St. Pius X, Pray for us!

Today is the feast of St. Pope Pius X, a good day to read about his life and examine some of his writings. Here's a list of his encyclicals, 17 in all. His motto was "To restore all things in Christ" which was the subject of his first encylical published on October 4, 1903. 

A Week of Good-Byes: Death Comes to Us All!

It's been a time of good-byes for celebrities this past week or so. Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and yesterday Gloria Steinem. Many will relate immediately to country music icon Dolly and actor Tim Curry, but I wonder how many even remember who Gloria Steinem was. Do you?

If I went out to do a man-in-the-street interview (using "man" in the generic sense), and asked, "How do you feel about the death of Gloria Steinem?" I would expect a puzzled look and a "Who's Gloria Steinem?" from most people. She got her fifteen minutes of fame during the era of feminism, but that era is fading. Feminism has been in its death throes for a long time. Babies and stay-at-home moms are making a comeback as the White House Baby Boom illustrates.

"If the Shoe Fits, Wear It!"

My mom used to have a full stock of sayings appropriate to various occasions. "If the shoe fits, wear it!" was one that seems especially relevant to modern culture with a shift in meaning. Lots of folks today stick their feet into other people's shoes presuming to know everything about them. They judge people they only know as "friends" on Facebook. They jump to conclusions about things and make rash judgments about others in the comment section of every website. After all, they know everything about them because they slip on their shoes just long enough to tell the world all about them: their beliefs, their opinions, the state of their souls. Their knowledge about others (Trump supporters especially) would fill a multi-volume encyclopedia.

Of Silly Comments, Name-Calling, and the USCCB

Well today was a red-letter day. I've been called a lot of things: a fat cow (I admit I'm overweight.), a schismatic and excommunicated Catholic, a Protestant. Really, I was even once called a feminist. That blew my mind since I've fought the radical feminists for decades. But name-calling is often preceded by brain death. The "little gray cells" go on vacation.

Sunday Meditation: Never Forget: The True Shepherds Celebrated Mass in the Meadow

This photo shows Fr. Reuter celebrating Mass at the fairgrounds during COVID. He was our first SSPX pastor when the chapel was established several years ago. We first met him when he came from the seminary to celebrate Mass at the fairgrounds while all the churches were closed. The diocesan bishops all bent the knee to Caesar. A few priests around the country celebrated Mass in their parking lots. One rented a U-Haul and drove around his diocese with his portable sanctuary. But for most Catholics in the country, their shepherds locked the churches and delivered a stone instead of bread to the faithful. They could have appealed the government lockdowns which left abortion businesses and liquor stores open. They did not. Their actions said, "We have no king but Caesar." I'm still waiting for an apology! They save that for other folks, like those angry over Pachamama being thrown in the Tiber.

Is the USCCB Even Catholic Any More?

The USCCB seems to have lost the faith decades ago, not to mention their minds! I offer the letter below as exhibit A. Why would any right-minded bishop continue to belong to this Good Old Boys Club of Nonsense? In the name of ecumenism we are told that all faiths are paths to God including paganism. And now we have a Jewish woman, Amy-Jill Levine elected as head of the "Catholic" Biblical Association who wants to rewrite the Bible because the pharisees were misunderstood. It reminds me of the song Officer Krupke from West Side Story. 

Of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot

I'm a big fan of Agatha Christie and love the series with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. I've seen the role played with Peter Ustinov and Kenneth Branagh. Neither of them could hold a candle to David Suchet who played Poirot in every story Christie wrote about him. Over 25 years and thirteen seasons, David Suchet became the little Belgian detective with the moustaches. 

My husband and I just finished watching all of the seasons for about the fourth time. And then we watched the extras. Suchet answers a series of questions about what is essentially the role of his life. He described how he studied all the stories and kept a voluminous file about how Poirot dressed, ate, walked, spoke, etc. -- all that allowed David Suchet to disappear into the persona of Hercule Poirot, not an actor playing a character, but becoming one. 

On What Day of the Week Were You Born?

Oh dear...I am Wednesday's child, "full of woe." That description is actually pretty accurate for me since, in the traditional personality description, I tend toward the melancholic. 

