It’s Thursday night, and Rev. Bill Parent, a Roman Catholic priest, is still struggling with the opening of his Sunday homily. His fingers sit unmoving on his computer keyboard. He has had several ideas, but none has taken hold. He writes two sentences, stops, and rubs his chin. Then he quickly highlights them and presses … Read more
My first meeting with the bishop of Phoenix is at his home rectory of Sts. Simon and Jude. He’s halfway through Tuesday morning prayer with three other priests when I enter the small, unadorned room. Before I can register that there are only four seats, Bishop Thomas Olmsted kneels on the hard floor and motions … Read more
Steve Schroeder parks in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. As he climbs up the front steps, his pin-striped suit flows comfortably over him as though he were shaped to it. From polished shoes to teeth, his appearance is sharp, meticulous. So it’s jarring when the first person … Read more
“So how do you like it here?” a coworker of my wife, Myra, asked her anxiously. Before Myra could respond, the woman leaned in and in a low voice said, “We know we’re a little off.” Most Mormons in Salt Lake City could count on one hand the number of times they’ve been more than … Read more
My first meeting with the bishop of Phoenix is at his home rectory of Sts. Simon and Jude. He’s halfway through Tuesday morning prayer with three other priests when I enter the small, unadorned room. Before I can register that there are only four seats, Bishop Thomas Olmsted kneels on the hard floor and motions … Read more
It had taken us two-and-a-half hours to drive a 15-mile road, and we still hadn’t arrived. My wife, Myra, was concerned. ”Do you think we’re going to be able to get out of here?” she asked. “If we have to go back up the way we came, I think it might be easier than it … Read more
Steve Schroeder parks in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. As he climbs up the front steps, his pin-striped suit flows comfortably over him as though he were tailored to it. From polished shoes to teeth, his appearance is sharp, meticulous. So it’s jarring when the first person … Read more
“So how do you like it here?” a coworker of my wife, Myra, asked anxiously. Before Myra could respond, the woman leaned in and in a low voice said, “We know we’re a little off.” Most Mormons in Salt Lake City could count on one hand the number of times they’ve been more than an … Read more
It’s Thursday night, and Rev. Bill Parent, a Roman Catholic priest, is still struggling with the opening of his Sunday homily. His fingers sit unmoving on his computer keyboard. He has had several ideas, but none has taken on a life of its own. He writes two sentences, stops, and rubs his chin. Then he … Read more
…morning, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior alerted the press to this newly reclaimed Israeli position—abandoned since the December 2000 failure at Camp David. “The creation of a Palestinian state…