Articles

Priestly Obedience in a Post-McCarrick Church, Part I

Introduction to Part I “I will do whatever my bishop asks me to do.” During my time in seminary, most seminarians did not anticipate huge struggles living the promise of obedience. Seasoned priests told us: “Everyone thinks celibacy is t … [Read more...]

In Memoriam: Fr. Fred Miller

Rev. Frederick L. Miller, a beloved priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on September 28, 2022. He was the Spiritual Director of St. Andrew’s Hall College Seminary and Adjunct Professor of Systematic T … [Read more...]

Guarino’s Prolegomena of a Systematic Theology

Orthodox Christian belief must always be the standard against which any philosophy is measured. Fully integrating postmodernity into theology — with its rejection of metaphysics, its reduction of truth to practical reason, and its r … [Read more...]

“Speak, Mary, Declaring What You Saw, Wayfaring”

Musings on a Funeral Procession

“By means of the funeral rites, it has been the practice of the Church, as a tender mother, not simply to commend the dead to God but also to raise high the hope of its children and to give witness to its own faith in the future r … [Read more...]

Can Forgiveness Help Heal a Hurting Church?

“Love is the greatest strength of the powerless . . . Love is all-powerful and will even overcome hatred. And only love can do this!” ― Václav Havel Forgiveness is a great wellspring of personal healing. It can repair shattered relati … [Read more...]

“Father, forgive me, for I have sinned—again, and again”

How do priests respond to penitents who come into the confessional or seek counsel in the office saying, “I feel like a hypocrite. I come to confession every (day, week, month), and I confess the same sin” (gambling, drinking, pornography, m … [Read more...]

How Appealing to “Inclusivity” Is Detrimental

On February 7, 2022, Brantly Millegan was fired as the director of operations for Ethereum Name Services (ENS). The cause for his termination was a Tweet that he posted in 2016 that expressed Catholic moral teachings in blunt form. It read: … [Read more...]

Can We Be Recognized As Christians?

Practicing Love in Contentious Times

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Christ thus established love as the essential identifying mark of those who belong to Him. Love reveals the Christian; conversely, if we do … [Read more...]

Response to Peter Kwasniewski

On the solemnity of Corpus Christi this year (June 19), the U.S. bishops launched the “Eucharistic Revival,” a three-year endeavor aimed at rekindling Eucharistic faith and devotion among Catholics. Almost simultaneously, on June 29, Pope Fr … [Read more...]

The Importance of Recognizing Satan’s Existence

This essay is a sequel to my article, “Disbelief in the Existence of Personified Evil” in the August 2020 issue of this same publication. In that article, I explained Satan’s identity, his motives, his ways, the times in which he attacks, an … [Read more...]

It’s All Just a Mathematical Equation

The devil wants to divide us. It’s as simple as that. As simple as a mathematical equation, but one that has devastating consequences. As Catholic Christians, who have been taught that evil spirits flee “in the name of Jesus,” we should k … [Read more...]

Overview of Desiderio Desideravi

On the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2022, Pope Francis promulgated the Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi.[1. Francis, Desiderio Desideravi (Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2022), … [Read more...]

The Universal Call to Evangelization

Nothing Can Disqualify You From This Urgent Mission

As we do our work at Saint Paul Street Evangelization, there are so many different evangelization-related topics to address. What exactly is evangelization? Why do we need to do it? How do we evangelize effectively? What is the Kerygma and … [Read more...]

St. John Vianney and the Meaning of the Priesthood

Homily preached by the Reverend Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., at Holy Innocents Church in New York City for the memorial of St. John Vianney (4/8 August 202/OF & EF calendars). In this month of August, we celebrate the … [Read more...]

Prejudices Against Mercy: Is Mercy a Relaxation of Justice?

An Inquiry Guided by St. Thomas Aquinas

Contemporary Concerns about Mercy The fact that the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis in 2016–17 coincided with mass encounters of Middle Eastern refugees in Europe, challenging immigration policy disputes in the United S … [Read more...]