One hundred years ago, on March 11, 1921, the greatest musician of Argentina in the second half of the last century was born: Astor Piazzolla. In Argentina he was born in Mar del Plata to Italian parents (the father from Trani in Puglia, the mother from the Garfagnana in Tuscany) and died on July 4,…
Editor’s note: Recently, we asked people to send in articles relating their stories of faith, family traditions, and conversion. The following comes to us from Mr. Daniel A. S. Barrett, who journeyed by a somewhat unconventional path from a sort of nominal, post-conciliar Catholicism to a life rich with Catholic Tradition, a big family, and…
The post you are about to read started as a Twitter thread, but the more I think about it, the more I think it should go here too. It’s going to be largely the same as what I posted there, with some modifications as I go. I am not going to take the time to…
“With God and Jesus Christ excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, . . . human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation.” – Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas [1925]: #18 Precis: Secular values tell us to exalt ourselves…
“We so heartily approve the magnificent tribute of praise bestowed upon this most divine genius that We consider that Thomas should be called not only the Angelic, but also the Common or Universal Doctor of the Church; for the Church has adopted his philosophy for her own.” (Studiorum Ducem, 29 June, 1923, Pope Pius XI)…
God and I hadn’t been on speaking terms for awhile. At least, it didn’t seem as if He had any interest in speaking to me. Since I was a teenager, I’d struggled with Obsession Compulsive Disorder manifesting as extreme scruples, or the idea that all of what I did, even prayer, was somehow displeasing…
Modern life, despite all of its many comforts, is a cesspool. We know it. We can feel it. We swim in it every day — a never ending torrent of information, images, and interactions — and we never come out sparkling clean, even if we try. Social media is bad. The word “toxic” is overused,…
Editor’s note: the following comes to us from an attorney, husband, and father who, because of politics of his law firm, cannot publish under his real name. If you think that underscores the point of this article, you are correct. On October 19, 1984, Father Jerzy Popieluszko was tortured and beaten to death by communists…
Twelve-year-old Charlotte Toguchi had to make a decision. Which should she choose? The Liberty cotton or the Swiss? The periwinkle blue or the coral? The stripes or the tiny flamingo print? Her art teacher had convinced her that she had a special aptitude for color, so she felt confident in choosing the fabric for her…
The headline for this piece was the first thought I had upon reading the following from The Pillar: The Archdiocese of Washington has allocated more than $2 million for the “ministry activities” of retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The archdiocese, which has pledged in recent years a commitment to financial transparency, has not responded to questions…
Pope Pius XI: “No genuine cure can be furnished for this lamentable ruin of souls, which, so long as it continues, will frustrate all efforts to regenerate society, unless men return openly and sincerely to the teaching of the Gospel” (Quadragesimo Anno [1931: #136]). “For there is no permanent city for us here on earth;…
