Category Archives: Spirit of communication

A Theology of the Disembodied: The Pope’s ‘AI’ Caveats Continue

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Hear my interview with Father Philip Larrey, an advisor to the Vatican on artificial intelligence. Recorded in early February, this 47-minute audio provides Fr. Larrey’s insights on AI’s benefits and challenges, expanding upon the World Communications Day message described below. … Continue reading →

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Remembering Charles Osgood, a Muse of the News

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

Charles Osgood, an immensely talented alumnus of Catholic schooling and brilliantly effective purveyor of a “Catholic imagination,” died Jan. 23 at age 91, leaving an upbeat legacy in secular American journalism. Osgood played a role in inspiring my own study … Continue reading →

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Words of the Year: ‘That Man is Not Real!’

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was first published in “Phronesis in Pieces,” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please consider subscribing. You can inspect links to my latest work in print and online, including a radio program I produced and hosted, as well as a PBS segment … Continue reading →

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A Worldly-Wise Carol That Makes Us Wonder

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was published in the latest edition of “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. The gently pensive Christmas carol, “I Wonder as I Wander,” offers a few “epiphanies,” so to speak, about our secular politics and culture. American folklorist John … Continue reading →

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Why ‘Head of State’ Should Win the POTUS Horse Race

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was published in the latest edition of “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. Please consider subscribing to that publication. Whom should Americans elect as president in 2024? Here’s an answer that flips the standard viewpoint: Choose a worthy “head … Continue reading →

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We Need a Little Advent, Right This Very Minute

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This is a preview of a commentary to be published soon in “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. Also, check out my podcast interview by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. This 2018 “Church Life … Continue reading →

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Propaedeutics: The Last Word in First-Class Learning

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was also published in “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com. Universities often promise they will “prepare students to be leaders,” but it’s not clear how much progress either the teachers or the learners are making. How can we cultivate … Continue reading →

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being Entertained

Posted on November 13, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was published in the Magis Center Blog on Nov. 8, 2023. The Magis Center, founded and led by Rev. Robert Spitzer, SJ, seeks “to restore, reconstruct, and revitalize belief in God, the transcendent dignity of every human person, the significance … Continue reading →

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Oh, Grow Up! But How?

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

This commentary was published in “Phronesis in Pieces” at billschmitt.substack.com on Oct. 30. Just as an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, we need to see the members of “Generation Z”—now in their teens and twenties—as products of generations … Continue reading →

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Pilgrimage: A Trek in Nature Brings NY State of Mind to Shrine

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Bill Schmitt

Published in The Tablet, newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, on Oct. 28. Sisters of Life precede a Eucharistic procession that was part of a four-day pilgrimage to the New York State Eucharistic Congress. (Photo: William Schmitt) ALBANY — Days … Continue reading →

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