Montfortian Music and the Power of Hymns
The hymns he composed were, at the time of French Revolution, on the lips of the Blessed 47 Martyrs of Avrillé.
4th Sunday after Epiphany: Love in the swamp
For this 4th Sunday after Epiphany the Vetus Ordo gives us the ultra-dramatic Gospel scene of the Apostles with the Lord in a boat being swamped by the waves during a great storm on the Sea of Galilee. The Lord was asleep. That’s the Gospel for Sunday. But this year I’m writing about the first…
American Fighting Men Renew the Crusade Against Communism
A casual perusal of the most recent headlines coming from Rome–even by the most uninformed Catholic reader– would cause a reaction of great concern and above all, confusion. For those who have a bit more information at their disposal – and who may be aware of other news and machinations coming from the World Economic…
BIP to Elect Anti-Pope on Monday
You may not have realized it, but a new “Pope” will be elected this coming Monday, the 30th of January. Why do I put it in quotes? For two good reasons. The first is that you cannot elect a new Pope if there is one still alive; the second is that this whole story, more…
Two Gems from Silverstream Priory
Above: Silverstream Priory from the website. This past fall I’ve enjoyed reading two little books published by the good monks of Silverstream Priory. The first, Letters to a Soul, consists of fifty-five short letters of spiritual direction written by Dom Hubert van Zeller to an anonymous directee. Written in the social and ecclesiastical upheaval of…
On Singing Gregorian Chant Artfully (Part 1)
This week and next, I will share practical and speculative points on singing Gregorian chant well that I have learned by leading scholas, by participating in them, and by listening to masters discuss what they do and why. My points are not put forward here as “Gospel truths”; they are merely an attempt to put…
The Last Testament of Cardinal Pell
In growing numbers under the pontificate of the Dictator Pope, priests, bishops, and cardinals have denounced His Holiness directly or indirectly. But this is the first time one of Pope Francis’s own Cardinals from his C9 Council has turned against him. And, as it turns out, it was published on the day before that same…
The Irish Fight for the Latin Mass – Part 1
Above: Doonagore Castle (“fort of the goats”), Doolin, Co. Clare, Ireland. Photo by Jesse Gardner on Unsplash In the English speaking world, the story of Catholicism during and after the Reformation is dominated by the experience of England. The sad tale of an ancient Catholic kingdom subjected to the yoke of Protestantism, of a systematic…
Proselytizing the Popesplainers
Above: Pope Mobile in Thailand, 2019. The following information comes from an article from my esteemed colleague, Michael Haynes at LifeSiteNews, and I have mixed in my brazen and snarky commentary throughout. Before we continue, we should define a term, the term popesplainer. What is a popesplainer? Simply put, popesplainers are most of the talking…
3rd Sunday after Epiphany: “‘Vengeance is YOURS’, saith the Lord!” No… wait… that’s not how it goes.
We are looking at the Epistle readings for the Vetus Ordo on Sundays. This week we continue what we prayed last week. I say, “what we prayed,” because the readings themselves are part of a sacrificial offering, the Word being raised to the Father, as the Word made flesh was raised on the Cross, as…
The One Thread By Which the Council Hangs: a Response to Cavadini, Healy, and Weinandy
Above: photos of (left) Requiem Mass for Pope Benedict XVI at the Monastère Saint-Benoît, provided by the monastery, and (right) Mass in Mexico, by marianaarias of CathoPic. “Don’t touch that! If you do, everything will collapse!” The warning is clear enough. Any sensible person would rapidly desist, lest their one seemingly minor act bring…