On Friday, January 21st, it was the day of the March for Life, in Washington DC. We heard Mass in the morning at the beautiful Holy Rosary Church, built by our forefathers from Italy. The parish bulletin still had Italian on it. The interior had been saved from wreckovation and retained the grandeur that the…
A century ago, on January 22, 1922, the Pope of Peace died at the age of 67: Benedict XV, whose original name was Giacomo Della Chiesa. Born in Genoa, northwestern Italy, to a noble family on November 21, 1854, at the age of 20 he graduated in law, at 24 he was a priest, at…
Author’s Preface: The following article pertains to the ongoing campaign against traditional contemplative life unleashed by Pope Francis. I had drafted my article in full prior to the fortuitous appearance of two other articles on Madre Maravillas, namely, Mary Cuff’s “The Beauty of Austerity” (Crisis Magazine, January 8, 2022) and Sr. Gabriela Hick’s “St. Maravillas:…
I never did get my father to see his two grandsons serve the old Mass – I’d harbored a vague notion that seeing them up there amidst the “smells and bells” might help bring him back into the fold. When they assisted at his requiem this past October, it was the first time they were…
Mary Against the Marxists, part IV Read part I: The Communist Bayonet. Read part II: Poland Against All Odds. Read part III: The Miracle on the Vistula After the victory, Piłsudski became a national legend and received glory for his work. The state began honoring soldiers in the battle with medals. Piłsudski himself twice…
I popped into my parish church today. I haven’t been there in quite some time; nearly a decade in fact. The church has a specific meaning to me; it’s where my family are buried, it’s where I was baptized and received the sacraments. Above the door stands a stone commemorating my great, great, great grandfather…
Mary Against the Marxists, part III Read part I: The Communist Bayonet. Read part II: Poland Against All Odds. The First Divine Intervention Saturday, August 14th, 1920: At 3:30am the Bolsheviks initiated a violent attack at the army of students who quickly retreated backwards to the village of Ossów to use the homes as cover.…
Mary against the Marxists, part II. Read part I: The Communist Bayonet. The Plan of Piłsudski On the night of the 5th of August, 1920, Piłsudski (pictured above) analyzed the Russian formations and realized that their intent was to repeat the strategy of taking Warsaw as they did in the November Uprising of 1831. This…
I was disabused of the idea that time-hallowed, sacrifice-based Tradition is adverse to the authentically human experience a long time ago. Early on 24 December 2012, I found myself in a remote area. Spotty cell service. No internet. Then, out of nowhere, one text came through: “Firefighters shot. Monroe County, NY.” I spent the next…
Mary Against the Marxists, part I This series is about perhaps the most historically consequential Marian apparition that is very little known. It illustrates how the power of faith and prayers of a nation helps to combat Marxism. The following is a description of the event and a comprehensive yet concise overview of its historical…
In a recent conversation with a former practitioner of the occult, I was able, by God’s Providence, to make a connection and see a demonstration of the way in which Satan seeks to do the opposite of what Our Lord does, of how Satan seeks to invert all that is good, to twist and to…
