We’ve all gotten the message from a well-meaning coworker or friend: they’ve heard of some misfortune or illness you’ve suffered and they tell you that you’re “in their thoughts” or that they are “sending you positive feelings.” You’re left wanting to thank them but wondering just what, exactly, such a sentiment actually means. The power … Read more
“The Traditional Mass is not a spectator sport.” The statement rings out like a shot in the quiet, muggy, non-descript church. Oscillating fans buzz from various strategic locations. Incense wafts up from the thurible tucked away to the right of the altar. The congregants sit quietly, attentive. The women’s heads are covered, and everyone is … Read more
In 1971, a group of distinguished individuals — artists, writers, musicians, intellectuals — sent an appeal to Pope Paul VI requesting that he preserve the classical Roman Rite of the Mass. This group, composed of Catholics and non-Catholics alike, had as their aim not the maintenance of a particular theological mode of worship so much … Read more
I arrive at the Mission, having driven past the casino and its glittering billboard, stucco and neon mixing garishly among the saguaro. I’ve come to take pictures of this beautiful but challenging monument, indulging my photographic interest in a place rich in Catholic tradition that I have somehow never heard of before coming to this … Read more
As the opening decade of the 21st century draws to a close, the world is confronted with a vast, ever-changing array of media platforms. Gone are the days when newspapers, magazines, and rabbit-eared television sets dominated our consumption of information. We now live in an age of fiber-optic television, cell phones as powerful as desktop … Read more
(This one’s for Zoe!) The New York Times has a story today about Wal-Mart’s new push to source more of its produce from local (read: in-state) farmers: The program is intended to put more locally grown food in Wal-Mart stores in the United States, invest in training and infrastructure for small and medium-sized farmers particularly … Read more
As the discussion continues to move along in the comments over on my piece about the need for traditional Catholics to show a bit more friendly charity (the horror!) examples have begun to spring up around the Internet showing exactly what I’m talking about. Predictably, one of the very forums I mentioned as an example … Read more
Over the course of the seven years I’ve been writing on Catholic topics, I made no attempt to hide that I was flirting with, then later became, a “traditionalist” Catholic. The process was, for me, a surprising one, since despite my liturgically conservative tastes, my first few exposures to the Gregorian liturgy left me cold. … Read more
Timothy Carney, senior political columnist for The Washington Examiner, notes an interesting distinction between the fiscally libertarian Tea Partiers scoring upsets in political races across the country and their defeated, standard-bearing Republican counterparts: The economy, taxes, spending, health care, and bailouts dominate the headlines and Tea Party rallies this year. But just beneath the surface, … Read more
No, I’m not a musician doing an accoustic set. Instead I’m a guy who has had to do some serious budget downsizing, which included dropping my cell phone when the contract ended. I’ve been without it for almost two weeks now, and I still have phantom phone syndrome. I’m not just a cell phone user, … Read more
Among friends and family, I’m known for being an amateur barista and coffee aficionado. It’s not that I’m a connoisseur — far from it — but I have high standards when it comes to the quality of my coffee, and I try to stay informed on how to achieve excellence in every sip. Knowing this, … Read more
Over the course of the past few days, Fr. Dwight Longnecker has posted several times on the question of so-called “church shopping.” He begins with an examination of the phenomenon in Protestant churches, which, as a result of their constant splits and re-foundations have a real problem on their hands: The only thing that remains, … Read more
Christopher Hitchens, it seems, is dying of cancer. And he asks, in an article penned for October’s Vanity Fair, that you do not pray for him. This is probably not news to many of you, if not most. I do not follow the man’s career, and am in fact only vaguely aware of him as … Read more
I just wanted to pop in for a quick post to thank those of you who offered words of encouragement and, far better, prayers, for the recent plight of my family. The great news is that just days after writing it, I got a job offer, and started right away. Through the generosity of friends, … Read more
I arrive at the mission, having driven past the casino and its glittering billboard, stucco and neon mixing garishly among the saguaro. I’ve come to take pictures of this beautiful but challenging monument, indulging my photographic interest in a place rich in Catholic tradition that I have somehow never heard of before coming to this … Read more
Despite my best intentions, I’ve been more absent from posting than I’d hoped. I did spend about a week in the gorgeous mountains of North Carolina, photographing my little sister’s wedding. And of course, things are always busy around the house with the kids. But more than anything, I’ve been looking for work. Yes, that’s … Read more
As I sit down to write this, I imagine a dramatically lit hourglass perched on the desk in front of me, the slipping sand warning me that shortly they will awaken — ravenous, pulling books off shelves, turning electronic devices on and off at random, climbing everything in sight, and tearing open any package of … Read more
The Associated Press reported yesterday that only two weeks after BP finally put an end to what seemed like an impossible oil gusher, most of the oil seems to have…disappeared. So where did the oil go? “Some of the oil evaporates,” explains Edward Bouwer, professor of environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins University. That’s especially true … Read more
Every day while I’m at home with the kids, they bug me to do “actibuhdees” with them. I’m not great on the activities front: I’m artsy but not craftsy. I can put crayons and paper in front of them, have them help me cook something – I’ve even enlisted their assistance in the making of … Read more
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Steve Skojec, and you might remember me from such blogs as: Inside Catholic, or even, if you didn’t loathe every thought I committed to writing, my old blog at SteveSkojec.com (it’s now the site for my as-yet-in-the-idea-phase photography business, about to undergo changes of its own soon, … Read more