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“This destroyed household that now stands between the sexes is a wound that is suffered inescapably by both men and women.” My eyes were opened when I read these words of Wendell Berry. My wife’s suffering in a home arrangement that has shown itself more and more to be unnatural is in fact also very much my problem; indeed, a problem for our marriage. There is something unnatural about the home that is consumptive and non-productive, and that is left almost exclusively in the care of a housewife while her husband works somewhere else (indeed, even if ‘remotely’ from home). The most obvious casualty in this form of home has been and is the wife, often overwhelmed and isolated while also stripped of many of the richer aspects of her work in the home. Berry writes, “Thus housewifery, once a c...

Is Parolin actually papabile? Skip to content This week saw reports drawn from another book-length interview from Pope Francis, this time detailing the pope’s own recollections of conclave politics from 2005 and 2013.  As the pope continues to discuss conclaves, past and future, attention is beginning to focus on the likely frontrunners to succeed him, whenever the day may come.  Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk. With early agreement around the likely “left” and “right” candidates for the next conclave, some are beginning to wonder if Cardinal Pietro Parolin could emerge as the consensus cardinal of the “sensible center” and offer an alternative to a divisive showdown in the Sistine Chapel. But what are the chances of a “Pope Parolin...

What is the future for Notre Dame? The mood is rather bullish, at least in parts of Notre Dame right now. Last year the university gained admission to the American Association of Universities (AAU), reputedly the nation’s leading organization of research-intensive universities. The money continues to roll in to America’s best-known Catholic university. Generous donors continue to support the university and brilliant financial management has led to ND’s endowment now standing at seventh among private universities—larger than Chicago and Columbia and Northwestern. Old buildings are torn down and new ones constructed at a rapid rate. More impressive edifices are planned in the future. Last summer a 10-year plan entitled Notre Dame 2033: A Strategic Framework was released, and it stipulates th...

Some time ago a message was forwarded to my attention about a gentleman inquiring about the OCIA process. The message in itself was nothing out of the ordinary as the gentleman wanted to know when he could start the OCIA because he had been studying and searching for a long time. He told me over the phone that he had realized that the Catholic Church was the Church of Jesus Christ and earnestly wanted to be home. He went on to describe his slow and steady path toward Christ and eventually gaining the courage and trust to give his life to Christ. As he continued to share his journey with subdued excitement if there was such an act of faith, he reached out to a local Catholic parish and shared his story. The parish response was painful but not unusual, he was informed to come back in August ...

This is not a journal article that dates back to my Communicator on Culture days at Denver Seminary. This is an article from early in my life as an Orthodox Christian, when I was asked — by the publishing team with the Antiochian Christian Archdiocese — to explain to clergy and laypeople what I learned from teaching mass-communication subjects in a seminary. Yes, once again, lots of people hear, “Popular culture apologetics class at a seminary” and immediately think,” Oh! He’s going to teach preachers how to use movie clips to illustrate their sermons.” Nope, that’s never been one of my goals. Try to imagine video display screens hanging in Orthodox churches. Not gonna happen (and thank God for that). What we have here is an essay about what I believe is the religious ROLE that mass media ...

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Kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens and kohlrabi have unique nutritional values, and we think of them as distinct vegetables. Yet, they all share the same species name. Could they all really come from the same plant? The short answer is yes, and humans are responsible for the differences among these veggies. “It is all one plant, Brassica oleracea, that humans have selected over multiple generations to have these varying vegetables that we all enjoy eating,” Makenzie Mabry, an evolutionary biologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Live Science. Chris Pires, an evolutionary biologist who studies crop science at Colorado State University, calls these veggies “the dogs of the plant world.” All pet dogs (Canis lupus fami...

Scotland’s new “hate crime” law already is demonstrating how it will be used to squash dissent and free speech. The so-called Hate Crime and Public Order Act, which went into force in Scotland on April Fools’ Day, adds age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity to a list of protected classes. The law provides for various potential punishments, including jail time. The new law has been fiercely criticized by author J.K. Rowling, creator of the “Harry Potter” series, and many others who rightly see it as an attack on the freedom of speech. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said the bill is about “protecting people from a rising tide of hatred.” But who will protect the people’s God-given right to free speech? When asked about activists who are creating lists o...

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Remembering miracles, a gambling man, and radical reality Skip to content Pillar subscribers can listen to this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DR Happy Friday friends, This newsletter is coming to you from swinging London, where we are on a family visit. It is, sadly, a long way to come, and we don’t manage it as often as we would like.  The kid was surprisingly good on the plane ride over, as it happened, which certainly made the trip a little easier for all concerned. But gone forever are the days when trans-Atlantic jet lag was something I laughed off with two large drinks and a quick nap.  When I was in my 20s, I could bounce off an overnight flight straight onto the train into town and put in a full day at the office. Now, 20 years later, I find myself up half the night, tr...

The Vatican’s new document, Dignitas Infinitas, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) begins, “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.” I believe this statement to be misleading and in need of clarification, because only God is infinite in himself. He made human beings in his image and unto his likeness. Being the image of the infinite one does not bestow an infinite dignity upon us, but does communicate an intrinsic dignity as “very good.” It derives from the infinite one and is ordered to him as its end, making us to yearn for his infinity as our only true completion. The claim of “infinite dignity” stands ce...

  The name Stella Maris has its origins in a 5th-century translation by St. Jerome of the Hebrew name for Mary, Miryam. Written as Stilla Maris, it meant “Drop of the Sea.” Through what was likely a transcription error, this was later changed to Stella Maris: “Star of the Sea.” It has been a beloved title of Mary, especially for seafarers before the time of modern navigation, when they relied on the stars to lead their way. The North Star, Polaris, was also referred to as Stella Maris. Not limited to seafarers, Stella Maris is for all of life’s travelers, illuminating the darkness, a beacon of hope piercing the fog and  leading us to the bright shores of eternity. Services Marketplace – Listings, Bookings & Reviews Entertainment blogs & Forums