James V. Schall S.J., 1928–2019: rest in peace

April 18, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

One of the great joys of editing Gilbert! for fourteen years was editing James V. Schall S.J. Fr. Schall, 91, died Wednesday. May he rest in peace. Fr. Schall wrote the “Schall on Chesterton” column for Gilbert! since its founding in 1997. Before that, he contributed the same column to the Midwest Chesterton News. He also wrote for numerous other publications, all while teaching at Georgetown University. After his retirement from Georgetown in 2012, he continued to write for Gilbert!, always... Read more

“Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

April 15, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Jesus’ words, from Matthew 24:35, were what first passed through my mind when I saw striking pictures of the interior of Notre Dame Cathedral, miraculously preserved after Paris firefighters had mostly doused the blaze that tore through it Monday afternoon and evening. It was a deeply moving conclusion to a terrible day. I was home for lunch when suddenly my Facebook news feed blew up with stories of the tragedy: Notre Dame was engulfed in flames. We turned on the... Read more

How Daenerys should have invaded Westeros (MAJOR SPOILERS)

April 11, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Season 8 of Game of Thrones premiers Sunday. The anticipation is enough to make any fan explode. The usual Puritan malcontents denounce it as porn, showing that they know even less about porn than they do about Game of Thrones (and if you’re such a good Catholic, how is it you claim to know so much about porn?). I don’t care how good of a Catholic you think you are, if you don’t love a good story as much as... Read more

The link between Nazareth and Mount Doom

March 25, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Today, we celebrate two events, one fictional and one real. The fictional event is the destruction of a Ring and the downfall of an evil power. The real event is the Annunciation of our long-promised Redeemer. The two are linked. “Noon?” said Sam, trying to calculate. “Noon of what day?” “The fourteenth of the New Year,” said Gandalf. “Or, if you like, the eighth day of April in the Shire reckoning. But in Gondor the New Year will always now... Read more

The press vs the Presidency: old war, new battles

March 18, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s campaign for president started as a snowball. It is quickly becoming an avalanche. Mr. Trump, feeling the pressure, is lashing out at his political opponents more frequently, including, last week, hinting that police and the military—and some outfit called Bikers for Trump—would make things “very bad, very bad” for his political opponents; would “do things that are very nasty.” Then Sunday morning—two days after a white nationalist who murdered fifty Muslims in New Zealand... Read more

This Lent, winter is coming

March 5, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Lent is a dreary time. From Ash Wednesday to the Triduum, we count the days and endure our mortifications, fasts, and other obligations—or stress over failing to live up to them. But amidst the gloom are a few bright spots. Two solemnities fall during Lent, St. Joseph’s Day on March 19 and the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. On those days the Gloria is said at Mass, even though it is not said at any other time during Lent.... Read more

AOC, climate change, abortion, and me

March 5, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

I woke up Sunday morning to the below comment on Facebook, in response to the screenshot that accompanies this article, which I had posted on my wall: I laugh at this because you think AOC is logical about saving the planet but you still don’t defend the life of unborn babies and mock people who even try to defend them. So her and you together are bigger hypocrites than Hitler defending Jews. You could defend actual life on Earth but... Read more

Beware of unqualified people – UPDATED

March 1, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Updated to add additional information I did not know existed when I published this – spd The Catholic Church is wild about credentials. For instance, you cannot call yourself a theologian without a licentiate or doctorate in theology from an approved university. You would be silly to listen to anyone pontificate on canon law who did not have a canon law degree. You cannot even call your nonprofit “Catholic” without permission from the local bishop. I know because when my... Read more

The new ‘Tolkien’ biopic: keeping an open mind

February 12, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

Fox Searchlight on Tuesday released the first official trailer from its upcoming film, Tolkien, which hits theatres May 10. It stars Nicholas Hoult as J.R.R. Tolkien and Lily Collins as Edith Bratt, Mr. Tolkien’s wife. I’ve never heard of Ms. Collins, but I liked Mr. Hoult in Warm Bodies (2013), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and especially Dark Places (2015), an underrated adaptation of the novel by Gillian Flynn. Another interesting casting choice is Colm Meaney as Father Francis Morgan, the... Read more

MAGA at the March for Life — UPDATE

January 20, 2019 By Sean P. Dailey

NB: I have updated this post because of new information available today. –SPD Want media coverage for the March for Life? You got it. Pro-lifers complain every year about the lack of media coverage for the March for Life. That’s not true, as Deacon Greg Kandra writes here. Still, victimhood is everything for the pro-life movement. And the line still resonates inside their bubble, so they still use it. This year, however, they’re getting more media coverage than they ever... Read more