Patrick Reilly’s Register Column

John Henry Newman

With Second Miracle, Will Newman Be Canonized Soon?

Deo gratias! The Vatican reportedly has recognized a second miracle through the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, paving the way to a possible canonization next year. Newman—a champion of both fidelity and reason, both of which are sorely lacking in the Church today—could be the perfect saint for our times! In his […]

apple on desks

3 Eye-Opening Lessons for Catholics under Common Core

It’s been five years since controversy peaked over the Common Core State Standards and their use in Catholic schools. What have we learned? By 2013 the Common Core was being adopted rapidly by Catholic schools and dioceses across the country, prompting deep concern among Catholic families. The Cardinal Newman Society launched its […]

girl in chair reading

Arlington Bishop to Homeschooling Families: “Thank You”

An American bishop stood strong last week in support of Catholic homeschoolers, just days after some bishops at the Youth Synod in Rome reported comments that were offensive to homeschool parents. On Friday, Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington celebrated his second annual Mass for homeschooling families. The Diocese reported […]

Homeschooling mom and child

Synod Report Displays Ignorance About Homeschooling

At the Youth Synod in Rome this week, one of the bishops’ discussion groups made some disappointing and ignorant comments about Catholic homeschoolers. It’s a sad reminder that, while homeschooling seems to be gaining support from many bishops in the United States, other bishops here and abroad have yet to […]

The Land O’ Lakes Statement Has Caused Devastation For 50 Years

In hindsight, what they did was appalling. But when several Catholic university leaders gathered in the summer of 1967 at a remote retreat in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin, did they fully anticipate the consequences of their vision for “modern” Catholic education? Hopefully not. It was 50 years ago, on July […]

Aquinas College

Nashville Dominicans Turn Focus Entirely to Teacher Formation

A few years ago, Sister Mary Sarah Galbraith, OP, and her team at Nashville’s Aquinas College set out to build a four-year, traditional college by expanding disciplines beyond nursing and education and building a residential campus. In many respects, they found significant success, and their accomplishments suggest real opportunities for […]

Student Group Big

Bishop Flores: What Every Catholic Kid Needs for School

Does “Catholic education” begin in Catholic schools—or is there something more foundational? Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, has an intriguing answer. Last week, in his St. Hildegard Lecture at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, Bishop Flores argued that there are “habits of the soul” that, when developed “prior […]

thomas aquinas college chapel

One Catholic College Temporarily Closes, But Another Springs Up

In 2008, the cover of Commonweal magazine proclaimed this headline: “Catholic to the Core: How One College Does It.” It celebrated the 10-course, four-year core curriculum and strong commitment to liberal education at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. But last week, Saint Joseph’s announced that it would temporarily shut down its main campus with hopes […]

Scalia and Gorsuch: Both Lamented ‘Liberalism’ in Catholic Education

When President Donald Trump said he would nominate a Supreme Court justice in the mold of Justice Antonin Scalia, who died one year ago on Feb. 13, everyone knew that meant someone who shares Scalia’s originalist philosophy of constitutional law. But who expected that the appointee, Neil Gorsuch, would be another Georgetown graduate? […]

Georgetown University from observatory, Washington, D.C.

‘Exorcist’ Author’s Canon Law Case Against Georgetown Continues

William Peter Blatty, best-selling author and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Exorcist, died Thursday at the age of 89 after battling a form of blood cancer. But his final work is still underway: a petition to the Vatican, seeking the enforcement of canon law to reform Georgetown University’s Catholic identity, is still in […]

Father Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.

Father Scanlan Was America’s Pastor to Catholic Higher Education

Father Michael Scanlan, T.O.R., who died Saturday, reformed Franciscan University of Steubenville and built it into one of America’s most faithful and vibrant centers of Catholic learning. He is rightly acknowledged as a foremost leader in the renewal of Catholic higher education. More than that, I think it is fitting […]

Capitol Building

Resist This Compromise That Would Crush Catholics

Catholics hoped for a reprieve from assaults on religious freedom following the November elections, but a very serious threat looms with so-called SOGI laws. That’s why 80 Christian leaders — including four leading Catholic bishops and many Catholic education leaders — chose to make a bold statement this week rejecting such efforts […]

american flag

How to Build a Healthy Political Culture in America

Last month in the heat of the presidential campaign, Pope Francis indicated his dismay about the quality of the candidates and Americans’ depth of understanding of political issues. Offering a “theoretical” response to a reporter’s question about the Trump-Clinton race, the Pope said on October 2, “When a country has two, three […]

Savior of the World

Is There Such a Thing as Catholic Math?

Is there a Catholic way of learning something? Math? Science? History? It’s an intriguing question. We wrestled with the question this past year at The Cardinal Newman Society, while developing proposed Catholic curriculum standards for Catholic education. It’s easy to understand that Jesus is the Master Teacher. “Rabbi,” His disciples called Him. A […]

Let’s Move Beyond the Common Core in Catholic Schools

By now, it should be apparent that the Common Core State Standards for schools won’t come close to fulfilling the grand promises of its proponents. Parents, scholars, unions and the media all seem to be painfully aware of the fact — but after the mad rush to implement the standards, […]