It’s Time We Stop Singing About Ourselves at Mass
What makes for a “suitable hymn”? How should we gauge “good” and “bad” hymns? I would suggest using a very simple litmus test by asking this question: “Whom are we singing to?”
Catholics Shouldn’t Flee the Cities
The desire to live in the country is understandable, but Catholics cannot flee the cities.
Bishops Burning Bridges
As much as the American public is shocked by the ongoing DOGE revelations of our abuse by the Federal government, betrayal by spiritual leaders is infinitely worse.
An Examination of Conscience for a Jaded Francis Reader
There’s something to be learned from the pope’s actions, timing, and even (as I suspect this is) missteps—not necessarily because the pope is trying to teach us but because God always is.
What is a Catholic’s Duty to the Pope?
There’s a lot of confusion among Catholics regarding our obligations to the pope. Do we have to agree with everything he says? Must we implement his political views? Are we allowed to ignore him? We’ll break down exactly when we must adhere to the pope’s views and when we don’t have to.
Uncomfortable Martyrdoms
The dominant narrative of victimized American Indians and victimizer white settlers has a tendency to obscure what the many civilizations and tribes of our continent’s indigenous populations were truly like.
Traditional Catholics and the Problem of Scrupulosity
Traditional Catholics are particularly susceptible to scrupulosity, because a (understandable) lack of trust in the leaders of the Church can lead to an increased reliance on one’s own understanding, and therefore scrupulosity.
You Suffer, We Get the Credit
The American Church in my lifetime, as an institution rather than as individual priests or bishops here and there, has done nothing to keep the working class in the fold.
Sacrificing Catholics for Ecumenism
Catholics, especially younger Catholics, are urged under the name of charity to be more open to Protestants, which is difficult if not impossible to delineate from simply being less Catholic.
The Trendy Peasant
Homesteading has become trendy, but the Catholic Land Movement has been advocating for it for decades.
St. Michael “Casting” or “Thrusting” Satan Into Hell?
The more I pray the St. Michael Prayer, the more I am convinced of its benefits.
Changing Demographics and Culture
There’s a problem with black American culture, and it’s not racist to say that.
Women Don’t Need More Ministerial Roles—We Need Churching!
In all this talk about women’s role in the Church, a more vital and visible female role for the future of the Church has been drastically overlooked—that of the mother.
Why the Walls of Notre-Dame de Paris Are Groaning
The new Notre-Dame de Paris would shock the saints and holy doctors who prayed within its hallowed columns and vaulted ceiling. But today its walls moan as they are compelled to embrace the hellscape of liturgical innovation.
Technology Is Not Neutral
The Church has long pointed out the dangers of technology, with even the earliest pages of Scripture noting the connection between technology and the line of Cain.
Sometimes We Should Not Try to “Fix” the Local Parish
Once children are part of our lives, we need to think more carefully about the liturgy we attend week in, week out.
Tired of New Ideas
I am tired of new ideas. I don’t mean to say that I’m tired of learning. Nor do I mean that I don’t appreciate fresh takes on old subjects. But the constant reinvention of the wheel has worn me out.
Time to Return to the Prayer of Our Fathers
Just as the Catholic Faith has been reduced to little more than an intellectual philosophy of life for the clergy—all head and no heart—the same happened to the laity, who depend on them for their spirituality.
The Truth That Dare Not Speak Its Name
The real division in political as in cultural and religious life is between those who accept that Christ is King over all nations and all men and those who do not.
