Few men have ever hated Christ as much as I have, before turning to love Him. Before I was a Catholic, I was an atheist, and not an atheist who kept his opinions to himself, but a vituperative, proselytizing, aggressive, evangelist of atheism who sought at every opportunity to spread the Bad News that God…
Growing up during the pontificate of John Paul II, it was easy to fall in love with the figure of the pope. His warm, sincere smile, his grandfatherly presence, his constant words of encouragement, and his admonitions to create a culture of life were all extremely attractive to a young, conservative Catholic like me. My…
Image: Pontifical High Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington DC. Photo by Steve Skojec. Last weekend, I got together for dinner with one of my best friends from college. We now live together in the same city, and our kids are as close as cousins. As the children…
Editor’s note: the following is the first part in a series (see part two here) from our friend Hilary White, originally published at her new site, Hilary White Sacred Art. We hope you’ll visit her there for more about her discoveries in the ancient traditions of Western and Byzantine sacred art as she transitions from…
The question of economics is central to the crisis in the Church, due to the fact that a great many of the controversial things in society that we lament — abortion, contraception, and divorce, to name just a few — are promoted not only philosophically or politically, but economically. More generally, we can trace a…
Drinking with Your Patron Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to Honoring Namesakes and Protectors Dr. Michael P. Foley Regnery History, 2020 256 Pages $12.99 Kindle; $15.29 Hardcover Dr. Michael P. Foley is a man on a mission. Or rather, a man with a mixer and a mission. He knows that one cannot always be translating Patristics…
Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem“From shadows and images into truth”1Blessed John Henry Newman’s memorial epitaph Although many years ago now, I recall the young, eyebrow-pierced woman who told me, with no hint of embarrassment or regret, “I used to be Catholic, but now I’m pagan.” She did not say that she struggled with faith…
I recall many months ago, in happier times, a television commercial of a bride getting married in the middle of a forest. Her mother, seemingly confined to a nursing home, was unable to attend. Now it is evidently not right that a girl should forgo a dream wedding in a forest just to have her…
My Open Letter of Application for Catholic College Chancellorship: To the powers-that-be on campus: Good morning! I am writing to you to humbly request consideration to be hired as your new Chancellor (or whatever you call the “top job” on campus) at your officially-but-not-actually Catholic institution of higher learning. My formal qualifications for such a…
“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:6 I’m a walker. I walk all over the place. As a teen, I walked almost two miles to high school every morning. I took up “city hiking” in my twenties, long before it became “urban hiking.” These days, I still walk and…
As the week — and the month — wind to a close, I wanted to thank you all once again for your readership of 1P5. We know that you have more options than ever for good Catholic news and commentary, and we’re happy that you choose to be here. It’s a weird time we’re living…
