A Most Beautiful Irish Testimony in a Dark Time, June 2021
Here is our Hope and Consolation… wherever we are.
Medieval Fun and Commerce: Trade Fairs and the Commercial Revolution
By a.d. 1200, Europe was in the process of changing from a medieval agricultural economy to one based upon interregional trade, which contributed to the growth of large urban centers. Many of these cities evolved from successful trade fairs established along busy trade routes. In turn, they engendered a commercial revolution that would eventually change… Read More Medieval Fun and Commerce: Trade Fairs and the Commercial Revolution
Is the West worth Defending? by Joseph Pearce
There are many people who will cite the West as something which is under threat and something for which we should be prepared to fight to defend. Depending on which defender of the West is pontificating, the threat comes from Russia, or from Islam, or from China, or from some enemy within the West itself.… Read More Is the West worth Defending? by Joseph Pearce
The Archipelago Years
—And Stephen Kotkin on Solzhenitsyn’s enormous impact (2019)
Traditional Catholic Author Michael Davies on Fr. Leonard Feeney
Michael Davies on Father Feeney As regards the question of “No salvation outside the Church,” I can assure Mr. [Atila Sinke] Guimarães that I am aware of the fact that this is the teaching of the Church and was not invented by Father Feeney. I have been studying the dogma since 1979 after I read… Read More Traditional Catholic Author Michael Davies on Fr. Leonard Feeney
Why It’s Time to Treat the Hammer and Sickle Like the Swastika
“Conveniently, communists can always detach themselves from the horrors of the past.” By Richard Mason If someone were to ask you to think of either extreme of the political spectrum, odds are you would immediately picture a swastika at one end, and a hammer and sickle at the other. Regardless of your views of the… Read More Why It’s Time to Treat the Hammer and Sickle Like the Swastika
The Divine Mercy and Loneliness
“Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My Mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. (…) Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My Mercy.… Read More The Divine Mercy and Loneliness
“Waste” Removal Site.
Planned Parenthood. Worcester, Ma. 5.19.21
On Sacred Scripture. Pius XII. 1943.
Divino Afflante Spiritu Pope Pius XII – 1943 “Let all the sons of the Church bear in mind that the efforts of resolute laborers in the vineyard of the Lord should be judged not only with equity and justice, but also with the greatest charity; all moreover should abhor that intemperate zeal which imagines that… Read More On Sacred Scripture. Pius XII. 1943.
Deplorable Restrictions on Religious Practice in Ireland
In recent months, we have witnessed a string of very disappointing and frankly disgraceful incidents concerning the implementation of draconian Covid-19 restrictions. This time, the targets of the Government’s enforcement program, as well as the harassment of a certain councillor in Limerick and her political tag-alongs, were the parishioners of several Catholic churches throughout the… Read More Deplorable Restrictions on Religious Practice in Ireland
Rousseau on the Origins of Liberalism. Roger Scruton.
Excerpts from Roger Scruton’s 1998 New Criterion essay, Rousseau on the Origins of Liberalism “Rousseau’s attack on society in the name of ‘nature’ exemplifies what to me is the root error of liberalism in all its forms, namely, the inability to accept, or even to perceive, the inherited forms of social knowledge. By social knowledge,… Read More Rousseau on the Origins of Liberalism. Roger Scruton.
Leo XIII on Freemasonry, “Sect of Darkness”
Posing as Light… At the Dawn of the 20th century, On March 19, 1902, in his apostolic letter Annum Ingressi, Pope Leo XIII warned of an abuse of the concepts “Liberty” and “freedom” sweeping the globe, and which is directly opposed to the traditional Christian definition (Jn. 8:31-32). “A certain sect of darkness is engaged,… Read More Leo XIII on Freemasonry, “Sect of Darkness”
Two Broad Lines to Marx
“Marx himself, in the course of his lifetime, envisaged two broad lines of action that could be adopted to destroy the bourgeoisie: one was violent revolution; the other, a slow increase of state power, through extended social services, taxation, and regulation, to a point where a smooth transition could be effected from an individualist to… Read More Two Broad Lines to Marx
In All Things Charity
“But the common saying, expressed in various ways and attributed to various authors, must be recalled with approval: “in essentials unity, in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.” — Pope John XXIII: Ad Petri Cathedram (1959)
1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder
Via Amazon.com “the story of two men and the two decisions that transformed world history in a single tumultuous year, 1917: Wilson’s entry into World War I and Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution. The “Perfectibility of man” In April 1917, Woodrow Wilson, champion of American democracy but also segregation, advocate for free trade and a new world… Read More 1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder
“Totally Without Ethics” — from “Hate Inc.” by Matt Taibbi
“It used to be a big deal for America to be at war. When eight thousand American troops spent three days shooting Cubans hiding behind palm trees on the island of Grenada, apparently to rescue six hundred medical school students, the country was transfixed. War! Shooting! Helicopters! Awesome! The press swarmed over the island and… Read More “Totally Without Ethics” — from “Hate Inc.” by Matt Taibbi
Tailoring ‘News’ to the Con$umerist Hunger for Identity
Peter Kreeft’s How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas
Amazon: Best-selling author Peter Kreeft presents a series of brilliant essays about many of the issues that increasingly divide our Western civilization and culture. He states that “these essays are not new proposals or solutions to today’s problems. They are old. They have been tried, and have worked. They have made people happy and good.… Read More Peter Kreeft’s How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas
The Credo Of The People of God. Pope Paul VI.
Credo Of The People Of God.Pope Paul VI – 1968. “Complete and Explicit …We believe…” With this solemn liturgy we end the celebration of the nineteenth centenary of the martyrdom of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and thus close the Year of Faith. We dedicated it to the commemoration of the holy apostles in… Read More The Credo Of The People of God. Pope Paul VI.
