Regular Contributions
John Paul II and the Synod: Love and Responsibility
It seems appropriate to me that the Synod on the Family in Rome would fall within the novena of St. John Paul II, whose feast day we celebrate today. Although he is known as the Pope whose influence in geopolitical events brought down an empire, he is also the first Pope in the history of the…
St. Teresa in Ecstasy
As I have mentioned in these pages before, 2015 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila. On the occasion of her feast day, I would like to focus on the image that most people associate her with, the great baroque statue by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Teresa in Ecstasy. The church that…
Catholics Funding “System Change” – CCHD money supporting Soviet Workforce Training
Catholic Campaign for Human Development supports government takeover of education It’s helpful to examine what the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is funding in a given locality. Such an examination provides a small cross-section, with very concrete examples, of where its progressive political advocacy is headed. In the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, CCHD grants,…
Fr. Ciszek and the North American Martyrs: Reflections on Sinfulness and the Love of God
On August 4, 1964, Fr. Ciszek began his annual eight-day retreat in preparation for his final vows, which he would take on the Feast of Our Lady’s Assumption, August 15, 1964. The site for this particular retreat was the Shrine of the North American Martyrs (also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs),…
The Overlooked Power of the Maid of Lisieux: St. Therese, Doctor of the Church
A couple of years ago, I was invited to participate in Facebook chat with some highly intelligent, very well educated Catholic men. It remains a mystery to me as to how I included, since I was not even remotely qualified to participate in the discussion. I imagine this is why I cannot recall what the…
PAPAL VISIT REPORT: Biblical Reflections on Seeing a Pope
Like many this past week, I was blessed to have the rare opportunity to see Pope Francis up close and personal during his U.S. tour. I’ve seen friends and acquaintances share their stories of their varying successes in seeing the Pope. Some got outside the U.S. Capitol building and saw him as a distant dot in a…
Fr. Hardon on St. Michael the Archangel
Over the past nine days, we’ve had the novena to St. Michael on our Facebook page, with each day posting in the mornings. St. Michael is so many things, from assistant to the Blessed Mother at Fatima, to stalwart captain of the Heavenly Army, declaring to Satan, “Who is like God?” Given our situation today, where…
Happy Feast of St. Robert Bellarmine!
It’s our name day, and we are pleased to have such a powerful intercessor for the Bellarmine Forum. St. Bellarmine, besides being a doctor of the Church, is well noted among us for his continual highlighting the extent to which God went over and above all bounds in the things He has done, and does,…
NFL JUSTICE: Roger Goodell, Zeus, and the Justice of God
The NFL’s punishment of its players has been in the news quite a bit recently, and while NFL players getting in trouble is nothing new, the past year has seen a shift in focus. While the actions of the players are still the focal point of the coverage, there has been increasing scrutiny on how the…
Misguided Ecumenism 30 years later: Peter Kreeft says the Catholic Church Must Become More Protestant
When I was in grade school, there was a movement in the parish where my Catholic school was that happened alongside the push for “RENEW” — the “Gym” Mass. A young hippy priest, Fr. Tom, came in and decided that us kids didn’t like pews and pipe organs and traditional hymns, so they’d have Mass with…
