EN GREGE RELICTO[1] Considerations on the Nativity scene in Saint Peter’s Square At the center of Saint Peter’s Square, a metallic tensile structure dominates the scene, hastily decorated with a tubular light, underneath which stand, disturbing as totems, a few horrible statues that no one endowed with common sense would dare to identify with the…
There is a great deal of grotesquery in the world and in the Church. The controversy over the Vatican Nativity Scene this year — a kind of “art” I have described as “weaponized ugliness” — has certainly driven the point home. (One might quibble with my use of “grotesque,” which implies something comical; that said,…
Over at The American Conservative, Rod Dreher devotes an entire post to a “cautionary tale” from a reader about the dangers of soft totalitarianism in unexpected places. The writer shares a good deal, and their whole story is worth reading, but their ultimate warning is different than the one their story prompted in me. Allow…
This post originally appeared yesterday at the author’s blog. We encourage you to visit her there, where she writes about prayer, truth, beauty, and goodness, and her work in sacred art. The “O Antiphon” for December 20 – the Antiphon for the Magnificat for Vespers of the day – “Key of David”. “…To open the blind eyes, to bring out…
Editor’s Note: On Saturday, December 19th, an Op-Ed piece from His Excellency Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò appeared in Italy’s La Verità. In it, the former nuncio addresses themes which have become familiar to readers of his other analyses: the Vatican’s complicity with organizations, ideologies, and goals aligned with the globalist, progressive left; the rise of…
In 1968, a Stanford biologist named Paul Ehrlich wrote a best-seller entitled, “The Population Bomb.” The premise: We have surpassed the ability of the earth to sustain life on Earth with our current rate of population growth. Ehrlich predicted that by 1990, half of Americans would die of starvation because there would be too many…
by Victor Fuentes “And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15, DRV For any student, the college years are a time of growth. For most, this is the first time they leave home, independent of parental influence. Many flock to a variety of…
Editor’s Note: by way of a colleague and friend in Italy, we received the following translation for publication. It is a commentary on the much-discussed 2020 Vatican Nativity Scene. Translator’s Note: Vittorio Sgarbi is a very well-known figure in Italian public life, who has served in several political offices, including the ministry in charge of…
Advent always reminds me of my Novus Ordo red pill moment. Years ago I discovered three texts around Advent that finally pushed me over the edge. The first was the collect for St. Nicholas. This prayer petitions God, through the intercession of St. Nicholas to save us “from the flames of hell.” This was censored…
One of the greatest musicians in the history of mankind, and certainly among the greatest composers of the Western European tradition, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), was baptized 250 years ago on December 17, 1770. It is fitting on such a momentous anniversary to offer readers a brief overview of his life and work, highlighting several…
“Get ready for a better world,” shouts a slogan from a children’s theme park which first came out some years ago. The park, as described in Dr. Anthony Esolen’s illuminating book, Life Under Compulsion, is a dream world where children can pretend to be adults. Not, mind you, in the normal manner one might see…
