Author: Anna Kalinowska

Two Gems from Silverstream Priory
Above: Silverstream Priory from the website. This past fall I’ve enjoyed reading two little books published by the good monks of Silverstream Priory. The first, Letters to a Soul, consists of fifty-five short letters of spiritual direction written by Dom …

Metaphysical Beauty made Visible
Man’s purpose in life is to know, love, and serve God with all of his mind, heart, and strength. This succinct answer to the world’s most vexed question holds compelling poetic beauty. Its strong, rhythmic monosyllables are like the rap …

The Art of Dress – Learning from the Valiant Woman
Previous essays in this series The Art of Dress – Two Schools of Thought The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy Time and Effort Many women desiring to improve the way they dress become discouraged by abysmal market conditions. …

A Moment of Christendom: the St. Louis Patronal Procession
Above: Patronal Festivity in Saint Louis, Missouri, 2022 On August 25th, my alarm clock rang at 3:45 a.m. The previous evening, we chant enthusiasts had parted with the words, “Tenebrae et Matutinum” (dark and early). With solemn vespers, we had …

The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy
In a previous essay, I introduced an approach to dress that I call the School of Normalcy. I will now further explore the problems with this school of thought so widely held by Catholics today. For brevity, I have kept …

The Art of Dress – Two Schools of Thought
When it comes to the art of dress, there exist two schools of thought among devout Catholics. One school expounds modesty as the highest aim; the other, normalcy. Unfortunately, both completely miss the mark. While the School of Modesty teaches …

Profound Playfulness in the Spiritual Life
I knelt right up against the rail of the transept loft, on level with the baldacchino, my back heated by the sun streaming through the rose window with the Sacred Heart. The people pressing close on either side of me …

The Little Way of Beauty
No one knows how to build another Chartres Cathedral. As time takes its toll on brick and mortar, and vandals and arsonists destroy, the wonders of Christendom slip away. We Catholic lovers of tradition stand by helplessly sounding forth the …

100 Years Ago, G.K. Chesterton Predicted Our Dark Times
Over one century ago, G.K. Chesterton wrote a masterpiece poem titled The Ballad of the White Horse. Today, more than ever, it strikes chords in the hearts of all who love the Catholic Church and her traditions. In soul-stirring rhymes, …

Book Review: The Traditional Mass, by Michael Fiedrowicz
The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite Michael Fiedrowicz Angelico Press 350 pages $32.00 Hardcover; $22.95 Paperback; $9.99 eBook Angelico Press has recently published an excellent book entitled, The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology …