The Bishop was present in the parish over the weekend to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation, and after sharing dinner with him and the Holy Deacon I was pondering the immensity of his task. The Catholic Church is so amazingly diverse, and the bishop is the focus of unity for the diocese. How does he do it? Considering the clergy alone he has to deal with secular clergy and religious, priests from Africa, Asia, South and Central America. Many of... Read more
I’m convinced that I am a little bit insane. (“Only a little bit?” I hear you say) Not only that, I’m really convinced that almost everybody else is. However, let me define my terms. By ‘insane’ I don’t mean bat-shit crazy, eye rolling drooling insane. Instead I mean that we do not have a total grip on reality. We see things askew. We have a blind spot or two or three. Because of this we mis-judge people. We jump to negative conclusions.... Read more
Here is my latest piece for Aleteia–which comments on the Holy Father’s outspoken stance against organized crime. Read more
I saw three rings entwined–one composed of smooth gold as clear as crystal and hard as diamonds. The second a circlet of thorns. The third was a ring of fire. But in saying they were three rings entwined, I saw that they were also three rings interfused. The smooth gold as clear as crystal was infused with fire as steel is infused with fire in the forge. It was also infused with the circlet of thorns as if the thorns... Read more
The Little Way Through Middle Earth is a long article I wrote some time ago for Stratford Caldecott’s journal, Second Spring. I have uploaded it here, and over the weeks ahead plan to start publishing more of my archived articles that were written for various publications. Go here to read the article. I hope you enjoy it! Read more
Guest blogger Todd Unctuous is top commentator for MSM. With a degree in Media Studies from Scranton Community College, Todd writes for many papers and websites, and is known for his incisive writing, objective reporting and razor sharp comment. I must admit to being surprised at the choice of the Roman Catholic Church in its new Pope. They have chosen a man of the people who has taken the name of one of the most famous people in the... Read more
Three timely books are available which diagnose the problem of the American Church and the solution to the problem. Russell Shaw’s American Church – The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America brilliantly presents the history of the problem and the present day crisis. In his usual easy going and personable style, Shaw re-tells the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. The Catholic Church had grown enormously through the 1800s as waves of immigrants... Read more
…and not just salvation by works, but universalism–that all will be saved? The Huffington Post has a screaming headline, Pope Francis says Atheists Who do Good are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics. Vatican Radio reports on the homily here. In a homily at daily Mass in the chapel of the Saint Martha hostel, Pope Francis spoke on the principle that “doing good” is a principle that unites all of humanity. Commenting on the gospel where the disciples want to exclude a... Read more
An earlier post this week with a similar title evoked the most passionate comments I’ve had on a post for a long time. I suggested that one of the reasons why Catholic kids leave the church is that our catechism and worship styles and preaching for the past fifty years did not prepare them for the rigors and demands of a fully Catholic life. I would like to add to that. There is another huge contributing factors to the hemorrhage... Read more
One of the interesting things about conducing a parish mission is how many people stay behind to ask really probing questions. Last evening here in Indianapolis a man named Frank asked me if it was wrong not to believe certain things the church teaches. He’s a scientist and he said he simply can’t accept the story of Adam and Eve. He asked if it was true that the church expects us to believe in a historical Adam and Eve. So... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Fr. Dwight Longenecker
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In