Jacques Fesch was living the American dream. Except he wasn’t living in America. He was living in France. His Belgian-born father was a bank president. The family was wealthy and lived in an exclusive district of Paris. Fancy vacations, private schools, luxury goods. That was his life. “He was living the perfect life!” said his…
“Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their wicked doings” (Isaias 58:1 [DRB]). A recent statement from the Parish Council of Holy Trinity Church in the District of Columbia benightedly and truculently exclaims that their church “will not deny the Eucharist to persons presenting themselves to receive it.” I…
Our family wanted to do more this year to celebrate Independence Day, so we put up additional flags and painted red, white, and blue on a heart-shaped flag. Judging from the increased American flags in our area, other families had the same thought. A nearby patriotic display gave us the idea for our new yard…
In 1643, Antoine Arnauld published De la frequente Communion, arguing that the frequent reception of Holy Communion cheapened the Sacrament as so few were in a proper state of Grace to receive the Lord. Arnauld’s book became a centerpiece of the Jansenist movement and the debates around sin, Grace and Holy Communion that would consume…
By Matthew Reid In the course of a man’s life there are many changes that occur, some by his own volition, some involuntary, however one of the great changes, perhaps the greatest change, is when a man becomes a father. The entire concept of who the man is put under a microscope like never before. …
Today, new comments have emerged from three high prelates — including Archbishop Arthur Roche, the new prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship — have added fuel to the speculation that an unwanted change is coming for those Catholics who love the Traditional Latin Mass. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Pope Francis has…
In our mostly pusillanimous culture, an encounter with men of real courage, natural goodness and strong faith can leave an impression lasting a lifetime. In the late 1980s, I was slaving my way through graduate school, working simultaneously on advanced degrees in French and music, while teaching courses in each subject at a level beyond…
Holy Communion, after the Incarnation, is the greatest gift that Jesus bestowed upon the faithful and His Mystical Body, the Church. If unity with the Beloved is the fullness and perfection of divine love, then humbly receiving Our Lord in Communion with piety and reverence is the ordinary way to the “ineffable union (that) He…
A story of scandal is always a draw for us fallen human creatures. The stench of sin brings a flavor unparalleled to the woeful stories of the broken world, both on national and on personal level. But we humans are drawn more to stories of survival. To stories of beating the odds. To stories that…
Charles Peguy (1873-1914): “It will never be known what acts of cowardice have been committed for fear of not looking sufficiently progressive.” Elsewhere, I recently published a piece pleading for the universal reinstatement of the Traditional Latin Mass. This plea flies in the face of fears that the usus antiquior will be restricted, or…
Do you worry about today or what the future holds? Opening the newspaper or reading the latest tweet certainly provides enough kindling for worry to become a roaring fire. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Recently, I’ve been thinking about fears Americans and other nationalities confronted in the past. Pondering history is not…
