With the memory of our beloved Francis still fresh in our minds, Catholics opened their hearts anew to Pope Leo XIV, joyful over his backstory and his roots in Chicago, moved by his work as a missionary and bishop in Peru, impressed by the many languages he speaks. As he offered his blessing to those in person and watching via TV or some other screen, we could all feel a sense of awe that the Holy Spirit continues to work so powerfully in our Church, giving us what we need at just the right moment in time.

Of course, within hours, there were critics trying (fairly desperately, it seemed) to “dig up” some dirt on the new pontiff, attempting to tarnish the shine before we even had a chance to soak up the joy of the moment. I remember when Francis was first named pope and I wrote a blog post about my hope and excitement, another writer immediately came after me claiming I was turning a blind eye to his flaws. Our pope — every pope — is human. Of course there will be flaws, but how about we take a breath and watch and listen before we judge and criticize. It’s the American way to tear down, especially on social media these days, but we Catholics would be wise to pause and pray rather than join the fray.

The day Pope Leo XIV was elected, my husband, Dennis, who is executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, was interviewed on Capital Region television regarding the breaking news. At the end of the conversation, the interviewer asked if he thought Pope Leo was “more of a liberal or a conservative under the umbrella of Catholicism.” He responded with a reminder that Catholics are not so easy to categorize, as we do not fit any label. “The terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ don’t really work as much when it comes to the Church … We are very liberal on some issues, like immigration, and very conservative on others, like abortion,” he explained. “I think he’ll be a Catholic, rather than a liberal or conservative.”

I loved that statement because it is a reminder that we are not a Church of “sides,” but rather one that is literally “universal” in its reach, its mission, its makeup. We are, in a sense, a Church of both/and, not either/or.

When I think back over the popes of my lifetime, I have loved each one of them for different reasons. Born under John XXIII, I love the fact that I was a child of Vatican II. John Paul II was the rockstar pope of my teens, and when I saw him at Madison Square Garden in 1979, you’d think I was waiting for the Beatles to appear. Pope Benedict XVI was a favorite for entirely different reasons, and if you haven’t read his beautiful and accessible encyclicals, they are worth your time even all these years later. When Francis was named pope, I practically swooned with joy, and I could not imagine another pope would so quickly fill me with hope and excitement for our Church. And then along came Leo XIV, whose first words out on the balcony of St. Peter’s made me declare: It’s a great day to be a Catholic!

We don’t know what’s coming. We never do. But we trust in the work of the Spirit and the wisdom of our new pope to guide us through whatever is ahead. After all, this pope is one of us, and if a kid from the South Side of Chicago can become pope, anything is possible with God.

This column originally appeared in the May 14, 2025 issue of The Evangelist.

The post A Church of Both/And appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

I have to admit, I took myself by surprise when I burst into tears upon learning that Pope Benedict XVI had resigned. I have loved and respected this pope from day one, but I guess I never realized how he had worked his way into my heart just as Blessed Pope John Paul II had done before him. Where Pope John Paul captured the enthusiasm of my youth, Pope Benedict shored up the faith of my middle age.

My teenage son watched as I cried into my coffee that morning and asked why I was so upset. I wasn’t completely sure at first, but I think it came down to this: Pope Benedict has served as a visible reminder that God writes straight with crooked lines. He didn’t want the job, but the Spirit had other plans. Not only did Pope Benedict do what had to be done without complaint, he did it with a clear determination to put the mission of Christ before any personal mission. He did it by voluntarily relinquishing his position when it was time, demonstrating a kind of humility rarely seen in our power-hungry society. A beautiful study in contrasts.

Hanging beside my desk is the photo I snapped as Pope Benedict waved from the popemobile a few yards from where I stood in the press pen at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, during his visit to New York in 2008. In my sacred space are the rosary beads blessed by Pope Benedict as I sat in the second row at a papal audience in 2010. On the bookshelf behind me are the powerful yet accessible encyclicals he wrote on love and hope. And while those tangible reminders will be nice to have around after he’s retreated to the cloister, the pope’s most lasting legacy may be the way he lived out the words of St. Paul: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Click HERE to read reflections by other Catholic bloggers and authors.

The post Remembering Benedict XVI: A lesson in humility appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

We’re just days away from the start of the Year of Faith, a time of renewal, prayer, and study for Catholics around the world.

Pope Benedict XVI has specifically asked that Catholics spend time studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which, as you may recall, I covered page-by-page in my book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism.

Here’s what the pope had to say on the matter in his apostolic letter announcing the Year of Faith:

“From Sacred Scripture to the Fathers of the Church, from theological masters to the saints across the centuries, the Catechism provides a permanent record of the many ways in which the Church has meditated on the faith and made progress in doctrine so as to offer certitude to believers in their lives of faith.

“In its very structure, the Catechism of the Catholic Church follows the development of the faith right up to the great themes of daily life. On page after page, we find that what is presented here is no theory, but an encounter with a Person who lives within the Church.”

So I’m pretty psyched to get back on the catechism bandwagon and maybe bring some new folks along with me. Here’s what I’ll be doing to get the Year of Faith party started:

On Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, at 8:10 a.m. EST, I’ll be talking about the catechism and the Year of Faith with Brian Patrick on the Son Rise Morning Show. You can catch that on Sacred Heart Radio 740 AM and 89.5 FM in Cincinnati, Ohio, or you can go to this link and listen online. 