Do Our Bishops Welcome "Undocumented Houseguests" in their Own Homes?

My friend and colleague, Janet Baker, has an interesting article on her D.C. blog about the bishops shilling for illegal immigrants. One particularly apt sentence about the illegal aliens was this:

[T]hese people are border-crashers who come and/or stay in this country while disregarding our laws and procedures. They are no more "immigrants" than a burglar is an "undocumented house guest".

Let Thanks Be Always on Our Lips!

Sometimes I get a tremendous surprise when I open a book. Tucked inside will be a letter from the past from a family member or friend. This week, I looked in my calendar book to see whose birthdays and anniversaries are coming up in the month of September. But what I found in the front was a little treasure from one of my granddaughters -- a letter she wrote on January 11, 2019 when she was still in high school. It captured a moment from the past to thrill a grandparent's heart.

When Fact and Fiction Meet to Tell the Truth!

I'm re-reading one of my favorite novels, The Masterful Monk by Owen Francis Dudley, a Catholic priest who converted from Anglicanism. He wrote a series of connected novels about human happiness. I've read them all. The Masterful Monk is the third in the series which is recommended in Fr. John Hardon's Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan. 

Hell on Earth is the Default Position in Massacusetts (and Elsewhere)

While I was at the beach, my grandkids were feeding goldfish to the seagulls. We were at Assateague Island National Seashore and it turns out that it's illegal to feed seagulls at national parks. Gosh, who knew? My two year old grandbaby could face a $5,000 fine and spend up to a year in jail. 

Meanwhile, Maura Healey, the faux Catholic governor of Massachusetts, where it's also illegal to feed seagulls, recently signed a bill allowing babies to be killed in the birth canal. Just slit that unwanted little parasite's neck so he comes out dead. But don't feed the sea gulls; it can send you to jail.

That, friends, is the definition of hell. We all know that baby seals and eagles' eggs are protected. And now we know that seagulls have rights too. Although the seagulls love goldfish. They might not appreciate their right not to be fed by the tourists.

Sunday Meditation: Got Gratitude?

This morning at the chapel we celebrated yesterday's Marian feast for the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What a debt of gratitude we owe to the mother of God for her fiat. Take her hand and she will lead you straight to Jesus! 

Frankly I can never understand the Protestant contempt for Mary. Do Protestants love their own mothers? How can they when they expect Jesus to see His mother as a rival? She isn't and never has been. She loves Jesus more completely than any other human who has ever lived or will live. 

In What State Do You Live?

There's a story about a little boy who goes to his dad and asks, "Daddy, where do we come from?" Dad takes a deep breath and begins to give the birds and the bees explanation. He pauses and, looking puzzled, little Johnny asks, "My friend Pete says they come from Ohio. Where do we come from?"

It's a good question? Where do we come from and what state do we live in? And the follow up question is obviously, where are we going?

My readers come from all over the map according to Google. Some come from my home state, Virginia. Others come from just about every other state in the country. Readers come from other countries and continents as well. I welcome them all as we explore life from a Catholic point of view.

The Lies Parents Tell

Parents want to rear their children to be truth-tellers. At least they should. But many parents today lie regularly to their children. Why? Mostly out of human respect. I’ll give an example from my own experience. 

The Catholic Clowns' Three Ring Circus

There seem to be a lot of circus acts in the Church these days. My dad would be shaking his head and talking about the clowns, especially those in Roman collars. We certainly see them on a daily basis. Some clown around during the Mass dressing up as Barney or blessing the congregation with a guitar or singing silly songs (like Larry from Veggie Tales) or warming up the congregational audience before every homily with a joke.

What Women Have Lost! And Men Too.

So much has been lost in the Church and in our culture, much of it since Vatican II. The sixties was a particularly disastrous decade both within and outside the Church. The sexual revolution with the invention of "the pill" made eliminating babies as easy as popping a pill every day - at least when it worked as it was meant to work. Originally intended for married couples, its use quickly devolved into recreational sex and one night stands: no responsibility, no complications, no babies. 