Tucker Carlson on What A Real Revolution Would Look Like in America
Note: While much that is newsworthy is appreciated, no total agreement with the opinions of Tucker Carlson is implied.
All I Really Need to Know in Theology I Learned From … Mr. Rogers?
NYT: Pope Francis Is Tearing the Catholic Church Apart (Revisited). By Michael Brendan Dougherty.The New York Times.August 13, 2021. In the summer of 2001, I drove up to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to find what we called “the traditional Latin Mass,” the form of Roman Catholic worship that stretched back centuries and was last authorized in 1962, before… Read More All I Really Need to Know in Theology I Learned From … Mr. Rogers?
An Important Book by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
“In this absorbing interview, Bishop Athanasius Schneider offers a candid, incisive examination of controversies raging in the Church and the most pressing issues of our times, providing clarity and hope for beleaguered Catholics. He addresses such topics as widespread doctrinal confusion, the limits of papal authority, the documents of Vatican II, the Society of St.… Read More An Important Book by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Antichristic Mischief
[Note: Why the concern? a government agency implanting a microchip in a citizen may use disease tracking and treatment as a pretext also to track and farm human ‘animals’.] Daily Mail: “Pentagon scientists reveal a microchip that senses COVID-19 in your body BEFORE you show symptoms and a filter that extracts the virus from blood… Read More Antichristic Mischief
Another Myth About the Irish Church: Cruel Nuns and Dead Babies.
Anti-Catholicism Today. The Tuam Dead Babies Story. Another Myth About Ireland. Brendan O’Neill,EditorSpiked Online For proof of the maxim that ‘A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on’, look no further than the Tuam 800 dead babies story. Courtesy of a modern media that seems more interested in titillating readers with… Read More Another Myth About the Irish Church: Cruel Nuns and Dead Babies.
Family, Eternity — and Catholic Social Justice
Social Justice, War, and Housing: Have children! Have many children! Have as many as you can. This is God’s way. Be fruitful, not voluntarily barren (save for specially graced vocations which bear other kinds of fruits for the Body of Christ). Yes, certainly, but today the dilemma for many is how many children can one… Read More Family, Eternity — and Catholic Social Justice
When the Sick Were Expected to Rest When Ill or Broken
“We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.” —Saint Vincent de Paul I have a close friend who recently was in surgery to have a shoulder torn apart… Read More When the Sick Were Expected to Rest When Ill or Broken
A Mature Universe
Jesus Christ the Lord, Life, Death and Creation Romans 5: 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account… Read More A Mature Universe
Saint Augustine Warns Against Schism
“…no man ought to sever himself from the unity of the Church before the time of the final separation of the just and unjust, merely because of the admixture of evil men in the Church“ —Saint Augustine, On Baptism, Against the Donatists, Bk. IV, The Complete Works of Saint Augustine. Ch.12.19, (1407)
Purgatory: God’s Hospital.
The fire of Suffering in Christ through His Cross. Hebrews 12 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as… Read More Purgatory: God’s Hospital.
155 A.D. The Mass According to Saint Justin Martyr
A brief comparison of liturgy from the 2nd century and liturgy today “While there exist many different liturgical rites within the Catholic Church, each with their own unique traditions, the basic structure of the Mass across all these rites is the same as it it was in the 2nd century. When compared side-by-side, surprisingly little… Read More 155 A.D. The Mass According to Saint Justin Martyr
‘Twas Thought A Fair Price to Pay for Galloping Inflation
Henry I’s date of birth is generally accepted as 1068 AD. The location of his birth is most likely Selby, located in Yorkshire. — Ancient Origins History. According to English historian David Starkey, Henry I (1065-1135) upon finally becoming king of England promptly investigated complaints of “galloping inflation,” since the entire prosperity and stability of the… Read More ‘Twas Thought A Fair Price to Pay for Galloping Inflation
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The Living Magisterium
“The living magisterium makes extensive use of documents of the past, but it does so while judging and interpreting, gladly finding in them its present thought, but likewise, when needful, distinguishing its present thought from what is traditional only in appearance. “It is revealed truth always living in the mind of the Church, or, if it is preferred, the present… Read More The Living Magisterium
Catholic Critique: Separating the Wheat and Chaff
…in all things. Catholic Critique is politically Independent and will advocate for traditionally liberal or conservative causes and candidates depending on the objective truth and morals of the issues involved. — Stephen Hand
Franco Zeffirelli Recalls Paul VI’s Help With Jesus of Nazareth Film
Zeffirelli Recalls Paul VI’s Help With Jesus of Nazareth Film. Pope Thanked Director for Work ROME, 5 NOV. 2007 (ZENIT) When the television miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth” was released 30 years ago, Pope Paul VI personally thanked Franco Zeffirelli for his work; but the series was a success only because of the Pontiff’s help, the… Read More Franco Zeffirelli Recalls Paul VI’s Help With Jesus of Nazareth Film
Pope John Paul II’s Opposition to the Iraq War
April 4, 2005 In Defense of John Paul II, Peacemaker Justin Raimondo Antiwar.com Unfazed by the antiwar demonstrations that thronged the streets of London on the eve of war with Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was more concerned with the Pope’s disapproval as he prepared to meet with the Holy Father. After all, this was the… Read More Pope John Paul II’s Opposition to the Iraq War
Inside the Synod. Interview With Cardinal Walter Kasper. 2013.
Cardinal Christoph Schonborn Youth Mass
Nov. 16, 2008. Wolfstahl, Lower Austria
Repentance in Scripture
Matthew 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. Isa. 30.15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. “Yea, I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very… Read More Repentance in Scripture
