Posts
From Under the Rubble…The Gibbons Legacy
American Church (Russell Shaw: Ignatius Press, 2013; $16.95) Deep in the heartland of Indiana, nestled below the main altar of Sacred Heart Basilica on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, there lies a crypt housing a small altar, a few pews, a baptismal font, and the tomb of Orestes Brownson, one of the most…
If that was yesterday… Marriage catechism needs updated
From the old Baltimore Catechism… My how times have changed… That’s not even scratching the surface of Our Lord’s words: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, Made them male and female? (Matt. xix. 4). Yet, people have hinged all their happiness on the idea that marriage is something different….
Needed: Catholic Cab Drivers and Bartenders
Some years back–in an interview on EWTN–Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, was addressing some of the pressing needs of the Church. He said–and I paraphrase–“we need Catholic cab drivers and bartenders.” It was a comment that elicited a chuckle, but the truth of it was very serious and speaks to the way the Church understands…
Footnote 37: Negotiating With the Church
Negotiating With The Church: When people challenge the magisterial teachings of the Church and offer views that are diametrically opposed, should the Church meet them halfway in the spirit of “Consensus”?
Some People think ‘Losing Their Head’ is the Way to Imitate John the Baptist
Was John the Baptist a mere political activist, speaking truth to power? Why did St. john the Baptist survive death threats when Peter wilted at mere questions from bystanders? How and what can we learn from St. John the Baptist on his feast? What does he tell us about religious liberty?
Acrobats, Daredevils, and … “Thank You, Jesus”?
This evening, Discovery Channel aired a two hour special wherein Nik Wallenda walked across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, with no fall protection. The Wallenda family is several generations deep of acrobats, and tight wire performances. They aren’t amateurs at this sort of performance, but I was taken aback by something different. Besides Joel Osteen being…
From Under the Rubble…Authority and Its Discontents
Some forty years ago, in his groundbreaking study, Twilight of Authority, sociologist Robert Nisbet observed a disturbing trend in American culture. As respect for authority had declined among the population, he wrote, members of that population became increasingly willing to accept and actually applaud an increasingly powerful, albeit less legitimate, government. The notion of true authority, Nisbet…
A Little Catholic “Education” History: Getting Alinsky into the Catholic Parish
Recently, while preparing an article on Common Core national standards, someone suggested that I might be interested in the “open letters” written by a group called Catholics for Truth in Education operating in Illinois from 1974 into the 90s. Interestingly enough, a set of these “open letters” just happened to have been sitting on my…
Did Cardinal Pacelli (Pius XII) really say this?
Sometimes bombshell quotes sound just a little too good. Pius XII supposedly said we’d be searching for Our Lord in our own Churches as Mary Magdalen did… or did he?
Footnote 36: The Death of the Common Good
The Death Of The Common Good: Has diversity destroyed the sense of community and legitimate authority that, the Church teaches, is required for civic life?
