Above: engraving of Melchor Cano. Editor’s note: this article appears as a response to our article which included critical remarks about pre-Vatican II manualism, and is meant to be a balancing treatment on the period in theology. See also “The Authority of the Scholastics.” -TSF Note: This topic includes much confusion surrounding exactly the…
In the traditional calendar, December 2 is the feast of St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr. Having been imprisoned for her faith, she refused the sexual advances of her jailer, and was beaten to death with lead-loaded thongs. The Collect for her feast is magnificent: Deus, omnium largitor bonorum, qui in famula tua Bibiana cum virginitatis…
Death. It’s something we all experience, something that will always come. It is unavoidable, uncharitable, unalterable. When man reaches the end of his life, and his soul is torn from his body to its judgment, death not only takes place but engulfs any reality that we knew. How many of us really contemplate the reality…
Editor’s note: we publish this article as part of a respectful debate among English Catholics. We will not be publishing further installments in this debate. Follow the links below for previous articles on this topic. -TSF By James Bogle Esq and Dr Sebastian Morello The article by our friend, Theo Howard, entitled Monarchy and the…
It’s not a coincidence that the shortening days of a coming winter coincide with the last days of the Church year. It’s here, at the dark end of the year, that we reflect on the dark end of the world. The times prior to Christ’s return will be frightening, the readings remind us, full of…
In 589 Deacon Aigulf trekked home to Tours with relics he had collected in Rome. St. Gregory of Tours relates in his Historia Francorum that Aigulf saw with his own eyes the disasters that struck Rome that year. The Tiber rose to such a flood that buildings were washed away, ancient temples destroyed, and the…
As society “progresses” towards more efficiency and technological advances, it also moves away from human connections and relationships. God created us as social beings in His “image and likeness.” It is through connections that we grow both physically and spiritually. Historically, families, towns, regions, and civilizations survived by their social connections. Yet, as we are…
When the feast of St. Martin of Tours comes around each year—that’s November 11th, a day he shares on the Roman calendar with St. Mennas, a great soldier, desert solitary, and martyr in Egypt—I always think about food. The reason has nothing to do with Armistice Day. Rather, it’s because of the almost eight years…
One hundred years ago, on November 22, 1922, the new Pope Pius XI († 1939) issued the motu proprio Ad musicæ sacræ restitutionem, with which he set up what is now the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Although monumental, this was not the first papal action in this regard. “The liturgical-musical ‘conservatory’ of…
In the years after 9/11, Mr. Robert Spencer skyrocketed to fame. He published a critical biography about Muhammad and many other books criticizing Islam. He started a famous website called jihadwatch.org which he used as a platform to give his opinion on current events, specifically relating to Islam and Jihad. He still uses the website…
Previous essays in this series The Art of Dress – Two Schools of Thought The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy Time and Effort Many women desiring to improve the way they dress become discouraged by abysmal market conditions. For instance, a woman desiring a graceful skirt to wear when running errands on cold…
