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Editor’s note: reminder that anyone who devoutly visits a cemetery during the Octave (between November 1st and 8th), praying — even mentally — for the departed, may obtain one plenary indulgence per day, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, under the usual conditions. ℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing. Benediction. May God the Father Omnipotent,…
Above: Saint Lawrence Liberates Souls from Purgatory by Lorenzo di Niccolò (1412). According to a very ancient popular devotion, the month of November is dedicated to the souls in Purgatory. The month begins with a triptych that brings to mind the existence of the three realms of the afterlife. October 31st marks the Vigil of…
The title of our opening lines, taken from an old English pre-Reformation (judging by its theology) ditty, literally means “The Corpse-Wake Dirge,” and it was sung at the mournful occasion its title suggests. Its lyrics, with their graphic description of the postmortem challenges facing the soul, are well worth meditating upon at this time of…
The Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, caused a deep rupture in Western public opinion, polarizing the debate between supporters of Israel and advocates of the Palestinian cause. Yet the stakes go far beyond the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the historical tensions of the Middle East: what is emerging is a strategic confrontation…
The common teaching of the saints and doctors is that the slightest pains endured in the terrible fire of Purgatory will be more painful than all the pains of the present life. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “[St.] Augustine (Enarration on Psalm 37, no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more severe…
As we come to the end of this series, there is time for one final song for the unsung, a sort of swan song, a final elegy and eulogy for those unknown heroes and heroines whose passing from this life went unheeded and unheralded but who have been sung to their rest by ministering angels….
As the liturgical year draws to its close, the Church’s voice takes on autumnal gravity. The Sundays after Pentecost turn our eyes toward the final harvest, when the Lord will take all things to Himself. This Sunday’s Collect, Epistle, and Gospel form a single meditation on mercy and judgment, protection and peril, the divine household…
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,…