And the Church was silent. It was about fifteen years after Humanae Vitae, the encyclical that condemned contraception that I first heard a sermon on the papal document. I went out of church and congratulated and thanked the priest. Today, polls show that most Catholic women, about 87%, use a form of artificial birth control to avoid pregnancy.

Bishop Schneider Makes First Statement Following SSPX Consecrations

This bishop speaks with a clear voice and what he has to say should give all those saying the SSPX acts like Protestants pause. The real Protestants promote the synodal church, disregarding dozens of popes who spoke with clear voices. They have traded those popes for those who speak off the cuff on airplanes and other miscellaneous locations causing serious confusion among the faithful

Here's the statement of Bishop Athanasius Schneider who is well named. Thanks to Diane Montagna for posting it on her substack:

The Dilemma Between Preserving the Unambiguous Integrity of the Catholic Faith and Being Canonically Recognized by the Pope

by Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Capital Punishment for the Guilty vs. Compulsory Abortion for the Innocent

I've spent most of my adult life fighting for the little ones in the womb waiting to be born. For many infants, it's the most dangerous place in the world. That was recently emphasized by the attempt of a couple to force the surrogate mother carrying "their" baby to undergo abortion because the little one had a curable heart problem. She refused and fled from the biological parents who live in the death state of California to Texas where the little one could be treated after birth.

Sunday Meditation: A Day of Rest

I love the description of Sunday as a "day of rest." It comes from Genesis. God worked for six days and then He rested giving us the example of how important it is to "keep holy the Lord's day." It belongs to Him, not to us.

This morning at Mass the image came to me from the Irish blessing. 

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back. 

Hail Holy Queen! Happy Feast Day to our Blessed Mother.

The chapel was full this morning to celebrate Our Lady's feast day. How many stayed home today because the USCCB with the approval of the Vatican eliminated the obligation when the feast falls on Saturday or Monday? Probably most. How gratifying to see so many Catholics attend Mass willingly without obligation for the simple love of the Blessed Mother.

Revolutionaries Always Massacre the Truth First!

Truth is one of the first casualties of a revolution. When a revolutionary wants something he knows is a lie, he very quickly finds a way to bury the truth. Study history and you'll find the lies behind every revolution. I can't count how many times I heard those going into abortion centers say, "You have your truth; I have mine." No truth exists in the revolution except what pleases the revolutionary.

Thought for the Day from St. Paul about the "Ravening Wolves" in the Hierarchy

Here is a sobering thought from St. Paul. Before he headed to Rome to meet his death he met with the elders at Ephesus. He told them they would never see him again and warned them of the threat that would come from within from "ravening wolves...not sparing the flock." 

I thought of Archbishop Lefebvre as I read this and his Open Letter to Confused Catholics outlining the damage done by the wolves within. St. Luke blew the warning trumpet in Acts chapter 20 quoting St. Paul with whom he traveled. That warning is most appropriate today as well as we see the devastation caused by wolves in Roman collars "not sparing the flock," wolves from among "your own selves," the hierarchy:

Where is the Vatican Going and What's at the Other End of the Dark Tunnel?

I'm not sure what the appropriate word is for the way the Vatican is going. Puzzling, baffling, idiotic, contradictory, chaotic? Dare I say satanic? Confusion and chaos are always signs of the evil one and, as Pope Paul VI so famously said, "Satan's smoke has made its way into the temple of God through some crack."  [Source]

Rome calls the SSPX rebels and the recently consecrated bishops as well as the two consecrating bishops excommunicated and schismatic. Meanwhile, the chaos and rebellion against the Vatican from within goes on unchecked and unpunished everywhere else. The Communist Chinese are allowed to appoint bishops and persecute the underground Church unopposed. Bishops in the name of synodality promote all kinds of doctrinal deviations. Freemasons rejoiced over the election of Francis and Leo walks in his footsteps. One Peter Five did a three part series titled Why Do the Freemasons Love Pope Francis? [Source] The Masons described Francis as "a radical agent of change." Interesting, eh? 

