Counsels vs. Commands in Vocational Discernment

Anxiety. Fear. These words frequently come up in commentary about young Catholics and vocational discernment.[1. For example, S. E. Greydanus, “Rethinking Vocational Discernment,” HPR, June 23, 2023, www … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – February 2024

The Bible and Baptism: The Foundations of Salvation. By Isaac Augustine Morales, O.P. Reviewed by Randall Woodard. (skip to review) The Obscurity of Scripture: Disputing Sola Scriptura and the Protestant Notion of Biblical … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – November 2023

Science at the Doorstep to God: Science and Reason in Support of God, the Soul, and Life After Death. By Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. Reviewed by Thomas P. Sheahen. (skip to review) The Faith Once for All Delivered: Doctrinal Authority in … [Read more...]

Sacred God, Sacred Church

The Catholic Church and the Hermeneutic of Mystery

In the religion of the Old Testament, Hebrew knowledge and experience of covenantal obligations inspired God’s people to treat his name as particularly sacred and holy, and to refer to it as the great, the only, and the glorious and t … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – March 2023

Ponder: Contemplative Bible Study for Year C. By Mahri Leonard-Fleckman. Reviewed by Fr. Vien V. Nguyen, SCJ. (skip to review). Christopher Dawson: A Cultural Mind in the Age of the Great War. By Joseph T. Stuart. Reviewed by Thomas V. … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – November 2022

Faith of Our Fathers: A History of True England. By Joseph Pearce. Reviewed by K.E. Colombini. (skip to review) The WillPower Advantage: Building Habits For Lasting Happiness. By Tom Peterson and Ryan Hanning. Reviewed by Mary R. … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – July 2022

The Restless Flame, Daniel Lord, S.J.: Thinking Big in a Parochial World! By Stephen A. Werner. Reviewed by Steven R. McEvoy. (skip to review) The Scandal of the Scandals. By Manfred Lütz. Reviewed by Robert Rooney. (skip to r … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – June 2022

Can Holy Water Be Mixed? Question: Can you replenish holy water that you have for personal use by adding to it with regular water when it gets low? Answer: First it is important to discuss just what holy water is and what it signifies. … [Read more...]

Whose Rite? A Response to E. Tyler Graham

Recently, E. Tyler Graham wrote an article for this publication[1. E. Tyler Graham, “Shepherding the Flock Out of the 1962 Missal,” Homiletic and Pastoral Review, November 2021, www … [Read more...]

Rethinking Bella Dodd and Infiltration of the Catholic Priesthood

Dr. Bella Dodd, the famous one-time Communist lawyer who reverted to the Catholic Faith of her youth, has been the subject of much discussion over the past few decades. She is said to have planted 1,100 to 1,200 men into the Catholic … [Read more...]

Shepherding the Flock Out of the 1962 Missal

The time has come, says God to Moses. You must lead my people out of Egypt, out of captivity, toward the Promised Land.[1. Ex 3:10.] Unfortunately for the eager travelers, the journey lasts 40 years,[2. Deut 1:3.] and along the way the … [Read more...]

Drama and the Divine Mercy: The Life of Fr. Sopocko

While many have heard of the Divine Mercy devotion and Saint Faustina, few have heard of Fr. Michał Sopoćko (So-poch-ko, now Blessed), the Polish priest who first transmitted the Divine Mercy message to the world. He commissioned the Divine … [Read more...]

Clericalism: Problems Past, Present, and Future

I am a permanent deacon, married and with children; at the same time, I am ministering in my parish. When I was first ordained, I used to joke that I “had a foot in both camps,” as I seemed to be both laity and ordained. But in reality, we a … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – September 2021

The Hundredfold Songs for the Lord. By Anthony Esolen. Reviewed by Lawrence Montz. (skip to review) An Introduction to the Creeds. By Steve Ray and Dennis Walters. Reviewed by Joseph Tuttle. (skip to review) Eight Popes and the Crisis … [Read more...]

The Simple Rule of Faith When Seeking the True Church of Jesus Christ

I have often been approached by simple ordinary folk who believe from even a surface reading of the New Testament that Christ did found a Church but are troubled and baffled by the obvious divisions among Christians — all claiming to know w … [Read more...]