“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” wrote poet Robert Frost. In the opening line to his famous poem, “Mending Wall,” Frost explores one of the mysteries of fallen human nature. Everyone feels both a need and aversion for order. His questioning of the role of walls tries to explain this … Read more
Aloysius was born in March 1568 into one of the most illustrious families in Christendom—his father (the Marquis of Castiglione) and his mother had served at the court of Philip II of Spain; a cousin was the Duke of Mantua; and a Gonzaga often sat in the College of Cardinals (three in … Read more
The following article was originally published in the Folha de S.Paulo, on February 10, 1974. It has been translated and adapted for publication without the author’s revision. –Ed. In these sad days marked by his removal from the Archdiocese of Esztergom, Cardinal Mindszenty once again proved that he is a good … Read more
During the time of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, the two seers, Lucy and her cousin Jacinta, would often converse about the visions. One day, Lucy visited her cousin as she was deep in thought. When Lucy asked her what she was thinking about, Jacinta said, “About the war that … Read more
Historian Dr. Andrew Willard Jones has managed to write a fascinating new book about medieval Christendom that discusses the amazing social relationships that brought individuals and families together as a people. This perspective is well presented in a brilliant defense of Christendom titled, Before Church and State: A Study of Social Order … Read more
Many believe that Christendom was a rigid and brutal order. In medieval times, we are told that tyranny ruled, and the Church and the nascent State were constant rivals in the pursuit of dominance. So many modern historians have cynically reduced this period when Christianity prevailed to a time of cultural darkness … Read more
The most impressive picture of the three seers of Fatima is the one taken soon after they had the vision of Hell. Saint Jacinta’s aspect, her gaze in particular, seems to churn with grave considerations. Hell: A Secret of Fatima The vision of Hell lasted only moments but it is evident from … Read more
Perhaps one of the more sensitive personal issues you can raise with people is that of dress. How you dress has become a purely personal affair. Most are left to their own opinion as to what is appropriate. There are, of course, some limits. Most Catholics will admit in theory that there … Read more
All this is very beautiful, but there is something even more beautiful that they asked me to make explicit. But what can I say? Infinite things are ineffable. The pulchrum [beauty] of an ideal is reflected in the soul of the one who fights for it. Take, for example, Saint Joan of … Read more
In the history of the Church, many martyrs died for the Faith. Starting with Saint Stephen the Protomartyr shortly after the Resurrection, they were the first to be remembered, venerated for their public witness and raised to the altars with the title of saint. There are also those who denied the Faith … Read more