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Mary Beth Bonacci
Nov 17, 20204 min read
An Open Letter to a ‘Curly-Headed Facebook Fascist’
(Photo: Brett Jordan / Unsplash) Dear Admin, As you may recall, I’m a member — oops, check that, WAS a member — of your Facebook group...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Oct 15, 20204 min read
Prop 115: Like David fighting Goliath
Well, it’s that time again. A national election is weeks away. So I guess it’s time for my quadrennial election column. Which, as it...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Sep 22, 20204 min read
"Cuties," human dignity and cancelling Netflix
I love Netflix. I love that I can watch sitcoms and movies, as well as virtually any documentary I like, at any hour of the day or night....
Mary Beth Bonacci
Aug 28, 20204 min read
God is in the details
(Photo: Josh Applegate / Unsplash) I think it’s safe to say that people have been a little on edge lately. We see it in the macro, in the...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jun 30, 20204 min read
Racism and the ‘scandal of the value of every human life’
Interracial people hands with stop racism phrase, fight against discrimination (Photo: Adobe Stock) “In the absence of faith, we govern...
Mary Beth Bonacci
May 18, 20204 min read
The gift of John Paul II on his 100th birthday
Well, I’m not in Poland. As you may recall, last winter I told you I was leading a pilgrimage to celebrate St. John Paul II’s 100th...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Apr 23, 20204 min read
Don’t waste this time – ‘Be converted!’
In the days since Pope Francis’ March 27 Urbi et Orbi , I keep going back to the images in my mind. Was it not haunting? Watching our...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Mar 31, 20204 min read
Surviving this Lenten quarantine
(Photo: Ruben Hutabarat / Unsplash) Well, I don’t think it would be an overstatement to say that Lent has been a lot Lent-ier than usual...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jan 16, 20204 min read
Jesus is not optional
(Photo: Paul Keiffer / Unsplash) Sometimes I decide what I’m going to write about. And sometimes God does. I just came back from the...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Dec 12, 20194 min read
A shortcut out of purgatory
I know, I write about death a lot. I would write about it even more if I didn’t force myself to look elsewhere for topics periodically....
Mary Beth Bonacci
Dec 3, 20194 min read
An occasion worth celebrating
Image by Lucía Ballester / CNA “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Oct 31, 20194 min read
"King Coal" and the dignity of workers
I grew up hearing stories about life in the coal mines. They were delivered in my grandfather’s heavy Italian accent, and often concluded...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Oct 2, 20194 min read
Real life isn’t elsewhere — it’s right here
(Photo: Hanny Naibaho / Unsplash) In an effort to break my “look at the Facebook app every time I have a free minute” habit, I have been...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Sep 17, 20194 min read
‘This is my body…’
(Photo: Josh Applegate / Unsplash) On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”...From this...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jul 18, 20194 min read
The priesthood is more than just a job
(Photo: Josh Applegate / Unsplash) In October, the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region will be held at...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jun 21, 20194 min read
Radical living and my friend Shelly
(Photo: Unsplash) I saw my friend Shelly the other day, for the first time in 28 years. Back in the day, she was Shelly Pennefather,...
Mary Beth Bonacci
May 7, 20194 min read
Fulfillment: Way better than mere happiness
Lately I’m seeing lots of studies — or, more accurately, articles about studies — claiming that non-parents are happier than parents. The...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Apr 11, 20194 min read
"Unplanned" and the destruction of innocence
I saw the movie Unplanned this weekend. It hit me hard. Not that I suddenly realized abortion is wrong. I have known that since I was a...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Mar 6, 20195 min read
Opinion: ‘Comprehensive’ sex ed bill robs sex of its sacredness
Male and female gender symbols on a black background with space for text (Photo: Adobe Stock) When I was speaking full-time to teenagers,...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Feb 6, 20194 min read
On ‘toxic masculinity’
Is masculinity “toxic”? The American Psychological Society apparently thinks so. They issued a long report about it recently. I tried to...
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