The World Turned Upside Down One would have to be living as a hermit to have not heard or read about the civil unrest in Minneapolis.  Regrettably two protesters have lost their lives there, others injured, many inconvenienced due to the protests.  Whichever side you fall on in regards to the protests, I think we all need to pause, restrain emotions, and look at the facts.  As John Adams famously said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”.   Firstly, Ms. Good, and Mr. Pretti were the victims of shooting by law enforcement officers.  Both situations were avoidable and terribly unfortunate.  Both situations were different as well.  It’s easy to sit back and play the armchair judge & jury.  I will simply give my observations.  Both Good & Pretti could be alive and well today had they chosen to stay hom...

 Pater Contra Mundi I am a contrarian, not in the current usage within the stock exchanges, but in the older and more accurate sense.  I oppose and reject popular opinions and current practices, not simply because they are modern, but because they lack foundation, logic, decency, and morality.  I utterly loathe and despise wokism because it embodies that lethal combination due to it being based upon emotion and tribalism.  In essence it is pure Marxism, relativistic, and based on nothing more than desire for power over others. Have I lost friends and acquaintances due to my stance?  Yes, indeed.  While it is sad, I can honestly say that my life is not lacking due to their exit.  I will honestly admit, I did, in the recent past flirt with some progressive ideas, but in trying them, I found them wanting.  As a student and teacher of history, I can say I have the pattern recognition of where the path of wokism leads - to ruin and perdition. ...

 Habemus Papam!  I never would have guessed it, much less thought that I'd see an American-born Pope!  I had heard Prevost's name bandied about even before Pope Francis' death, so I'm not too stunned, Gentle Reader, but I am surprised.  Already the Americanist "patriots" are whooping that one of their fellow nationals now sits the Throne of St. Peter.  I think they'll be quite disappointed as his pontificate unfolds.  Although born in Chicago, Pope Leo has spent most of his adult life outside of the United States, with his missionary work in Peru, then curial work in Rome.  Even before, with his parents' backgrounds in France, Italy, and Latin America, Pope Leo already would have had a wider view of things that most Americans lack.  I've already heard from one who is a fervent MAGA devotee say that it is hoped that Pope Leo will be "neutral".  There has never been any such thing as a neutral Pope.  Even the most corrupt of Popes was not ...

 6 May 2025 The Kind of Pope I Want Since the death of our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, and even before, there’s been much speculation on who will be the next Roman Pontiff.  Some of it is blatantly partisan, some of it just downright ridiculous.  Many in the West are treating it as if it were an ecclesiastical version of the secular political campaigning of presidential candidates.  Various sectors within the Church are pushing for their pet ideologies - more freedom for the traditional Latin Mass; more emphasis on the rights of the family; more action against the abuse of the vulnerable, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  Certainly these issues have importance.  However, I think that we of the West tend to ignore the issues facing the Church in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the Church is growing by leaps and bounds.  Nor can we forget that in some areas the Church is being persecuted, not just in subtle ways, but i...

 Requiescat in Pace! I awoke today, Easter Monday, to very sad news.  Like all Catholic priests, I had gone through the marathon of Holy Week, with all of the various liturgies, which are spiritually and emotionally moving, but also physically exhausting.  Easter Sunday night, after the parish masses, I relaxed, watching the classic Cecil B. DeMille film "Ben Hur", then settled in for a good night's sleep. After waking Monday morning, I dressed and prayed, fed my cats, and made my morning coffee, then turned on the television only to be met with the news that Pope Francis had died. I was stunned, yet I could see it coming.  I had watched the recorded Easter Sunday Mass from the Vatican, and the Urbi et Orbi blessing following the Vatican Mass on Sunday, once I had celebrated Easter Masses at my two parishes.  I was struck by how tired Pope Francis looked when he came out to be driven through the crowd in St. Peter's Square, and when he gave the Po...

 Ah, ça ira. N’est pas?  An Olympic Disasterpiece.     1 Aug. 2024 Dear and gentle Reader, My apologies for being absent for so long a period.  I’m sure you’re famished for my wit and wisdom.  Well, I have a veritable smorgasbord for you!   As you know, here in the States, we recently concluded a year of Eucharistic Renewal with the celebration of a National Eucharistic Congress, which by all accounts was well attended by Catholics of all ages.  Shortly after, we had the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and of course, the controversy that followed due to some elements of the said ceremony. Now, I am, as some of you know, no enthusiast of any athletics, and so I do not watch the Olympics, but I do usually watch the opening ceremonies, which introduce the participating nations and their athletes, as well as highlight the history and culture of the host country.  Some of them have been absolutely glorious, others, well, sad....