So what is the appropriate word for the Vatican's response to the crisis in the Church? Do they even admit there is a crisis? Or is the crisis part of the change agents' plan with or without the deliberate cooperation of the hierarchy? They don't need to be Masons or Communists, just think like them.

Pope Leo XIII and the Freemasons' Alta Vendita

In 1884 Pope Leo XIII had his famous vision of the devil asking God for 100 years to tempt the world and try to destroy the Church. Who did Satan use in his war against the faith? Freemasonry among others!

Works of Mercy and the Gift of Friendship

We went to the funeral yesterday of a wonderful man. We've known him for decades and although we weren't close family friends, we had many connections through the pro-life movement. As we were getting ready I thought what a great opportunity it was to practice both a corporal work of mercy, bury the dead, and a spiritual work of mercy, pray for the living and the dead. Not only that, but we saw several people we knew and rejoiced in the brief moment allowing us to renew our friendships.

So many people are gifts, some for a lifetime, some for a season. A relative once questioned my statement about being a friend to another relative whom my husband and I supported at a crucial time. She said, "You aren't friends." It was true that we hadn't had much contact for several years, but I still objected. My reply was to ask if the Good Samaritan was a friend to the wounded Jew. How much of a relationship did they have? Did the Good Samaritan ever meet the man again or had he already recovered and gone when he returned to the inn? To stand by someone in need and then lose touch altogether or even go low contact doesn't erase a time of friendship when someone may have been in great need.

Pray the Rosary to Survive the Scourge of Modernism and Keep the Faith!

Is Freemasonry on Anyone's Radar Screen?

A guitarist I never heard of, Bruno Battisti D'Amario, died last week and was scheduled for a funeral at the Basilica Santa Maria in Montesanto. And then the fat hit the fan. The man was a freemason. Not just any freemason, but an upper echelon grand poobah in the lodge:

In a statement released in tribute to the musician, the Grand Orient of Italy (GOI) revealed his membership in Freemasonry and, above all, the importance of the responsibilities he had held within it. Bruno Battisti D'Amario was presented as the founder of the Giuseppe Leti lodge in Rome and as the composer of the official anthem of the Grand Orient of Italy. He had also twice served as president of the Regional College of Venerable Masters of Lazio and as a councilor of the Order. [Source]

Sunday Meditation: Do We Govern Our Greatest Passion?

The homily at Mass this morning offered a serious challenge. Father described our greatest passion as the desire to speak. When I think of "passion" I have rarely thought about speaking with the tongue. We speak in other ways with our body, hence the term body language, but how many equate passion with speech? I daresay few.

Today is the Yard Crawl! Who Wants More Stuff?

The first full weekend in August is the Route 11 Shenandoah County Yard Crawl, miles and miles of cast-off stuff looking for a new home. Where will it all go?

When we drove to Raphine, VA last Sunday, I noticed storage facilities all over the place even in what some would describe as being in the middle of nowhere. People own so much junk that they fill up their homes and then rent facilities so they can accumulate even more. It actually reminds me of the vomitoriums of ancient Rome, purge and then refill!

I'm not surprised when I see storage facilities around the cities, but out here in the country? I understand when you are getting ready to move that you might need a temporary place to declutter and give your home a more open feel to enhance the sale. But how many people fill up a storage space and never ever even look at what's in there? I've come to think of it as the graphic display of a degenerate culture buying space to serve as their junk closets! Gosh! I can't even deal with my junk drawers!

A Nagging Family Question that Won't Stop Being Asked

Do you ever get a question in your head that keeps asking itself, like an endless loop revolving and repeating over and over. For a long time I've had this question sneaking up on me at odd times. I hear the question and I really haven't attempted to answer it. Why now? Because I was reading several substacks from women who've attended conferences on relationships. They didn't bring up my question, but it hovered around what they discussed.

Here's the question:

Are grandparents important in the lives of their children and grandchildren?

That question leads to several others:

Fauci Being Held in Contempt! Disappointed in John Fetterman.

 

"Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Western Civ Has Got to Go!"

