“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” So encourages former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the latest Nike advertising campaign. Kaepernick is a polarizing figure for many, since in 2016 he began the practice of kneeling on one knee rather than standing while the U.S. national anthem is played before sporting events. Others […]
Continue readingBy the time this newspaper reaches homes, the first day of the new academic year will already be in the books at most Catholic schools in the Diocese of Peoria. It’s a “first day” only for the students. Principals, teachers, and maintenance personnel have been busy making plans and preparations — some since the final […]
Continue readingLike a good book, Nancy Piccione’s more than eight-year run as regular Book Page columnist for The Catholic Post ends with a satisfying and exceptional conclusion. Instead of making herself the focus of the farewell-for-now column found here, she spotlights eight (or is it nine?) takeaways from her reviewing experience to benefit all of us. […]
Continue readingThe dramatic, improbable, and some would say miraculous rescue of the boys’ soccer team and their coach from flooded caves in Thailand earlier this month will be studied for decades as a model of a diverse group coming together for an urgent, common cause. Lessons that apply far beyond cave rescues abound in areas including […]
Continue readingWe don’t know whether the retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, and the approaching nomination of a new justice by President Donald Trump, might eventually lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case legalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. We do know that a renewed discussion regarding […]
Continue readingBefore it is filed in the archives of memorable award show moments, we’d like to revisit something remarkably bizarre and troubling that happened at the Tony Awards honoring excellence in Broadway theater on June 10. Actor Robert De Niro, assigned to introduce a performance by Bruce Springsteen, strode to the microphone and announced “I’m just […]
Continue readingAs this issue of The Catholic Post documents in stories and photos, three priests of the Diocese of Peoria and a permanent deacon just rode their bikes for 275 miles across the Diocese of Peoria to inspire prayers for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. In just its second year, Priests Pedaling for Prayers […]
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Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, 98, longtime chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team and campus icon, gives a thumbs up after the team defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack in the semifinals of the South regional of the 2018 NCAA Tournament March 24 in Atlanta. (CNS photo/Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters)
“You’ve gone viral. Do you know what that means?” The question was posed to Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, in one of the numerous nationally televised interviews the 98-year-old chaplain of Loyola University of Chicago’s men’s basketball team has granted during the Ramblers’ amazing run through the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. This time the questioner […]
Continue readingFollowing last month’s horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students there and across the country — including in central Illinois — have become energized and vocal. Politicians and the media have taken notice, listening to and promoting their calls for solutions to gun violence. Many schools were preparing for […]
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Flowers and candles, including one with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, adorn a cross in a Parkland, Fla., park Feb. 16. (CNS/Reuters)
Your Facebook feed informs you that the loved one of a friend has died or that someone you know has taken ill. “Sending thoughts and prayers,” you type in the comments section. Then, having expressed your concern 2018-style, you return to your normal day. Perhaps you offer a quick “Be with them, God” prayer. Perhaps […]
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