190 years ago today, on August 18, 1830, His Apostolic Majesty Franz Joseph (1830-1916), the penultimate emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, was born in Schönbrunn Castle near Vienna. He reigned for 68 years, from 1848 until the First …
Category: Culture
Book Review: Peter Kwasniewski on Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright
Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass Peter Kwasniewski Angelico Press 388 pages $30 Hardcover; $19.95 Paperback; $8.99 Kindle Dr. Peter Kwasniewski’s newest book, Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness …
Pietro Mascagni: Opera Composer, Friends with the Pope
Seventy-five years ago, at 7:15 A.M., on August 2, 1945, the composer and conductor from Livorno, considered by many to be the founder of that opera style marked by a strong realism that was verismo in music, died in Rome …
How Caravaggio Brilliantly Imagined the Flight to Egypt
On July 18, 410 years ago, 1610, occurred the death of Caravaggio, byname of Michelangelo Merisi (1571–1610), at the age of only 38. He died in Porto d’Ercole, Tuscany, while he was trying to return to Rome. Called the “cursed” …
Fr. George Rutler, Made Accessible for All Our Benefit
The Wit and Wisdom of Father George Rutler Ed. Edward Short Sophia Institute Press 317 pages $15.99 paperback, $9.99 e-book The great virtue of Edward Short’s new book is that it makes Father George Rutler accessible in terms of both …
The Miniature Benedict Option: Recent Books to Cope with Chaos
I have lately witnessed some of the strongest Catholics I know shaken deeply by the visage of a society driving headlong into unnecessary strife and madness, and I would be lying if I did not number myself among them. This …
Gustav Mahler and Finding Meaning through the Resurrection
On July 7, 1860, 160 years ago, in Kaliště, a village on the border with Moravia, then part of the Austrian Empire, was born to a family of Jewish merchants of German origins the composer and conductor with whom the …
The Kitsch Council
Back in 1994, my inquiry into the claims of the Catholic Church took a decisive turn. I transitioned from reading books in the safety of my own home to visiting actual parishes and signing up for RCIA. At this point, …
Saint Louis Stands Against the New World Order
At the top of a grassy hill in St. Louis, Missouri, a bronze apotheosis of the city’s patron sits erect on a giant steed, keeping watch over the city. Recently, this work of art, which has inspired St. Louisans for …
Always Pronouns: Giving Away the Prerogatives of God
Decades ago, when I was just getting started in my legal career, I was a law clerk for a six-foot, four-inch, immensely imposing judge. Everyone called him “Your Honor.” I was a very junior law clerk, but even the most …