Busy-bodies
BFP: The Coronavirus Should Be the End of EMHCs, But your Bishop Can’t Do That
The Vatican outlawed the Ministerial-Industrial Complex of Parallel Ordination otherwise known as busybodies waddling around the sanctuary at Mass… but your Bishop can’t get rid of their dirty hands on your Communion, even over the coronavirus.
Is your parish dollar buying the subversion of Parish Life?
I am looking around at parish life in the big city these days, and all I see in the bulletin are listings for new programs. There is one thing that can renew a parish immediately. It doesn’t cost money. It doesn’t require volunteers. And it is a sure fire way to bring miraculous turnarounds and…
Is it Wrong to Judge a Catholic Parish by the Confession Schedule?
Back in the 90s, I encountered the “penance service” phenomenon whereat people were told to write their sins on a piece of paper and put them into a bowl that would be lit aflame to burn the sins. I never stayed for the finale, and had secretly hoped that the whole place would burn down…
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…
Theology of the Body in One Paragraph (Unabridged version)
Can Theology of the Body be expressed in one paragraph? You bet! A surprising revelation about Theology of the Body and a concise but yet fuller explanation of how to maintain chastity.