Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly King. As Pope Pius XI taught, He is so by right of nature, that is, by virtue of His being the God-Man; but He is also King “by a right of conquest, which He … 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.
Prelude to a Martyrdom
In the Summer of 1586, three priests arrived for a secret meeting at Hurleyford, the “lonely but spacious mansion”1 belonging to one Mr. Richard Bold. The house was in England’s south, in Buckinghamshire, between the Thames and the Chiltern foothills, … Continue reading
A New Order of Crusaders: Seriously!
As I write, two events are on the horizon for the religious here at Saint Benedict Center. The first is the annual Pilgrimage for Restoration (September 23-25), a three-day, sixty-five mile walking pilgrimage from Lake George, New York, to Auriesville, New … Continue reading
Why Read the Old Testament?
The question is not a silly one. We Christians live in the New Dispensation now. We have what Saint Paul calls “a better testament which is established on better promises” (Heb. 8:6). The old Scriptures pointed to a reality that … Continue reading
From Indifferentism to Apostasy
Indifferentism is the condemned heresy that advances the possibility of salvation in any religion. Apostasy (according to Father Hardon) is the “complete abandonment of the Christian religion and not merely a denial of some article of the creed.” There is … Continue reading
How Do You KNOW That?
The philosophical subject of epistemology is the study of knowledge. Father A. C. Cotter, S.J., who was Father Leonard Feeney’s philosophy teacher, and whose book on the subject was heavily utilized by Brother Francis in his philosophy course, defines epistemology … Continue reading
What on Earth Do Catholics Want?
The incomparable Patrick J. Buchanan authored a column on the racial and religious remapping of Europe and America: “Will the West Survive the Century?” The twin engines propelling these demographic shifts are the birth dearth of Europeans (in both continents), … Continue reading
Jean-Paul Sartre: ‘Bathroom Bill’ Philosopher Extraordinaire
Anyone who has studied a smattering of modern philosophy in college has probably heard the misanthropic utterance of Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) from No Exit, “Hell is other people” (L’enfer, c’est les autres). As with Friedrich Nietzsche’s “God is dead,” this … Continue reading
Sursum Corda
On Sunday, June 12, our little IHM School had its graduation. Two young ladies made up the entire graduation class. What follows is the very brief opening speech I gave at our commencement exercises. At some point in their intellectual … Continue reading
O Sacred Banquet!
Saint Paul twice speaks of handing on to others things which he himself had received. One of these things was the truth concerning the Death and Resurrection of Christ (I Cor. 15:3-4); the other was the mystery of the Holy … Continue reading
Saint Robert Bellarmine
(You can learn more about this great saint on the Reconquest episode I recorded with Mr. Ryan Grant.) He was born on October 4, 1542, at Montepulciano, Tuscany, and died September 17, 1621 in Rome. Saint Robert’s parents were Vincenzo … Continue reading
The Mass in Type and Prophecy
This week’s Reconquest show is called The Mass in the Old Testament. The title is not meant to connote an anachronism: I am well aware that the Mass was instituted on that first Holy Thursday, the night before Our Lord … Continue reading
Kill Them All!
Much attention has been given to the so-called “dark passages” of the Bible in recent years. This is largely due to the use put to these passages by the enemies of the Christian name, by which I mean the aggressive, … Continue reading
Weeping Women
The pew I occupy on a daily basis is very close to the eighth station of the Cross: “the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus.” This proximity occasions my reflecting on it more than on the other stations. It has … Continue reading
God is Here
There is a Latin rhyme that goes like this: Ora et labora, Deus adest sine mora. In English, we can translate it this way, keeping the rhyme: “Work and pray; God is here without delay.” Ora et labora is well … Continue reading
