When the first Sunday of Advent comes and the new liturgical year begins, the Church once again relives the Mysteries of Christ for a whole year. She also summarizes all of history, from Creation to the end of time. The … Continue reading
Category: «Ad Rem» A Fortnightly Email Message from the Prior
«Ad Rem» is our Prior’s fortnightly email message offering news and commentary regarding the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Crusade of St. Benedict Center, and issues affecting the universal Church. Each number offers brief, ad rem (“to the point”) commentary on timely or otherwise important matters. Click here to subscribe to our email list and receive the «Ad Rem» each time it’s published.
Evangelize or Die
The note of “catholicity” is that which assures to the true Church a broad diffusion throughout the whole world. That the Catholic Church is historically the only Christian body to possesses this mark is proof of the veracity of her … Continue reading
The Antichurch of the Pseudomissionaries, and How it Came to Be
It’s 2051, and you’re on a top-secret mission to New York City which has been overrun by zombies since The Great Zombification of 2028, caused, as we now know, by a disastrous biological experiment in population control funded by Jeff … Continue reading
Scandals in the Vatican!
The following is adapted from my introductory comments at our recent Saint Benedict Center conference. One of the institutions most associated with the Renaissance Papacy was the so-called “Cardinal Nephew,” a man related to the reigning Supreme Pontiff who was … Continue reading
The Church Is Missionary by Her Very Nature
In faithful Catholic circles, there is a collective sense of angst and dread on the eve of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region (October 6-27). Not basing themselves upon rumor or speculation, those concerned point to public statements … Continue reading
Holiness Becometh Thy House, O Lord
During a performance by a local amateur opera company in a small Italian town, an amusing thing happened. These were amateurs in the true sense, they performed out of love for the art, and not for pay. Now, love and … Continue reading
But Only One Church is ‘One’
There are many Christian confessions that recite, as part of their official worship, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which professes faith in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” But only one of those that confess this creed is, in reality, the Church … Continue reading
The Pathetic Rhetoric of the Progressivists
Imagine pulling into your local farmer’s co-op, where hippies, “traddies,” and other divergent elements of our modern melting pot all coalesce in the interests of health, localism, and fresh asparagus. You park your dinged-up Ford Explorer, bedecked with rear-view Rosary … Continue reading
Suicidal Ideation in Church and State
With the terrible events of this past weekend, which witnessed mass shootings in both Dayton and El Paso, the media-consuming public is being subject to any number of diagnoses from activists, journalists, social scientists, and others, especially Democratic candidates for … Continue reading
Priestly Celibacy: Apostolic Tradition, not a ‘Mere Discipline’
There are numerous indicators that the October 6-27 Synod on the Amazon will have as one of its effects the dismantling or mitigating of the Latin Church’s ancient discipline of priestly celibacy. At least that is what is being claimed … Continue reading
Some Thoughts on the Epiclesis in the Divine Liturgy
The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis, and sometimes capitalized) is the prayer found in most if not all of the traditional Eastern Liturgies by which the priest-celebrant calls the Holy Ghost down upon the gifts. The Latin equivalent to this Greek … Continue reading
Thank You! And Let us Adore the Sacred Heart
Last week in this space I wrote a very urgent cri de coeur to my readers. The response was tremendous. We received an outpouring of prayers and financial contributions, as well as written expressions of concern and gratitude for our … Continue reading
Saint Benedict Center Needs your Help: Its Survival is in Jeopardy
As some of you already know, on January 7th of of this year, the Diocese of Manchester issued a public decree regarding the Saint Benedict Center community of Richmond, New Hampshire. The draconian decree consists of fifteen “precepts and obligations” … Continue reading
An Ascension Quartet
It would be a terrible shame if we failed to honor the grand mystery of Our Lord’s Ascension on this Thursday and the remaining days of Paschaltide that follow it, which are, in fact, called Ascensiontide. We may rightly (and … Continue reading
Americanism, Quietism, and Catholicism
The escalating crisis in the Church is lately having the sad effect of fostering enmities between those who ought to be, or who once were, allies. Aided by a social media that lets us too easily forget our good manners … Continue reading
