Matthew Plese is a Third Order Dominican who resides in Chicago, IL. Matthew is a practicing Certified Public Accountant and Catechist. He is the President of CatechismClass.com, an online based organization whose mission is to make the best in Catholic religious education and Sacramental preparation available for those who need it. Matthew writes a monthly piece on apologetics and catechesis for Catholic Family News and a weekly column for the Fatima Center. He is also the author of Catholic Book Summaries: 54 Traditional and Contemporary Classics; Eschatology: The Catholic Study of the Four Last Things; Understanding the Precepts of the Church, and The Roman Catechism Explained for the Modern World. He also blogs at A Catholic Life.
Author: Matthew Plese
Forgotten Customs of the Octave of Christian Unity
Above: the young Rev. Lewis Thomas Wattson. That all may be one: as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. (John 17:21) Known as the “Octave of Christian Unity” as …
Forgotten Customs of the Immaculate Conception
Above: the traditional Baile de los Seises in Spain for the Immaculate Conception. The feast of the Blessed Virgin’s Immaculate Conception is the most solemn of all those which the Church celebrates during the holy time of Advent; and …
Post-Election: the Law of Politics is the Salvation of Souls
This past Tuesday, American Catholics – and all of those fighting for the rights for the lives of the unborn – were dealt another setback with the loss of 5 constitutional Amendments to safeguard the unborn in Montana, Kentucky, Vermont, …
Forgotten Customs of All Saints Days for Religious Orders & Nations
The saints don’t need us to honor them. Our devotion adds nothing to what they already have. When we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, whenever I think of them, I feel inflamed by …
Forgotten Customs of Allhallowtide
Known in some places as Allhallowtide, the Vigil of All Saints, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day form a sort of triduum. While All Saints Day is still a Holy Day of Obligation, the Church’s traditions and customs have …
Forgotten Customs of Michaelmas
Angels are pure, created spirits. The name angel means servant or messenger of God. They are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings. An angel has no body and does not depend on matter for his …
Forgotten Customs of St. Lawrence
While St. Lawrence is one of the greatest deacons in the Church’s history, his feastday has over time fallen into obscurity and most average Catholics are unfamiliar with the customs and practices associated with his feastday. The Feast of St. …
Forgotten Customs of the Precious Blood
Above: Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, with gushing blood, detail of the Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, c. 1432. The History of the Feast According to the Traditional Catholic Calendar of 1962 and prior, July 1st is the Feast of the …
Forgotten Customs of Corpus Christi
Above: Corpus Christi 2021 at St. Mary’s Conshohocken, FSSP. Photo by Allison Girone. Editor’s note: this octave, consider joining the crusade of Eucharistic reparation. A great solemnity has this day risen upon our earth: a feast both to God and …
Forgotten Customs of the Octave of Pentecost
The Forgotten, Yet Ancient Vigil of Pentecost The Feast of Pentecost (i.e., White Sunday) is one of the principal feasts in the life of the Church. After Pentecost Sunday and its Octave, we will conclude Pascaltide and begin the Season …