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2022-07-09T14:33:15-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How Many Catholics Are There In The World? A Look At Where They Live

Last updated on: July 9, 2022 at 2:33 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

A Time Of Despair? Going on social media can be a dismal time for Catholics. Whether it is TikTok or FaceBook or some other site, non-Catholics, especially, gleefully announce the demise of Christianity as a whole or Catholicism in particular. Social media experts announce that belief in God is waning in the U. S. (down to 81 % from 95% fifteen years ago). They also parrot the view, unfortunately true, that U. S. Catholics are not coming to... Read more

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2022-06-24T15:46:13-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Death of Roe v. Wade–63 Million Voices Cried Out: Justice Is Served

Last updated on: June 24, 2022 at 3:46 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

An Unexpected Deliverance–The Death Of Roe V. Wade And so it happened, here on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It took 50 years, much prayer and protest, much sacrifice and dedication, but Divine Mercy trickled through the land. A monstrous decision decades ago was finally dealt a death blow by the Supreme Court as it threw out the constitutional right to an abortion. The echoes of the cries of 63 million human beings snuffed out during this... Read more

2021-12-15T23:07:36-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Where Are You Catholics?–Told You They Weren’t Coming Back

Last updated on: December 15, 2021 at 11:07 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

Where Are You Catholics? A little riff on a famous Christmas song: Where are you Catholics? Why can’t I find you? Why have you gone away? Back in June 2020, I wrote an article that prophesied Catholics would not return after the pandemic. (See: www.patheos.com/blogs/ericbarr/2020/06/catholics-they-are-not-coming-back-unless/). The Church had lifted the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. Zoom Masses took the place of on site attendance. Communion services to believers who stayed in their cars–sort of like drive-in sacraments–were common.... Read more

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2021-10-12T15:22:30-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Johnny We Hardly Knew ‘Ye–Remembering John Denver (d. Oct. 12, 1997)

Last updated on: October 12, 2021 at 3:22 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

Memories I was surfing YouTube the other night, and I came across the one celebrity over whose death I wept. Tuesday, October 12 marks the 24th anniversary of the death of John Denver. He passed away on a Saturday afternoon in a terrible plane crash over the Pacific Ocean—why do so many song artists die that way? I poured a glass of Glenlivet Scotch, sat down in my rocking chair, put on some John Denver tunes and cried like a... Read more

2021-07-17T18:43:24-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Et Cum Spiritu NoNo–The Demise of the Traditional Latin Mass Experiment

Last updated on: July 17, 2021 at 6:43 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

This opinion piece will not be tactfully phrased. There have been many essays in the past few days that look at the broader issues of the new motu proprio issued by Pope Francis concerning the traditional Latin Mass trying to balance both positive and negative views. I wanted to write a piece that reflects my experience from the trenches. Perhaps that will help some understand the issues that motivated Francis after he asked for the opinions of bishops from around... Read more

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2020-11-23T01:21:10-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Unsullied: Why Pope John Paul II Is Still Both Saint and Great

Last updated on: November 23, 2020 at 1:21 am By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

On the Warpath to Destroy St. John Paul the Great I can’t stand hateful trolls. And nowhere are they more present than on the warpath to dethrone Pope John Paul II as both saint and one of the great popes. The National Catholic Distorter has most recently tripped my trigger by calling on the Vatican to suppress the cult of St. John Paul II in the United States. Why? Because this newspaper and others of its ilk in the national... Read more

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2020-08-30T15:34:13-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ridin’ With Biden–On The Road To Perdition?

Last updated on: August 30, 2020 at 3:34 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

Ridin’ With Biden So much chatter about this that I thought I would put my own two cents in. It’s not that difficult, really. Trying to see into Biden’s soul is impossible and not right for us to do. Attempting to say why Biden or Trump may be a better president than the other one would take a different kind of article. But saying whether Biden is representative of who and what a good Catholic should be is easy. Is... Read more

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2020-07-08T20:46:02-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Plague Consequences: The Unchurching Of Catholics And What To Do About It

Last updated on: July 8, 2020 at 8:46 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

Pandemic Changes This is the summer of our discontent. Like a long rolling wave in the midst of the sea, the coronavirus surges and ebbs. It is deterred not by lockdowns or openups, temperature or vacation plans. Guess what? Looks like we will have to live with this wretched illness, just like we live with all the other coronaviruses. Oh, we’ll get a vaccine fairly soon, but it won’t fare any better against this plague than against the flu–we’ll just... Read more

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2020-06-29T17:05:23-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

More Than Just A Fallen Statue–The Oppression of Tolerance

Last updated on: June 29, 2020 at 5:05 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

What Iconoclasm Is It’s more than just a fallen statue–whichever toppled statue you wish to talk about. Iconoclasm–the erasing of images, is a wave that overcomes society every once in a while. And it is never a good thing. Here’s why: Very Selective Capricious–The mob judges someone an unforgivable sinner, but lets other famous people, worse than they, continue to be honored with images and statues. A great example of this is Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood,... Read more

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2020-06-22T21:03:08-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Pandemic Inertia In The Church

Last updated on: June 22, 2020 at 9:03 pm By Monsignor Eric Barr, STL

Remember What Happened To The Church After The Black Plague The last pandemic that paralyzed the world wide Catholic Church was the Black Plague of the 14th century. You could excuse that paralysis since about half of Europe perished in that pestilence. That was very bad. Just think of what it did. First of all, it killed off the best and brightest of the leadership of the Church. The holy priests and nuns who ministered to the sick died... Read more

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