John Garvey

Intellect and Virtue

John Garvey is the president of The Catholic University of America.

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In the beginning

Stephen Hawking died last month. He was a brilliant and influential physicist responsible for, among other things, the conclusion that black holes emit energy that we now call “Hawking radiation.” […]

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As we forgive

We recently added the papers of Father Richard John Neuhaus to our university library’s collection of important figures in American Catholic history. Among them are a number of reviews of […]

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Forming attitudes of athletes

When I was about 13, I had a bad temper — so bad that I quit playing golf. When I played poorly (which was most of the time), I would […]

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Repeat after me

The Supreme Court heard arguments this month in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a case about whether the government can make a Christian baker design a cake celebrating […]

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Why poetry matters

Richard Wilbur died last month. He was, Dana Gioia said, the finest poet of his generation and the greatest American Christian poet since Eliot. Here’s an example of why I […]

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Making and renewing vows

Last week a friend invited my wife and me to join her in celebrating the 50th anniversary of her perpetual vows. It was a simple but moving ceremony. There was […]

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The company of good people

St. Bonaventure says in his little treatise Bringing Forth Christ, “Seek the company of good people. If you share their company, you will also share their virtue.” With this thought […]

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Calling God ‘Our Father’

Our last 11 grandchildren in a row have been girls, so I’ve gotten careful about asserting claims of male prerogative. But this Father’s Day got me thinking about how we […]

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Good examples of virtue

It’s that time of year again — time to fight over commencement speakers. It happens every May. Some Catholic college will feature a speaker who has taken public positions at […]

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Form and chaos

I am not the first to notice that ideas and styles spread across the fine arts, regardless of medium or genre. In the middle of the 19th century, orchestras grew […]

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The Johnson Amendment

At the National Prayer Breakfast this month, President Donald Trump promised to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment “and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of […]

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Apostolate to the Fourth World

By John Garvey When the U.S. Catholic bishops do their laudable work looking out for the needs and rights of migrants and refugees, they are looking out for a large […]