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December 2025

December 19, 2025

An Empty Chapel, A Human Church, A Patient God

I went back to the chapel at the old hospital, to ask for mercy. Sometimes...

December 12, 2024

O Precious the Snow

Winter is not astronomical, as many have observed before me. It's not to do with...

March 2024

March 28, 2024

A Different Mercy

  I really did mean to go to confession. I haven't been to confession in...

October 2021

October 26, 2021

The Priest Who Said “Me Too”

  All right, a good story now.  We've heard so many bad ones. This happened...

October 19, 2021

On Harassment and Spiritual Abuse in the Confessional

  A friend mentioned online that she had been sexually harassed in the confessional. She...

July 2021

July 13, 2021

Instruct the Ignorant: An Excerpt from Stumbling into Grace

  The following is a sample chapter from my book, Stumbling into Grace: How We...

July 02, 2021

A Lesson from the Baltimore Catechism, In Light of Recent News

  I would like to draw your attention to a lesson and an illustration from...

June 2021

June 28, 2021

A Word on the USCCB, Who Want To Teach Us About the Eucharist

A lot went on in the past week or two that I wanted to write...

February 2021

February 01, 2021

And Christ Was There As Well

I saw his Roman collar as he walked by-- between the blue disposable face mask...

April 2020

April 04, 2020

Hosanna Filio David

  I woke up afraid, as usual. I don't know if any writing fully conveys...

March 2020

March 23, 2020

A Disastrous Sentimentalism Indeed: First Things’s R. R. Reno Jumps the Shark

This afternoon I came across an article by R. R. Reno, the supposedly pro-life editor...

January 2020

January 21, 2020

In the Person of Christ the Servant

Today, I saw a priest who likes to run his mouth on Twitter with a...

December 2019

December 07, 2019

Eighteen Suggestions for the Rest of Advent

On Friday, I suggested that we all need to be converted, and start living in...

February 2019

February 23, 2019

The Worst Punishment There Could Ever Be

We're in the middle of the summit on sexual abuse now, and I don't feel...

February 22, 2018

Just Say Fluffy Bun

  Rosie was excited to tell me what she learned in her Eastern Catholic catechism...

February 13, 2018

I Confess I’m Unimpressed

A respected apologist recently shared a short comic strip that had me scratching my head....

November 2017

November 24, 2017

An Orthodox Spiritual Abuse Victim Tells Her Story

  [This account was written for me by a Brooke Alker Gregory. I am sharing it with...

October 2017

October 06, 2017

Christ Behind the Screen

I went to confession. It had been way too long.

September 2016

September 23, 2016

Saint Pio, the Transfiguration and a Coconut Cake

(Image via Pixabay.)   Today is the the feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. I like...

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