Our teenager was looking over my shoulder one night as I read a New York Times article about one of my former pastors. “What does defrocked mean?” he asked me. “It means this man no longer is a priest,” I explained. For years I have intermittently followed the case of Charles Kavanagh, a man who once served as a priest my childhood parish. Acting on authority of the Vatican, a church tribunal last week found the man guilty of sexually... Read more

“The Savior comes to incapacitate the work of evil, the things that still keep us distant from God, restoring us to our ancient splendor and our original paternity. … His coming, then, can have no other aim than that of teaching us to see and love events, the world and everything that surrounds us, with the eyes of God Himself. The Word, by becoming a Child, helps us to understand the way God acts, that we too may be capable... Read more

But maybe that’s just me… Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, کریسمس مبارک, Selamat Hari Natal, חג מולד שמח, Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo, मेरी क्रिसमस, Maligayang Pasko, عيد ميلاد مجيد, Froehliche Weihnachten, 聖誕節快樂, Joyeux Noël, С Рождеством, Buone Feste Natalizie, 메리 크리스마스, Feliz Natal, メリークリスマス, Sawadee Pee Mai,For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him. (John 3:17) Beautiful Day, U2. Touch me Take me to that... Read more

Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Three simple, but profound words. Three words that appeal to all mankind. Catholic words are these, albeit with a small “c.” The impact that the Catholic Church, with a capital “C,” has had on the arts, though, is enormous. The Church has unswervingly held that mankind, and the works of his hands, and mind, are to be praised and turned to the benefit of all. Because to do so redounds to the Glory of God. Since... Read more

Here is a late-breaking poem for the day. I stumbled upon it while combing through my favorite on-line library. There is all kinds of undiscovered treasure lurking in the books there. Just waiting for you to break out your torch and look around. Ever feel like being a Catholic Christian is a battle? Sure you do, because we were never promised a rose garden, right? This poem may  either scare you straight or help you see the light. Written by... Read more

Feast of St. Dominic of Silos  For some people, this time of the year is the worst of all. Why? Because Madison Avenue Stole Christmas. And we’ve even turned it into an arms race of sorts. The feast has lost much of it’s religious significance because we have allowed it to be hijacked and our wallets held for ransom. This is one of those man-made disasters that I often ask you to pray about.Who is harmed the most by this?... Read more

Feast of St. Dominic of Silos  Christmas is upon us. We have passed through the 4th Sunday of Advent and in a few more days we will celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior. The mystery of the Incarnation is a profound one. As St. John writes in his gospel, and as the words parsed into English literally mean, “He pitched his tent among us.” You don’t have to be a Marine to appreciate those words, but it doesn’t... Read more

Neophyte nun meets naval captain widower with 7 children. “Salzburg Austria in the last golden days of the 1930’s.” Unsure of Maria’s vocation, the Mother Superior of the abbey assigns her to the von Trapp household as a governess. I held out against seeing this movie for the longest time. Until 2003 as I recall. Now it’s one of my favorites! Me and the kids know all of the tunes and break into song with the von Trapps with reckless... Read more