In this issue: Cardinal George: ‘What is a secular society? It is one where ... values and moral norms are personal preferences, without any objective base to determine right from wrong.’ Tom Sheridan: Getting a perspective: As I write this, we’ve just concluded a horrible week: The aftermath of the Shuttle Columbia tragedy; a reeling stock market; imminent war and a Condition Orange terrorism alert. In the meantime, there was another item that struck me, one which has nothing to do with today’s anguish, but may give current events a different perspective. Read Observations. There are often misunderstandings in the way the church is governed, especially when such governance is compared with our everyday experience. Archdiocesan experts in the Code of Canon Law explain how - and why - church law developed and how it functions. Feb. 16 Defining authority and structure in the church Feb. 2 A trial for a crime in the courts of the church Jan. 19 The church conducts trials? Jan. 5 Sacraments and the rights of the faithful Dec. 22 The church’s listing of rights and duties for everyone Dec. 8 Guiding the gifts of the Spirit

Church leaders call for peace as the winds of war blow harder
As the world waited for the U.N. weapons inspectors to make a Feb. 14 report of their findings in Iraq, Pope John Paul II appealed again for a peaceful settlement of the crisis and sent a high-level envoy to Baghdad to press for greater cooperation with the inspection regime.

Local response to Iraq
In Chicago, Catholic activists who have made recent visits to Iraq are spreading the word about the situation the people there face.

An attack on Iraq “at this lime” would probably create more problems than it would solve, Loyola University’s Father Richard Woods and lay minister Sheila Provencher warned a Feb. 9 forum at St. Clement Church in Lincoln Park.

Making miracles: Chicago helps make a difference in New Mexico
Las Cruces, N.M.—Ruben Nunez stood under a bright blue sky, a light breeze ruffling his hair and creating eddies of dust around his feet. As loose dogs wandered by and a pony peered out from a shed made of packing crates, Nunez began the story of las colonias, small communities of Mexican immigrant workers in the Texas and New Mexican border country.

CCHD makes a difference in Chicago, too
The Archdiocese of Chicago not only gives the most money to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, it benefits more than any other diocese, said Elena Segura, the archdiocese’s CCHD director.

Between the money kept in the diocese for local grants and the money that flows back in national grants, between 70 and 80 percent of what parishioners contribute flows back to projects in the archdiocese.

Icons: Where art and faith intersect
When Meltem Aktas arrived in the United States 14 years ago, she brought with her a fascination with the Orthodox and Eastern-rite icons she saw in her native Turkey, and the desire to bring the sacred art form to Western audiences.

Campaign gives voice, resources to those in need
Father Robert J. Vitillo is a priest of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., but with his love of Italian cooking, he claims Rome as his hometown. Read The Interview