Western civilization is on the chopping block. The globalists want a world where everything has been tossed in the blender and been homogenized. And it's been going on for decades. Remember the 1987 protest at Stanford when Jesse Jackson led students opposing the required humanities course on Western Civiliazation? "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Western Civ has got to go." And it's been going ever since at an accelerated rate, although their attack wasn't the first.

The Quality of Mercy

Last Sunday, Father preached on mercy which is a subset of charity. There's plenty of false mercy out there these days. We see it preached by those who tell us to "welcome the strangers" invading our shores. Meanwhile, Spain saw a one-day influx of about 60,000 Moors from Morocco, pouring into the city of Ceuta. According to news reports the invasion was facilitated by sex traffickers and most of those entering were young men. What does that do to a country if they allow it to continue citing "mercy?"

Thought for the Day on St. Dominic’s Feast

 St. Dominic is certainly a saint for our time. Zeal for God’s house consumed him. He devoted himself to fighting heresy with the Blessed Mother’s weapon of the rosary. How wise of us if we do the same. 

I have the blessing of being a daughter of St. Dominic because he’s my Confirmation patron. St. Dominic, pray for us.

Will We See the Conversion of Anthony Fauci?

I was thinking about Chuck Coulson the other day. You remember Coulson right? And his involvement in the Watergate scandal back in the Nixon administration? He ended up serving seven months in federal prison for obstruction of justice. It changed his life and brought about a mid-life religious conversion. After release he founded Prison Fellowship and spent the rest of his life spreading Christianity calling for a common witness with Catholics resulting in release of "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" published in 1984.

What made me think of Coulson? The Congressional hearing with Anthony Fauci where he took the 5th in response to every question including the color of his tie. 

The COVID Chickens are coming home to roost!

There's a great post on Substack about the COVID debacle and those responsible for killing millions of people across the globe with their poisonous "vaccines." They made a virus much more lethal to humans and, by accident or perhaps deliberately, let it escape the gain-of-function lab where it was created. Dr. Science Fauci showed his arrogance and hubris in recent weeks and there is some satisfaction to see him finally exposed for the villain he is. Read the article:

The Delicious Humiliation of the Man Who Poisoned the World and the Ignominious Death of 'The Science'.

Guest Post: Daniel Graham Gives a History Lesson on the Crisis in the Church

I'm delighted to post this article from Daniel Graham, author of Lex Orandi, a book that 
gives a side-by-side comparison of all the sacraments before and after the changes made in the spirit of Vatican II. Every concerned Catholic should know exactly what we've lost. I highly recommend Dan's book. Only when we understand what's been lost can we be like the woman in the parable who sweeps her house looking for her lost coin and rejoicing when she finds it. Those of us who defend the faith of our fathers are also like the man who sold everything to buy the pearl of great price. When one has a treasure, he protects it. And that is what Archbishop Lefebvre did. Those of us who go to SSPX chapels love the faith, love the Church, and love the papacy. Read the encyclicals of Pope St. Pius X and then read those of Pope Francis to see the conflict. Will the real defender of the faith please stand up. Don't get lost in the weeds. Be at peace and soldier on.

The Conflict between Modernism and Tradition

by Daniel Graham

"But the Greatest of These is Charity"

Charity seems to be in short supply these days inside the Church. I stumbled upon the blog of a professor at an orthodox Catholic college whose statements about those who defend sacred tradition shocked me. He targeted specific people, called the SSPX a "cult" all of whose members and lay faithful are excommunicated and in schism. And then he went on by condemning to hell all those who question the magisterium. All I can say is I'm glad He's not God although he seems to be usurping God's role as King and judge.

Frankly I was appalled. I've seen some of his work in the past and never would have guessed he could sink to the level of name calling, rash judgment, and lack of charity exhibited in his rants against the SSPX and other "Trads."

Can We Hope for Holy Bishops?

I'm a regular reader of Fr. Gordon MacRae's website, Beyond These Stone Walls. For those
unfamiliar with Fr. MacRae, he was caught up in the sex abuse frenzy, was falsely accused, refused to plea deal down to a two-year sentence by admitting guilt for what he did not do, and has spent decades falsely imprisoned. Today, Father posted the forward to a book, Hope Springs Eternal in the Priestly Breast, by Australian priest, Fr. James Valladeres. The book includes many details of Fr. MacRae's Gethsemane experience. The plan is to publish the book chapter by chapter as occasional posts on Father MacRae's website.

