Janet E. Smith

Father John Berg celebrates the traditional Latin Mass in 2018 at St. Mary's Church on Broadway in Providence, Rhode Island.

Let’s Study the Impact of the Traditional Latin Mass

COMMENTARY: The U.S. bishops will likely discover considerable evidence that proliferation of traditional Latin Masses has been largely a unifying force in the Church — worshippers have been brought into the parishes where youthful zeal is having a noticeable impact.

Janet E. Smith Commentaries July 21, 2021

New book offers a new perspective on a beloved Gospel.

Seeing Jesus Through the Eyes of Mary

COMMENTARY: Message of new book that offers a rich, multilayered filter through which to read the Gospel of John: ‘Lectio divina’ beats board games.

Janet E. Smith Books April 10, 2021

A man wearing a face mask prays in front of a mural outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in Los Angeles, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020.

6 Ways to Carry On in Our Current Crisis

COMMENTARY: So many are asking, ‘What do we do now?’ Here is my humble plan.

Janet E. Smith Commentaries February 16, 2021

A man sits alone inside a Catholic church praying.

Catholic Church Sex Abuse: What Is Suitable Compensation for a Life of Trauma?

COMMENTARY: The Church really needs to do some deep thinking on how it should respond.

Janet E. Smith Commentaries January 27, 2021

Pharmacist Serena Burgdorf administers a Covid-19 Moderna vaccine shot to Christine Griffin, Army Veteran, who has a spinal injury and is inpatient at the West Roxbury VA Medical Center in Boston, MA on December 23, 2020. The VA is vaccinating front line workers and at risk patients during phase one.

The Morality of the COVID-19 Vaccines

If morally unproblematic alternatives were available, one should refuse anything produced or tested using cell lines made from aborted fetuses for the sake of honoring the inherent dignity of the aborted victim. The question remains, is it always and everywhere wrong for a person, to avail themselves of this benefit if no alternatives are available?

Janet E. Smith Commentaries December 24, 2020

Several hundred activists gathered for a rally & march in Times Square.

Black Lives Matter: What’s a Parent to Do?

COMMENTARY: Advice for parents on how to talk to their children who fail to make a distinction between protests against serious injustices against Black people and the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

Janet E. Smith Commentaries July 19, 2020

The unresponsiveness of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to victims is the focus of The Keepers on Netflix.

Revictimizing the Victims of Sexual Abuse

COMMENTARY: Bishops and dioceses must answer the phone calls of victims, meet with them, hear their stories and empathize with them. That is not too much to ask.

Janet E. Smith Commentaries May 21, 2020