The month of May presents American Catholics with mixed martial messages. On May 12, we celebrated the Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Roman soldiers who left the army after their conversion to Christianity and ultimately gave […]
In my previous essay, I examined the fate of Irish wake practices in light of the Tridentine Church’s efforts to develop a more modern, properly catechized and morally disciplined Catholic laity. Despite the general success […]
March is the cruelest month, at least for an Irish Catholic. Every March, the irresistible force of Lent meets the immovable object of March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. The traditions of fasting and feasting face […]
The history of the state of Virginia offers few opportunities to reflect on the glories of the Catholic past. Its founding moments are primarily reminders of great Catholic defeats. The original English settlement of Jamestown […]
“Happy Holidays” has transformed the seasonal greeting of “Merry Christmas” into a defiant statement of Christian identity. The oft accompanying warning to “Keep Christ in Christmas!” only further chills the warmth of what should be […]
This election season, the political eyes of the nation turned to Virginia, my current state of residence. The race for governor turned an off-year election decidedly on, with the battle between Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin […]
The Church’s engagement with modernity is, to say the least, a work in progress. Though Catholics remain divided in their understanding of authentic engagement, the Church has been blessed with the guidance of visionary popes […]
In 1965, the Church finally made peace with modern politics through Dignitatis Humanae, the Second Vatican Council’s statement on religious freedom. The meaning of religious freedom and the nature of Catholic politics within a pluralist […]
These days there is no shortage of doomsayers. Many across the political and religious spectrum feel a profound sense of disease and uncertainty, even fear, about the present state of world affairs. Despite a shared […]
In my last column, I looked at the history of Hollywood film censorship as a specific example of a Catholic effort to engage the modern world. This month I will take a step back from […]
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