Jim McDermott

"I'm pretty much a good Catholic girl at heart," the actor once said. She was silly and soulful for a lifetime, writes Jim McDermott.

Just like the couple harboring a pursued DoorDash driver, none of us asked to be in the middle of any of this. But here we are, faced with our own versions of the cross of Christ. Our place is with those on the margins.

In this dark room, there is something inexpressibly fragile and tender being born. 

For Catholic author Gregory Maguire, the magic of life is not to be found in some technicolor fantasyland somewhere over a rainbow, but in the goodness that we discover and reveal in this world through the smallest of choices that we make.

At the Public Theater in Manhattan, the biblical story of Noah and the flood is modernized and reimagined in "Oh Happy Day!"

Years out from social distancing practices, the form for exchanging peace during Mass is often unclear. Jim McDermott turns to liturgical experts to find out what parishioners need to know about the sign of peace.

Anna Meyer's debut graphic novel Saint Catherine is a poignant examination of "salvation-and-damnation" thinking and the demons it implants within us. It's also a funny, tender portrait of life in your 20s. 

Pope Leo's official portrait is worth a second look, for it represents a radical departure in the way a pope presents himself. 

HBO's popular costume drama series "The Gilded Age" asks us to sympathize with people much like those currently running our country into the ground, writes Jim McDermott.

Rather than painting a portrait of a strange, isolated community in America, the documentary "The End of Quiet" surreptitiously creates a portrait of Americans as ourselves strange and dangerously self-isolated.

A new documentary explores why Judy Garland's Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" propelled the actor to icon status within the LGBTQ+ community.

 Horror, is "sometimes the wrapper the story is in, but you have to understand that he's writing about love, and he's writing about humanity," the filmmaker said.   

"Redwood" billed itself as a musical about a grieving mother who is healed by her time in the forest. But what made the show extraordinary is the way in which we, too, are afforded a taste of the ways in which nature can heal us.

We’re all trapped on this same train, looking for some kind of escape or relief.  And as we remember at Easter, God is present here with us, in our community.

The French documentary 7 Walks with Mark Brown, filmed by Pierre Creton and Vincent Barré, helped me realize the whole world is charged with the grandeur of God, not just the parts that stand out or look nice.

Amidst the chaos of an industry trying to regain its footing after the strikes of 2023, one fascinating trend that has emerged among popular shows is a focus on pastoral care. Jim McDermott examines the trend using "Ted Lasso," "Shrinking" and "The Pitt" as models.

While the reality of the next Congress is yet to be determined, Jim McDermott's firsthand observation of the Senate Judiciary Committee under Sen. Dick Durbin shows what can still be achieved in a time of polarization.

Although the play "N/A" "offers just a few brief references to Nancy Pelosi's Catholic faith," writes Jim McDermott, "the character seemed to exude a Catholic sensibility."

While Walz has a number of other appealing — and one might think more important — qualifications, what seems to be most exciting people about him and the Harris/Walz campaign is this notion of the good neighbor. 

"Taking President Joe Biden's faith seriously, I have found myself wondering what resources we in the church might be able to provide him in this very difficult moment," writes Jim McDermott