Author: Peter Kwasniewski

Healthy and Copious Food for Grown-Ups
When the feast of St. Martin of Tours comes around each year—that’s November 11th, a day he shares on the Roman calendar with St. Mennas, a great soldier, desert solitary, and martyr in Egypt—I always think about food. The reason …

A Letter From a Seminarian
Hello, Dr. Kwasniewski, I am a seminarian entering into first-year theology. Throughout my formation, I have felt a growing draw towards the extraordinary form of the Mass and traditional approaches to liturgy and theology. In the seminary I am at, …

Investiture as a Bridal Ceremony
The following chapter talk was written by the same religious superior who wrote “The Symbolism of Religious Clothing: Why Nuns Wear What They Do.” Here she shows her keen understanding of philosophy, theology, and Catholic tradition, which come together to …

Between Christ the King and “We Have No King But Caesar”
The month of November begins with the great Solemnity of All Saints. But in the traditional Roman calendar, All Saints is preceded shortly before by an even greater feast—that of Christ the King, the One who creates and sanctifies the …

Do New Saints Vindicate the New Mass?
As could be expected in any age, no matter how rotten the circumstances, the Lord continues to raise up men and women who have the traits of holiness. Two well-known examples are Blessed Chiara Badano (1971–1990) and Blessed Carlo Acutis …

Floating in the Sea, Not Drinking from the Firehose
We’ve probably all had this conversation. Your friend, who has become more conservative over the years, but still hasn’t crossed the Adige (that’s the river that runs through Trent), says in the midst of an amicable dispute: “I know there …

The Symbolism of Religious Clothing: Why Nuns Wear What They Do
The following text originated as a series of chapter talks given by a religious superior to a community of sisters. The superior shared it with Dr. Kwasniewski and gave him permission to edit it and publish it. The accompanying photos …

Attending the Traditional Mass: Well Worth the Effort
Editor’s note: this was first published on March 20, 2015, under the pen name Benedict Constable, and is republished today under its author’s name. Doing violence to one’s family heritage is always bad, it can never be good. No less …

If The Pope Is a Heretic, Hold Fast to What Is Certain
The following letter exchange addresses some of the difficult questions Catholics are asking themselves today. Dear Dr. Kwasniewski, In your article “The Failure of Todaying: Abandon the Passé and Recover Tradition,” you wrote: “The reality is that the Church is …

Helping Children Enter into the Traditional Latin Mass – Part 2
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on the topic of introducing children to the traditional Latin Mass and making it fruitful for them. The first part is available here. NB: This article (and its companion piece) have been published, in …