In August 1851, Pope Pius IX elevated Bishop Francis Kenrick from the Diocese of Philadelphia to the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Upon arrival, the new archbishop began going to Father Neumann for confession. The two men were acquainted, but the archbishop grew increasingly impressed with the immigrant priest’s intelligence, ability and energy. When … Read more
In Question 137 of his Summa Theologiae, Saint Thomas Aquinas discusses perseverance. There, the Angelic Doctor quotes Saint Augustine, “We hold that perseverance is a gift of God, whereby we persevere unto the end, in Christ.” A Paragon of Perseverance Perseverance is difficult. No matter how eagerly sought at its inception, any noble goal eventually involves … Read more
The Entire Catholic World Mourned the Death of Pope Pius IX The longest papal reign in history up to that time ended when Pope Pius IX died on February 7, 1878. Despite the massive upheavals throughout his reign, the years after the Vatican Council ended in 1870 were, perhaps, the most turbulent. … Read more
Pope Pius IX convoked the First Vatican Council on June 29, 1868. It opened the following year on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1869. During the intervening eighteen months, intellectuals, journalists, and the idly curious eagerly anticipated the upcoming Council—the first since the Council of Trent adjourned in 1563. … Read more
Tragically, Catholics are used to Catholic politicians who pick and choose the issues they adhere to in Church teaching. The most notorious case is that of America’s current president, who uses all the powers of government to promote the LGBTQ agenda and a North Korean-style abortion policy until birth, all the while … Read more
Much of what Dr. John Lamont includes in his response to my previous replies repeats what has already been seen. Thus, I will limit myself to some brief remarks. For Dr. Lamont, the fact that bishops have a power of ordinary jurisdiction is incompatible with the fact that this power was granted … Read more
In a previous essay, I showed external errors in Dr. John Lamont’s argument against my article “Why a Good Bishop Should Not Ignore but Obey His Unjust Deposition by a Pope,” on Bishop Joseph Strickland’s removal from the diocese of Tyler, Texas. Specifically, it was about a mistranslation of a text from … Read more
Two great misfortunes marked Louis Veuillot’s life during Felix Dupanloup’s, the Bishop of Orleans, campaign to get the French episcopate to condemn L’Univers. First, Veuillot’s six-month old daughter, Thérèse passed away in July 1852. In November, his wife died of peritonitis shortly after giving birth to their daughter Medeline. Grief-stricken, the editor-in-chief … Read more
The Diocese of Davenport (Iowa) issued a set of “Guidelines for Pastoral Accompaniment of Sexual and Gender Minorities,” designed to take effect on October 4, 2023. The four-page document was the product of almost three years’ work by the diocese’s “gender committee.” While its doubtful authority goes no further than that diocese’s … Read more
Responding to press reports that the pope will ask for his resignation, Bishop Joseph Strickland wrote on his blog: “I have said publicly that I cannot resign as Bishop of Tyler because that would be me abandoning the flock that I was given charge of by Pope Benedict XVI. I have also … Read more