Sharing Christmas Cheer

Sharing Christmas Cheer

Christmas is a season of tremendous joy. Like harmonizing notes on a score of music, a universe of details makes the feast of Our Lord’s birth indelible. The beauty of midnight Mass, families celebrating, gift giving, grudges that vanish, fireplaces that crackle, the scent of fresh pine, and a blanket of pure … Read more

Don Pelayo and the Reconquista of Spain

Don Pelayo and the Reconquista of Spain

One fascinating aspect of the Old Testament is God’s intervention favoring those who do all they possibly can while facing overwhelming odds and counting on Him to do the impossible. As we read about David and Goliath, Gideon and the Battle of Jericho, the Maccabees and others, we have the impression that … Read more

Garcia Moreno: Heroic President of Ecuador

Garcia Moreno, President of Ecuador, Writes to His Holiness Blessed Pius IX 1

Manly Catholic of intransigent principles, slain by the enemies of the Faith because of his consistency and courage in defense of the Church and Papacy Gabriel Garcia Moreno was born in Guayaquil, in southern Ecuador on December 24, 1821. His father, Gabriel Garcia Gómez was Spanish, while his mother, Doña Mercedes Moreno, … Read more

The Siege of Czestochowa

The Siege of Czestochowa 1

Preliminary Note: The account of the siege of Czestochowa which we present here is based on the Memoirs of the Siege of Czestochowa by Father Augustine Kordecki (Pamietnik oblezenia Czestochowy, edited and with a preface by Jan Tokarski, London, Veritas, 1956.) Written by Friar Kordecki in response to a wish of King … Read more

The Devil’s False Promise of Happiness

This scene is from the island of Ischia, in Italy, after a storm. Nature has recovered her cheerful appearance and an elderly peasant woman accompanied by her children – perhaps her grandchildren – walks up a hillside. The road is not made of asphalt, nor is it lined with movie theaters, cafes, … Read more

Are Museums Sepulchers for Culture?

Are Museums Sepulchers for Culture? 1

Who has not felt the frustration that typically assails one after visiting a large museum? Wandering through the rooms and galleries where rare objects and masterpieces are exhibited, the soul expands and is enriched by the contemplation of a thousand marvels. Yet, at the same time, a sensation of emptiness, unnaturalness and … Read more

The Centennial of Pascendi

The Centennial of Pascendi 1

A hundred years ago, on September 8, 1907, Pope Saint Pius X (1903–1914) published the Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (Feeding the Lord’s Flock) against the devastating doctrines of Modernism. It was the culmination of an offensive that caused irreparable damage to Modernism. A month earlier, the Congregation of the Holy Office had … Read more