Appreciation: Apart from his achievements in many areas of historical scholarship, Jesuit Fr. John O'Malley embraced the importance of studying history itself. His question, one of his favorite phrases, was, "So what?"
Shovels in hand, descendants of the Georgetown University 272, a group of enslaved persons the Jesuits sold to Louisiana plantations in 1838, are volunteering at an archaeological dig on a former plantation in Maryland.
Commentary:The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection responds to the new "rad-trad" enemies of the council. But the book's extreme centrism only deepens the problem of connecting Vatican II teaching with today's church and world.
Distinctly Catholic: Even though Leslie Woodcook Tentler carries the story too far, into the post-conciliar era, her American Catholics: A History is a major accomplishment — comprehensive, judicious and tells a good story.
Simply Spirit: Women's History Month is a great time to celebrate the 'mothers of the church,' early female believers who shaped our church's future no less than the better-known 'fathers.'
Movie review: The documentary "Rebel Hearts," which premiered to a sold-out audience at the 2021 virtual Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
In a letter to the son of a priest, the head of the Vatican's historical office acknowledged that the Catholic Church erred over previous decades in keeping silent about priests fathering children.
Distinctly Catholic: George Weigel's praise of Archbishop Gomez's churlish Inauguration Day statement invites historical comparison to the 17th-century threat of Jansenism. Weigel is flirting with the stuff of schism.
The newly opened Pius XII archives could lead to some rethinking about the role of the future Paul VI in World War II and after, says one historian: "We may be headed for a more nuanced picture of Montini."
