A fresh look for Rome's famous Holy Stairs

A look at the restoration of a major Lenten pilgrimage site in Rome.

In an atheistic state, true freedom is dead

The "wall of separation between church and state" doesn't mean the public square should be free from the presence or influence of faith. It means our faith is free from the strong arming influence of the state, and we can express it ANYWHERE and let it influence every activity we engage in (not just the way we worship behind closed doors...but, for example, even the kind of health care we people of faith provide our employees). I'm not pushing for theocracy. But the opposite extreme is an "atheocracy," which would put our deepest convictions about God, who we are, and the meaning of life under the control of a state that picks where, when, and how we express those convictions. In such a state, true freedom is dead. (The HHS mandate is about more than insurance for contraception and abortifacients, folks.)

What is it like to be a seminarian?

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Enter the lives of eight seminarians from the Archdiocese of Baltimore studying at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Catholicism and the challenge of liberty

From Constantine to Vatican II: A brief history of religious liberty...

Must-watch video: Classy young boy stuns U.S. Army officer with heartfelt act of almsgiving

As part of our continuing series "On the Road," Steve Hartman meets an eight-year-old boy who found $20 in a parking lot and was thinking of spending it on a new video game. That changed when he saw the man in uniform. (H/T Marcel Lejeune at Aggie Catholics.)