Remembering the Slave of the Slaves
St. Peter Claver’s ministry to black slaves is plainly remarkable and perhaps unparalleled among anyone in the history of the Catholic Church and perhaps Christianity as a whole.
The Death of a Boy and the Founding of Families
Nine-year-old Michael Harrill inspired everyone who saw him bravely fight a year-long battle against a pediatric cancer called neuroblastoma.
Be Persecuted Like St. Lawrence
If being faithful in 2023 means that you are at odds with the world, then how should one proceed?
The Paradoxes of Auschwitz: Barbarity and Beatitude
“Cheery religion” can’t produce Edith Steins. Only the Old Faith can do that. The Old Faith, unafraid of the Cross.
Brendan Had Three Babies
A boy with Down Syndrome and leukemia who died at the age of 16 has left an amazing legacy.
June 28 and the Original Gender Defender
As Pride Month 2023 blows itself out with its loud, frothy-mouthed proclamations that demand uncanny and unconditional validation, the voice of Irenaeus booms from the heavens like summer thunder, denying and denouncing their aberrations.
Sister Wilhelmina: An American Incorruptible
The body of an American religious foundress was found to be miraculously incorrupt, four years after her death. What does this mean, and what might God be telling us through this? We’ll talk with someone who knows the community and recently visited Sister Wilhelmina’s body.
The Need for Anselm
St. Anselm (1033-1109) has much to teach our modern world about human nature and about the search for God.
The Curé Few Want
There is a major identity crisis today in the priesthood. It is a rupture, or at the very least an attempt to disconnect from the burden of its deep-rooted identity as one who offers sacrifice.
The Starved Man Who Changed the World
Thirty-one years ago today, Venerable Aloysius Schwartz, one of the greatest forces for good for the humiliated, abandoned, and rejected in the history of the world, died like a poor man.
The Prince Who Became a Pauper…and a Priest
A little-known 19th-century priest, born into Russian nobility but eventually a Catholic missionary priest in America, lived a life that can be a model for us today.
St. Nicholas: Hidden Patron of America
When America was first discovered, St.Nicholas was remembered as a wonder worker to be implored for his spiritual intercession and a bringer of gifts and guardian of children. But Martin Luther wanted to eliminate any devotion to the saint.
Challenging Traditionalist Criticisms of St Josemaría
Some traditional Catholics criticize the founder of Opus Dei for his views on the papacy and his apostolate’s lack of enthusiasm for the TLM. But are those criticisms legitimate?
Uncomfortable Lessons from the Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is a vital, if uncomfortable, antidote to many modern poisonous misconceptions.
St. Martin of Tours: Cultural Imperialist?
According to the twenty-first century multiculturalist, St. Martin of Tours was a cultural imperialist for overthrowing the pagan idols of his time.
Do We Have to Like the Saints?
A few days ago, I was at a graduation party for the son of a good friend. We were there to celebrate a fine young man raised by thoughtful and serious Catholics, and most of the other parents at the party were also intelligent and devout Catholics. While no graduation party of this sort is … Read more
The Ardor of Agnes
I have known only two women named Agnes in my life. One of them was my grandmother who, having died two years after I was born, I could hardly be expected to remember. But since I was often told things about her—for instance, that she was beautiful and pious and went to Mass every morning—I … Read more
There’s a Patron Saint for That?
It may strike many Catholics as odd, improper, even irreverent, that there would be a patron saint of hangovers. We know from personal experience that through the prayers of the saints we are healed of serious ailments, protected in our travels, find stuff we’ve lost, and are granted a host of other graces. Why, then, … Read more
Forget the Money, ask St Anthony!
Let’s face it, there is one route the finance guys have yet to try. You have to pray to a saint! Am I right? We had a problem. A BIG problem! Exactly, it was all about money. We were staring two mortgages in the face. Changing houses is easy if your bank goes along with … Read more
Thank Goodness Fulton Sheen’s Cause Has Been Suspended
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was one of the most dynamic preachers of the Catholic Faith in the twentieth century. Anyone familiar with his work in media knows the power of his influence and example. He was clearly one of the most notable products of the American Catholic revival that began in the 1920s, and the … Read more