Since the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI to renounce the Papacy at the end of this month, the Internet has been buzzing with the legend of the “List of St. Malachy.” This list is said to contain the names of all the Popes beginning with Pope Celestine II to the end of time. The total […]
Not so long ago, most ecclesiastical officials and Catholic academicians emphasized solidarity as a political ideal. Owing to a common misunderstanding of both government and solidarity, that emphasis was almost always at the expense of subsidiarity. In recent years, however, the tide in favor of subsidiarity has begun to turn. It remains true that concern for […]
The Church, by which I mean hierarchy, clergy, religious, and laity, must step up and face the challenge posed by the militant gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer activists — the GLBTQ coalition. It is simply not enough to defend marriage; we have to explain to the people in the pews, to our children, and […]
For medical reasons, some members of the Fenelon Clan are unable to precisely follow the Church’s precept to fast during Lent. Because of our conditions, we could receive dispensation from fasting altogether, but to us, that seems like the easy way out. We almost feel as if we’re cheating. So, we fast to the measure […]
Second Station Good Friday The other day, when we were walking (we are almost out of time) I remember you said something serious (jokingly, of course, of course) something about a kingdom (my kingdom for a horse?) maybe it was something else (what about hands) that’s it, I remember (The Kingdom of Heaven is at […]
Have you ever had someone tell you to get over it when you’re expressing the pain of a failed relationship? It’s not easy to get over it. Whatever “it” is, you have been affected, and you can’t control your feelings or your memories. In your mind, you wonder how you are supposed to get over […]
Plutocracies are societies where majority wealth is controlled by a shrinking minority. They are driven by economies powered and consumed by the wealthiest class over a mass population dependent upon their fortunes. Wealth creation is the principal motivator in these economies and corporations are their vital actors. Snatching public policy away from the hands of […]
SERENUS was by birth a Grecian. He quitted estate, friends, and country to serve God its celibacy, penance, and prayer. With this design he bought a garden in Sirmium in Pannonia, which he cultivated with his own hands, and lived on the fruits and herbs it produced. One day there came thither a woman, with […]
Last week a UN commission that formulates social policies acknowledged the role of the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society, rejecting attempts by western nations to re-define the family. The Commission on Social Development concluded its annual session by adopting a resolution observing the International Year of the Family in 2014 that […]
“[N]ews reports abound which are often unverified or unverifiable, or completely false…” –Communique this morning from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, released at the Vatican Press Office The Vatican Speaks Out Evidently concerned that the upcoming papal conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI (the conclave is now expected to be held between […]
Life IX The heart asks pleasure first, And then, excuse from pain; And then, those little anodynes That deaden suffering And then, to go to sleep; And then, if it should be The will of its Inquisitor, The liberty to die. Emily Dickinson
I overheard him make the plans. On his way home from work he picked up the perfect wrist corsage. He wore his nicest suit, and waved to the kids and I as he drove to her house to pick her up for a night of dancing. I knew all about her, but I was okay. […]
ST. POLYCARP, Bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of St. John. He wrote to the Philippians, exhorting them to mutual love and to hatred of heresy. When the apostate Marcion met St. Polycarp at Rome, he asked the aged Saint if he knew him. “Yes,” St. Polycarp answered, “I know you for the first-born of […]
“…As we grow older the world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated…” –T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets, East Coker The Witnesses Last night, my phone rang twice, just before 3 in the morning. In the morning, I found three emails from the same person, a priest I know. He called again this morning. He wanted […]
The first time I saw women holding Silent No More Awareness Campaignsigns, I was overwhelmed with contradictory feelings. “I regret my abortion”? Did I read that correctly? Aren’t these women ashamed of themselves? Then I felt the warmth of my own shame burning my cheeks followed by chills and tears. I had to face the truth: […]
“Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate” — Psalm 143:4. The Secret Report Given to the Pope on December 17 Today a veil of secrecy was shredded in this eternal city. Today therefore marked the beginning of a difficult, important struggle for the purification of the government of the […]
What is the place of failure in the Christian life? Not long ago, I spoke with a Calvinist friend who has been “barred from the table” (not allowed to partake in the Lord’s Supper) due to his personal struggles with sin. As a Catholic, I can understand this, for we also refrain from receiving the […]
“Good Friday” Intro Deus meus, Deus meus, O my Lord, Save us, save us, Through your mercy Save us. Adam, see what you started, Eve, see what you did, All your sins, and yours and mine, He was somehow able to forgive. Hear that sound, it is a gong, A solitary steady song, Hear it […]
Single men and women who living out faithful lives in the Church are often met with tension with regards to what it means to be seemingly vocationless or “in limbo”. Fortunately, there are a number of people in the Church (leaders, religious, priests, and single lay Catholics themselves) who are working tirelessly to address the […]
A new book by Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), challenges the myth that vulnerable people are not at risk under euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation. Using only data gathered from peer reviewed journal articles and studies, Schadenberg proves this assertion false in Exposing Vulnerable People to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, published in […]
For the last several weeks I’ve been teaching an online course about the role of the Catholic laity. We’d just gotten to the subject of personal vocation when the startling news came through: Benedict XVI was stepping down as pope. Posting a question that Monday morning to get my students’ discussion rolling for the week, […]
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Benedict’s vision for an alternative political economy resonates with people of all faiths and none.