The Issue isn't the SSPX Consecrations; It's the Revolution in the Church!

 

I don't always agree with Michael Matt, but the video below is excellent. Matt discusses Bishop Thomas Paprocki's recent  statement that the SSPX have become Protestants. Bishop Paprocki is wrong.Without being disrespectful, Matt questions the bishop's opinion and raises profoundly troubling issues about the crisis in the Church. Central to his talk is the fact that the fight is not really about the SSPX consecrations, but rather the revolution in the Catholic Church. We need to pray for good bishops like Paprocki who, I sincerely believe, will, at some point, recognize and respect the actions of the Society and the emergency that necessitated it. With regard to Matt's video, if you don't want to commit to the entire 50 minutes, there's an abridged version that's twenty minutes shorter which I also posted below.

Great News From Steubenville! St. Joseph the Worker College Plans to buy the Masonic Temple.

I was so happy to see the announcement that St. Joseph the Worker College plans to purchase the Masonic temple in Steubenville, OH. Our granddaughter lives in Steubenville, with her husband and infant son. When we head back to Wheeling, WV to visit my husband's siblings and their families we always have the double joy of visiting our granddaughter as well. She and her little family are precious to our hearts.

On the FSSP Chaplaincy in Front Royal and the SSPX

St. Francis de Sales advises the faithful to always put the best construction on other people's actions and the most critical on your own. So I will do that with Bishop Burbidge's decision to invite the FSSP to start a chaplaincy here in Virginia. Since it is being formed "to serve primarily in Front Royal," it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a primary purpose is to close (by attrition) the SSPX chapel currently in Linden "which remains in a state of irregular communion."

I can't read the bishop's mind but I will presume that he really does care about his diocesan flock and not just the money the diocese is losing which, in view of the on-going SSPX building fund donations, is approaching two million dollars.

The Post Retreat Culture Shock

Is it too soon to go on another retreat? Returning to the world after a retreat is always a bit of a culture shock. For almost a week I:

• didn't have a single phone call
• didn't see a single newscast
• didn't hear or read a single bit of bad news 
• didn't read a single e-mail

Back From Retreat and I'm Exhausted!

Not complaining, just explaining. Five days of silence was a real gift, but not, by any means,  a restful silence. One can be silent and working. Think of a Trappist monastery where the monks all pray (ora) and then go to their work in silence (labora). Some monks garden raising a crop to make jellies and jams. Some might suit up to work the apiary, checking the bees while praying for a sweet golden harvest. Some make fruit cake or roast and pack coffee beans. I once saw two monks up on ladders picking pecans at Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma. But all their work is wrapped in silence. 

Some things are worth repeating. May we all love the truth and always speak it in charity!

I'm on a silent, Ignatian retreat this week and scheduled a few posts before I left since I will be completely off the internet and my phone: nothing but silence, the conferences of the priest, the rosary and hours, Confession, and sitting with Jesus in the chapel. What a blessing to have that quiet time. I thought this post from 2023 is timely since many are suffering for the truth today. So I'm resurrecting it and hope you find it helpful. Please pray for the happy repose of the soul of Fr. Hardon. He was a tremendous warrior for the Lord. I heard him speak a number of times and had the blessing of attending the last retreat he offered before his death in 2000. Please pray for me as I will for you during my retreat.

Our Duty: To Suffer for the Truth!

Every now and then a theme crops up everywhere I look and demands attention. Over and over the echoes roll over me like a tidal wave: on social media, in news feeds I follow, in magazines I read, etc. Often it has a lot to do with what's happening in my life at the moment. "Pay attention!" my guardian angel reminds me, "This is important!"

Are You the Fourth Monkey? Are You Deaf, Dumb, Blind, and Lost Your Mind?

I get some silly comments on my blog but one of the silliest and most patently absurd is this:

"[T]he Pope, no matter how sinful he might personally be, can never mislead you spiritually."

