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The Meaning of Easter
by Kevin M. Tierney
To the secular world, our celebration of Easter Sunday is an odd event. In their eyes, we celebrate a corpse rising from the dead, and they really can’t figure out why.
Author Archive for Kevin M. Tierney
Today’s Holy Innocents
by Kevin M. Tierney
When one looks at the liturgical calendar, one sees a message the Church is attempting to instill within us. Right after we erupt with jubilation over the birth of Christ, we meditate over the first martyr, St. Stephen. He reminds us that this joy has a price, and that price is higher than we could […]
Front Row With Francis: The Family and Evangelization
by Kevin M. Tierney
by Kevin M. Tierney on Sep 07, 2015 in Catechesis, Featured, Learn & Live the Faith, The Shepherd's Voice 
Continuing his catechesis on the importance of the family, Pope Francis’ latest audience is on the role families play in evangelization. Whenever we think about evangelizing, we tend to think of it as something individuals do. We seldom pay attention to the role families have in this critical process. The first and most important role […]
Traditionalism and Being “Pastoral”
by Kevin M. Tierney
Hello William, In your previous letter, you outlined your concern about in whether traditionally minded priests can actually govern in the American Church. I have delayed in responding (and still respond reluctantly) because I’m not really sure what exactly you are looking for. For every case of a “traditional” priest behaving autocratically, can we not […]
Should Popes Speak About Only “Religious” Matters?
by Kevin M. Tierney
by Kevin M. Tierney on Jul 01, 2015 in Catechesis, Featured, Government & Politics, Learn & Live the Faith, Society & Common Good, The Social Order
With the release of the Pope’s encyclical “Laudato si‘” there has been a lot of debate over the content of the Holy Father’s remarks. Unlike some commentators, I do not think that should be shut down. Those who question global warming (something I do believe in) are not like those dissenting from Humanae Vitae. Not […]
How a Parish Can Attract Traditionalists
by Kevin M. Tierney
Dear William, When I shared your previous letter on Facebook, I referred to the contents as “interesting.” In it, you expressed a desire that over time, the need for the Extraordinary Form would lessen, and that you hope traditionalists would begin to frequent a better done Ordinary Form liturgy. This is a difficult discussion, but I’d like […]
The Reality of the Traditionalist Ghetto
by Kevin M. Tierney
Hello William, In your previous letter you mentioned your concerns with the “indult ghetto” mentality that is evident in some (but not all!) traditionalist communities. Another way of saying this is that they tend to separate themselves from the Church at large, focus on only their liturgy and parish, and really not interact with the […]
The Hijacking of the Catholic Mind
by Kevin M. Tierney
Dear William, In your last letter you expressed concern over fears a wave of polarization on the internet is hijacking the traditionalist movement, listing two individuals in particular. Whether or not they are “traditionalists” (for reasons both have documented clear, they do not use the label, however they hold many views sympathetic to what your […]
Traditionalism, Humility, and the Prophetic Voice
by Kevin M. Tierney
Hello William, I thank you for your questions. They are going to be tough to give a comprehensive answer to given current limitations, but I’ll try to cover what I can. We must begin with the usual caveat that I am only speaking for Kevin Tierney. John Allen is known for saying that the number […]
Can Traditionalism Function in the Modern Church?
by Kevin M. Tierney
Mr. Bornhoft, I thank you for your response to my letter. I think, after reading it, you should revisit some of the claims you originally made. At most, they are colloquial expressions made by a few writers which don’t hold up to theological scrutiny, something which isn’t that shocking when you look at most of […]
Is the Church Opposed to Traditionalism?
