Pope Pius IX convoked the First Vatican Council on June 29, 1868. It opened the following year on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1869. During the intervening eighteen months, intellectuals, journalists, and the idly curious eagerly anticipated the upcoming Council—the first since the Council of Trent adjourned in 1563. … Read more
On June 27, 2024, the unimaginable happened. A blasphemous statue depicting Our Lady half nude giving birth to Our Lord was featured in an “art” exhibit – at a Catholic cathedral in Linz, Austria. The statue is pornographic. It mocks the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary by exposing her intimate body … Read more
No story better exemplifies the fruit of the Jesuit’s mission to bring the Catholic faith to the New World’s natives than the conversion and heroic life of the Mohawk maiden, Kateri Tekakwitha. In 1656, deep in the leafy green wilderness where the town of Auriesville, New York, stands today, an infant girl … Read more
Pius IX summoned all the general superiors of religious orders and congregations to participate in the First Vatican Council. At the time, many said that the pope did this to ensure the participation of Dom Prosper Guéranger, Abbot of Solesmes, and Superior of the Benedictine Congregation of France. Nothing could have been … Read more
The Council of Nicaea (325) was the first council intended for the edification of the entire Christian Church. It was called by the Emperor Constantine. Its primary task was to judge the Arian heresy, which disturbed the peace of the Church in the East. The Emperor attended its sessions. He effectively assisted … Read more
There is a growing debate over the posting of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and buildings. Many Americans feel this august collection of laws has a positive and much-needed effect on all who read them. Those opposing the Ten Commandments claim the posting somehow represents the “establishment” of religion and not … Read more
Talk to people seeking new jobs, and invariably, they will say their ideal is working from home. It is not a new idea. For example, remote field personnel working in sales or service positions with a ‘home office’ have worked from home for decades. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns accelerated the … Read more
In a world full of agitation, instant gratification and constant novelty, a growing number of Americans are seeking something more. Many people are finding that “something more” in Catholic pilgrimages. They are on the rise, and they are here to stay. After doing the “Camino” (or pilgrimage route) to the tomb of … Read more
By early 1869, the controversies preceding the Vatican Council were fierce. At that point, Most Rev. Henri Maret, Bishop of Sura and Dean of the Faculty of Theology in Paris, announced the publication of a book condemning Papal infallibility. He had spent many years writing Du concile général et de la paix … Read more
Some books can give the impression that everything is backward. The author holds as true all the theses that you affirm as false. The course of events that the author finds positive, you read negative. Fareed Zakaria’s Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash From 1600 to the Present is one such book. … Read more