Fr Mauro Gagliardi, lecturer at the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum", who was appointed Consultor to the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff last September (see an excerpt of a Zenit interview with him from January here), has an important piece in today's edition of the...

Let me tell you what today has been like, and we’re only a few hours into it. Those of you who don’t understand what a low-down, bitchy sinner I am may be surprised. Those of you who do know (or suspect) that I am a bitchy sinner will be gratified. I started the morning crabbing to my hu...

As the doorman said, “well, bust my buttons!” It seems Tony Blankley has visited my humble abode and said some very nice things. I’m blushing. No, really. But that was very nice; thanks. I would add that I share the same experience with Blankley; I get the papers and leave them unr...

Quiet today. After gabbing and watching videos through the night, we put Buster on a plane headed back to school early this morning, then went to mass and - since it was offered - took the opportunity to go to confession, and then came home and promptly fell asleep until the early afternoon. CanR...

The third part of a story by Brian Doyle in Best Catholic Writing 2007 on The Sisters of Mount Angel (return to the beginning of the story) Finally I gave my talk, singing and roaring, spinning stories, making jokes. I told them about barking “Point it down!� at my toddler twin sons when I was t...

Have you ever read something and then said, “damn, I wish I’d written that? I do it frequently, but especially today with this piece, especially, by the renowned skeptic, Vanderleun: Theirs was the Age of Myth; a world where night was not dimmed by the web of lights that now obscures the...

“When you have become God’s in the measure He wants, He, Himself will know how to best bestow you on others. Unless He prefer, for thy greater advantage, to keep thee all to Himself.â€� –St. Basil I like this: “In virtue of the absolute primacy reserved to Christ, monasteries are...

Well, I finished the book by Calvin Miller yesterday. What can I say? Less than stellar. Not to say that it was a complete waste of time. In fact there are some helpful thoughts that I intend to capture in my own prayer life. So I'm glad I read it. Not sure I'd recommend it. Miller dra...

Folks, I don't want the day to finish without acknowledging today's memorial feast of my father in the faith, St. Benedict of Nursia. As a lay Benedictine, I want to join all my Benedictine brothers and sisters worldwide in this great feast of our Holy Founder. According to American Catholic.Org's S...

A couple of weeks ago, I had finished reading Traditions in Leadership: How Faith Traditions Shape the Way we Lead , which is a book with many authors from various backgrounds that was edited by Richard Mouw and Eric Jacobsen.  SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS AUTHORS Each of the author???s in ...