What America is now experiencing is the twilight of liberalism. It is not a beautiful scene of magnificent hues and fading light. It is a sinister darkening of society with tones of foreboding. Liberalism was supposed to have delivered a society of maximum freedom. Individuals could do whatever they desired while respecting … Read more
Led by the Comte de Montalembert and supported by Louis Veuillot and L’Univers, the Catholic Party waged a battle against the French government for freedom of education. To understand this battle well, we need to look back a little. After the fall of Napoleon, all liberal French politicians fought against the government’s … Read more
When fire ravaged Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019, Catholics worldwide prayed to God to spare the cathedral. Our Lord and the Blessed Mother listened to these pleas as firefighters won the battle against the flames and averted a total destruction of the famous shrine. Now, another danger threatens the … Read more
Has the United States Supreme Court decided that it is time to stop persecuting Christianity? Two recent decisions indicate that the answer may be a cautious “yes.” The Lemon Test On June 28, 1971, a liberal Supreme Court unanimously handed down its decision in the case of Lemon v. Kurtzman. At the … Read more
Parents across America are alarmed over the Satanic Temple (TST)’s efforts to create after-school clubs in elementary schools. The threat has ignited outrage at school board meetings as many parents voice their opposition to opening the door to Satan to their children. The results of these meetings are mixed. Many boards respect … Read more
During the early nineteenth century, the idea of Catholics uniting to defend the Church was a novelty. The notion met with opposition from even the best quarters of French society. The bishops and the vast majority of the clergy did not support establishing a Catholic Party. The laity viewed Count Montalembert’s efforts … Read more
“Buona Sera!”—“Good Evening!” With this commonplace greeting, devoid of any solemnity or unction, Pope Francis addressed the thousands of faithful waiting in Saint Peter’s Square for their newly-elected pope. These words set the style of his pontificate: informality, abandonment of protocol and disdain for ceremony. Ten years later, recently deceased George Cardinal … Read more
On July 6, Saint John Bosco told some people about his dream involving a red horse. He said: “I had a strange dream where I was together with the Marchioness di Barolo, and we were walking on a little square that opened into a large plain. I could see the young men … Read more
The prism of death often provides an excellent perspective to influence how to live. Thus, the book Life Stories of Dying Penitents or Sick Calls from the Diary of a Missionary Priest invites the reader to make serious, profound, hopeful and tragic reflections. Originally published in the late nineteenth century, the book … Read more
The Count of Montalembert learned much from his experience in the first battle for the freedom of education. One lesson was that defending Church interests required unified action. Such unity was difficult since the Catholic public was completely disoriented. France’s various forms of government between 1789 and 1830 had given rise to … Read more