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November 2019

November 16, 2019

After the Drive, the Flare-Up

The whole time I've been learning to drive, I was terrified that I'd hurt...

November 04, 2019

The Color of Departed Souls

The leaves have peaked for the year, and the color is going away. Pretty...

October 2019

October 29, 2019

Sister Angeline and the Demons in the Rafters

The convent chapel was ugly, the ugliest I've ever seen. The walls were some...

October 25, 2019

Wine-Dark, Rust-Red

I once met a lady who came to the Ohio Valley from Europe. She'd raised...

October 23, 2019

No, You Are Not Cristeros

I've seen a lot of talk about the Cristeros War lately, for all the...

October 19, 2019

When God Himself Appears Unjust

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke: Jesus told his disciples a parable...

October 19, 2019

Medieval Peasants had it Made: In Dialogue with a Twitter Traditionalist

Last night on Twitter, I had an interesting insight into what your standard Catholic and...

October 17, 2019

Rosie Wins a Battle

It started with the pixie cut. Rosie climbed up on the bathroom sink and...

October 14, 2019

Matt Walsh, Christopher Columbus, and the Erasure of Indigenous Americans

I don't usually pay attention to Matt Walsh, because he irritates me. But sometimes while...

October 14, 2019

Why Do We Cling To Columbus? What Do We Have To Lose?

I was pleased to see that the whole-life social justice pro-life organization Rehumanize International had...

October 12, 2019

Angelus Through Glass

I took Rosie downtown for her martial arts class. They're getting ready for a...

October 10, 2019

The Legacy of Trump is a Genocide

As I write this, Turkey is murdering our Kurdish former allies, and we are...

October 10, 2019

Where There Are Octobers

Fall finally came about the fourth of October; the hot weather slacked off with a...

September 2019

September 28, 2019

The Names of the Rich are Forgotten

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke: Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There...

August 2019

August 29, 2019

I Will Always be a Recovering Addict

(This post is part four in a series on addiction written by my courageous...

August 20, 2019

No, Suffering is Not Good

I have been thinking about suffering all day. I was copyediting the beautiful guest...

August 20, 2019

From Trauma to Addiction and Back

(This post is part three in a planned four-part series by my courageous friend Celia...

August 15, 2019

Addiction, Mental Illness and Trauma: How I Became an Addict

(This post is part two in a four-part series on addiction by my friend...

August 15, 2019

If You Couldn’t go to Mass Today

Today is the solemnity of the Assumption. When I look at my facebook and Twitter...

August 08, 2019

A Nation of Laws or a Nation of Chaos?

You've no doubt heard about the record-setting ICE raids that took place yesterday: 680 workers...

August 05, 2019

King Antiochus in the Adoration Chapel

It's been a rough week. There's plenty of horror going on in the world...

August 03, 2019

The One Who Does Not Abandon

I read an article in The Mighty the other day that made me so...

July 2019

July 20, 2019

The Purgatory Time of Year

July is the hottest month. July is the month where you'd rather be anywhere...

July 14, 2019

Which of These Was Neighbor? Which of These Was Christ?

In Eastern depictions, the Good Samaritan is Christ, the victim, Adam. You and I, already...

July 13, 2019

To Cast Down an Idol

I've had to walk by the former House of Prayer and Peace several times this...

July 08, 2019

A Bad Feast for Victims

We got through another Feast of Saint Maria Goretti and its aftermath, somehow. It's over...

July 01, 2019

What Must a Christian do for the Helpless?

I feel that it's time to remind my audience what a Christian is supposed to...

June 2019

June 29, 2019

The Terrible Wager and the Sacred Heart

I am in a bad state, lately. Healing goes in long, slow cycles, and...

June 05, 2019

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Owns Up to a Horror

I have often been to Mass in the Roman Catholic diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers...

June 03, 2019

Ascension Outside the Gate

One of the wonderful things about our Church is that the seasons come round again...