Robert Edwards

Why Integralism Is an Ideology of Despair

. . .Patrick Deneen’s powerful critique of American liberal democracy has moved several Catholic writers to reconsider their church’s relation to it.  Among the best of these efforts since Deneen’s Why Liberalism Failedcame out earlier this year was a provocative essay published by American Affairs entitled, “The Eclipse of Catholic Fusionism.”  Author Kevin Gallagher declared therein that the prominent Catholics who had worked with political conservatives during the 1980s & 1990s to defend free-market principles were “adulterating the faith” with alien ideas & ignoring the “American Church’s long-standing skepticism of free-market economics”. . .

by James M. Patterson,

of Law and Liberty

Using Classic Movies to Win the Culture Wars – Anthony M. Esolen Ph.D., The Imaginative. . .
The Purpose of Politically Correct Lies – Donald R. McClarey J.D., The American Catholic
Before 1066 & All That – Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing
Drowning Cultural Conservatism – Rod Dreher, The American Conservative
How Politics Will Impact the Catholic Church in A.D. 2019 – Clementi Lisi, Get Religion
Demographic Decline: Ben Franklin’s Two Cents – Joshua Gregor, Power Blog
Why Twitter’s Cute, Heart-Shaped ‘Like’ Button Is Not So Harmless – A.T. Sutton, Mercatornet
Pro-Life Sen. Hyde-Smith Beats Abortionist M. Espy in Mississippi Senate Race – Life News
Twitter Declares War on Biology – Michael Brown Ph.D., The Stream
Alexis de Tocqueville, Subsidiarity, & Clericalism – Fr. Charles Klamut, Homiletic & Pastoral. . .
Socialism’s Record Has Been Pain, Not Gain (Especially for the Poor) – Charles Calomiris, FEE
Bill Gates Will Spend $18 Million Pushing Population Control on Africa – Mic. Bilger, Life News
Why We Need Anti-Censorship Legislation For Social Media, Stat – Jer. Carl, The Federalist
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

Holding Hands at Mass

. . .my wife Janet and I always cringe at a new parish when it comes time for the Our Father.  We quickly bow our heads & close our eyes; I clutch my hands close to my chest (& she does the same) and we start to pray — hoping some aggressive hand-holder doesn’t reach over & insist on tearing my hands apart so I can warmly hold theirs during the prayer. . .

by Steve Ray,

of Defenders of the Catholic Faith

Live Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – Adorecast
Secession, Schism, & Catholic Civil War – Rod Dreher, The American. . .
The Mysterious Holy Veil of Manoppello – K.V. Turley, Catholic Exchange
Fr. Aidan Nichols on Episcopal Appointments – Fr. John Hunwicke, Fr Hunwicke’s Mutual. . .
The Incorrupt Heart of St. John Vianney Touring U.S., Here are the Dates! – ChurchPOP
Card. Burke Celebrates Pontifical Mass in Mex. City Cathedral – New Liturgical Movement
Doctors Euthanize 38-Yr-Old Lady Dealing with Depression Instead of Treating Her – Lif News
By Their Fruits, You Will Know Them – Noel Ethan Tan, Ignitum Today
Was Matthew Written After A.D. 70? – Jimmy Akin, JimmyAkin.com
Centuries-Old Christian Painting Found in Japan – CNA/EWTN News via NC Register
Tennessee Diocese Seeks to Exhume Remains of Pastor on Path to Sainthood – The CWR
Making Transgenderism Child’s Play – Mary Pesarchik, Catholic Stand
2018 Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conf.: A Few Afterthoughts – Mk. C. McCann, Catholic Stand
The Indian Mass in the Modern Parish (Part III) – Claudio Salvucci, Liturgical Arts Journal
A Faithful Advent Brings a Glorious Christmas – Birgit Jones, Catholic Life In Our Times
Seeing the Mass Through the Heart of Dorothy O’Neill Weimar – David L. Gray, DavidLGray.info
The Youth Synod & the Birth of the Synodal Church – Thomas R. Ascik, The CWR
Taiwan Voters Reject Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ – CNA/EWTN News via NC Register
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

Baltimore Catholics, Why Do You Tolerate These Charades?

