Latest Posts

April 22, 2019

Remedial civics for the rest of us

[Note: This is the introduction to an occasional series that provides information on what you should have learned in school—but probably didn’t—about how the U.S. government works (or why it doesn’t).] Continue Reading...
April 19, 2019

Rev. Sirico: Easter in the wake of the Notre Dame fire

It was a terrible thing on Monday to watch as flames consumed the beautiful and historic Notre Dame du Paris cathedral; I’m certain that I was not alone in fearing that before the conflagration was over, we would see that sublime structure come crashing down in a heap of ash and shattered stone. Continue Reading...
April 19, 2019

When was the original Good Friday?

Today is Good Friday*, the religious holiday that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. Christians have celebrated the event for over two millennia. But what was the date of the original Good Friday?Almost Continue Reading...
April 18, 2019

As Notre Dame burns, the Cross stands firm

Many have commented on the fact that Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral burned during Holy Week (see here or here or here for just a few examples), and rightfully so — the symbolism of death and the hope of resurrection is hard to miss. Continue Reading...
April 17, 2019

Should Notre Dame be rebuilt to reflect secularism?

The flames that consumed the spire of Notre Dame and burned the 856-year-old church to its foundations could have been doused by the tears of the faithful. If France heeds calls to rebuild the cathedral as a reflection of what modern “French people want,” the new structure may be flooded by their tears. Continue Reading...