In January I was privileged to attend the reception into full communion with the Catholic Church of the priests and people of Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore. An Anglo Catholic church with a venerable history within the Episcopal Church, Mount Calvary was, from the very beginning, a congregation fostered and formed in the Oxford Movement. Indeed, the church’s first pastor was received into the Catholic Church by Cardinal Newman himself, and went on to become a Catholic bishop. For a... Read more

From today’s Office of Readings: with commentary by Fr Longenecker Paul to the churches of Galatia, This is but one of Paul’s epistles. Notice that his authority is not rooted in any single church community, but is ‘Catholic’. He presumes to instruct the Galatians, but also the Romans, the Corinthians, the Christians at Thessolonica and Ephesus and beyond. and from all the brothers who are here with me, an apostle an ‘apostle’ is ‘one who is sent’. He is sent... Read more

That headline got your attention didn’t it? This week we have witnessed jubilation in pro life ranks about Komen’s decision to withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood. Then jubilation turned to lamentation when Komen seemed to reverse their decision. Now there is recrimination, bitter and angry words being dished out towards Planned Parenthood and the liberals in the media and politics who seem to have pressured Komen to reverse their decision. Planned Parenthood and their supporters are being blamed for a... Read more

Should religion and politics mix? Should priests speak on politics? Let’s be clear. Priests are not permitted to run for public office, and clergy are not permitted to endorse a particular candidate or seek to influence people’s votes for particular parties. However, it is part of the duty of the clergy to inform the faithful on the moral issues the populace are facing. It is the duty of the clergy to warn the faithful not to support immoral causes. It... Read more

From the scholarly William Tighe:Walton Hannah (1912 – 1966) was a Church of England clergyman who wrote a famous exposé of freemasonry called Darkness Visible. He became a Roman Catholic and left England for Canada (I think because of masonic harassment). In 1957 he wrote a pamphlet explaining the crisis which was current in the Church of England at the time, known as the “Church of South India Crisis”. It was caused by the amalgamation of clergy from nonconformist denominations with... Read more

I’m guest blogging for the Anchoress this week, and writing on monasticism. Jump over here for a short post on the application of monastic wisdom in family life. Read more

If you are a convert to the Catholic faith from Lutheranism of Anglicanism or any other form of tasteful religion, then you will have to deal with Catholic kitsch. What are we to do with the trashy trinkets, the horrid holy cards, the sappy statues? How do you put up with the banal hymns, bad preaching and sentimental religiosity? You have to correct your expectations. You thought sanctity and sublimity were the same thing, and while what is true is... Read more

What is the relationship between spirituality and religion? Spirituality is subjective. The Catholic Religion is objective. Spirituality is the genius. Religion is the discipline. Spirituality is the heart. Religion is the mind and body. Spirituality is the vine. Religion is the trellis. Spirituality is the music. Religion is the notes on the page and the practice. Spirituality is the drama. Religion is the script. Spirituality is the cuisine. Religion is the cookbook. Spirituality is making love. Religion is the marriage.... Read more

What’s all this “spiritual but not religious” claptrap? Saying you’re spiritual but not religious is like saying you love food, but hate cooking. Let’s take it further. You love food but hate cooking? That means you can’t be bothered to learn to cook. You can’t be bothered to study food and a meal and how it all fits togethers. You can’t be bothered to read cookbooks and learn how to make a recipe. You’re not willing to give it a... Read more