This domain is a religiously grounded application of our Catholic Tradition within political, economic, and social domains. Often under the guise of Catholic Trends, I riff off of topics of contemporary interest that hopefully are consonant with our Social Justice Tradition.

FAITH AND PUBLIC LIFE

Was ‘Epic Fury’ a Just War?

• Was “Epic Fury” truly a just war? Deacon Jim applies the Catholic Church’s traditional just-war criteria to the conflict with Iran.
• Peace is more than the absence of war. Explore why Christian peacemaking begins with the very nature of God and requires both justice and mercy.
• When does military force become morally justifiable? This presentation examines legitimate authority, imminent threat, last resort, civilian protection, and the prospect of success.
• What responsibility do Catholics have when political decisions conflict with Church teaching? A timely reflection on conscience, moral leadership, and our call to become peacemakers.

U.S. Wars and Papal Proclamations

• What happens when conscience, country, and faith pull in different directions? A personal and historical reflection on war, moral responsibility, and the difficult work of discernment.
• Forming a conscience is not the same as defending the position we already hold. This presentation explores how prayer, reliable information, Church teaching, and humility help Catholics reach moral judgments.
• One decision can shape an entire life. Deacon Jim recounts his refusal of induction during the Vietnam War and the seven-year legal struggle that followed.
• Are we Americans first – or Catholics first? An honest examination of patriotism, political loyalty, and the call to let the Gospel challenge even our deepest assumptions.

CATHOLIC TRENDS

Catholic Trends (Summer (#2) 2026)

• When Pope Leo speaks about war, immigration, or AI, is he acting as a politician or as the Church’s shepherd? The Vatican offers a clear answer.
• Who is shaping the future of the Catholic Church? New research reveals surprising trends among generations, Black Catholics, and the men preparing for priesthood.
• What do Catholics really believe about heaven, hell, and euthanasia? Recent studies uncover both encouraging signs of faith and sobering departures from Church teaching.
• What inspires today’s seminarians to become priests? A new national survey provides an encouraging glimpse into the prayer, formation, and family influences shaping the next generation of clergy.

Catholic trends (Summer (#1) 2026)

• Is objective truth under attack? Pope Leo XIV argues that both faith and science depend on the existence of truth – and warns of the consequences when truth is denied.
• What should a Catholic university stand for? A controversy at St. John’s University raises questions about free speech, inclusion, and fidelity to Catholic identity.
• Do immigrants strengthen or burden America? New data on taxes, labor, and public policy challenges many assumptions in today’s immigration debate.
• Why do people stay Catholic – or walk away? New Pew research explores what keeps faith alive and why so many Americans leave the religion of their childhood.

CATHOLIC TRENDS (SPRING (#3) 2026)

• Is the future of the Catholic Church in America becoming more conservative? New research reveals dramatic shifts among young priests, Hispanic Catholics, and the next generation of believers.
• Why are so many young Catholics leaving the faith? One study suggests the exodus begins long before adulthood – and offers a hopeful roadmap for bringing them home.
• Do Catholics in the pews still believe what the Church teaches? Fresh polling uncovers surprising gaps between Catholic doctrine and Catholic opinion on today’s most contested issues.
• When Catholic politicians clash with Catholic institutions, what gives? A religious liberty battle involving New York nuns raises deeper questions about faith, politics, and public life.

CATHOLIC TRENDS (SPRING (#2) 2026)

• The geography of American Catholicism is shifting dramatically. While the South has gained over 7.4 million Catholics in the last 25 years, the Northeast and Midwest have seen steep declines, raising serious questions about the Church’s future footprint.
• Even as the Catholic population grows modestly, something deeper is happening: Catholic funerals, baptisms, and First Holy Communions are all declining. What does it mean when the numbers rise but the participation falls?
• A controversial appointment at the University of Notre Dame sparked national backlash, drawing intervention from bishops and alumni alike. The outcome may have resolved the immediate issue – but lingering concerns about Catholic identity remain.
• A recent report in Rhode Island raises difficult questions – not only about past sexual abuse, but about selective scrutiny. Why is the attention focused almost exclusively on Catholic clergy while similar issues elsewhere receive far less attention?

