Jonathan Petrie of London’s Daily Telegraph explains what’s going on as the world’s Anglican primates meet in Tanzania. Basically, the bishops of the developing world are still hoping mad over the ordination of Vicki Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, and the Episcopal Church’s refusal to stop ordaining homosexuals. The don’t much like presiding [...]

Here’s a link to the podcast of my homily on Sunday. It’s about the beatitudes and how to get poor.

Strong Woman has prompted me to tell my St Bernadette story. This happened the summer of 1987 when (still an Anglican priest) I took three months to make a pilgrimage hitch-hiking from England to Jerusalem…staying in monasteries and convents en route. I arrived in Nevers tired, hot and dusty after a discouraging day. My arrival [...]

A quick post from Immaculate Conception Seminary in Newark, New Jersey, where I have come to lead one of my Spiritual Hero retreats. In these retreats I show how the hero’s quest in great stories provides a map for the spiritual journey. I mostly draw on The Lord of the Rings and illustrate my points [...]

These three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. These everlasting virtues form a little incarnated Holy Trinity. The three are intertwined and co-mingled. They are three persons but one unity. Faith is not faith without hope and love, and hope is not hope without faith and love, and love is not love without faith and hope. [...]

My favorite film: Shawshank Redemption. Here’s a film that’s worth watching over and over. The script, the acting, the cinematography, the symbolism, the music, everything comes together perfectly in a cinematic experience that rocks the boat for me every time I see it. I could write oodles on this film. Just go watch it if [...]

A group of bloggers from the Catherine of Siena Institute for Evangelization have a great post on how Eucharistic Adoration can evangelize. A similar thing happened to me. At a Catholic Youth Conference a room full of young people were on their knees before the Blessed Sacrament. They were praying with one arm outstretched towards [...]

Following my recent post on the need for a true encounter with Christ, one commentator asked quite rightly, but where is that true encounter to be found? Great question. It’s one of the questions that brought me into the Catholic Church. After experiencing different expressions of Protestantism–from the fully fledged variety of do-it-yourself fundamentalism all [...]

Fr Nicholas over at Roman Miscellany has posted a fascinating and moving account of the deathbed conversion of King Charles II Very different from the account of Henry VIII’s and Elizabeth I’s dismal and despairing deathbeds.

I’m as keen as the next guy about apologetics, having a friendly intellectual dog fight, swapping proof texts and proving my point, but one of the things that is a bit worrying about the orthodox Catholic scene in the USA is a tendency to focus on the fine points of an argument or the precise [...]

Benedict XVI talks much about the ‘dictatorship of relativism’, and not everybody’s sure quite what he is talking about. When he uses the phrase, ‘dictatorship of relativism’ he’s also talking about the tyranny of tolerance. This is walking a tightrope. Nobody wants to dispute the fact that tolerance is a virtue, and nobody wants to [...]

I believe this image of St Agatha comes from Lechlade Church in England. Lechlade is a beautiful town which claims to be the source of the River Thames. One October I took a two week canoe journey down the Thames from Lechlade. Agatha was a virgin martyr from the middle of the third century. The [...]

I have come across a website with the remarkable title ‘Thinking Anglicans’. The website compiles blog posts and makes comment from a viewpoint that basically toes the liberal humanist Anglican establishment party line. The title of their website, ‘Thinking Anglicans’ is immediately offensive because it sounds elitist and condescending. It implies that the authors and [...]

We shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time.Through the unknown, remembered gateWhen the last of earth left to discoverIs that which was the beginning;At the source of the longest riverThe voice of the hidden waterfallAnd the children in [...]

This is a carving in an ancient Church in Kilpeck, in Hertfordshire, England. Roving Medievalist reminded me of it. I wonder if this is where British film-maker and comic genius, Nick Parke (who by the way is a committed Christian) got his ideas for Gromit and the WereRabbit in his recent animated movie.See what you [...]

Snow in South Carolina means a day off school. This is chez Longenecker. The house is full of kids playing games and having some down time. I’ve had the chance to update my blog, add some permanent links so y’all can listen to my homilies if you want. Before long I’ll have a link from [...]

Andrew at Unam Sanctam has posted excerpts from a new book by JP2s secretary–now an Archbishop in Poland. He’s interspersed a collection of images. Have a look.

Don John Bosco was a different kind of Don Juan. He was a juggler, tight rope walker, jongleur de Dieu in the Franciscan tradition. When the northern Italian cities were like something out of a Dickens novel, Don Bosco worked with the Oliver Twists–bringing them homes, hilarity and hope. Like a cavalier for Christ he [...]

At St Mary’s, Greenville they put the homily from the High Mass at 11.00 up on podcast. I celebrated that Mass on Sunday, and you can listen to it here if you’re interested. If you scroll down to the Third Sunday in Advent you can also listen to the homily at my first Mass at [...]

Dunadan over at Cally’s Kitchen likes my book, but calls me ‘overweight’. Geesh! and I thought the English were well mannered… You can get the book here

Tolkien loathed allegory. It was too obvious; too blatant; too literal; too dead. In allegory one thing means one thing and that’s it. Myth, on the other hand, is alive. It’s a real story with the real ambiguity and complexity of real life. Tolkien’s world is multi-layered and yet full of Christian meaning all the [...]

A reader asked me if I had any idea who the patron saint of mystery writers would be. I’m sure I don’t know. I once had a book listing all the patron saints–which made a very entertaining read–but lent it to someone who forgot to return it. My nomination for patron saint of mystery writers [...]