Hello Friends. In my work with the wonderful New Waves Ministry, which was founded by Sister Phyllis Diller (who identifies as non-bipolar) I have come across an apostolate that was founded in the city of St Francis. This is a new order of sisters called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This courageous group of individuals have built [...]
Has anybody else glimpsed the irony? Black Friday everybody gets up early and goes to pay homage to the great American idol– Mammon. Yet we call it ‘Black Friday’. Do we call it Black Friday because all the businesses go for a few days into the black rather than running on credit? I dunno and don’t [...]
As the drama of "the synod of synodality" unfolds I have just finished re-reading Chesterton's Everlasting Man. The final chapter on the perpetual resurrection of the church is a fantastic must read for our times. Chesterton points out how time and again in the church's two thousand year history she has been weakened from within by heresy, [...]
Pope Benedict XVI coined a phrase, "The Dictatorship of Relativism", but relativism (by its very nature) is a slippery subject. In Beheading Hydra I said trying to counter it is like wrestling with an octopus in oil in the dark. This is because relativism is an underlying philosophy that manifests in various ways. Like the Father [...]
Pope Pius XI established the Feast of Christ the King just about 100 years ago. In the 1920s the world was witnessing the rise not only of communism in Russia, but the increasing global power of the USA. It was Pope John Paul II who later recognized that there were two materialistic, atheistic systems: Communism and [...]
Hello friends! It was my joy recently to spend time with an Episcopal priest here in New York named Susannah Fleischmann. Mother Susannah is the Rector of Saint Euthanasia parish in downtown Manhattan. St Euthanasia's has a vibrant, diverse community that sets an example of a warm welcome to all. The [...]
I recently came across a pamphlet encouraging Catholics to evangelize. What a great idea! The advice given was along the lines of "Be positive. Be well informed. Be joyful. Be concise. Take risks. Reach Out. Take the lead. All well and good I suppose, but there seemed to be something lacking in all this. I sensed [...]
Canada is moving forward with the opportunity to administer "assisted dying" for the mentally ill. This article explains the situation and, as usual, complicates the question in order to confuse people into accepting euthanasia. The usual utilitarian and sentimental argumentation is used. "Many of those who suffer from mental illness are also poor and homeless. They [...]
Today is the memorial of St Martin of Tours and he will be most remembered and preached about concerning the famous episode in which, as a young Roman soldier, he gave his cloak to clothe a beggar. His example will be held up to us and we will be reminded of our duty to the poor. [...]
Today we celebrate the memorial of Pope St Leo the Great who died in the year 461. Famous for persuading Atilla the Hun from sacking Rome, he is also a Doctor of the Church for his writings--not only on the defense of divinity of Christ (Leo's Tome) but also his stout defense of the faith against [...]