John Allen’s Passing. “John L. Allen Jr., a well-known Vatican reporter and editor of Crux, passed away on January 22, 2026, at the age of 61. His death followed a three-year battle with stomach cancer.” I first met John Allen in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Rome in 1999. In some ways during Mr. Allen’s NCR and… Read More Benedict XVI, John Allen and Myself
In JMT’s first Christian album, in the very first song after the Gloria and through many, many other albums, he uses a very small closing musical phrase to tie up a stanza, heard in this instance after the second chorus and the words “… Let us come with thanksgivingAnd sing songs of joy to the… Read More My request
I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard or read of people blaming their personal troubles, failures or psychological stresses on “Catholic guilt” in the last 40+ years. It is as though the Church is the great rain cloud ever shadowing the grand Mardi Gras that so many expect life to be. All that… Read More Truth and “Catholic Guilt”
How can sinful men and women publicly share their thoughts (not teach) on dogmatic, spiritual and theological matters without first being ‘sent’ by a bishop, directly or indirectly? That question has troubled me, immensely at times. For 6 years now I have rationalized that even if I am not a great Christian, I am nevertheless… Read More I have often pondered this
