The Quest for the True Cross
The reality of the True Cross, found by St. Helena, testifies to the historical facts behind the Gospel, and thereby behind our salvation.
The Curmudgeonly Catholic: Three Life Lessons from Evelyn Waugh
On the anniversary of his conversion to Catholicism, we would do well to learn some lessons from the life of Evelyn Waugh.
Stubborn Roots: A Review of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
To know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom. ∼ Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited Wisdom is indeed a wonderful thing, but the knowledge and love that produce it are, like roots, usually better left underground. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh is a story of the cultivation of wisdom and even salvation. Where it … Read more
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh (Not for the Squeamish)
When Evelyn Waugh came to Hollywood in 1947 to discuss the film rights for Brideshead Revisited, he visited a graveyard: Forest Lawn Memorial Park. He had heard it praised as a place unsurpassed in beauty, taste, and sensitivity; a place where “faith and consolation, religion and art had been brought to their highest possible association.” … Read more
Abandon All Pride Those Who Seek the Kingdom
At the very end of Evelyn Waugh’s novel on the finding of the True Cross, Helena, he writes a paean to the Magi in the form of a prayer: You are especial patrons, and patrons of all latecomers, of all who have a tedious journey to make to the truth, of all who are confused … Read more
A Catholic Satirist at Work: Evelyn Waugh’s Helena
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), Catholic convert and novelist. I had never read anything by Waugh and thought it was time I gave him a go, especially since I love English Catholic literary figures. Problem is, Waugh specialized in fiction and I don’t. So I decided to … Read more
The Case for Ad Orientem Worship
“Father, why don’t you smile more at Mass?” It is a question that I am asked at least once every few months. The question is usually posed by a well-meaning older person while I am greeting the faithful after Mass, making every effort to prove that I am not one of the “little monsters” that … Read more
Three Paths to Rome
Once asked what book he’d like to be stuck with on a desert island, G.K. Chesterton reportedly responded in the way one would expect of him: Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuilding. He was being facetious, and his real answer was The Pickwick Papers. The question is a fun one to consider, but frankly, I’d beg … Read more
New Study Marred by Old Clichés about Preconciliar Catholic Writers
In 1989, Gregory Wolfe uttered a cri du coeur bemoaning academic neglect of the modern “Catholic Intellectual Renaissance.” He lamented that the “current establishment” treated thinkers like G. K. Chesterton, Christopher Dawson, and Evelyn Waugh with “amused condescension” as representatives of “an order that has largely been left behind in our progress toward a more … Read more
Introduction to the Perfect Prayer
Rev. Simon Tugwell notes that the very first thing we should know about prayer, according to St. Paul, is that we do not know how to do it. Paul makes this fact clear when he tells the Romans that the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray … Read more