Emma McDonald

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Emma McDonald, a former Commonweal intern, earned a Master of Arts in Religion with a concentration in ethics from Yale Divinity School in 2019. She will start a PhD in Theological Ethics at Boston College this fall. 

Must Reads

Religion

My Two Abortions

The need for abortion is evidence of our broken humanity, but our current response also shows our church’s inability to respond fully to the female experience.
By Anonymous
August 27, 2019
Culture

No Man Is an Island

Thomas Merton taught me to value self-denial, but a bout of depression forced me to question whether asceticism was the healthiest response to my life.
By Nick Scrimenti
August 24, 2019
Culture

That Was Freedom

Easy Rider is a lasting work of art not only because it reflects the “spirit of the Sixties,” but because it depicts a bona fide tragedy that transcends its time.
By Santiago Ramos
August 22, 2019
Books

Out of Touch

George Weigel resurrects an antiquated and narrow form of Catholicism at a historical moment when the future of the church is in crisis.
By James Chappel
September 5, 2019
Books

Boot Camp for Nuns

I’m nineteen years old, the year is 1958, and I’ve already made it through the first nine months of probation. More than anything in the world I want to be a saint.
By Sr. Helen Prejean
September 3, 2019
Collections

Fiction in Commonweal

To celebrate the publication our summer fiction issue, a new collection of short stories from our archives.
By The Editors
July 30, 2019
Collections

Labor & the Catholic Church

Commonweal writers have long engaged with the church’s stance on labor rights, worker justice, and income inequality. Here are the best pieces from our archives.
By The Editors
July 10, 2019
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