Your Excellencies, this is meant to be read as a friendly challenge, with nothing but love and respect as the tone and subtext. Please don't interpret it any other way. Do you have a parish in your diocese that's floundering? By that I mean, is it financially in trouble, and have you seriously considered the... Continue Reading →
Saturnos For Priests
A cappello romano or saturno (because its appearance is reminiscent of the ringed planet Saturn) is a hat with a wide, circular brim and a rounded crown worn outdoors by Catholic clergy when dressed in a cassock. Along with the biretta, it's become very popular in the United States among priests who wear cassocks. Many of... Continue Reading →
What to Expect from the “Dreaded” Amazon Synod
The Amazon Synod is scheduled to begin in just a couple weeks, and it's been the talk of much consternation among conservative and traditionally-minded Catholics for almost two years now. I completely empathize with the concerns of my conservative and traditionally-minded Catholic brethren. I think their concerns are valid and should be taken seriously. On... Continue Reading →
If the Catholic Church Ordains Women
What would happen if the Catholic Church ordains women? A growing number of Catholic laity seem to be fine with the idea. A fairly good size of Leftist clergy seems to be fine with it as well -- even advocating it. So let's play a little game of "what if?" Suppose in some alternate universe,... Continue Reading →
My Current Thoughts on Pope Francis
In a recent jet-presser at 30,000 feet, Pope Francis commented that he felt "honored" that some traditional-Catholic Americans were attacking him. Why does this not surprise me? It seems obvious to me that he doesn't care for those Catholic Americans who consider themselves "orthodox" or "traditional." On the flip side, I think it's fair and... Continue Reading →
A Game of Chicken
It appears that what we have going on here is an ecclesiastical game of "chicken." Bonn and Rome are on a head-on collision course, and both are waiting to see who turns first. The objective of the German Bishops Conference in Bonn is to set the agenda for radical changes in the German Church BEFORE... Continue Reading →
Keeping Your Kids Catholic
As a trained catechist, and Catholic apologist, I'm frequently asked by Catholic parents how to keep their kids Catholic. Let me begin by saying you have to do it yourself! You can't trust Catholic schools or parish catechism programs to do it for you. We have 50 years of failed history as an example. If... Continue Reading →
The Catholic Left is Trying to Provoke Schism
In a recent plane interview here, Pope Francis may have inadvertently shown the cards of the Catholic Left. He spoke of a "schism" brewing among conservative Catholics in the United States, and then (almost in a provocative way) he said he's not afraid of it. Now that's not to say Pope Francis actually wants a... Continue Reading →
I Now Have A Facebook Insurance Plan
You've probably heard the news. Big Tech is spying on us. No, it's not a conspiracy theory. It's true, and they've admitted it. Primarily, the spying was for marketing purposes, but now it's entered into the political realm, and Big Tech is hell-bent on influencing our political and social decisions, while simultaneously selling our personal... Continue Reading →