Most Catholics have heard of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. It is America’s largest Catholic church and the frequent site of Masses broadcast by EWTN. However, there are many more shrines across the United States. A blog by Sara and Justin Kraft—”The Ultimate List of The Catholic Shrines in the USA”— defines a shrine as “a church or other sacred place which has the approval of the local bishop, and which is visited by the... Read more
Remember that catchphrase “Follow the money” from the movie All the President’s Men? It means if you follow the money trail, you will find the source of corruption be it in politics, business, abortion, or all three. Since political campaigns are very expensive, the huge coffers of the abortion lobby are very attractive. Sadly, most politicians will sell their souls to placate their donors. As a result, the old adage applies: “Who pays the piper calls the tune.” The puppet-masters... Read more
Males in our Western culture are going through a phase of serious confusion. Women have made game-changing expansions in their roles, but that has left men, accustomed to thousands of years of dominance, disengaged while they wonder what has happened and what to do. Men were stunned when they had to share the stage. The result has been, according to Professor Ron Jelinek, men “’opting out’: of education and work, relationships and responsibility, and even life itself through overdoses and... Read more
Catholics are entering a three-year period of reflection and education concerning the Eucharist. At the same time, our beliefs and our properties are being attacked by fanatics. Looks like it is time to hunker down together to take stock. The Church has stood steadfast in its teachings despite likely every generation asking for exceptions on one moral quandary after another. That’s because morality doesn’t change, and the Church is responsible for keeping us true to Gods commandments. As discussed in... Read more
At my parish, there is only one English Mass, so we have mostly the same faces every Sunday. Our tradition is to invite everyone to have breakfast together at a local restaurant afterwards. Consequently, we have developed a unique camaraderie. Ours is a tourist town, so we have many restaurants nearby. We try to go to a different one each Sunday so that we can spread our patronage around. Depending on the season, we’ll have anywhere from 4 to 25... Read more
There is so much turmoil surrounding the Catholic Church at present, yet Mass is celebrated daily in every parish and people continue to attend services. The number of people at Mass has grown fewer, but still many come. Why? For some, it is simply a matter of habit, a lifestyle. It’s just what they do. A custom. Their parents and grandparents went to church. They identify as Catholic because that’s what they more or less know, so they go to... Read more
In a previous blog post, I mentioned that pro-abortion protestors are disrupting Masses and vandalizing Catholic property all across the country. My point was that we need an intense education campaign to combat ignorance about the Church and the issue. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/musingsfromthepew/2022/05/culture-of-life-education/ However, that is a long-term solution. In the meantime, we must deal with pro-abortion terrorists who are perpetrating violent actions against pro-life people and churches, particularly Catholic churches. Ruth Sent Us The name “Ruth Sent Us” is a nod... Read more
The “Wandering Pew” team (my husband and me) once traveled to Fayetteville, Texas, to visit two historic Czech Catholic churches: St. John the Baptist (1870) and St. Mary (1855). These two churches were delightful discoveries for their history and settings. Fayette County was established by Czech settlers in the mid-1850’s. They were originally served by area priests, but in 1872, the petition to have a Czech priest was granted, and Fr. Chromcik arrived from Moravia and stayed for 38 years.... Read more
The Catholic definition of despair is that it is the abandonment of all hope for saving your soul. This happens when you think your sins are so terrible that the God of Mercy cannot love or forgive you. There we go again—a presumptuous human deciding for God what God will do. It doesn’t compute, though, because God is always willing to forgive. Never underestimate God’s ability to love. The everyday understanding of despair is simply giving up hope on a... Read more
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone’s decision to deny Holy Communion to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is in accordance with Church law and Scripture. The 1983 Code of Canon Law says that “those obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.” Promotion of or participation in abortion, for which Pelosi is infamous, is a grave sin. The United States Council of Catholic Bishops has stated: “A person who is conscious of grave sin is... Read more
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