Born in a mining camp in the high Sierras of California, Catherine Malone was the daughter of poor Irish immigrants who came to America in the early 1860’s. The child was born on Christmas Eve, 1863, and had no memory … Continue reading
Category: Biography
John Cuthbert Ford, S.J. Catholic Moral Theologian 1903-1989
I remember while attending Brother Francis’ philosophy courses in the 1980s how excited he got over an article written by Father John C. Ford on the philosophy of Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. The article was quite long, forty or … Continue reading
Warrior, Patriot, Gentleman, and Catholic, Colonel John Ripley USMC
[Review of An American Knight by Norman J. Fulkerson] Every war has its share of heroes. Vietnam was no different. One of the greatest and most decorated officers of that bloody conflict was John Ripley, USMC. Born in 1939, Ripley was … Continue reading
Roger Ebert and the ‘Good Old Days’
Film critic and columnist Roger Ebert penned a column for his blog at the Chicago Sun-Times, My Vocation as a Priest. It’s a benevolent, slightly sentimental look at his Catholic upbringing. At one time, he considered the priestly vocation. But … Continue reading
Pope Innocent III and the Marks of a Great Papacy
Because Innocent III was one of the three popes to define the doctrine of “no salvation outside the Church,” it would do well for all the friends of Saint Benedict Center to study the pontificate of this man whose papacy … Continue reading
Mother Lurana, Foundress of the Sisters of the Atonement
In a recent lengthy article, we wrote of the saintly Father Paul of Graymoor, Founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. Mother Lurana (pronounced Lu ray na) White is such an important part of the story of Graymoor that … Continue reading
Mother Henriette Delille, New Orleans Native, Declared Venerable
On Saturday, March 27, the Holy Father signed a decree advancing the cause of sainthood of Henriette Delille, declaring that this exemplary New Orleans Creole had lived a life of “heroic virtue.” As a native of that lately beleaguered city, … Continue reading
A Latter-Day Athanasius: Father Leonard Feeney
“Tell me, is Monsignor Hickey still alive?” “Yes, he’s alive,” the visiting priest answered his host as they sat out on the lawn, one summer day in 1970, overlooking the valley vista beyond them. “But he’s very, very sick.”
Father Paul of Graymoor: Founder of the Society of the Atonement and Father of the Church Unity Octave
Every Catholic of a certain age remembers the week in January when the Church Unity Octave or the Chair of Unity Octave was celebrated liturgically. The Octave began on January 18, Feast of St. Peter’s Chair in Rome, and ended … Continue reading
Speech for a Surprise Party in Honor of Brother Francis: December 3, 1981
It is certainly my pleasure to be a part of this tribute to our wonderful teacher. I’m sure I speak for all in saying that we know the one, true Faith better because of him. And for that we are … Continue reading
Brother Francis’ Obituary
Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., (July 19, 1913 – September 05, 2009) Founding member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Superior of Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, Philosopher, College Professor, and published author died on Saturday, … Continue reading
A Tribute to Brother Hugh MacIsaac (+July 11, 1979)
(Note: This was written on the occasion of the death of Brother Hugh, M.I.C.M., one of the founding members of our Order, who went to his reward on July 11, 1979. The piece introduced From the Housetops No. 18, which … Continue reading
Father Augustus Tolton, First Black Priest in the U.S.
“They’re watching me,” he wrote to Saint Katharine Drexel, his confidant and benefactor. One of the Catholic websites I frequent offers a video about a Black American priest by the name of Augustus Tolton. I could see by the black … Continue reading
Eustace Ahatsistari, Huron Warrior
This past February 9, I posted an article about the Huron Indian, Joseph Chihwatenha, entitled Red Man Without a Cause. He was a noble man, naturally virtuous, who after his conversion and brief life as a Catholic exhibited the kind … Continue reading