Remember Groucho Marx’ quip that he wouldn’t want to join a club that would have him as a member… It reminds me of a curious fact about belonging to the Catholic Church. there is a desire in the human heart that want wants to belong to the club. We want to sit at the high table, belong to the inner circle, fit in with the establishment, belong to the ‘in’ crowd, and be among the ones who make the decisions,... Read more

I once joked to a priest friend, “You say you took Holy Orders as a celibate. As a married man I have to take holy orders everyday. My wife orders me to do this and orders me to do that…’ By God’s grace I was ordained deacon yesterday in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Charleston. Nice touch… to be ordained in a Baptist cathedral here in the homeland of the Southern Baptists. The main picture is myself... Read more

    Has anyone noticed that Protestant preachers like Dr Bob Jones Jr and Dr Jerry Falwell aren’t shy about using their doctorates as titles of respect? Maybe Catholics could pick up on this custom and start referring to Doctor of the Church, St Therese of Liseux as “Dr. Therese Martin” What about “Dr Teresa Avila” or “Dr Edith Stein”? If you’re familiar with the life of Dr. Martin, you’ll know that despite her name ‘the little flower’ she was... Read more

A favorite maxim of mine is by the Victorian English liberal F.D.Maurice. He wrote, A man is most often right in what he affirms and wrong in what he denies. It is a dangerous saying, and the more you think about it, the more it makes you stand the world on its head. So often we define what we believe and what we do by what we deny, not by what we affirm. We expend huge amounts of energy being... Read more

In 1979 I went to study in England, and apart from vacations in the USA, have lived there until June of this year. During that time I celebrated Thanksgiving just once–during a family reunion year. After living abroad, and having returned home after twenty five years what am I thankful for about the United States of America? Optimism – Americans are still optimistic about the world, about their country and about themselves. They believe that if there is a problem... Read more

  Today is the forty third anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. Known to his friends as ‘Jack’. Lewis’ legacy has continued to grow and prosper. His work, fallen into the ground like a magic bean has grown to one of the largest plants in the world–reaching to the clouds. The irony of this is that Lewis thought, when he was facing his death, that there would be no money to support his two stepsons. He had given most... Read more

  I am to be ordained as a deacon in the cathedral in Charleston on 29 November, and as a priest at St Mary Church in Greenville on 14 December. So I have been shopping around for clerical clobber. This is obviously a niche market, and not a shopping spree for the faint hearted. What does a new clergyman at my stage in life wear? Shall it be a polyester alb, polyester wool mix? Should it be a front opening,... Read more

Today is the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the temple. She who was the temple of God is presented to live in the temple of God. The story of Mary’s childhood comes from an extra Biblical source called the Protoevangelium of James. This ‘gospel before the gospel’ tells us that Mary’s parents were godly Jews called Joachim and Anna. The tradition is that they met at the gate of the city and knew that they... Read more

Amy Welborn links to an interview with Ms Schori–the new head of the Episcopal Church who claims the plummeting numbers of Episcopalians is down to the fact that they are better educated than Catholics and Mormons who have ‘theological reasons’ for having more babies. Below is my email to Mrs. Schori: Deer Bishup Shorey, I see from the news that you have sed that Episcopaliums are smarter than us catholics because you don’t have so many babies as we do.... Read more

  Something’s cooking in Rome. An article in The Sunday Times suggests that Pope Benedict is drawing up plans to encourage Anglicans to come home to Rome. In my post a few days ago I noted the Pastoral Provision’s snazzy new website, and rumblings from various quarters that Rome was trying to make it as easy as possible to help disenchanted Anglicans come into full communion. As enthusiastic as all of us converts from Anglicanism may be, there are still... Read more