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Overroads Saved: G.K. Chesterton’s Historic Home to Stand
Devotees of G.K. Chesterton are celebrating the news that Beaconsfield planning authorities have rejected plans to demolish the acclaimed Catholic writer and philosopher’s former home, Overroads. Just before Christmas, developers lodged two applications with the local council to knock the... Read more -
Super Bowl ad highlights ‘Agape,’ known in Christianity as the greatest love
It’s been a long time since television ads during the Super Bowl were just ads — and opportunities to make a trip to the kitchen for more chips and guacamole. We’ve gotten so accustomed to those Monday morning conversations at the office water cooler being as much about the ads as about... Read more -
Tolkien’s Witness to the Good News
The other day, I found myself in a cramped waiting room dominated by a television much too large and loud for the space. After the third or fourth depressing “newsworthy” tidbit in a row, an old man glanced over at me and smiled ruefully. “Why can’t they have a whole channel that... Read more -
No Unity Without the Cross
This essay was given as a homily on November 16, 2019, at the Mass of the Americas at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, directly over the spot where our Lord’s Cross stood, there stands a Greek altar.... Read more -
My Friend Mister Rogers
A long time ago, a man of resourceful and relentless kindness saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He trusted me when I thought I was untrustworthy, and took an interest in me that went beyond my initial interest in him. He was the first person I ever wrote about who became my... Read more -
French lawmakers pass bill on Notre-Dame; new report says cathedral nearly collapsed during fire
France’s Parliament on Tuesday passed a bill on the rebuilding of Notre-Dame Cathedral— three months after a fire destroyed the church’s roof— even amid disagreement on the best way to proceed with the restoration. The April 15 fire destroyed the wooden roof of the cathedral as well... Read more -
Eucharistic boat procession will travel 38 miles in Bayou waters
This year, the fifth annual Eucharistic Procession known as the Fête-Dieu du Teche is set to take place on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thursday, August 15. While the feast day is an important celebration for all Catholics, it is especially so for the faithful of... Read more -
Franco Zeffirelli’s Complicated, Catholic Life: What Does It Mean for His Art?
Clerical sexual abuse of minors; sexual harassment and assault in the film industry; Catholic traditionalist and modernizing impulses; homosexuality and the definition of marriage; populism vs. elitism; strict anti-abortion laws: Somehow the life of Franco Zeffirelli, who died June 15 at age 96,... Read more -
16th Century Boxwood Carvings Are So Miniature Researchers Used X-Ray To Solve Their Mystery
These 500-year-old boxwood miniatures from the 16th century are tiny religious carvings created in Flanders (Netherlands) that require researchers to view them using micro-CT scanning, Advanced 3D analysis Software, and even X-rays. Market demand for profitable religious 16th-century carvings... Read more -
Archbishop dons hard-hat to hold first Mass in Notre Dame since devastating fire
The archbishop wore a hard-hat helmet, burnt wood debris was still visible and only about 30 people were let inside, but Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday held its first Mass since the devastating April 15th fire that ravaged its roof and toppled its masterpiece spire. Exactly two months after... Read more