It seems that the motu proprio of last July was not sufficient to bring the Society of St Pius X back into full communion with the Holy See. This article reports the decision of their leadership to continue on the path of schism rather than pursue the path of reconciliation. I guess those who opined that all the fuss was not really about liturgy are proved correct. Read more

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Placido Domingo singing Panis Angelicus at the Papal Mass in Washington. Very moving to see him kneel to kiss the Pope’s ring at the end. Read more

Anne Rice’s second installment on the life of Christ is even better than the first. Now Jesus is a young man, living in Nazareth with his extended family. One of the things Rice makes clear is how Jesus’ ‘brothers’ in the New Testament are his kinsmen. Not only do the semantics allow for this probability, but based on her exhaustive research, Rice shows how Jesus would have lived in a traditionally local village in which nearly everyone was related in... Read more

There has been further comment on my post about Love and Marriage. I defined marriage as being essentially between a man and a woman, and that other alternative unions were not marriages. I was taken to task by one commentator who suggested that other people disagree and believe that the marital act between a man and a woman is not the defining action of a marriage, nor the defining characteristic of a marriage. Instead it is suggested that marriage is... Read more

The Dogwood TreeFor a Papal VisitMy garden has an ancient dogwood tree,grown from a cutting from a tree that datesback beyond all living memory.The old gardener loves that tree, and relatesthe tale of how one tree was kept alivefor thousands of years through bad times and good;how some cuttings would falter, others thrive,yet all, both weak and strong, bore the same wood. As I gaze on the old tree another thingcomes to mind. With its blossom white and pure,it stands... Read more

During Pope Benedict’s Apostolic visit to the USA, remembering that ‘apostle’ means’ ‘sent one’. From yesterday’s gospel: Whoever rejects me and does not accept my wordshas something to judge him: the word that I spoke,it will condemn him on the last day,because I did not speak on my own,but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. Jesus speaking to the apostles in the gospel from today’s papal Mass: As the Father has sent me, even... Read more

There was a Protestant publishing company in England that used to produce smart publicity materials that you could buy for your parish events. They would do overprinting–putting your details into their nice artwork. They had rules though. You weren’t allowed to use the word ‘Mass’ in any of your publicity materials because they couldn’t be seen to be supporting Catholicism. I was always tempted to order some posters for a ‘Mass Evangelistic Rally’ to see what response I would get.... Read more

Here is my article for National Catholic Register published this weekend. Read more

Why am I a Catholic? It’s all about authority. The Pope. The Chair of Peter. If you are looking for an authority to help decide the crucial questions what criteria would you set for that authority? There are fourteen things you would look for, which come in seven pairs. The authority would be historical – rooted in history and looking to history to advise on present day decisions. We’re talking 2,000 year old history, then back some through the Jews.... Read more