Echoes - A forum of Catholic thought. The Opinion section of thebostonpilot.com

June 13, 2025Faith

The 13th chapter of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, sometimes called "the hymn to love," is frequently chosen by couples for the readings at their wedding Mass. It is a good choice, as the ...

Faith & Family

Glorious processionsScott Hahn

In today's liturgy, we're swept through time in glorious procession -- from before earth and sky were set in place to the coming of the Spirit upon the new creation, the Church. We begin in ...

Culture & Events

'De-extincting' long-vanished animal species?Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk

Several private companies have set out to "resurrect" extinct species using DNA and cloning technologies, with ongoing efforts to revive the dire wolf, wooly mammoth, dodo bird, and various other ancient ...

Faith & Family

New comfort with old silenceMark T. Valley

I've returned to Los Angeles. My knees are still sore -- possibly more from the long flights than from walking. I'm not entirely at rest, but the house is quiet. The dog -- more of a silent presence ...

Faith & Family

True Mission is Giving and ReceivingMaureen Crowley Heil

The country of Zambia, in southeastern Africa, is twenty-eight times the size of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in area. Their population is only double ours. To say that populated areas are few and ...

Spirituality

Subsidiarity and schoolingMichael Pakaluk

Subsidiarity is regarded as one of the four chief principles of Catholic Social Teaching, besides the dignity of the human person, the common good, and solidarity. Typically, the principle of subsidiarity ...

Culture & Events

The episcopal consecration of Bishop James Augustine HealyViolet Hurst

Last Monday, June 2, marked the 150th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of James Augustine Healy as the second Bishop of Portland, Maine. James Augustine Healy was born into slavery in Jones ...

Faith & Family

Are Jewish marriages valid to the Catholic Church?Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: In a recent article, you quoted the Code of Canon Law for what constitutes a valid non sacramental marriage. I'm not sure if you know this, but the Jewish marriage document -- the ketubah -- is ...

Faith & Family

Is immigration history in the United States cyclical?Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio

As I am preparing a paper to be given at a university on 100 years of immigration history, I could not help but discover similarities between the situation of our country in 1924 and that of today in ...