There are a host of terrific periodicals available to Catholics. Most have short articles on an assortment of topics and issues and can be read either in bits and pieces, as time is available, or in an hour or so. (For a sample of these magazines visit the small parish library on the lower level.) The January 13, 2012 issue of Commonweal is a good example of the range of subjects covered by Catholic magazines. (Commonweal was founded in 1924 as a “review of religion, politics and culture”. Its orientation is “progressive”, compared, for example, to the somewhat “conservative” journal First Things.)
In addition to the usual fare of editorials, book and film reviews and letters to the editor, the January 13 issue contains a long article entitled “A Modus Vivendi? Sex, Marriage and the Church”. The article consists of brief commentaries by nine leading spiritual writers and theologians in the country.
The commentaries respond to an introduction describing the dramatic cultural shifts of the last forty or so years that have seen the percentage of married Catholics in America drop from 79% in 1979 to 53% in 2010 and polls that indicate large numbers of Catholics conflicted by the disconnect between their practices and the official teachings of the Church. How, the writers were asked, should the Church respond, pastorally and doctrinally, to this very difficult situation?
The answers provided in the essays are both interesting and varied. While there is no consensus among the essays on what lies ahead, they lay out a wonderful range of ideas, opinions and options. If you are not a subscriber to Commonweal and cannot borrow the January issue from someone who is, contact John Stewart and he will get a copy of the article to you (johnstewart@alum.bu.edu or 617-969-0950).
Adult Faith Formation Schedule
February 4 – Men’s Group in the Social Hall after the 7:00am Mass for coffee, donuts and good conversation.
February 9 – Book Discussion Group in the Parish Center at 7:30pm. A Guide to Thomas Aquinas by Joseph Pieper.
February 7 – Evening for Women in the Social Hall at 6:30pm. “A Journey into the Heart of Prayer in St. John’s Gospel”.
St. John’s Adult Faith Formation Commission: Patrick Blomberg, Linda Colozzi, Marcia Grondin, Pat Kelleher (chair), John Salvati, John Stewart, and Anne Wachtmeister •Sister Evelyn Ronan (advisor).
Email: AFFC@stjohnwellesley.org
