The poet T.S. Eliot once wrote, “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory […]
About: Thom Nickels
Thom Nickels: The Spirit of ’76 — and 2026
In Philadelphia these days there are two kinds of theater experiences. There’s the Walnut Street Theater with its mostly mainstream […]
Thom Nickels: Catholic conversions surged this Easter
It’s been all over the news: United States Catholics see a 38 percent surge in adult converts over Easter 2026. […]
Thom Nickels: Anglican implosion
The new female Archbishop of Canterbury is, as many have mentioned, “the pure distilled essence of everything wrong with the […]
Thom Nickels: Comedy in the age of Trump
I’m no fan of late night comedy or even comedians for that matter, although years ago I found myself admiring […]
Thom Nickels: In a time of upheaval, Fulton J. Sheen offers a model of clarity
In September 2026, a light will shine on the American Catholic Church when Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979) will be beatified […]
Thom Nickels: The organization formerly known as Boy Scouts
The Boy Scout camp known as Camp Horseshoe in Rising Sun, Maryland, was my summer home for one week when […]
Thom Nickels: The Associated Press gone fully Orwellian
There was no AP Style book when I was in journalism school, but there was an AP satellite office next […]
Thom Nickels: Literary criticism in the Trump era suffers from an excess of politics
It’s derangement all the way down.
By Thom Nickels
Thom Nickels: Too much ‘fun’ in funerals now
There’s been a radical shift in society when it comes to funerals. It goes much deeper than cheaper, more economical […]