I sometimes brag to other Catholics that I know the size of pants worn by the notable Theology of the Body speaker Christopher West. If you’re still reading, allow me to reminisce on simpler times… I–or a much younger version of myself–am at a Theology of the Body conference in Saskatchewan, Canada. My mom is one of the organizers and I’m supposed to help in any way possible. I am tasked with driving to the airport that Friday evening and picking up the keynote speaker, Christopher West. He is polite and cordial. He doesn’t even seem to mind being picked up in an old Dodge Stratus with scrat ..read more

Late last year I had the privilege of sitting in on a class at Christendom College, taught by Dr John Cuddeback, on the philosophy of the household. Dr Cuddeback’s rhetorical style was deeply engaging: soft spoken, he gripped his audience with the intensity and conviction of expression that he brought to the topic. It was an excellent class, and I was delighted to discover that he runs a website with content and mini-courses dedicated to the same topic: the philosophy of the household, and growth in virtue through the real. Paradoxically, one of Dr Cuddeback’s main goals is to get people in ..read more

In response to a recent article about the return of nuptial care cloths, one reader commented: It’s a beautiful, ancient custom. However, it was never part of the American ritual books (as far as I can tell.) Use it in France all you like, but ‘bringing it back’ in the US would be anachronistic and contrary to custom (Father Ryan Hilderbrand, on Twitter, 09/15/2021). It would be difficult to find a pithier summary of the problem facing Catholic traditionalists in the United States. Anti-Catholicism, the desire of Catholic immigrants to assimilate, the battering waves of reforms throughout ..read more

Looking to my own experience and that of so many married friends and acquaintances, it is hard to escape the conclusion that marriage is the most difficult vocation in the world. This is not to say that it does not have its beautiful and wonderful side. It was fitting that St. Paul should compare the union of Christ and the Church to the communion of spouses, for in the world of creation there is no greater experience of two beings becoming one—even if this oneness, in the fallen order, never achieves total perfection. And surely there are few things more amazing than holding a newborn baby ..read more

Catholic with a small c, my catechism taught me, means universal. Our Faith’s long history, unique claim to the Truth, and geographic spread make it an ideal and never-ending source of visual projects. Daniel M. Koenemann’s cheering article on the global spread of Latin Masses is one of the latest Catholic map-based projects on the Internet. Like any good data project, Mr. Koenemann has a clearly defined purpose, which gives us a model to do our own assessments going forward on Latin Mass availability. The increased availability of Latin Masses is undeniable; what is similarly consoling is t ..read more

In modernity, monogamy is often defined to mean “one partner at a time” or, in other words, “anything short of a harem.” As the Sexual Revolution enters its third generation, the figures are becoming clear: a greater number of sexual partners corresponds to a lower success rate in a later marriage. Marriage as we know it cannot coexist with free love, yet weddings continue to be performed. We govern ourselves by our decisions, not by averages, but we must acknowledge averages if we are to avoid following courses of least resistance into traps laid for us. In the same vein, the legislator’s w ..read more

Leading up to the Pan-Amazonian Synod — I apologize for bringing that up again — it seemed as though the Church was entering the realm of not just the unreal, but the irreal — that is, the hierarchy in the Catholic Church came across as orientated no longer toward simply ignoring reality, much less adhering to it, but toward the utterly ridiculous dystopia of the irrational. Being bored with God, or inspired by other forces, Pope Francis’s regime pursues what was unimaginable in the previous two thousand years of Catholic belief. Exhibit A: The October 2019 bowing before Pachamama idols at t ..read more

On March 25, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith issued Quo Magis, which, among other things, added an optional preface (de Nuptiis) to the traditional wedding Mass (Missa pro Sponso et Sponsa). The announcement read (emphasis added): Finally, special note should be taken of the Preface de Nuptiis, which together with the long Nuptial Blessing still in use in Masses pro Sponsis, is to be found — with minor variations — in early Sacramentaries such as the Gelasianum Vetus or the Gregorianum. This ancient Preface, already existing in the forma ordinaria, may therefore now be used in th ..read more

The Rite of Marriage was codified in the 1614–15 Rituale Romanum by the Council of Trent. The 1962 Rite of Marriage is identical to the one found in the 1615 Rituale and is spartan. It clocks in at about 400 words — compared to the Sarum Use of the Rite of Marriage at about 3,000 words. Since 1962, the Latin text of the Rite of Marriage has been revised twice. The first typical (Latin) edition of the new rite, closely followed by an English translation, was released in 1969–70. The 1970 Latin bears almost no resemblance to the 1962. The second typical edition was released in 1991, with the E ..read more

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means all the drugstores are festooned in red and pink; the secular advice columns are out in force; and the really, really bad movies jockey for position on screens around the world. Secular Valentine’s day is overly indulgent and kind of weird. This article, on the contrary, is about how to be a hero in the mold of St. Valentine, who defended marriage unto his death. It’s hard, but so is achieving the Kingdom of Heaven. May we all jump at the chance to fight for what God has joined together, even if it means the loss of our heads. The St. Valentine story best kn ..read more