Dear Friends, Pax Christi. You may have heard that our Sisters were forced to leave their convent a few months ago. They are not exactly homeless — but they are conventless, which is a sad place to be for a … 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.
On Father Chad Ripperger’s Recent Statements Concerning ‘No Salvation Outside the Church’
Father Chad Ripperger was recently interviewed by Terry Barber and Jesse Romero on their podcast, “Full Sheen Ahead.” A small excerpt of the interview was turned into a short stand-alone video on YouTube and entitled, “Exorcist Explains How Catholics/Non-Catholics Are … Continue reading
Some Implications of Christ’s Absolute Primacy
The following is a “teaser” in advance of my talk at the upcoming Saint Benedict Center Conference: “The Absolute Primacy of Jesus Christ and Its Implications for Our Crusade.” WHAT are the implications of the Absolute Primacy of Christ for … Continue reading
Blessed John Duns Scotus on the Reasons for the Incarnation
Continuing with considerations on the reasons for the Incarnation, we will now look at the position of Blessed John Duns Scotus (1265/66-1308). Once again, let us remind ourselves that the crux of the disagreement between the Thomists and the Scotists … Continue reading
Saint Thomas Aquinas on the Reasons for the Incarnation
At Saint Benedict Center’s upcoming Conference, the topic upon which I will speak is “The Absolute Primacy of Jesus Christ and Its Implications for Our Crusade.” The topic of the present Ad Rem is related to the subject matter of … Continue reading
Meet Saint Rabanus Maurus, Carolingian Educator
Now that back-to-school sales are the order of the day, and we here at Immaculate Heart of Mary School are gearing up for the beginning of our academic year, it is apt that we turn our attention to a great … Continue reading
The Paris Olympics: ‘Somatolatry’ vs. the Rights of God
A lot has been said about the blasphemous mockery of the Last Supper featured in the four-hour opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. There are two points I would like to focus on, the first of which I read articulated … Continue reading
Why Is the Eucharist Called ‘The Bread of Angels’?
Why do we call the Holy Eucharist the “Bread of Angels,” even though the Holy Angels, being pure spirits, cannot partake of It? Our Lord’s spiritual Soul and Divinity have immateriality in common with the Angels, but His Body and … Continue reading
Going My Way on the Camino de Santiago
Thanks to the amazing generosity of one of our benefactors, I recently went on an intense, two-week pilgrimage to Spain, lasting from June 17 to 29. Flying into and out of Madrid, our little band of twenty-two pilgrims went to … Continue reading
Romulus and Remus, Peter and Paul
We all have a story that gives meaning to our lives, explains who we are, how we got here, where we are going, and what our role is in all this. Whether or not we have consciously cultivated such a … Continue reading
Are You a ‘Roman Catholic’ or Just a ‘Catholic’?
The question is a legitimate one and not an irksome word game. The different uses of the adjective, Roman — whether in reference to a City, an Empire, a Rite, an ecclesiastical Province, or to the fifth note of the … Continue reading
Dr. Robert Hickson and the ‘Order of God’
The following is the introduction I was asked to write for the final collection of essays by our late friend and collaborator, Dr. Robert Hickson: Ordo Dei, Collected Essays of Dr. Robert Hickson. A GOOD art critic can point to … Continue reading
The Difference Between a Parable and an Allegory
Do you know the difference between a parable and an allegory? The answer is a simple one that deserves further development: A parable is an extended simile; an allegory is an extended metaphor. Similes and metaphors are two different kinds … Continue reading
The Joy, Sorrow, and Glory of a Religious Profession
Address given on April 8, 2024, the (transferred) Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Perpetual Profession of Sister Maria Junipera. TODAY is a sublimely joyful day embellished with ringing promises of glory and just a … Continue reading
Distinguishing Channels of Grace: Ex Opere Operato, Operantis, Operantis Ecclesiae
On February 3 of this year, the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) came out with Gestis Verbisque (“[With] Actions and Words”), a “Note” concerning the requisites for sacramental validity. To put it colloquially, its subject … Continue reading
