Max Lindenman

Bishop Martino: a culture warrior hands in his spurs

I may not be the sort of Catholic who normally appreciates a hardline scold like Joseph Martino, who resigned August 31st as bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania. But all the same, I feel a eulogy coming on.Since...

Mama Church in Dixie

In my freshman year at ASU, I showed up to Fall Rush covered in dust and sweat, carrying my lacrosse equipment over my shoulder. I saw no reason to feel self-conscious. It was the first day of practice; the...

DIY Catholicism?

.A very old joke -- allegedly one of Freud's favorites -- has a young man named Itzig drafted into the army and assigned to an artillery battery. Though obviously intelligent, he proves unwilling to adapt to army routine. Taking him aside...

The Vatican: out of touch like a fox

Predictably, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is now stuck in a Mexican standoff with the two departments of the Holy See determined to uncover what our consecrated women believe and do. Just as predictably, everyone has an opinion.Some...

No More Deaths volunteer guilty of littering

Say what you like about the Federal prosecutors who went after Walt Staton: they don't lack for ingenuity.After Staton left a cache of water bottles in Arizona's Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge, they got a jury to...

The perils of discernment

In my brief bio, I mention that I am trying to discern whether I have a vocation for the priesthood. Touchingly, a number of readers have written me e-mails, wishing me luck in my discernment process. But last...

That darn gay thing

Homosexuality and the Church. For some Catholics it’s so easy. To those who happily take their cues straight from the Curia, it’s intrinsically disordered, an abomination and just plain bad. To the so-called cafeteria Catholics...

The Maria Goretti experience: part two

The Church of St. Maria Goretti stands at 6261, North Granite Reef Road. It is a quietly upscale residential neighborhood, comfortably out of honking distance of McDonald, the nearest major thoroughfare. The church itself is a small architectural...

The Maria Goretti experience: part one

So my home parish, Tempe's All Saints Catholic Newman Center, is due to merge with the greater Catholic Church -- what Sarah Palin, were she still Catholic, would probably call the real Catholic Church. Having entered the Church just...

Hall of mirrors

Since Monday morning, when I first published an opinion piece on the upcoming Newman Center handover, I've received a great deal of feedback. Naturally, all of the messages have been strongly partisan, but most were very thoughtful. ...

Currently in Los Angeles