We are pleased to announce that the articles of Matthew Plese on lost customs of Christendom have now been published as a book. Shortly after I took on the editorship here at OnePeterFive, I asked Plese to write this series which I believe to be fundamental to rebuilding Christendom, because these are the things that win the hearts of children and still captivate us to this day. Visit’s Plese’s website for all purchase options.
In past ages, the lives of Catholics were studded with joyful celebrations of saints and somber calls to penance. The ebb and flow of feasting and fasting gave the Christian religion a distinctive ‘thickness’ and ‘texture’: it wasn’t a bunch of ideas floating in the clouds but a daily planner filled with concrete actions. In the heady rationalism and hearty optimism that gripped modern reformers, nearly all of this holistic ecosystem was overthrown, and the loss of it meant far more than the loss of parties or Lenten recipes; it meant, for too many, the loss of any relevance of faith to everyday life. What is a Catholic to do in this desert of deprivation? Simple: follow a knowledgeable guide out of it. In this informative book, Matthew Plese, who has devoted himself to studying and living the traditional calendar, takes us step by step through some of the most important ‘lost customs of Christendom.’ Restoring them, here and there, one by one, we restore ourselves and our families to all that Catholic life can be.
–Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski, scholar, lecturer, composer
author, The Once and Future Roman Rite
www.peterkwasniewski.com
Catholics who want to integrate the Catholic customs of ages past will deeply appreciate Restoring Lost Customs of Christendom. Beginning with Advent and continuing through the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year, this complete compendium of Catholic traditions by Matthew Plese will help integrate the ancient traditions of our faith in our families and homes. This treasured volume presents the fasts and feasts, the indulgences and blessings which are the patrimony of our Catholic people.
–Fr. Scott A. Haynes
www.mysticaltheologyofthemass.com
