Remembering Fr. Joseph Escribano (May 31, 1933–June 25, 2023)
I first met Father Joseph Escribano (affectionately known as simply “Fr. Joe”) in 2014. From that moment forward, he played an important role in...
Georgian Bay Pilgrimage
I've been gone for a couple of days, on pilgrimage to Martyrs' Shrine, in Midland, Ontario, of which I have written a number of...
The Cult of Sentimentalism
“A sentimentalist is one who desires to have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it.” Oscar Wilde
Stuffed animals, flickering candles, cello-wrapped flowers, unfocussed...
Cardinal Gibbons’ Cure for Atheism
James Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921) was twenty one when Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, and died not long after World War I. He attended the...
Transgender In-sanity
There is an ancient Indian fable of six blind men who meet an elephant. Each of them touches different parts of the elephant. One...
Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power
(I thought a re-post of these thoughts from nearly five years ago now (!) was a propos, given our current Alice-in-Wonderland-cum-1984 world, making our...
Padre Pio and Brass Tacks
A brief note on this Sunday, on which I normally do not write, but make the occasional exception: For today is the 50th anniversary...
Of Saint Thomas’ Death and Voting
Saint Thomas Aquinas died on this day, March 7, 1274, at the Cistercian monastery of Fossanuova in Italy, between Naples and Rome (where there...
What is a Priest? Pope Benedict’s Final Exhortation
An excerpt to ponder, from Pope Benedict XVI's last Chrism Mass address to his fellow priests, back in 2012, less than a year before...
The Meaning of Christmas as Advent Draws to a Close
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 20 December 2006
The meaning of Christmas
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
"The Lord is close: come, let us adore him". With...
