Weekly Insight
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 253 in the persecution under Emperor Decius. During his short...
Mater Dolorosa, Mother of Sorrows, and the Stabat Mater
A blessed memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows to all. This feast was first celebrated in the year 1233 - in the youth of that greatest of centuries, when Thomas Aquinas was but a...
O Crux Ave Spes Unica
A blessed and glorious feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! Also called the Triumph of the Cross and, at times, the 'Invention' of the Cross, in the original sense of that term,...
Triumph of the Holy Cross
We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered (Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Gal 6:14).
Today’s Feast of the Exaltation...
Pope Benedict and Saint John Chrysostom
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Saint Peter's Square
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Saint John Chrysostom (1)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This year is the 16th centenary of St John Chrysostom's death (407-2007). It can be said that John of Antioch, nicknamed...
John Chrysostom: The Man with the Golden Mouth
Saint John Chrysostom (+407) was a model bishop, a doctor of the Church, an ascetic and contemplative monk who wanted only to retreat from the turmoil of life in the Eastern empire, and live...
Vienna and Europe Saved in the Holy Name of Mary…For a Time
September 12th commemorates the Holy Name of Mary, made sacred by the holiness of the Theotokos, the Mother of God, full of grace. It was Pope Innocent XI – a great and holy reforming Pontiff...
Three Characters in Jane Eyre as Windows into the Moral Life
I recently reread Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, which I first read when I was a teenager; now, in my thirties, I have since reread this book countless times, each time showing a new facet...
Parton and Steinem, Ave Atque Vale
A few words may be in order on the deaths of two icons of the fairer sex, whose lives were controversial. Dolly Parton died on August 25th and the encomia have been pouring in....
9-11 at 25
It was twenty-five years ago today that the towers fell. Many readers will recall the morning they turned on their radios and televisions - this was in the halyconic largely pre-widespread-internet era - to...
Charlie Kirk, Requiescat in Pace
(Here is a reprise of Cameron Turner's reflection on the assassination of Charlie Kirk one year ago...Requiescat in pace.)
On September 10, 2025, 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk—co-founder of Turning Point USA and host of the “Prove Me...
Memento Mori: From Temporary Pain to Eternal Purpose
Memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning “remember that you will die.” For centuries, it served as a warning against wasting life on temporary things and as a call to live with wisdom, purpose, and...
Peter Claver’s Untiring Fidelity
Saint Peter Claver (+Sept. 8, 1654), whom we celebrate on this 9th day of September, was a Jesuit priest in the first missionary fervour of Ignatius' nascent Society, a native of Spain, but who...
Biebl’s Ave Maria
Franz Biebl (1906 - 2001) was a contemporary German composer, known for his choral ensemble works, the best known of which is his Ave Maria (Angelus Domini), published just in time for Mary's month...
Our Lady’s Birthday
A blessed and joyful birthday to the Blessed Virgin Mary! This feast that has been celebrated since at least the sixth century in Syria, in the wake of the proclamation of Mary as the Mother...
