Today is the feast day of our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. She holds particular significance to the Catholic Church in America, as her appearance to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac hill in Mexico was the first Marian apparition in the …
On Bringing the ‘Friendlies’ Back into the Fold
At this point in Catholic history, the Catholic Church needs strength. This can be done in many ways, such as strengthening the clergy and laity. We also need to bring in converts. We do have one more resource at our …
On Evangelizing and Chewing Gum at the Same Time
When I woke up on August 2 to a tweet that Pope Francis had made changes to paragraph 2267 of the Catechism, I knew that I was in for an exhausting phase in my post-conversion life. Without even reading the …
Pope Francis and Kabbalah: From Jewish Mysticism to Pagan Collaboration?
In his recent interventions, Pope Francis had repeatedly referred to a “paradigm shift” with regard to the Church’s attitude toward native cultures in different countries. It seems that he has in mind a return to rooted indigenous cultures and religions. …
A Departure from Tradition: On Nostra Aetate and the Mohammedans
On October 28, 1965, Pope Paul VI issued the declaration Nostra Aetate. The document deals with the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions. There are many statements in Nostra Aetate‘s five sections that deserve to be examined against …
Islamic Converts Ask Pope in Open Letter To Change His Teaching on Islam
A new, open letter to the pope is making the rounds on the Internet, and it has gathered over 2,600 signatures so far. “Most Holy Father,” it begins, “Many of us have tried to contact you, on many occasions and …
Why Catholics Are So Bad at Evangelizing—And What Has to Change
Image: The miracles of St. Francis Xavier (see full image here), by Peter Paul Rubens Two good friends, fellow parishioners, are having coffee and donuts after High Mass one Sunday. Maximilian: I really enjoyed Father’s homily today. His explanation of the parable …
The Old Evangelization: 5 Steps to Renew a Parish
Last week I wrote an article criticizing the Protestant character of some “New Evangelization” programs. I gave a few brief suggestions for true Catholic evangelization, and a number of people contacted me subsequently requesting more practical suggestions. In terms of …
The Protestantization of the New Evangelization
It’s no secret that the Catholic Church in the Western world has experienced a tremendous drop in practicing members over the past 50 years. More troubling—and not unrelated—is the fact that the desire to gain more members via evangelization has …
Jesus Doesn’t Water Down His Teachings
Editor’s Note: The following is adapted from the recently-published book The Old Evangelization by 1P5 author Eric Sammons, published by Catholic Answers Press. One day, back when I was a diocesan director of evangelization, I was meeting with a pastor and some …
