The Catholic Blog of Shane Schaetzel
This is an opinion blog, so what you’re going to read below is my opinion. Take it for whatever it’s worth to you. Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that I am an advocate for a return to traditional Catholicism, but readers should also know that when I say that I don’t mean turning […]
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The world has radically changed in the wake of the Wuhan Virus (COVID-19) and with it the Catholic Church has changed too. The worldwide quarantine, of both the sick and the healthy, has spawned the birth of something new. Or maybe I should say the rebirth of something very old. The rise of Militant Catholicism […]
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This morning I read an article (see here) that made me laugh, because it relayed a story about a cardinal in the Catholic Church who doesn’t seem to understand some very basic terms. He suggested that Catholics who protest some actions of the pope ought to become Protestants, because that’s what they essentially are. I […]
Read MoreAs we approach the release of Pope Francis’ Amazon Synod Exhortation (late January or early February), it’s very important to keep your eye on the ball. The objective of the looney Left is to portray traditional Catholics as hysterical retrogrades who cannot handle any change. We MUST NOT let this narrative play out. As I […]
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If you’re a Catholic, and you speak English as your primary language, then you have a special heritage you may not even be aware of. The English Patrimony, lost in the Protestant world for centuries, has now been restored to the Catholic Church. I’m talking about the English spiritual heritage that was originally Catholic, from […]
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I’ve been asked to write a short and concise battle plan for retaking the Catholic Church for traditional orthodoxy, and saving it from the crisis that is currently unfolding. The battle plan is simple and easy to follow. Victory is assured for those who follow it, both in their personal lives (short term) and reclaiming […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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The Ordinariates of English Patrimony are growing. The parishes and communities therein are thriving, and people are starting to ask some serious questions about them. The following is a simple Q&A about it, which should clear up some of these questions… Are the Ordinariates of English Patrimony really Catholic? YES. They are 100% Catholic in […]
Read MoreAre Catholics considered Christian by Evangelical standards? You’ve probably heard different things from different people. The best way to determine this is to take a good look at the most commonly-agreed Evangelical Statement of Faith and see where Catholics stand in relation to that. The following is from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). This […]
Read MoreIn my last blog I defined what the Antichurch is. Please go back and read it here before you read on. Now, I’m going to give you some bad news along with some good news. The bad news is this. We cannot defeat the Antichurch. By human standards, it is unstoppable. That’s because it breathes, […]
Read MoreI think this is a topic that needs to be broached. How much do the antics of liberals and modernists in the Catholic Church harm authentic ecumenical relations? When I say “authentic” ecumenical relations, I’m referring strictly to those that lead to unity with the Catholic Church, as opposed to “superficial” ecumenical relations, wherein […]
Read MoreA candle in darkness outshines a bonfire in daylight. Not in living memory has there been a better time to be a priest. Not within a hundred years has there been a better time to be a priest. Not within a millennium has there been a better time to be a priest. And I say […]
Read MoreIn a previous blog, I wrote how Catholics and Evangelicals will be working together in the coming years. In another blog, I wrote that it’s easier to evangelize Evangelicals than it is Liberal Catholics. Finally, in a third blog, I explained exactly how to evangelize the Evangelicals. In this blog, I want to write about […]
Read MoreBefore I begin this essay, allow me to give full disclosure. First, I am not a priest. Second, I am married. Third, I don’t want to be a priest — ever. Fourth, I will probably never be a priest and that’s just fine with me. Truth be told, I enjoy my freedom as a Catholic […]
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A video chronology of the decline of the Catholic Church. Living in the Ozark Mountains, deep within the Bible Belt, I am immersed in a Baptist/Pentecostal (Evangelical) culture that is, for the most part, ignorant about the Catholic Church and what’s going on therein. The Catholic population of the Ozarks is between 3% and 6%, […]
Read MoreIn 1994, a group of well-known Catholics and Evangelicals sat down together, and prophetically gauged the trajectory of our Western society in the 21st century. They determined that we had entered a post-Christian era, and that going forward, Catholics and Evangelicals would have to work together on social issues for the sake of our very […]
Read More[Jesus] said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’ They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and […]
Read MoreRod Dreher is an amazing author and columnist. He was an Evangelical Christian who came into the Catholic Church, where he was confronted by the “Spirit of Vatican II” (a bastardization of the authentic Vatican II) and the Lavender Mafia, which promptly drove him out of the Catholic Church and into the arms of Eastern […]
Read MoreAs Catholics we must remember this, in spite of the present crisis the Church now finds herself in, we have Our Lady’s promise at Fatima that in the end, her Immaculate Heart will prevail. What does this mean in the midst of our present crisis? Before we dive into that, let’s review what we actually […]
Read MoreRecently, Dr. Taylor Marshal had a video chat with Michael Matt, Editor of the Remnant Newspaper and Remnant TV. For those of you who don’t know these two, Dr. Taylor Marshall is a former Anglican priest, who converted to Catholicism as a layman, and is a well known Catholic author, theologian, Thomist and apologist. While […]
Read MoreLooking at the historical Church parallels between the 16th century and the 21st century is shocking. For those of you who don’t know history, the 16th century was quite a mess. Corruption in the Catholic Church was extremely high. There were terrible popes. Sexual license was rampant throughout the Church but most especially in Rome. […]
Read MoreI am a Catholic. The reason why I go to mass is pretty simple. I go to mass solely for one reason and one reason only. It is to worship God. I don’t really go for any other reason. That’s pretty much it for me. I go to mass because I know that is the […]
Read MoreIn a previous essay I relayed the personal difficulty the 2002 homosexual-abuse and paedophilia scandal brought upon my wife and I just a few years after our conversion to the Catholic Church. We nearly lost our Catholic faith over it, but we managed to survive. Others weren’t so lucky. Here in the Bible Belt, I hear […]
Read MoreIn sharing the Gospel with the world, the Catholic Church has adopted a process called inculturation. This can basically be summed up as follows. The traditions of the Gospel have a central doctrinal core, which are based in Mosaic Judaism, but redefined according to Christ and his Apostles. Some traditions are essential and cannot be […]
Read MoreI always get into trouble when I start up a topic like this, but the reason why I keep doing it is because I think its important. The topic is Hebrew Catholicism. Within the Catholic Church there appears to be two extremes of thought. The first extreme is the older one, which holds to the […]
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