A Lovely Memory of a Past Retreat with a Holy Priest Now Gone to His Reward. Fr. Buckley, Please pray for us.

I wrote this post in 2019 as I prepared to head off for my annual Ignatian retreat. If you've never made a silent, Ignatian retreat I heartily recommend it. Remember, the posts this week were pre-set. I am not on the internet or my phone and will not be moderating comments. Please pray for the happy repose of Fr. James Buckley, FSSP, who died in 2023. A priest once told me that there's no one deader than a dead priest because he has no biological family to remember and pray for him. But a good and holy priest has hundreds, perhaps thousands of spiritual sons and daughters and so I pray daily for Fr. Buckley and all the priests who have touched my life, especially those in danger of hell fire.

Praying for You While I'm on Retreat; In Your Kindness, Please Pray for All the Ladies on the Retreat! 

The Decline of Gravitas in a Culture of Whiny Child Adults

This morning at Mass, our pastor read a letter from Fr. Davide Pagliarani to the lay faithful about the current situation between the SSPX and the Vatican. It offered consolation and encouragement, something the laity certainly haven't received from our father in Rome sad to say. It also manifested a virtue that one seldom hears about today -- gravitas, a seriousness and dignity, not to mention respect and concern for the laity. It was inspiring to listen to it. It's not published online yet, but no doubt will be by the time I return from my retreat. I'll post it then.

Sunday Meditation: What would Pope Leo IV think of the Crisis in the Church?

 

As I posted yesterday I'm going on a silent Ignatian retreat this week from Sunday evening (tonight) until Saturday morning, July 25th. I've scheduled some articles on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but will be completely off the internet starting this evening. 

I won't be moderating comments either. You are welcome to leave them, but they'll sit in the combox until I return on on July 25th. I will be praying for all my readers while I'm on retreat. Please pray for me as well.

For those who read regularly you've seen my open letter to Bishop Michael Burbidge about the treatment of the laity in the decree of Pope Leo and the explanatory note from Cardinal Fernandez. I mailed the letter on Monday, July 13th, but delayed publication out of courtesy for the bishop. Then I scheduled the letter's publication on Friday, July 17th. 

Let's Get One Thing Straight. The SSPX Did Not Claim to Have the Papal Mandate!

I've read a number of posts by those claiming the SSPX lied during the consecration of the bishops by claiming the papal mandate. But, in the course of the consecration Mass, when asked if they had the papal mandate, Bishop Fellay did not say "Habemus," (We have it.) Instead he called on the notary, Fr. Foucauld Le Roux, to read a declaration of necessity which implicitly recognized the lack of the papal mandate. The sedevacantist site, Novus Ordo Watch, where I found the text of the document, says this indicates that the SSPX recognizes Leo as a legitimate pope and are living a contradiction by acknowledging the conciliar church but refusing to obey its pope. Hmm....

Open Letter to Bishop Michael Burbidge with Cover Letter to Apostolic Nuncio: We are are not excommunicated schismatics!

OPEN LETTER TO MOST REVEREND MICHAEL BURBIDGE, 

BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

July 13, 2026

Your Excellency,

How grateful I am for your vocation to the priesthood and the privilege of calling you my spiritual Father. We met only once several years ago after Fr. Clarence Trinkle's funeral at St. John the Baptist. I left by the front door thinking to slip away quietly, but you were standing alone next to the hearse only a few feet away. I stopped, genuflected and kissed your ring, introduced myself, and thanked you. I considered our brief exchange providential and was delighted to receive a personal blessing. I recall that meeting today as I write in grief over the recent decree of excommunication of the SSPX bishops. Since my purpose is not to defend the Society consecrations, I will not address that topic.

The Rome of Cognitive Dissonance and Doublethink

There's a psychological term that applies in spades to our age of confusion and chaos. It's called "cognitive dissonance" in the language of mental health and "doublethink" in the language of dystopian literature. Both terms mean the same thing: the act of trying to believe two contradictory things at the same time. 

