Essays

Now That You’ve Heard the New Translations: Why?

(Editor’s note: The italicized words are the questions asked by an educated 30-something Catholic, who attends Mass regularly.) “Why are they doing this to us? Why are they changing the words of the Mass? What’s the big deal about a few words here and there?” The person asking these questions is a victim of over-preparation…

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Bait and Switch

[Ed. Note. The ubiquity of scandal given by so-called Catholic universities is too much to recount here. One need only to surf the web, find a Catholic college or university and preview its lecture series, theological offerings, campus ministry departments or the general tenor of its university life. With only a few exceptions can one…

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For University Students: Authentic Common Sense in An Age of Uncommon Nonsense

I just saw an ad for Google TV. It was entitled “Date Night.” The ad featured a man and a woman sitting on a couch together. The perspective of the viewer is seeing the backs of their heads. Both are watching a screen; playing on the screen is an obvious “romance” movie where a woman…

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The Purpose of the Liturgy is Miracles with the Living God

Today, in the wake of so many complex errors inflicted upon the faithful, it is always best to start with some basics. Too often in academic discussions we tend to gloss over the obvious. The basics of this discussion have to do with defining Liturgy and reminding people of the single sentence explanation of the…

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In memoria aeterna erunt justi: Remembering the Holy Souls

One of the curiosities of the Roman Calendar (or more properly, the calendar of the Roman Rite) is the dedication of the month of November to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.  For many of us, these souls are also known as the Poor Souls in Purgatory–“poor” because of the sufferings they endure as the result…

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The Natural Law

THE NATURAL LAW Charles E. Rice Professor Emeritus, Notre Dame Law School Address, Canon Law Conference Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe LaCrosse, Wisconsin August 9, 2011 What is the natural law and why do we need it? The “September Pope,” John Paul I, at his general audience on September 6, 1978, gave us a…

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The Splendor of the Christian Marriage

Address given by Most Rev. Godfrey M. P. Okoye
Bishop of Lagos, Nigeria
Ninth National Wanderer Forum, 1973

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Adoration is the Way to Go

Are you sick of politics? Consider the derivation of the word. Some say that “poli” means many and “tics” are little blood-sucking creatures. The profession of politics, of course, is honorable. But, whatever side we were on in the recent elections, we can be excused if we suspect that politicians don’t have all the answers,…

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