Then on Thursday, Oct. 11, the official start of the Year of Faith as well as the 20th anniversary of the publication of the catechism and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, I’ll be kicking off a weekly series here on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Throughout the year, I plan to post some of my favorite catechism-related excerpts. Do you find it hard to believe I could actually have “favorites” from the catechism? It’s true. Despite how it looks in its intimidating, almost 1,000-page form, it’s actually a super cool read. Of course, if you don’t have time for 1,000 pages of catechism, there are always shorter, easier-to-read versions, like, oh, I don’t know, the Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism, which has an imprimatur, meaning it is all kosher according to the Church.

Finally, I’m happy to tell you that I’ll also be sharing posts occasionally throughout the Year of Faith over at Catholic Moms Talk. Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle was nice enough to invite me to join a cast of impressive Catholic moms who will be offering their take on the catechism as it relates to family life. Be sure to visit there regularly to see what we’re saying. (I’m sure I’ll find a way to let you know when I’m appearing over there.)

There will be more tantalizing catechism goings on in the months ahead, some I’m not at liberty to talk about just yet (doesn’t that sound intriguing?), so stay tuned. And make sure you have your catechism or your Complete Idiot’s Guide — or, better yet, both — on hand for the Year of Faith.

The post Year of Faith: Let’s get this party started appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Turns out I never had to worry at all. St. Peter’s Square is equipped with its own sundial, as well as markers to indicate the solstices and even the days when the sun enters various signs of the zodiac.

From a CNS story by Carol Glatz:

Hidden among the paving stones of St. Peter’s Square there is a simple clock and calendar. All you need is a sunny day.

The 83-foot stone obelisk in the middle of the square acts as a sundial that can accurately indicate midday and the two solstices thanks to a granite meridian and marble markers embedded in the square.

Pope Benedict XVI proudly pointed out the hidden timepiece during an Angelus address he gave on the winter solstice a few years ago.

“The great obelisk casts its shadow in a line that runs along the paving stones toward the fountain beneath this window and in these days, the shadow is at its longest of the year,” he told pilgrims from the window of his library.

In fact, at noon on Dec. 21, the obelisk’s shadow falls on the marble disk furthest from the obelisk’s base, while at noon on June 21 — the summer solstice — the tip of the shadow will fall just a few yards from the obelisk. In between are five other disks marking when the sun enters into which sign of the zodiac.

A long, thin granite strip running from the obelisk toward the pope’s window and through one of the fountains acts as the meridian: a line that indicates when the sun has reached true or solar noon and is at its highest point in the sky.

The pope, in his solstice soliloquy, reminded people that the church has always been keenly interested in astronomy to help guide and establish fundamental liturgical days and the times of prayer such as the Angelus, which is recited in the morning, at noon and in the evening. While sunrise and sunset are easy to figure out, sundials could accurately tell midday, he said.

The CNS story also points out that at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, Pope Clement XI even had an astronomer build meridians to mark not only the noon hour but to “to make highly accurate celestial observations and solve complex astronomical problems.”

More from the CNS story:

John Heilbron, emeritus professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, told Catholic News Service that St. Mary of the Angels “could do things you couldn’t do with telescopes at the time” like find out precise information about the inclination of the Earth’s axis.

Heilbron, who wrote “The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories,” said the basilica’s meridian was also used “to establish a very good value for the length of the year.”

It’s fascinating stuff. And the facts once again give lie to the argument that the Church is opposed to science. Read the full story HERE.

The post Sundials and solstice disks at St. Peter’s appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Christians must strike a fruitful balance in their lives by including both prayer and action, Pope Benedict XVI said.

People of faith can “run the risk of reducing themselves to being one-dimensional” either by retreating from the world to dedicate themselves to God and prayer or by totally immersing themselves in the world to help others, the pope said during his June 18 general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

Instead, believers must look for “a middle ground” by imitating Christ, whose life was dedicated to contemplation and action, he said.

If you want to read the official text of today’s papal audience, click HEREto go to the Vatican Web site.

The post Is the pope reading my blog? appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

There will be more stories and photos from me at OSV’s Papal Visit 2008 blog HERE.

The post The view from where I’m standing appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

I will be in Manhattan Friday thru Sunday, covering the youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers on Saturday and blogging from the papal visit media center at the Sheraton the rest of the time. I’ve got contacts at just about every event and will be interviewing them and posting their reactions and responses to what’s going on. In addition, you’ll find papal texts, news stories, polls and more.

My blog will be linking to the OSV blog for the three days I’m gone, but then I’ll be back at work doing my Not Strictly Spiritual thing as soon as I’m home.

One more thing: My OSV blogging was mentioned — by name — in USA Today HERE, and I was quoted in a Journal News article on the pope today, which you can see by clicking HERE. Way cool, and very humbling since I really have nothing to do with making any of this happen. It’s all a gift.

The post Come along for the ride appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

 Pope Benedict XVI released a video in anticipation of his upcoming visit to the United States. Here’s an abbreviated version of the video via YouTube. The pope arrives in Washington, D.C., one week from today.

Yours truly will be working the New York leg of the papal visit. In addition to being part of a three-person blog team for Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic news weekly, I will be covering the youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, on April 19. About 25,000 young people and seminarians are expected at that event, which will be my first papal experience since I was a youth myself and saw Pope John Paul II at Madison Square Garden in 1979.

I will be updating my blog throughout the visit next week, but I hope you’ll check out OSV’s blog, which you can visit by clicking HERE.

If you want to read the full text of the pope’s message, click HERE.

The post Pope Benedict on YouTube appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.