Sadly, modernist Rome has become the icon of cognitive dissonance and doublethink. The Vatican pays lip service to the unchanging Catholic faith taught for two millennia, while, at the same time, undermining it with modernist claptrap. One bishop says contraception and abortion are wrong. Another says there are circumstances when they're not. Moral relativism takes center stage in the synodal church where sexual deviance is love. 

Fatherly Concern or Papal Politics?

A reader on Substack sent me a link to an interesting article from Integrity Magazine. 

Analysis suggests Leo’s last-minute ‘heartfelt letter’ to SSPX 

was sent to ensure harshest possible punishment

Sad thought, but in view of the pope's refusal to meet with Fr. Pagliarani or even reply to his letters.... Draw your own conclusions. Does Pope Leo act like a father to a flock he loves with a father's heart? Did Francis?

SSPX Files Appeal of July 2nd Decree

Below is the Society's press release of yesterday announcing their appeal of the July 2nd decree of excommunication and schism. This act indicates several important things. First of all, the Society recognizes the authority of Rome. If they didn't they would just walk away. The appeal of the decree shows a recognition of papal authority. The Society has never rejected the papacy; they reject the novelties and errors being introduced in violation of the Catholic faith. They stand with Eternal Rome!

Guest Post: Tactics to oppose so-called Reproductive Freedom Amendments

By Robert G. Marshall ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 07, 2026

It is true that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This is good to remember when combatting misleading “Reproductive Freedom Amendments” (RFAs) to state Constitutions. In 2026, these measures will be on the ballot in Virginia and Nevada, and will “enshrine” a deadly mix of soul-compromising social mayhem policies that destroy lives, erase parental rights, and usher in extremely, radical social and legal policies.

Missouri has placed on the November 2026 ballot a reversal of the 2024 approved Reproductive Freedom Amendment which greatly expanded abortion, abolished all parental responsibility and authority, and severely impacted families. On November 3rd, Missouri pro-lifers must vote YES! But in Virginia and Nevada, they must vote NO on RFAs.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place!

Hardness can be subjective. If one has a feather in one hand and an egg in the other which one is harder? Obviously, the egg. On the other hand if one replaces the feather with a stone, which one is harder? If you don't know have an egg/stone fight and see.

Those of us connected to the SSPX these days find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. The rock is the faith taught by Peter and the apostles that has been continuous throughout the centuries. Yes, changes have taken place, but always in accordance with Scripture and Tradition. Divine revelation ended with the last apostle. There can be no changes to revealed doctrine and morality. Sins against chastity, like sodomy, can't be evil yesterday and legitimate signs of love as declared by some bishops in good standing today. Any so-called shepherd who proclaims it is a hireling at best or a ravening wolf in shepherd's clothing.

Sunday Meditation: Discernment, Disagreement, Conscience, and the Fullness of the Truth

I follow a gentleman on Substack, D. B. Doherty, whose views on the SSPX situation conflict strongly with my own. I think it's an intelligent practice to study both sides of an issue to help discern where the fullness of the truth lies. That's what I've been doing ever since COVID sent us to the SSPX in recognition and appreciation of their zeal for souls. Up to now, I've found the arguments for the SSPX more convincing than those against them. So I continue, in good conscience, to attend the chapel. But I also continue to examine the arguments presented by those who disagree who I see as people of good will. I ignore the others. Let them rage.

Doherty, describes himself as an "armchair theologian." He warns that all of us who continue to connect ourselves to the Society are in serious spiritual danger. Recently, he posted this article:

How to Defend the SSPX and Accidentally Risk Your Soul

The Grace of Simple Pleasures that Make You Smile

What makes you happy? What makes you smile? What simple pleasures fill you with joy? 

I think I never grew up. One of my favorite possessions is my doll collection. In the morning when I say my prayers, read, and meditate I sit opposite the cabinet filled with (some) of my dolls. I think of them as the congregation of the Church Militant. Lots of nationalities are represented and two nuns, one a teaching nun and the other a missionary. 

I'm not so attached, however, that I can't give one away. I recently shared one with a little first communicant I was talking to after Mass. I also gave away a lovely Irish doll that had a music box inside. You see I smile over my dolls, but I love to have them bring smiles to other little girls.