CATHOLIC TRENDS (SPRING (#1) 2026)

• A sitting U.S. president threatens the destruction of an entire civilization – and the Pope responds without hesitation: “this is truly unacceptable.”
• When war fails the Church’s just war criteria, what are Catholic soldiers to do? One archbishop answers: “do as little harm as you can.”
• More young people are reading the Bible than ever before – but belief is not keeping pace. What happens when curiosity outstrips conviction?
• Students are arriving at top universities unable to read full sentences – yet half of Americans didn’t open a single book last year. What does that mean for the future of faith and reason?

Catholic Trends (WINTER (#4) 2026)

• Is Christianity compatible with capitalism and nationalism – or does the Gospel demand something radically different? A debate stretching from Austrian economists to modern political leaders raises the question.
• From papal diplomacy to cultural flashpoints, today’s Catholic conversation spans wars, politics, economics, and moral witness in a divided world.
• Are Catholics becoming ideological tribes instead of disciples? Conflicts over nationalism, abortion, justice, and papal authority reveal deep tensions within the Church.
• Politics, moral data, papal leadership, and cultural clashes – a rapid-fire look at the issues stirring debate inside and outside the Church.

Catholic Trends (Winter (#3) 2026)

• Are Catholic moral values becoming a minority voice? New Gallup data reveals how Americans now judge issues of life, sexuality, and human dignity.
• What do clergy actually believe? A national survey uncovers surprising differences in belief about God, the Resurrection, Hell, and biblical truth.
• Does regular worship shape moral conviction? Fresh polling suggests religious practice still strongly influences views on marriage and sexuality.
• Signs of faith, tension, and hope in the Church today: from sacramental life and abuse perceptions to Pope Leo’s global popularity and a call to preach from prayer – not AI – this snapshot captures a Church navigating a complex cultural movement.

Catholic Trends (Winter (#2) 2026)

• Why are nine out of ten cradle Catholics leaving the Church? New research points to the decisive role of parents, marriage, and credible lived faith in raising lifelong Catholics.
• Catholicism is shifting geographically and politically in the U.S. The South is gaining millions of Catholics, while Democrats face a growing religious disconnect that’s reshaping electoral realities.
• A deepening rift in the global Church: German Bishops reject sexual binary teaching even as Rome forcefully affirms it – raising urgent questions about authority, unity, and fidelity.

Catholic Trends (WINTER 2026)

• Who counts as “Catholic” in America today?
• Ancient devotion, modern impact – praying the Rosary and its benefits.
• Faith, culture, and controversy at a crossroads – the FBI’s surveillance of Catholics.

Catholic Trends (Winter 2025)

• Pope Francis assures President Donald Trump of prayers, but says that mass deportations would be a disgrace.
• Christians make up the largest share of the world’s migrant population.
• Catholic marriage today.

Catholic Trends (Fall 2025)

• New Study on Catholic life in the United States.
• Church’s show resilience five years after the pandemic.
• The impact of Mary, the Mother of the Church, on ecclesial vocations.

CATHOLIC TRENDS (SUMMER (#2) 2025)

• Where does Pope Leo XIV stand on hot-button issues?
• Pam Bondi targets medical profession in providing services to sexually confused minors.
• Pope Leo stresses character formation as he spoke to Catholic educators.

CATHOLIC TRENDS (SUMMER (#1) 2025)

• Money, lies, and God. Inside the movement to destroy American democracy; a look at Christian nationalism that begins by riffing off the Last Judgment.
• President Trump closing U.S.A.I.D. could cost an estimated 14 million lives by 2030.
• Many still watching mass online after the pandemic.

CATHOLIC TRENDS (WINTER 2024)

• Are there bigoted cell groups within the FBI that are anti-Catholic?
• “Is the Pope Catholic? Catholic identity in the Media” was a provocative presentation at a recent Religious Research Association annual meeting.
• Newer priests tend to be more ideologically conservative.

CATHOLIC TRENDS (SPRING 2024)

• Raising Catholic children to be active Catholic adults.
• The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News and baptize all nations, which beings at home. How are we doing?
• 85% of Catholic young people leave the Faith as adults for other religions or none at all. What’s going on?