2014-10-09T18:14:14-05:00

Last updated on: October 9, 2014 at 6:14 pm   By

Over at Brandon Vogt’s website Strange Notions here and here I have a set of arguments for God’s existence which are not philosophical arguments based on Design, Prime Movers, etc, but on physical, historical evidence. The argument and evidence goes like this: If atheistic materialism is true, then the natural world must be a closed system. Everything must be explained within that closed system. There is no room for angels or aliens, demons or devils, goblins or gods. If atheistic materialism... Read more

2014-10-09T07:59:27-05:00

Last updated on: October 9, 2014 at 7:59 am   By

An atheist not only does not believe in God, he doesn’t believe in angels or demons. He doesn’t believe in heaven or hell. He doesn’t believe in the reality of the spiritual realm at all. He can’t. An atheist must also be a materialist. This is where  Chesterton’s observation in Orthodoxy ring home: Spiritual doctrines do not actually limit the mind as do materialistic denials. Even if I believe in immortality I need not think about it. But if I... Read more

2014-10-08T20:41:43-05:00

Last updated on: October 8, 2014 at 8:41 pm   By

Here is what the proposed Divine Mercy Shrine in the new church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville will look like. Situated in the Lower Church, the Divine Mercy Shrine will feature small shrines to Pope St John Paul II and St Faustina. In the ambulatory that circles around the back of the shrine will be a place for stations of the cross, memorial prayers and prayer requests. The windows to the outside will be red stained glass... Read more

2014-10-08T07:32:04-05:00

Last updated on: October 8, 2014 at 7:32 am   By

The theme song at the moment seems to be “All are safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.” In other words, “All are welcome!” Of course all are welcome in the Catholic Church, but this truth is balanced by the fact that the church has a door. The sheepfold has a gate. The path has boundaries. Broad is the way that leads to destruction and narrow is the path that leads to life and few there be that find... Read more

2014-10-07T20:36:52-05:00

Last updated on: October 7, 2014 at 8:36 pm   By

In this article in the UK’s Guardian paper former Catholic Bishop Kieran Conry confirms what I suspected all along: that his understanding of celibacy is simply that the priest promises not to be married. Conry said celibacy was not about sex but marriage. “When a priest makes a promise of celibacy, he promises to remain unmarried, that’s all. Then the ordinary rules of morality apply,” he said. Is it possible that a man becomes a bishop so profoundly and willfully misinterprets... Read more

2014-10-07T14:34:49-05:00

Last updated on: October 7, 2014 at 2:34 pm   By

The parish of Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville, South Carolina was started by a group of lay people in the 1950s to have Mass closer to their home in South Greenville. They bought a little house and a priest came to say Mass. Eventually they built a school with a large, warehouse type building which would one day be the school gyn, but which they used for worship. We now have a school gym, but we’re still worshipping... Read more

2014-10-07T10:53:48-05:00

Last updated on: October 7, 2014 at 10:53 am   By

Protestants sometimes charge Catholics with “vain repetition” in praying the rosary. This is a reference to Matthew 6:7 where Jesus instructs, “When you pray to not babble with vain receptions as the pagans do.” Sure, when we pray the rosary there is a lot of repetition. The problem is not repetition but vain repetition. If repetition were the problem Jesus would be have an “Errrm whadabout..” moment with Psalm 136 in which every verse ends with “for his mercy endures forever.” No... Read more

2014-12-27T13:20:02-05:00

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 1:20 pm   By

  Guest blogger Mantilla Amontillado is the founder of Veritas Vestments. She holds a degree in Ecclesiastical Haberdashery from Salamanca University. She has done the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella three times on horseback and is engaged to the famous matador, Senor Augusto Torquemada. OK hon, I got to say “Sorry” for maybe not writing anything here on Padre’s blog for some time. To tell you the truth I been a little bit crazy about Papa Francesco. I am wondering... Read more

2014-10-05T06:47:42-05:00

Last updated on: October 5, 2014 at 6:47 am   By

I heard some time ago about a Methodist minister who decided that he wanted to do things “more Catholic.” So he started wearing vestments and added a few extra candles to the altar. He began to cross himself and introduced a more formal liturgy. When Lent came along he decided to impose ashes on the people for Ash Wednesday, but his ecclesiastical experiment went awry because he used ashes from his fireplace and mixed them with water. So he went... Read more

2014-10-04T10:20:41-05:00

Last updated on: October 4, 2014 at 10:20 am   By

Most of us know that simply praying for something you want is not the best way of praying. God is not a cosmic vending machine in which you put your prayer in the slot and the goodie you want drops into the tray at the bottom. Don’t get me wrong. God delights in any prayer and he does want us to ask for our daily bread and for all our needs, but there is more to it than that. The real puzzle... Read more

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