Rebecca Bratten Weiss Drops the Mic

Last updated on: September 20, 2017 at 9:58 pm By Mary Pezzulo

As has been widely reported, my dear friend Rebecca Bratten Weiss was recently dismissed from an adjunct teaching position at Franciscan University of Steubenville on suspicion of not being “pro-life enough,” despite the fact that she is pro-life and has even founded her own pro-life organization, the New Pro-Life Movement, of which I am a huge fan. A few weeks after her dismissal, Rebecca was smeared in a vicious LifeSite News hit piece. In this piece she was vilified for enjoying the television... Read more

The Table and the Cross

Last updated on: September 22, 2017 at 12:07 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Lately, anything to do with Catholics has felt like dysfunctional family dinners. Read more

Who was a Faithful Catholic Witness?

Last updated on: September 15, 2017 at 8:13 pm By Mary Pezzulo

I’ve spoken many times about the hardest time in my life. Just after my daughter was born, after the rape, during the period where I was still struggling with the priest I’ve called “Father Reginald,” I was a basket case. We were a breath away from homelessness every single month. Our apartment was a mold-infested wreck in a building that ought to be condemned. Our upstairs neighbor was completely insane and kept us awake by cursing out her boyfriend all night... Read more

A Defense Of The New Pro-life Movement By An Old Pro-Lifer

Last updated on: September 15, 2017 at 8:33 pm By Guest Contributor

By John Cavanaugh-O’Keefe Some screw-loosy Trumpistas attacked a wonderful friend of mine. 1600 wd response. You’d better not “like” this post, because it’s possible there will be an eruption of noxious fuming here. I am deeply proud to know Rebecca Bratten Weiss. I enjoy her writing immensely. I never saw her work in class, but I have great respect for the students whom she taught and I know – and they praise and defend her with passion. I am... Read more

Portrait of a Man

Last updated on: September 18, 2017 at 2:29 pm By Mary Pezzulo

The powerful start wars. The helpless go to war, lose limbs, and come back needing therapy. Read more

Not At All Afraid

Last updated on: September 13, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Mary Pezzulo

You know how you’re never supposed to read comments? I broke the rules. I read a comment. It was on my post from several days ago, about taking Rose to the Halloween store. Most everyone talked about how much they enjoyed celebrating Halloween, and whether or not they liked The Exorcist. But someone else was concerned. “Not at all afraid your daughter wants to be a man for halloween?” he said, in reference to Rose’s remark that she wants to dress... Read more

A Library for the Friendship Room

Last updated on: September 12, 2017 at 6:18 pm By Mary Pezzulo

I went down to The Friendship Room with Rose, to drop off our widow’s mite. Guests were there, smiling as they usually do. Steubenville is a very rough place. Having somewhere you’re allowed to go inside and feel welcome is, in itself, a cause for celebration. While we waited for our bag to be unpacked, Rose admired the pets– the Friendship Room has two finches and a tank of guppies, which are a necessity. There’s precious little to do... Read more

I Think We Ought To Try

Last updated on: September 11, 2017 at 6:14 pm By Mary Pezzulo

It was a sunny Tuesday morning. On the news, someone was interviewing the Duchess of York. She had just smiled and nodded demurely, and referred to “making a complete nonsense of my life.” The reporter interviewing her remarked upon the phrase, “a complete nonsense.’ The Duchess nodded demurely again. Then they broke in with a live news story. Diane Sawyer said, in guarded terms, that there was ‘some sort of explosion at the World Trade Center.” It was exactly... Read more

To Laugh at the Devil

Last updated on: September 13, 2017 at 12:26 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Charismatics had me convinced that the devil was nearly omnipotent, that he could cling to a person and "oppress" them. Read more

Steve Bannon and Saint Lawrence Agree on 1 Thing

Last updated on: September 11, 2017 at 12:52 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Steve Bannon, who claims to be a Catholic, declared himself at odds with the Church's teaching on immigration. Read more