by Kevin M. Tierney
*Editors Note: Over the next few weeks William Bornhoft and myself will be in a dialogue over the role of traditionalists within the Church today.* Mr. Bornhoft, I read your article “The Latin Mass is Not the Key to the New Evangelization” with interest, and it must also be admitted, with a bit of bewilderment. […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Creed
by Kevin M. Tierney
When one considers what the most important part of the Liturgy of the Word is, you would think that the proclamation of that word would easily rank in the top slot. I don’t wish to tell my reader they are wrong, but I submit there is something else that is also of the highest importance. […]
The Synod and Being Afraid of the Gospel
by Kevin M. Tierney
As editor here at Catholic Lane, we’ve received a lot of submissions regarding the synod. Our correspondent Karee Santos has been busy giving you her thoughts on the Synod from the standpoint of someone who deals with marriage prep in the real world. I’ve received several submissions from readers who wish to offer their own […]
The Bad Evangelist Club: Do Protestants Have the Holy Spirit?
by Kevin M. Tierney
by Kevin M. Tierney on Sep 23, 2014 in Apologetics, Catechesis, Columnists, Featured, Learn & Live the Faith
Here at the Bad Evangelist Club, we are trying to do more than just correct some misguided ideas you hear from a lot of apologists and evangelists. In addition to pointing out what not to think, it helps to remember what we should think. When it comes to the topic of Protestants and Ecumenism, it is […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Scriptures
by Kevin M. Tierney
Whatever Mass we attend here in the Roman Rite is broken up into two parts: The Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. There are endless debates in reform communities over which is more “important”, and that debate bores me. It really isn’t Catholic to say one part of Mass is more […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Gloria
by Kevin M. Tierney
After the Confetior and a few short prayers (such as the Kyrie), the priest then intones the Gloria by proclaiming the first few words aloud: Gloria in excelsis Deo, Glory to God in the highest. We are reminded of the night Christ was born, when the angels proclaimed this very phrase to the world. What we might not […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Introit
by Kevin M. Tierney
After the Confetior and a series of prayers, the priest ascends the altar and begins to read the Introit. During High Mass, this is the set of verses that is chanted as Mass begins. In the Ordinary Form, this is referred to as the “opening verse”, and is actually optional. The priest might say it […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Saints and God’s Mercy
by Kevin M. Tierney
When calling for the reform of the Sacred Liturgy, the Second Vatican Council said the following: The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people’s powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation. (Sacrosanctum Concillium 34) When […]
Thinking Liturgically: Who is Our Helper?
by Kevin M. Tierney
Why do we go to Mass? While this might seem like an easy question, try and figure out a way to describe why we go to Mass in a quick and easy fashion. Traditionally, it is said the point of Mass is fourfold: that of adoration, reparation, intercession and thanksgiving. To anyone well versed in […]
Thinking Liturgically: God’s Justice
by Kevin M. Tierney
When the priest begins Mass in the Extraordinary Form, he does so by praying Psalm 42 (or 43, depending on your bible’s translation.) The priest asks for God to judge Him (and all present), and to distinguish his (and all of our) causes from that of the unjust. When we attempt to understand what this […]
Saving the Catholic Internet From Itself
by Kevin M. Tierney
You may have heard that the blogosphere (the community of Catholic bloggers) has been involved in a bit of controversy lately. If you haven’t, good for you. The rest of us lost a week or two of our lives we can never reclaim. I’m really not interested in rehashing the sordid details of what started […]
Thinking Liturgically: The God of My Youth
by Kevin M. Tierney
When one studies the prayers and rubrics of the Mass (especially in the Extraordinary Form and ancient Eastern Rites), there is a striking aspect about all of them: just how Jewish they are. While Christianity developed in various cultures through thousands of years, the worship of God is still firmly rooted in Jewish customs and […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Sign of the Cross
by Kevin M. Tierney
When it comes to Divine Worship, there are a lot of misconceptions people have about Catholicism. Sometimes people aren’t necessarily wrong, but the signs of the liturgy are presented as empty clichés. A lot of times this behavior even comes from fellow Catholics. Take the Sign of the Cross. There is probably no prayer more powerful than those words […]
Thinking Liturgically: The Asperges
by Kevin M. Tierney
One of the reasons I love the Extraordinary Form is that within the rite, there are a lot of lovely little ceremonies that either didn’t survive the liturgical reform, or they survived in name only. The Asperges Me is one such ceremony. While it is technically still available, it is one option among many, and […]
