2016
Confessions of a Post-RadTrad Millennial: The Perfect Sacrifice
I grew up in a parish that was very much steeped in the “Spirit of Vatican II”: our priests used glass chalices, wore their stoles over their chasubles, and there wasn’t a Sunday in Ordinary Time when we didn’t sw...
Snowfall in August
Imagine a quick snowfall on an otherwise brutally hot day in August. By all accounts, that’s exactly what happened on the morning of August 5, 352 upon the Esquiline Hill in Rome! Legend tells us that a childless aristocratic coupl...
Thoughts on a Theology of Teaching: You Give Them Something to Eat
When I found out that I got a job teaching high school theology, I began to ask all of the teachers I knew what advice they had for me. I heard all kinds of things about classroom management and lesson plan preparation. However, the one ...
The Universality and Idiosyncrasy of Sainthood
Every saint is idiosyncratic. On the face of it, this seems so self-evident that we might wonder why it even needs to be said. Of course, St. Ignatius of Antioch is different from St. Ignatius of Loyola. Obviously, St. Teresa of Ávi...
Magdalene and the Problem of Hope
Last month, Pope Francis announced that the liturgical celebration of St. Mary Magdalene would be raised from Memorial to Feast, an attempt to honor the “Apostle to the Apostles” and the first witness of the Resurrection...
The Liturgy: Work of the Holy Trinity
It is well known that the reforms of the liturgy associated with Vatican II had as their goal greater participation on the part of all. Many things changed in the external celebration of the rites designed to facilitate this, and those c...
The Hidden Vocation of the Catechist
Editor's note: These remarks were delivered at the annual Echo Mentor Dinner on July 9, 2016. Dear Friends, I recently received a book in the mail, a gift of the author, Michael Foley, who used to teach here. The title seems to sum up...