Coming to Canada!

I am excited to be traveling for the first time to Alberta, where I have been invited to give talks on Father Ed: The Story of Bill W.'s Spiritual Sponsor. Visit my Upcoming Talks page for details, and do come if you can!

Alex Pretti, my brother in Christ

I want to tell you about Alex Pretti, my fellow Catholic, my brother in Christ; 

Alex Pretti, the good Samaritan who stopped to help his injured neighbor;

Alex Pretti, who died the way that each of us should hope to die when our time comes—giving his life for another, in pure, selfless love.

"Lifting the Veil on Annulments"

I have started a new YouTube series aimed at demystifying the process of applying for and pursuing a decree of nullity for a marriage that has ended in civil divorce. Episode 1 is above; episode 2 and future episodes (Lord willing) may be found on my playlist Lifting the Veil on Annulments.

The Southern Jesuit who preached racial equality while jackbooted thugs protested outside

On my Substack, I've just published a transcript of Father Louis J. Twomey, SJ's historic May 1961 address at a New Orleans NAACP rally, which he delivered while members of the American Nazi Party protested outside. Please pray that the Lord opens up a way for me to complete my Father Twomey biography, which has been sidelined due to circumstances that I have described elsewhere.

"From Rock Music to Theology": a new podcast interview

At Cafe Atlantique, Milford, CT, 11/2/25

I'm grateful to Father Jack Bentz, SJ, for giving me the opportunity to speak about my faith and life on his podcast Catholics in Ordinary Time. Click here to hear or download the episode.

Vatican newspaper reviews my book on the Sacred Heart

The review of my book as it appears on L'Osservatore Romano's website

What a joy to discover that today's L'Osservatore Romano features a review of my book The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times! Many thanks to Osservatore culture editor Giulia Galeotti and reviewer Silvia Gusmano for this beautiful essay. It makes me very happy to know that Pope Leo XIV is reading about my book today!

Here is an image of the page of L'Osservatore with the review (click to enlarge). If the review makes it into the English-language edition or Vatican News, I'll update this post with a link to the translated version.

New podcast interview for Australian national radio: "Can celibacy actually make us purer and closer to God?"

 

Hoboken, NJ, September 27, 2025. Photo by Chuck Connelly.

Recently the Australian Broadcasting Company invited me to appear on its Sunday radio show "God Forbid!" as part of a panel of scholars discussing religious understandings of celibacy. I greatly enjoyed the conversation and I hope you do too. Listen on Apple Podcasts or on the ABC website (but ignore the truly dire clip-art image there). 

I write for Jesuit Media Lab on Brian Wilson’s spiritual outlook

Many thanks to Jesuit Media Lab for giving me the opportunity to remember Brian Wilson (pictured with me in 1988) with an essay: "Only God Can Make a Tree: The Cosmic Dreams of Brian Wilson."