A sub-category of News.
One of the accusations most often made against the Catholic Church is that of being misogynistic—that it does not appreciate women enough or give them their rightful place. Now, it can be admitted that, throughout history, there may have been instances of inappropriate behavior. But to label the Church as a misogynistic institution seems, at…
Above: the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. My acquaintance with the Traditional Latin Mass – that is, the old, pre-reform rite – began, like that of many of my compatriots, through popular culture. Let us not deny it: cinema and television have always offered the most vivid and striking imagery. The Catholic brand…
Today, October 31, marks “Reformation Day,” which commemorates the unfortunate split between Protestants and Catholics in 1517. When we look back at the upheaval of the 16th century, we tend to picture the Protestant Reformers as men who rejected Catholicism in its entirety. Yet a closer look reveals something more nuanced—and even ironic. Martin Luther,…
Ours is the only culture in history that mocks the devil while pretending he doesn’t exist. Every Halloween, we flirt with the infernal, pretending it’s all make-believe—until something evil happens, and then we stand astonished that the line between play and peril has worn so thin. Halloween is, strangely enough, the one night when modern…
Perhaps you’ve wondered what was the most “spectacular” miracle performed by our Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly life. Reading the sacred texts of the Bible sometimes stirs such curious questions in our minds. As for me, I consider His walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee and the Resurrection of Lazarus to…
Known in some places as Allhallowtide, the Vigil of All Saints, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day form a sort of triduum. While All Saints Day is still a Holy Day of Obligation, the Church’s traditions and customs have enriched all of these three days with unique and time-honored customs that we need to…
The Church of England is much in the news these days, and not least because Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and de facto (if not de jure) Supreme Governor of the Church of England has appointed a woman to be that body’s ecclesiastical head. This…
With the approach of Halloween, another “Holiday” battle begins. Unlike the annual fracas every December which pits believers in Christ’s birth and cultural traditionalists on the one side against those who believe that the celebration of Jesus’ birth should be submerged in a generic “Holiday Season,” this one sends Christians against Christians. On the one…
Say “marriage preparation” and no small number of Catholics would likely say “a hoop the priest made us jump through” to let us marry in the Church; some would say, “a waste of time.” Many marriage prep programs are talks. Rarely is there any reading; and if there is, it’s usually Fr. Joseph Champlin’s booklet…
It was 1981, and a series of brightly colored TV-show posters hung on the chalkboard—Howdy Doody, Superman, a ventriloquist dummy, and a few others. The third-grade teacher polled the class on the previous night’s homework assignment to find out from their parents which of the given options had been their favorite to watch as a…
