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Current Issue
Welcome to the latest edition of Parable! Click on the image on the left to see the full edition. See the links below to read individual articles.
Our Multicultural Church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As I write this particular Message From the Bishop, I am recalling my many years of service to the Byzantine Ruthenian Church, which is, of course, in union with Rome and the Supreme Pontiff, but whose customs reflect its Orthodox Christian origins. Many Orthodox Christian Churches came to be one with the Successor of St. Peter — the Melkites, Maronites, Ukrainians, SyroMalancarese and SyroMalabarese, for example.
Building Better Futures
Dismas Home grows into second location to help more women
By Gary Bouchard
In the shortest and most profound story of conversion in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus, hanging on the cross between two thieves, is mocked by one of them, while the other pleads, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” He replies, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 24:42-43). This final penitent to reach out to Jesus before His death is known to most of us simply as “the good thief.” But the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus calls him Dismas, which is why he is venerated in Catholic tradition as St. Dismas.
Mary’s Immaculate Conception: Proof That God Has a Plan
Q: Dear Father Francis, we have just concluded the Advent and Christmas seasons, and I am confused about something. What is the Immaculate Conception? I thought it referred to the fact that Jesus was immaculately conceived in Mary’s womb, but someone told me that was incorrect. Can you clear this up for me?
A: Questions about the Immaculate Conception have followed me since I began my professional life working in Catholic education over a decade ago! However, these questions are not ones I get tired of answering, so I am glad to have the opportunity to answer one of them in this column. I will begin my answer with a story from my time teaching high school students.
Let the conversion of St. Paul Inspire You
Lately, I have been praying with the story of St. Paul’s conversion. It is as inspiring and hopeful as it is convicting.
How is it possible that someone so fiercely confident and deeply rooted in his beliefs could experience such a radical, life-altering transformation? Such conversion for ourselves or for those whom we love, can seem all but hopeless. And yet, St. Paul reminds us that in Christ alone, anything is possible.
Aeschylus’ Oresteia Celebrates Cemocracy
Soon the United States will inaugurate its next President. After months of partisan negativity, personal character attacks and divisive rhetoric, it is time to put away our feelings about the individual candidates and focus instead on what the presidency represents: leadership in a democracy.
For this column, I chose to turn to the ancients, where we might learn some lessons in democracy by engaging in one of the greatest literary forms the world has ever known: Greek tragedy.
Speaking Christian to the World
The Acts of the Apostles tells the saga of how the good news was brought from Jerusalem to Rome in the wake of the Resurrection.
The conspicuous place that the Book of Acts holds in the liturgies of the Easter Season highlights a cornerstone of our faith: The response of those who have come to believe in the Risen Jesus is a sense of determined mission.
Check out the Finding Communion podcast where Rosemary Ford, the editor of Parable magazine and Robert Dunn, the director of Public Policy for the Diocese of Manchester discuss politics, the Eucharist and the common good, expanding on themes readers will see in the latest editions of Parable.
Professional Amateurs: Mixing Work, Faith and Love
Not long after I started working for the Diocese of Manchester, my boss said something that stuck with me: “You are no longer just a Catholic. You are a professional Catholic.”
At the time, I nodded, absorbing the weight of this new role; but deep down, I wasn’t sure what that meant. Was it about the work I did, or was there something more to this?
From Hill Country to Hill Country: The Remarkable Journey of Father Isaac Honsan
Father Isaac Honsan calls the journey that brought him from the rural hill country of northeast India to the rural hill country of northern New Hampshire “a long story.” It is actually a journey shaped by many stories, ones of courage, conversion, faith, friendship and “many adventures.”
Becoming ‘Totally Yours’ With Summer Youth Program
By Tara Bishop
Latin for “Totally Yours,” the motto of Pope St. John Paul II, Totus Tuus is a unique week-long parish summer program that seeks to inspire young people to transform and more fully embrace their faith. Through exploration of Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the mysteries of the Rosary — along with fun-filled activities that bring joy and levity to each day — participants engage with their faith in new ways.
Remembering My Norman Rockwell Moment
Being from New England, I have always wondered what it would be like to be in a Norman Rockwell painting, to experience the simple charm of ordinary life and to step into a place defined by wholesome virtue.
Norman Rockwell captured the best of humanity, going beyond the struggles of his age to timelessly speak to the heart. He helped us see the best in each other and embrace simplicity’s elegance and the profound beauty of ordinary life.
