Belle of the Ball to Daughter of the Church Her term as First Lady was only eight months. Julia Gardiner married President John Tyler, thirty years older than she, in June 1844, while he was president His term ended 4 … Continue reading
Category: History
Sir Geoffrey and the Lion
The following story is found in Saint John Eudes’ book on The Sacred Heart: One of the fathers of the Society of Jesus, in his history of the Crusades for the deliverance of the Holy Land, reports the following incident. … Continue reading
The Summer of Our Discontent
Doubtless it is because summer means vacation time for most Americans and Europeans that there is always a feeling not much happens – there is no big news – during June, July and August. The feeling is probably due to … Continue reading
St. Peter Damien’s War Against Clerical Perversion and Incontinence
This article, oddly enough, appeared in America, the Jesuit review, in 2005. It is most relevant considering today’s abuse crisis with the clergy. However, his criticism of Pope Leo IX’s being too lenient cannot be true. Leo IX was a … Continue reading
Divine Providence and Papal Diplomacy: The Case of Pius XII in World War II
Of the Christian Mysteries, the concept and reality of the Permissive Will of God is one of the most challenging doctrines, and a great personal test of the Faith of a Catholic. For, it is believed that God (the Holy … Continue reading
Roberto de Mattei on the 40th Anniversary of the Death of Paul VI
Rorate Caeli, Roberto de Mattei: This month of August sees the fortieth anniversary of the death of Giovanni Battista Montini – Pope Paul VI from 1963 to 1978. His pontificate changed the life of the Church in the twentieth century. Read article … Continue reading
Changing Church Teaching
However readers of the present lines first read or heard the news on August 2, the report included the words. “Pope Changes Church Teaching”. The full headline in the Washington Post was, “Pope Francis changes Catholic Church teaching to say … Continue reading
A Summer Place
As I write these words, Summer is halfway through. Now, to many people, especially those living in colder climes, this is a magical season — warm, inviting, filled with vacations from work and especially school, sojourns at lake- or seaside … Continue reading
Book Review of Robert Spencer’s ‘History of Jihad’
The Stream, Andrew E. Harrod: “I have been made victorious with terror.” Muhammad, Islam’s prophet, reportedly said this before his death in 632. Robert Spencer’s new book The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS puts facts behind the claim. Read in full here.
Ignoring Church Teaching
Here is a question for any reader who is a lifelong Catholic younger than 50: Have you ever heard a homily preached against the evil of contraception? My guess is that you have not. I know that I never have … Continue reading
Barbarian Triumph
It was one hundred years ago, on July 17, 1918, that Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered — shot, bayoneted and bludgeoned — on the orders of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. Since his canonization by the Russian … Continue reading
New Catholic Book Out on the True History of the Middle Ages
National Catholic Register, Anna Abbot: “Going medieval” is a term synonymous with ignorance, barbarism and being uncouth. The Middle Ages are often portrayed as a bleak time, living in the shadows of Roman civilization. The Middle Ages also tend to … Continue reading
The Daunting Six Days of Winter SEAL Training (1974-1975): The Personal Report of a Graduate, Dr. Robert Adams
A close reading of Dr. Robert Adams’ 2017 book will, if we are honest, challenge all of us to the depths. For sure, it will inform us—and inspire us with its vividness—about many important, but still little known, things concerning … Continue reading
Spain: They Will Not Let the Catholic Hero Rest in Peace
Sad to say, Catholic Herald writer, Jonathan Luxmoore, offers no praise for Franco, referring to him as “the dictator.” Nor does he express any indignation that General Franco’s remains are to be removed from his place of honor in “The Valley … Continue reading
Why the ‘Catholic Revival’ Failed
In our last outing, after considering the horror of a society in which the medical murder of little Alfie Evans could occur — especially one as “God-invoking” and “nice” as that of the 21st century West — it was promised … Continue reading
