The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint (Leon Bloy, +1917)

Editor's Corner

The Dies Irae Through the Ages

The Dies Irae - 'Day of Wrath' - is a 13th century sequence preparing us for the final judgement, composed perhaps by the Franciscan...

All the Myriads of Saints

A blessed solemnity of All Saints to all our readers, a feast that goes back to its official institution by Pope Gregory III (731...

Luther’s Re- or-De-Formation

(Here is a re-post of a reflection on this 'All Hallow's Eve' anniversary of the generally accepted date for the formal start of the...

The Surreality of Reality

Things are surreal, and getting more so by the minute - or so it goes. In the first minute or so of his interview...

Simon, Jude and Desperate Causes

All of the Apostles have a feast day, and on this 28th of October, we celebrate Saints Simon and Jude, the latter, in particular, being invoked...

Nota in Brevis

Two Complementary Requiems

On this All Souls' Day, here are two Requiems, which commemorate the dead with beauty and transcendence, and may accompany our prayers this day. The...

Litany of the Saints

While we are celebrating the Solemnity of All Saints it is important to appreciate the litany of the Saints. Personally speaking whenever it happens...

Dilexit Nos

(Full disclosure: I myself have not read the most recent encyclical by Pope Francis, so present this reflection by Father Attard for your own...

Would the Real ‘Fascist’ Please Stand Up?

The term 'fascism' gets a lot of traction in politics, even if few of us could strictly define it. The etymology derives from the...

Blessed Terence O’Brien and Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez

This penultimate day in October - all hallowe'ed eve's eve - is the memorial of the Irish bishop and martyr, Terence O'Brien (1601-1651), put...