Thursday, September 18, 2025

Wolfgang Smith’s Legacy: A Metaphysician for Our Times

On July 19, 2024, the world lost Wolfgang Smith, one of the most underappreciated yet profoundly important thinkers of our time. A rare polymath,...

Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle: A Teacher for Teachers

Jean-Baptiste de la Salle (1651 - 1719), a French nobleman, ordained a priest, founded the first order in the Church’s history entirely without priests,...

Our Lady of Walsingham, England’s Dowry

(In light of today's official 'feast' of Our Lady of Walsingham, September 24th, the premier Marian shrine in the British Isles, I am re-posting...

The Charism of Saint John Bosco

The term 'charismatic' has an ambiguous meaning in the Church, invoking images of liturgical guitars, drums, emotional crescendos, and disconcerting glossolalia. In the Church's...

Saint Joseph Calasanz, a Radical Reformer

We would be remiss if we did not at least remark on this day on the great and sadly forgotten Saint Joseph Calasanz (+1648),...

The Popes on Saint Joseph

As the Church universal is jubilantly celebrating the feast of St Joseph on this day, it would be so beautiful to draw from the...

Pope Benedict and Saint John Damascene

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 6 May 2009 John Damascene Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I should like to speak about John Damascene, a personage of prime...

Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, Shepherds for Christ and Martyrs for His Truth

Saint Cornelius was Pope for a scant two years in the middle of the third century, elected in 251 and put to death in...

Saint Francis Xavier’s Missionary Wisdom

Francis Xavier was born on 7 April 1506, in the city of Javier, which in Basque language means “new house”, in the Kingdom of...

Pope Benedict and Pope Pius X

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo Wednesday, 18 August 2010 Saint Pius the Tenth Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to reflect on my...