By Brad Miner. But first a note from Robert Royal: I'm grateful for the way we're moving steadily along in our funding drive, but we frankly need to step things up. Some readers have written to say that they will give later for various reasons. And that, of course, is fine. Still, there's no time like now. And it's by having a sense - now - of what…

But first a note from Robert Royal: Today we have two commentaries on a horrific development in England - the approval of an assisted suicide law. Fr. Kiely writes from London; Professor Esolen from closer to home. Before final approval, there are still some hurdles for the proponents to get over. But we know from sad experience in other countries …

By Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy. In the Office of Readings recently, a second-century anonymous author exhorted his readers to "take courage." This counsel brought to mind an event from my distant past that still resonates as we begin this Advent season. I was about to begin my doctrinal studies at King's College, and it was dark when I arrived at our Ca…

By Father Raymond J. de Souza But first a note from Robert Royal: Fr. de Souza lays out a series of interesting events in today's column, which point towards a different spirit and direction for the Church in the very near future. But NOW is the time to keep the faith as a living energy and to think through where, precisely, we need to go. That's a…

By David Warren. But first a note from Robert Royal: As David Warren argues today - and we all always need to keep in mind - we've all been given a great gift that transcends all our earthly concerns. We experienced something of the heavenly banquet yesterday in our Thanksgiving Day celebrations. But today we must be back offering our own gifts. Th…

By Stephen P. White. Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. No other holiday captures so well the history, temperament, and aspirations of this nation. The distinctive traditions of Christmas, for example - the tree, the carols, Santa Claus - are decidedly, and charmingly, Old World traditions. The Fourth of July is a riot of firework…

In my previous column, I recommended that every diocese establish at least one library, as part of the Church's mission to be the Mater et magistra ("Mother and teacher"), to a barbarian world. I described the kinds of books I have found at antique stores and junk shops, and even our town dump, whence I have gathered complete hardcover sets of the …

By Randall Smith But first a note from Robert Royal: Thanks to everyone who responded yesterday to the opening of our end-of-year fundraising drive. Your generosity is what enables all of our activities. But we're only at the beginning and need to move ahead swiftly if we're going to be able to bring you the very best in Catholic commentary every m…

I've got some surprising news. It was surprising to me, at least, and will probably be a surprise to you as well. This very month, November 2024, marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Faith & Reason Institute, the umbrella non-profit organization under whose auspices The Catholic Thing, our TCT Courses, the Fides et Ratio semina…

What does it mean to be a king? That's at the heart of the conversation between Pontius Pilate and our Lord. (see John 18:33-37) Pilate stands there as a representative of the Roman Empire, possessing some kingly authority and wanting more, seeing kingship as simply having power. For him, a king rules by force. Jesus, on the other hand, stands as a…

As the liturgical year comes to an end, the Church's readings become decidedly eschatological, focusing on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. A recent Sunday reading from Daniel tells us, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace."…

I recently saw a request on social media for people to say why they were Christians in five words or less. I was tempted to paraphrase Chesterton's reason for his Catholicism and use three words: "It is true." Then I remembered novelist and Catholic convert Walker Percy, when asked why he had converted to Catholicism, responded: "What else is there…

By Michael Pakaluk But first a note: Be sure to tune in tonight - Thursday, November 21st at 8 PM Eastern - to EWTN for a new episode of the Papal Posse on 'The World Over.' TCT Editor-in-Chief Robert Royal and contributor Fr. Gerald E. Murray will join host Raymond Arroyo to discuss the Vatican's new Mayan rite, the U.S. bishops on President Trump…

In the late 1960s, the University of Notre Dame was still an all-male institution. The Vietnam War was in full swing. So were the campus protests. The draft still applied. Illegal drugs were just starting to make an appearance. And South Bend winters had all the charm of a Soviet gulag camp in the Arctic. Into the bleak wasteland of February 1969 -…

I am an inveterate rummager in the ruins of an ancient civilization. Our own. But I am only one man. That is why I believe that the Church must take up this task of preservation, or rather must seize the opportunity to become, once again and in the broadest sense, Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher) to a barbarian world. Let me suggest one means…

The Dante's post-election crowing and whinging are both already wearying. The race is decided. What matters now is not endless analyses of how or why the winners won (that's best left to journalists, political consultants, and other practitioners of dark arts), but what they will do. I expect a lot. But before the recent campaign passes into the me…

By David G Bonagura, Jr. Rummaging through my desk last month, I uncovered a single sheet of white paper. A dozen names were written in black ink. I knew immediately what the sheet was for. Each November, my high school and college almae matres invite their alumni to submit names of deceased loved ones to be remembered at Masses in their chapels. T…

By Auguste Meyrat The Catholic Church recently celebrated the feast of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, in which "hundreds of British men and women died for their [Catholic] faith in wake of the dispute between the Pope and King Henry VIII during the 16th century," forty of whom were selected to represent people who made the mistake of contr…

By Brad Miner It's odd and wonderful that these things happen. I'm speaking of the discovery or re-discovery of paintings by great artists. In some cases, they are complete surprises (a masterwork previously unknown or, anyway, lost to history); in other cases, a work well-known, but misattributed. I've written previously here about two such occurr…

By Stephen P. White No one esteems a man for having lived an easy life. No one thinks more of a man for never having faced hardship, trials, or want. We pray that we might be spared such trials ourselves. We are grateful when those we love are spared such sufferings. But we do not admire them for it. There are certain kinds of ease - the ease that …

By Casey Chalk Almost twenty years ago, the ecumenical magazine First Things published an article by the great American theologian Cardinal Avery Dulles entitled "Who Can Be Saved?" After a history of Christian discussion of this question, the print edition of the article abruptly ended with the phrase "Who knows." In the full version, available on…

By Randall Smith I read an article recently by a professor who described how, years ago, she was expressing enthusiasm at an English Department meeting at her Jesuit university about a course on Catholic poetry that she had developed. She experienced some resistance. Finally, a senior member of the department "who seemed to be speaking for both him…

By Michele McAloon Born on the plains of Pannonia, in present-day Hungary, raised in Italy, and eventually becoming known in modern-day France as the apostle to the Gauls, Saint Martin of Tours (316 AD - 397 AD) left a legacy that spans the European continent. The name of the man who only ever wanted to be a holy hermit adorns many towns, schools, …

By Fr. Jeffrey Kirby In the Roman Canon of the Catholic Mass, we speak of "the catholic and apostolic faith." It is a faith grounded in the firm belief that the eternal Son of God became man and dwelt among us, and by His Passion, Death, and Resurrection ransomed us from Hell and opened for us the hope of eternal life in Him. And so, there is nothi…

By John M. Grondelski On November 5, The New York Times' headline proclaimed: "Victory Changes Nation's Sense of Self." Kamala Harris ran with the Democratic mantra of "American values" and insisted America's self-consciousness mirrors the party's radical woke agenda of abortion-on-demand-through-birth, pretending men are women and vice versa, and …