Pope St. John Paul II published Pastores dabo vobis on March 25, 1992, when the Church celebrates the Annunciation, the initial moment of the Incarnation. No doubt he chose this date deliberately — and fittingly so. For when a man enters s … [Read more...]
Toward a Causal Account of Priestly Formation
A Reading of Pastores Dabo Vobis
January 28, 2021 by Matthew Walz
Can There Be a Catholic History?
December 23, 2020 by Christopher Zehnder
Some years ago, in a conversation with a non-Catholic woman of my acquaintance, I mentioned how I made my living. “I write Catholic history texts,” I told her. With head cocked and a challenge in her eyes, she asked, “Catholic history? What … [Read more...]
The Protestant Reformation: The Cause of Modern Relativism
November 13, 2020 by Marcus Benedict Peter
“Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be ‘tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine,’ seems the only attitude that … [Read more...]
Newman: Conscience as an Ongoing Activity
October 30, 2020 by Joseph P. Mullin Jr.
St. John Henry Newman eloquently presents his idea of conscience as something actively engaged both with the realities of lived experience and with direct apprehension of a particular situation. Logic is part of one’s assessment of the s … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – November 2020
October 30, 2020 by Book Reviews
Ceremonies Explained for Servers: A Manual for Altar Servers, Acolytes, Sacristans, and Masters of Ceremonies. By Peter J. Elliott. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) The Disabled Church: Human Difference and the Art of … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – June 2020
June 24, 2020 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Absence of God? Question: Pope Emeritus Benedict published a letter last year in which he attributed the pedophilia crisis in the clergy to an absence of God. Our Church and clergy are wholly dedicated to God, right? Can you explain how … [Read more...]
Materialism’s Unnoticed Achilles’ Heel
June 5, 2020 by Dennis Bonnette, PhD
While major arguments take place between classical theists and metaphysical materialists over central claims about whether the God exists or whether man has a spiritual and immortal soul, the most important claim of materialism, namely, … [Read more...]
The Theological Anthropology of Karol Wojtyla (Pope St. John Paul II)
October 30, 2019 by Dr. William R. Luckey, PhD
Every so often, there appears in history a person who has an effect on the world, that the whole world is changed for the better as a result of their being there. A person of recent memory is Father Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope St. John … [Read more...]
Is the Trinity a Mysterious Contradiction or a Rational Mystery?
June 18, 2019 by Reginald Mary Chua, OP
Introduction Consider how central the Trinity is to our faith. We invoke the Trinity at the start and end of every Mass when we make the Sign of the Cross; those of us who pray the Rosary or the Divine Office will invoke the Trinity … [Read more...]
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
June 18, 2019 by David Barton
Ever since, in late 2005, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones ruled that the school district of Dover, Pennsylvania, could not mandate material about intelligent design in its science curriculum on evolution (declaring it unconstitutional to … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – June 2019
June 18, 2019 by Book Reviews
The Catholic Writer Today and Other Essays By Dana Gioia. Reviewed by Ken Colombini. (skip to review) Raymond E. Brown and the Catholic Biblical Renewal By Fr. Donald E. Senior. Reviewed by Rev. John P. Cush, STD. (skip to … [Read more...]
Virtue Signalling
May 19, 2019 by Dr. Wanda Skowronska, PhD
How has your virtue signalling gone this week? Have you praised recycling, veganism or rolled your eyes at the mention of Donald Trump? In my area, free bicycles were left on the street for all who wanted to use them so as to reduce carbon … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – April 2019
April 30, 2019 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Do Baptized Converts Need Confession First? Question: During the Easter Vigil, non-Christians are baptized, receive First Communion and are confirmed, while converts are received into full communion with the Church, meaning also and above … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – April 2019
April 20, 2019 by Book Reviews
Reflections on the Sacred Liturgy, Vol. I: Lent & Holy Week By Fr. Thomas Hoisington. Reviewed by Stephanie A. Mann. (skip to review) Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World By Timothy P. O’Malley. Reviewed b … [Read more...]
Happiness — A Thomistic Consideration (Part II)
Continued Reflections on Summa Theologiae I-II, Q 1–5
January 1, 2019 by Deacon Peter Trahan, MATh
Introduction to Part II The three pillars of Catholic social teaching, which springs from natural law and human nature, are human dignity, common good, and subsidiarity. Within societal structures with hierarchical poleis (e.g., federal, … [Read more...]
Recent Comments