Random stuff I find interesting and you may not.
The Catholic parish geographically closest to our home is huge, with more than 13,000 parishioners, according to the diocesan website. It has confession once a week for half an hour. Let’s say (very generously) that because of age or other reasons only 3,000 of those parishioners are able to participate in the sacrament of penance … Read more
Senator Ted Cruz is trying to wake people up to what he sees as a growing crisis on the right. He has taken to saying that if he were to post “Good morning” on the social media platform X, within minutes he would be deluged by hundreds of blatantly antisemitic replies. It’s not much of … Read more
… you rarely (if ever) hear the following phrases. “Party like it’s A.D. 1570!” “We should sing more plainchant at this parish.” “I’d like to thank the choir for their sublime rendition of the Mass For Five Voices by William Byrd.” “I just love the way the four torchbearers process in with such dignity.” “People … Read more
I Left Catholicism Because of Church Scandals… Also see “Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis,” by Bishop Robert Barron (161-page PDF) Related PostsThe Rehabilitation of Disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony Pope Challenges Jesus To Debate On Whether All Religions Lead To God What Every Catholic Needs to … Read more
It wasn’t 1985 anymore, and he wasn’t in Bedford Falls. It was 2016: Barack Obama sat in the White House as the most pro-abortion president in history, and same-sex marriage had become legal in every state. In just three years as pontiff, Pope Francis had unsettled the hearts of millions of faithful Catholics with a … Read more
The much-discussed Tucker Carlson interview of the Holocaust-denying, Hitler-admiring, white-nationalist, anti-liberal MAGA influencer Nick Fuentes has brought some of the online cesspool into mainstream discussion, exposing a potential fault line in the project to build the political right’s post-Trump future. For the right, the only way out of the awful ugliness in some of its … Read more
Undoubtedly, it often happens that you try to correct certain depraved and dishonest people who are under your care, but every effort and concern is in vain. They are incorrigible, so they have to be put up with. Such incorrigibles are already in the Church. How then will you separate yourself from them so that … Read more
Ten months after its glorious reopening ceremony, the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris hosted an unusual event: the wedding of one of its own rebuilders. It is a privilege few could ever hope for, since Notre-Dame no longer hosts private ceremonies. This time, however, an exception was made — not for a monarch or a … Read more
COMMENTARY: Reconciliation must never sacrifice the timeless truths of the Church, but sadly that appears to be the case in China. Cardinal Stephen Chow, the bishop of Hong Kong, defended the state of religious freedom in Hong Kong in a public dialogue in Parramatta, Australia, on Sept. 15. If what he said were true — … Read more
When I studied at university in Durham, there was a visiting Dominican friar finishing his PhD. The more traditionally inclined among the Catholics who studied in that ancient cathedral city had a habit of turning to him for counsel on manifold matters. One such piece of mentorship this affable, stolid, clear-thinking and orthodox priest gave … Read more
A primary lesson of the Arian crisis is the ephemeral nature of political regimes. Arianism seemed to be triumphant in all provinces of the church. The orthodox leadership was beaten down, almost all the bishops were submissive, and the Arian power brokers seemed to be in complete control. Athanasius, stalked beneath the desert stars, must … Read more
Stage two has arrived in our “How-Catholic-is-the-Pope?” quest. First we had the interview with Crux and now we have “Cupichgate”. Pope Leo was asked about Cardinal Cupich’s award to the pro-abortionist Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat representing Illinois. In fact Senator Durbin has since refused the award but we are left with the papal commentary … Read more
Pope Leo’s answer to a question about the Chicago archdiocesan award for Senator Durbin was certainly disappointing. It was also largely irrelevant. The key question—the question that American bishops are now asking—is whether Cardinal Cupich can justify bestowing an honor on a pro-abortion politician. Pope Leo did not address that question. In rolling out the … Read more
A prominent cardinal has raised sharp concerns over the Vatican’s staging of a drone display above St Peter’s Basilica that included the projection of the face of Pope Francis onto the night sky during the “Grace for the World” concert earlier this month. Speaking to journalist Diane Montagna in Rome, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former … Read more
When he was a boy walking the streets in Hannibal, Missouri, pages from a biography of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) were swept up to Samuel Clemens’ feet. Upon reading the strewn pages, Clemens inquired of his mother whether Joan of Arc was a real person or a myth. As biographer Ron Chernow writes, “The chance … Read more
There is a phrase I have always disliked, which is often found in obituaries or profiles of prominent people: “he didn’t/doesn’t suffer fools gladly”. Sometimes, I am sure, it is used to convey the idea that an individual is or was impatient with humbug, excuses or persistent incompetence, which can be a useful and admirable … Read more
Last night, after writing a piece in which I quoted the late Father Paul Mankowski, I realized that the day was the 5th anniversary of his sudden death from a brain aneurysm. Veteran CatholicCulture readers knew Father Mankowski primarily as “Diogenes,” the pseudonymous writer who contributed hundreds of witty comments to this site. Other faithful … Read more
Many faithful Catholics were surprised and dismayed to learn that Pope Leo had met with Father James Martin, SJ, in a private audience last week. I share their dismay. But not their surprise. We all knew, from the moment he was elected, that Pope Leo XIV would not repudiate the policies of his predecessor. He … Read more
Patrick Peyton was dying. The year was 1938. A seminarian at the University of Notre Dame, Peyton had to face the doctor’s news: “You have tuberculosis.” A year later, “the doctor said, we don’t know if you’re going to make it,” said Fr. David S. Marcham, Vice Postulator and Guild Director for the cause of … Read more
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. Note that the kingdom of heaven is likened in the first place not to a location but to the king himself and his activity. For the Christian life is essentially a relationship with a … Read more
The Bishops would have the US incentivize illegal immigration, rewarding lawbreakers with public health benefits. America’s Catholic bishops are at it again: undermining the nation’s sovereignty and security for the sake of a misinterpretation of the Catholic Church’s teachings on immigration. In a ten-page public comment, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) asked the … Read more
The intense focus on the dailly minutia of the Holy Father can veer into unhealthy voyeurism. Not long ago, Rich Raho, a high school teacher with a not insignificant audience on 𝕏, posted a picture of Pope Leo along with this: “Every pontificate has a defining moment, and Leo’s ‘moonlight speech’ tonight was one of … Read more
God is doing something incredible with Gen Z, and secular media is noticing. The same outlets that once confidently proclaimed, “Religion is dying! Young people are leaving churches in droves! Christians to be a minority by 2050!” now seem to be changing their tune. Lately, the headlines from mainstream media read more like, “Catholicism sees … Read more
Have we ever considered why female volleyball players wear the equivalent of underwear while males wear long shorts? Why, when my son’s soccer team played a co-ed team, the girls wore very short shorts while the boys wore long ones? Pope Pius XI spoke strongly about athletic uniforms with insufficient fabric, stating: Let parents keep … Read more
Nothing less than virtue must be the guiding principle of our love for tradition, and this must be especially true for men. I did not discover the Latin Mass until seven years ago, so my Catholic upbringing as an adult convert for the past twenty-plus years was in the New Mass. The hymns were embarrassing … Read more