In Defense of Fr. Ripperger
Fr. Chad Ripperger was recently accused of making statements that are “contrary to Catholic Tradition, doctrine, and theology.” We need to set the record straight.
Such a Great Witness
Catholics are opposed to sex, right? Yet it’s our godless world that empties sex of its inherent thrill and danger.
Who Put the Ashes in Ash Wednesday?
The ashes of Ash Wednesday come to us from no less a personage than Pope St. Gregory the Great.
A Modest Proposal for Lent
What exactly is the price that we are expected to pay in order to follow Christ? Love one another or die!
Catholics Are Rapidly Losing Ground
A new survey shows that for every 100 new Catholics, more than 800 people leave the Church. As bad as that is, the news is actually worse when we look more closely at the numbers. Radical changes are needed.
Keep Ringin’ Those Bells!
Are ringing bells during Mass a vestige of the bad old pre-1969 Mass, where everything was hidden from the People of God in a dead language and the priest had to get the congregation’s attention?
Liturgy, Redemption, and Contemplation
All too many modern Catholics seem to think that the only hope for renewal in the modern Church is to find it in the liturgy alone, and they seem to be blind to the importance of deep personal prayer.
The “Higher Things” Budget
Let us consider the “higher things” together. Some say they are useless extravagances. But I say (with all sane men before me) that they are teachers of mysteries, to be revered.
Outsourcing Our Duty to the Poor
Many progressive Catholics argue that opposition to government aid programs violates our obligation to help the poor. Are they right? And what exactly is our duty to the poor?
The Struggles of a Scrupulous Trad
What should we do in a modern Church full of questionable shepherds? Obviously, the solution isn’t to double down and justify our compulsive behavior. “I can’t trust anyone” is never supernaturally true.
Feminism and the Destruction of Hierarchy
Western patriarchy had nothing to do with blanket, across-the-board control of women by men. Patriarchal authority of husbands over wives was one form of hierarchical authority among others, some of which gave women authority over men.
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.