Ephraim’s Mission of Beauty
In the Church universal, we celebrate the life of Saint Ephraim, often called the 'Syrian', who is also venerated amongst the Orthodox (on January...
Sto Lat! Pope John Paul II’s Centenary, and Pope John I
On this May 18th, as we celebrate the first Pontiff with the name of the beloved disciple – and more on him in a...
The Indissolubility of a Mother’s Love
In one of those many paradoxical ironies of history, it was on this day that Woodrow Wilson – for whom I have not much...
A Re-Appreciation of What the Mass Really Is
Absence makes the heart grow fonder…
The proverb holds true in the main, but not, we must admit, always. There are many things, and we...
Athanasius Contra Mundum
Today is the memorial of one of the most heroic bishops in the history of the Church, the great Saint Athanasius (+373), who stood...
Saint Pius V Between Heaven and Earth
Michel Ghislieri was born Anton, but took the name of the archangel when he joined the Dominican Order at the age of 14, and...
Father Alphonse de Valk and the End of an Era
The passing of Father Alphonse de Valk, C.S.B., yesterday, April 16th, 2020, is the passing of an era. Many of our readers may recall...
Cathedrals and Chastisements
It was one year ago yesterday – April 15th, 2019– that Notre Dame cathedral, built over a century between 1160 and 1260, and has...
The Isolation of Margaret of Castello
Margaret of Castello (+1287 - 1320) is the patroness of the unborn, the disabled, the blind and, we may add of our own limited...
Evelyn Waugh and the Mass of the Ages
I was struck as I finished up reading over a small volume of letters by the great English writer Evelyn Waugh, author of such...