Confession: the Abandoned Sacrament   The practice of regular confession formed Catholic identity in our country over many decades, promoting a sense of belonging. It provided a clear moral method for a seemingly well-defined world. It conveyed that hard things are worth doing. The sacrament also taught equality in that the commonality of sin could be seen every Saturday afternoon. To be sure, “for some people confession was meaningful and consoling,” details James O’Toole in For I Have Sinned: Rise... Read more

  Our U.S. Catholic bishops want to hear from you. They are preparing a document on the laity. You are welcome to respond to their request by US Mail or email. (Send your thoughts to Paul Jarzembowski, Secretariat of Laity and Family Life, USCCB, 3211 Fourth St. NE, Washington, DC  20017; [email protected].) Bishops are rightly concerned about internal Church matters. They have issued many directives and statements about parish ministries. I alert you to this opportunity because in this instance the bishops... Read more

Generally, those in education, health care, ministry, civil service and more want to do good through their daily work. However, the outcome of their efforts often produces the opposite of what is intended. Schools produce too many uncultured young adults. Frustration among patients and health professionals is a major side-effect of health care delivery. Churches reinforce individualistic attitudes. The civil service system, top to bottom, often delivers dependency and/or corruption. The bad side-effects come from the nature of our bureaucratic... Read more

The Working Catholic: Advantage To Marriage by Bill Droel At a wedding reception not so long ago, the groom entered the hall with a weighted ball chained to his ankle. The stunt was meant to be funny. Statistics show, however, that many young adults these days are not kidding; they are negative toward the institution of marriage. In fact, the majority of family arrangements today do not include marriage. Brad Wilcox of the National Marriage Project at University of Virginia... Read more

The original Labor Day parade was held in 1882, in New York City. It was sponsored by the Knights of Labor. Its organizers were two Catholics. Though not related, they share the same last name. Matthew McGuire (1855-1917) was a machinist from New Jersey; Peter McGuire (1852-1906), working in Chicago at the time, was a carpenter. In 1894 Labor Day became a national holiday and was set on the first Monday of September. St. Joseph, also a carpenter, is associated... Read more

The Working Catholic by Bill Droel A victim syndrome underlies the divisiveness in our society, explains Frank Bruni in The Age of Grievance (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Each of us experiences frustrations. We complain that the line in the grocery is too long and it was a mistake to shop or the neighbor’s dogs bark all day and a move to a No Pets apartment would be wise. Grievance goes beyond such feelings of bad luck. We can normally get... Read more

The Working Catholic by Bill Droel It is commonly ranked as the top professional football play of all time. Only 22-seconds remained in the December 1972 AFC Division final. The Steelers were losing. That’s when Terry Bradshaw pitched the immaculate reception to Franco Harris (1950-2022) for the thrilling victory. The play is legendary; it can be viewed on several websites. The Eucharist is not a legend. It is not a reenactment. It is not available on instant replay. It is... Read more

The Working Catholic by Bill Droel The bells are back. Years ago and for years before that, the attention of worshipers at Mass drifted for understandable reasons: their ignorance of Latin and their partially obstructed view of the drama. Congregants often used their time at Mass for private prayer.  Thus at key moments in the Mass, particularly at the consecration, altar servers would ring an assemblage of bells. The bells went quietly into a closet nearly 60 years ago. In... Read more