmony in the home. They want to feel safe, and seeing and hearing their parents argue makes them feel anything but safe. The answer seems pretty straightforward: Parents shouldn't fight in front of their kids.

But if you ask adults whether their parents fought in front of them when they were kids, and what effect those habits had on them, the issue becomes muddier. I did ask this question on social media, and the responses were varied and fascinating.

Want to read more about handling conflict in front of your kids? Please click here to learn how you and your parish can receive Parable.

Other Columns in the Current Issue

Bishop's Message - Welcome to our New Priests and Deacons!
Catholic Quiz
Dear Father Kerper - Beyond the "Liberal" and Conservative" Divide
Journeying with the Saints - Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano: ‘Be Happy, Because I Am!’
Marriage and Family Life - Should Parents Fight in Front of their Kids?
Always Faithful - CEO Alex Walker Eager to Lead CMC into Next Chapter of Catholic Health Care
Faith on Fire: Profiles of NH Youth - Patrick Dunn: Choosing Faith
Catholic Life - St. Joseph: Strong and Silent Protector
Cover Story - Making House Calls to Those with No Homes
Catholic Charities Report - Counselors Help Those Dealing with Stress, Isolation
Ordinations - Answering a New Call
Your Faith - Give Jesus Your Crumbs
Calendar of Events
Local News
7 Days a Pastor: Reflections From Father Andrew Nelson - To David, the Richest Man in Town
Mission Moment - Volunteers - St. Joseph Hospital's Most Passionate Supporters