. . .this sacrilege happened at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in the Dundalk area of Baltimore. . .

from Restore-DC-Catholicism

Live Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – Adorecast
The Catholic Gentleman Gift List 2018 – Sam Guzman, The Catholic Gentleman
8 Ideas for Celebrating Advent in 2018 – Brandon Harvey, Catholic Exchange
Is Modern Interpretation of Book of Revelation Flawed? A Different View – Msgr. Charles Pope
More Garbage from Germany: Communion for Protestants – Fr. Z’s Blog
Italian Bishops Approve New Bowdlerizations of the Missal – New Liturgical Movement
Deacon Claims Jesus Tolerates Abortion ’cause He Didn’t Preach Against Abortion – M. Bilger
Hating Sin – Anthony M. Esolen Ph.D., Crisis Magazine
I Can’t – Kat Larson, Ignitum Today
Ten Ways Confession Sets Us Free – Fr. Ed Broom O.M.V., Catholic Exchange
Te Deum – Donald R. McClarey J.D., The American Catholic
New Documentary Shows Individual, Societal Threat of Pornography – Per. West, NC Register
Matthew P. Hazell Books Again! – Fr. John Hunwicke, Fr Hunwicke’s Mutual Enrichment
This New Age of Martyrs – Francis J. Pierson, Crisis Magazine
Reclaiming Christmas from Commercialism – Shane Schaetzel, Complete Christianity
Catholic TV: The Gist Interview with Danielle Bean – Meghan Ashley Styling (Catholic Fashion)
‘White Fathers’ Set to Celebrate 150th Anniversary – Paul Samasumo, Vatican News
Pause, Pray, Plan: Your 3-Step Advent Appeal – Brice Sokolowski, CatholicFundraiser.net
Have Sight, Your Faith Has Saved You; Cooperating with the Grace of Revelation – S. Brewster
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

Pro-Life Group Lists 24 Companies That Fund Planned Parenthood

. . .this Christmas season, countless people will be purchasing items for their loved ones.  With so much money being spent, it is important to know what the companies you purchase from do with your money. . .

by Christina Vazquez

of Life News

Social Justice, Judaism, & the Primacy of the Sacred – Fr. James V. Schall S.J., The CWR
Univ. Won’t Let Chick-fil-A Open on Campus ’cause Its Owners are Christians – Nee. Chandak
Catholic Univ. of America Social Work Dean Resigns Over Kavanaugh Tweets – NC Register
Mom Dresses 6-Yr-Old Son as Girl, Threatens Dad w/Losing Son for Disagreeing – Walt Heyer
Christine Ford Thanks Donors for $650K After Falsely Accusing Brett Kavanaugh – S. Ertelt
Sasse’s Case for Anti-Tribes – Timothy Lang, First Things
Christian Berkeley Senator Isabella Chow: Learning to Love Unconditionally – Aliya Kuykendall
40% of Patients Supposedly in “Vegetative State” Are Not; Stop Using the Term – D. Andrusko
Will Ireland’s Abortion Vote Launch a New Pro-Life Party? – The Catholic World Report
Asia Bibi Out of Caesar’s Jail, Needs Caesar’s Protection – Daniel Philpott, Arc of the. . .
How Twitter’s Biased Bans Echo China’s Social Control System – James Altschul, The Fdrlst
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

A Nursery Rhyme Pope Francis Would Do Well to Read

“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
“’Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I’ve a many curious things to show when you are there.”

