For the Behrens and Love families

Michael was a new swimmer on the team, and he was struggling to keep up. The summer league is low-key and relaxed, so our coach decided to approach the other coaches in the league about allowing Michael to compete in a younger age bracket than his own. Our coach expected no objections.

The saints, whose heroic witness, service and commitment to solidarity is so extraordinary that they must be formally acknowledged, seem to be crowding into our American scene more dramatically than ever before.

Six words. That’s all. Six simple words, but each time I uttered them, my throat tightened and my eyes burned.

Q. Why is it that so many Christians (including some Catholics) simply refuse to accept as doctrine the Virgin Birth?  This is not just myth, is it?

One certainty of life in Connecticut each New Year is the convening of our General Assembly, and this year is no exception. It is anticipated that our 187 legislators and 28 committees will sponsor more than 2,000 bills this session. During the 2013 session the state will face issues relating to the state budget and its deficit, gun control, drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants and the Earned Income Tax Credit, among many others.

Part of an occasional series on living with hardship

Joni Eareckson was a typical teenager, living a typical American life. Born in Baltimore in 1949, she was named after her father John. Joni – pronounced "Johnny" – was extremely athletic, enjoying swimming, hiking, tennis and anything outdoors.

Q. Do we know the exact year in which Christ was born?

Each weekend as we gather together to celebrate Mass, or on those special occasions when we gather to celebrate the sacraments of baptism or matrimony or even a funeral Mass, we do so with the belief that our great nation provides us with this freedom. In essence, we take for granted the privilege to worship which so many fought and died to achieve and which still eludes too many people in this world.

The sad news that Dr. Joseph E. Murray of Boston had died on 26 November brought back many personal memories of a medical giant whose surgical expertise rose to the level of his Catholic faith. A Nobel Laureate in 1990, he shared the prize for completing the very first human kidney transplant. His lifetime’s work included transplant surgery involving kidneys, hearts, lungs and livers.

Pope Benedict’s enthusiastically awaited third volume on Jesus of Nazareth was presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair on 10-14 October. This volume, which completes a trilogy, is simply entitled, in the Italian, L’infanzia di Gesù.