A New Ecumenical Council On January 25, 1959, Pope St. John XXIII took the world by surprise by calling a new ecumenical council of the universal Church. We now know this council as the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), so called because it was held in Vatican...
Private Revelation vs. Public Revelation God revealed Himself to humanity in a universal way through public revelation. This self-revelation was made perfectly in Jesus Christ, God made man. The deeds and words of Almighty God in the Old and New Testaments,...
The Most Universal Question in Human History The most universally asked question in human history is “What is the meaning of life?” Other ways to phrase this question might be: “Why am I here?” or “What is my purpose?” Still,...
There has been a post circulating around Facebook and other places which begins “I’m not pro-murdering babies.” The post then presents various circumstances in which an abortion could be justified, in the view of the author. The problems with the post and many and...
Tra Le Sollecitudini – “Among the cares” In November 1903, Pope St. Pius X issued the Motu Proprio “Tra Le Sollecitudini” which is Italian for “Among the cares.” It is worth reexamining this excellent writing to glean from it the wisdom which endures. Of course,...
(Special Thanks to Adoremus and Dr. Denis McNamara) The heavy lifting and much of the inspiration for this article is offered by Dr. Denis McNamara’s fantastic article “Altar as Alter Christus: Ontology and Sacramentality” from Adoremus. The Church is deeply indebted...
Traditionis Custodes Early on July 16, 2021, Pope Francis issued a Motu Proprio entitled Traditionis Custodes which sent shockwaves through the Catholic world, especially in more traditionalist circles. For a brief first look at what the document says,...
Pope Francis released a motu proprio on Friday, July 16, 2021, entitled Traditionis Custodes (“Guardians of Tradition”). This document will almost certainly be interpreted differently depending on the perspective of the reader. Those who currently and regularly attend...
Incense – A Long History Incense has been used in sacred worship for over five thousand years. Long before Christian worship began burning fragrant aromas in liturgy, the Egyptians began using incense in a religious way during the Fifth Dynasty, between 2494 and 2345...
Doug Tooke - “The Perfection of Imperfection This post was inspired by Doug Tooke’s Talk: “The Perfection of Imperfection.” This Talk is featured in the OSV Talks series, a series of topics from prominent Catholic leaders to spark discussion, explore new or re-explore...
A Reminder in Time of War A full year before the invasion of Normandy by Allied forces during World War Two, in June 1943, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical letter entitled “Mystici Corporis Christi.” This encyclical is nothing new in Catholic teaching but was an...
Parenthood Parents, you are indispensable in the life of your child. You as mother or father have a God-given authority and duty to your child. The Fourth Commandment states: “Honor your father and mother (cf. Deut. 5:16; Mk. 7:10).” After God Himself, in the family,...
This open letter is written in response to a viral article written by Amelia Kibbie that can be found HERE. Dear Amelia, At the time of this writing, your article has been shared 20,928 times on Facebook alone. So, clearly, this sentiment resonates in the hearts of...
“Parousia: The Bible and the Mass” We are proud to share with you a phenomenal Bible study series at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology called “Parousia: The Bible and the Mass” hosted by Dr. Scott Hahn. Beautifully presented, impeccably edited, with masterful...
Catholic social teaching is rightly called “social” because it pertains to how we organize ourselves as a society. Rather, I should say as individual societies that are gathered up into one human family.
What St. Joseph Taught Us Things rarely go according to plan. Even if you have the greatest project manager in the world, there are still factors and elements that cannot be controlled. St. Joseph teaches us to place our trust in God, especially when things do not go...
Before diving in to my reflection, I invite you to please watch this short film (2 minutes, 40 seconds) produced by Blackstone Films. It is a fantastic message for Catholic fathers about their importance from www.strongcatholicdad.com. Like Son...
The First Two Ecumenical Councils In this short article, we are going to look at a complicated and intricate controversy in the early Church pertaining to the nature of Christ Himself. First, we have to set the scene. In the year 381 AD, the Emperor Theodosius I...
Who Was St. Jude? Judas Thaddeus is often known in Greek as simply “Thaddeus” because this is the name used in the Gospels according to St. Matthew and St. Mark. When translators were putting the books of the Bible into English, they sought to distant this Apostle we...
Fratelli Tutti Fratelli Tutti is the encyclical Pope Francis. wrote in 2021. Fratelli Tutti draws its name from the “Admonitions” of St. Francis of Assisi who reminded his friars that all men are brothers in being created by the same Creator. As human beings, men and...
The Gospel of Life It has been a quarter of a century since the landmark encyclical of St. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), was released. In that time, the truths contained have become even more poignant and applicable to our concrete individual...
Summarizing 2020? How can I possibly summarize the year 2020 A.D.? It has been a painful, interesting, exciting, and terrifying year for almost everyone on the planet. I have tried to keep things global in this list, but, as an American, I am simply more aware of what...
What is the Bible? Before we can really answer the question of which Bible to buy, we have to investigate a bigger question: “What is the Bible?” The Bible is more of a library than it is one book. It contains seventy-three books of various literary genres. In the...
The Trouble With Girl Scouts I used to love Girl Scout cookies. My favorites were the tagalongs and the trefoils. When entering the grocery store and having those cute kids ask you if you would like to buy cookies, it is hard to say no. And yet, I have for a few years...
St. Therese of Lisieux | Doctor of the Church St. Therese of Lisieux was born on January 2, 1873, and died on September 30, 1897. St. Therese of Lisieux was a French Discalced Carmelite nun, the same order founded by St. Teresa of Avila. Her religious name is St....