by Father George W. Rutler, Th.D. Ph.D.,

of Crisis Magazine

Live Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – Adorecast
Cardinal Sarah on Kneeling before the Eucharist, Communion in the Hand – Fr. Z’s Blog
Awesome or Awful? The Mosaic of Christ in Majesty at the D.C. Basilica – Msgr. Charles Pope
I’m Back – Patrick Archbold, Creative Minority Report
3 Media Documents Every Catholic Should Read – Shaun McAfee O.P., NC Register
Stop Weaponizing The Priest Abuse Crisis Against Catholic Theology – Matthew Petrusek
Doctrine Remains a Problem in Relations, SSPX Affirms after Vatican Meeting – The CWR
When Was the Holy Gospel of Saint Matthew Written? (A First Pass) – Jimmy Akin
Death of a Missionary – Trent Horn, Catholic Answers Magazine
Have Scientists Given Up Trying to Explain Transgender? – Michael Cook, Mercatornet
Snowed In & Can’t Get To Sunday Mass? Watch It Online at These Websites – Aleteia
The Revival of the New Classical Architecture in Italy – J.P. Sonnen, Liturgical Arts Journal
Abortionists Increasingly Harassing Pro-Lifers Praying at Abortion Mills – Christina Vazquez
Villians of the Early Church, Off the Shelf 100 with Mike Aquilina – Pete Socks, Catholic Stand
Living the Liturgical Calendar: The Wonderful Waiting of Advent – C. Millen, Catholic Stand
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi – Theodore Rebard, Crisis Magazine
Teaching Character Education With the Anthropology of St. JP2 – Edward Pentin, NC Register
Pause, Pray, Plan: Your 3-Step Advent Appeal – Brice Sokolowski, CatholicFundraiser.net
State Department Continues Its Cruel War On Adoption Agencies – Jayme Metzgar, The Fdrlst
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

50 Years of Effete & Infertile Liturgical Culture Is Enough

. . .the inside of the church resembled the lobby of a 3-star hotel trying to be 4.  It was a flattened ellipse, with entry on the broad side, so that there was more room from left to right than from back to front.  There was no sacristy.  Instead, there was a large teardrop-shaped peninsula, like the Peloponnese, extending from the back & far into where people would be seated.  This Peloponnese was raised a few feet from the level of the front pews, & in the middle of the teardrop, sort of near Sparta, stood the altar, with the priest’s chair stationed 10 feet behind it.  At Athens to the right stood a lectern which served as the pulpit, facing neither the people in front nor the priest, but maybe something beyond them in the distance, like Sicily. . .

by Anthony M. Esolen, Ph.D.,

of Crisis Magazine

Live Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – Adorecast
5 More Good Catholic Novels That I Recommend – Fr. John P. Cush S.T.D., NC Register
“The Mouth That Roared”: Rocco Palmo’s Spot-On Tribute to Bishop Morlino – Fr. R. Heilman
Why I Asked Mom to Burn the Statues of the Saints & the 3 Things I Realized – Ignitum Today
Cafod, Catholic In Name Only – Mark Lambert, De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.
No, I Won’t Encourage Catholic Anger – Anthony S. Layne, Catholic Stand
When Was the Holy Gospel of Saint Mark Written? – Jimmy Akin, JimmyAkin.com
The Holy Mass in the First World War: A Photo Collection – New Liturgical Movement
“The Bible Comes Alive”: Why This YouTube Star Loves Praying the Rosary – ChurchPOP
Advent Resources – Amy Welborn, Charlotte Was Both
Advent & Holy Saturday: The King Sleeps – Stephen Beale, Catholic Exchange
Jesus is Before All, & By Him, All Things Consist  – Fr. Geo. W. Rutler Th.D. Ph.D., NC Register
The Continual Spectre of False Antiquarianism – P. Kwasniewski Ph.D., New Liturgical Mvmnt
Moral & Practical Problems with the 1st Gene-Edited Babies – Fr. Mat. P. Schneider L.C., ThCL
What is It Like To Be an Underground Chinese Seminarian? – The Catholic World Report
Catholic TV: The Gist Interview with Danielle Bean – Meghan Ashley Styling (Catholic Fashion)
Exhibition on Catholic Arts Competition at St. Vincent Col. Gallery in Pennsylvania – Nw Lt Mv
Friendship is Rooted in Charity – Brother Cornelius Avaritt O.P., Catholic Exchange
The Catholic Resistance to the Pontificate – Tito Edwards, The American Catholic
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

Man Martyred; Facebook Erupts in Anti-Christian Hatred

. . .a sad picture of the world we live in, especially online. . .

by Tom Gilson,

of The Stream

New Population Research Shows Half the World’s Countries are Disappearing – Tom Hoopes
The Death of Europe: Two Classic Films & the Great War – Mark Malvasi Ph.D., The Imagina. . .
Why America Desperately Needs Another Baby Boom – Steven W. Mosher, The New York Post
Classical Education & the Future of Civilization – Joseph Pearce, The Imaginative. . .
To Sustain the Anglo-American Tradition, Conversation Is Not Enough – Brian A. Smith, LaL
Mythology As History – Daniel J. Flynn, City Journal
The Last Brazilian Emperor – Daryl Worthington, New Historian
The Debate Over Nationalism Is A Debate Over The West’s Future – Sumantra Maitra, The F. . .
Cut Federal Funding from Colleges That Don’t Require Western Civ Courses – Cole Levin, TCF
Trade, Nations, & War in an Enlightened Age – Samuel Gregg D.Phil., Law and Liberty
Conflict & Resolution: Charles de Gaulle’s Understanding of ‘Nation’ – A. Wierenga, Acton Inst
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

New Political Party Says Its Roots are in Catholic Social Teaching

. . .the American Solidarity Party, which draws its influence from European Christian democracy. . .

by Charles C. Camosy,

of Crux

PBS Carries an Anti-Socialist Documentary. . .from Sweden (Video) – Acton Institute
A Pact with a Thief: The Vatican’s Agreement with Communist China – Chen Guangcheng, PD
Media Bias 101: CNN’s Coverage of Abortion – Dustin Siggins, The Dispatch via The CWR
Is Integralism the Answer? – Soren Hansen, The Irish Rover
Can Private Charity Replace the Social Safety Net? – Joe Carter, Acton Institute
Aristotle & the Seriousness of Politics – Fr. James V. Schall S.J., Law and Liberty
Australians Should Be Wary of Amending Religious Discrimination Laws – Mercatornet
Why Isn’t Religious Freedom ‘the Defining Issue of Our Time’? – Michael Cook, Mercatornet
Christians in Ukraine Ask for Prayer as Tensions with Russia Escalate – CNA via The CWR
Open Border Advocates Downplay Human Trafficking – Robert F. Gorman, Crisis Magazine
Shandong Authorities Target Christian Students at Universities – Jiang Tao, Bitter Winter
ACN: Almost 300 Million Christians Persecuted in 21 Countries – Robin Gomes, Vatican News
Cambodia, Genocide, & the Beijing Connection – Marco Respinti, Bitter Winter
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time

The New York Times Reveals Painful Truths about Transgender Lives

. . .why should a doctor perform surgery when it won’t make the patient happy, it won’t accomplish its intended goal, it won’t improve the underlying condition, it might make the underlying condition worse, & it might increase the likelihood of suicide?  Sound medicine isn’t about desire, it’s about healing. . .

by Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D.

Live Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – Adorecast
Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Requiescat In Pace – Christine Rousselle, NC Register
Unplanned, the Fresh Air Comes – Anthony M. Esoelen Ph.D., The Catholic Thing
Books You’ll Never Read – Fr. Michael Rennier, Dappled Things
Monsignor Bux: Pope Francis Must Urgently Issue Profession of Faith – Edward Pentin
Debate Over Rod Dreher Orthodox Conversion or Catholic Triumphalism I & Part II – R. Dreher
Sweden has Started “Chipping” Its Residents – Fr. Z’s Blog
When Was the Gospel of Luke Written? – Jimmy Akin, JimmyAkin.com
The Demise of Mystical Theology – David Torkington, Catholic Stand
A Minute-by-Minute Guide for a Holy Hour of Adoration – Tom Hoopes, Aleteia
How Deeper Underground Can Underground Catholics Go? – Feng Gang, Bitter Winter
Are Smartphones An Occasion of Sin? – Sofia Abasolo, Catholic Stand
Mystery Bones Found at Vatican Embassy to Italy, Not from Missing Girls – C. Giangravè, Crux
St. Columba & the Loch Ness Monster – Angelo Stagnaro, National Catholic Register
Catherine of Siena, Pious Paladin for Today’s Current Clergy Corruption – Catholic Stand
Confusion of Tongues: Language of Sin vs. Bureaucracy – Maureen Mullarkey, Studio Matters
Deus Caritas Est; The Attributes of Love – Robert Kurland Ph.D., Catholic Stand
Pope Francis: Sacred Music Points to the Beauty of Paradise – The Catholic World Report
Pause, Pray, Plan: Your 3-Step Advent Appeal – Brice Sokolowski, CatholicFundraiser.net
Note: A new post is published daily at 12:01 am U.S. Central Time