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An image quilt made up of hundreds of sample vehicle license plates from around the U.S. During summer vacation car rides as a kid, I remember the thrill of seeing an unusual license plate from a faraway state. There were 50 possible plates to see (plus D.C.) each with distinct colors and often the state motto. Today the game of license plate bingo has gotten incredibly complex.  By my count, there are currently 8,291 different vehicle license plates offered by the 50 states and the District of Columbia. States now offer a vast menu of personalized plate options for a dizzying array of organizations, professions, sports teams, causes and other groups.  My count was conducted over June and July 2023, so this should be considered a snapshot, as I’m sure some plates have chang...

Peter asks a great question, but a question which is, nonetheless, ego-driven on the 24th Sunday in ordinary Time, Year A. He wants to know how often to forgive, and even guesses a number. Jesus gives him a number 1,000 percent higher and tells him a story that demonstrates just how selfish Peter’s original question was. It’s also a story that points to a solution that I’ve found transformative. First of all, this Gospel is a necessary follow-up to last week’s. In last week’s Gospel, Jesus instructed his disciples on how to correct people. This week we get the necessary corollary of correction: forgiveness. “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?” Peter asks, and ventures a generous answer. “As many as seven times?” What he’s really asking is, “How many times do I h...

I loved Jimmy Buffett. Loved his music, loved the easy-going island life he sang about. And I loved his persona, his apparent perpetual cheerfulness. He seemed like a guy I would enjoy drinking a margarita with. Of course, I never did. The closest I ever got to him was a concert back in 1994. It was close enough to see that this guy had an amazing gift for connecting with his audiences, and with people in general. That experience made me, if not a full-fledged Parrothead, at least an enthusiastic fan. In the wake of his death, I’ve seen a lot of pixels spilled about his Catholic background and the Catholic “themes” in his music. Of course, everybody acknowledges that his lyrics were never explicitly Catholic, but that the themes of work/life balance, enjoyment of God’s creation, and person...

Ever since the 1596 Union of Brest reestablished full communion between the Bishop of Rome and several ecclesiastical jurisdictions in eastern Europe, what we know today as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), the principal heir to that act of reconciliation, has suffered greatly for its fidelity to the Successor of Peter. For centuries, many Polish Catholic leaders bent every effort to “Latinize” the Greek Catholics in terms of liturgy, church discipline, and governance. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), always an agent of political and cultural imperialism in the Ukrainian lands, never conceded the legitimacy of the Union of Brest. And in 1946, the ROC cooperated with the militantly atheistic Soviet regime to “dissolve” the UGCC legally, in a bogus church council conducted under ...

I previously outlined what might be considered the philosophy of education of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. That piece detailed some of the bishop’s impressive legacy and unpacked the philosophy that animated his teaching career and his commitment to Catholic education. Having looked closely at his principles, I would like to turn now to Sheen’s praxis. What follows will highlight three of Sheen’s pedagogical practices that made him an extraordinarily successful scholar and teacher and—if I may be so bold—the premier Catholic communicator of the American Church in the twentieth century. Believing firmly that we all have something to learn from the good bishop about teaching and handing on the faith, I hope what follows here serves as an opportunity for inspiration and reflection for tho...

The young Catholic man criticized a woman he saw on the bus for looking “slutty,” and his disgust for her came through the way he described her.  A friend asked him, “Is that the way a gentleman talks?” Clearly puzzled, he said, “I don’t talk that way about ladies, but she was no lady and doesn’t deserve the respect I give you.”  My friend noted that this meant that any respect he gave her, and women in general, was conditional on their meeting his standard of perfection as a “lady.” Not that she was a daughter of Eve, as C.S. Lewis put it, a human being made in the image of God for whom the Son of God died. But that she was “a lady” by a young man’s personal definition. As I was writing this, I remembered that I once called a girl a slut, when I was 14 or 15, and both my parents...

Fr. James Altman seen giving a talk titled “Bergoglio is Not the Pope” (YouTube, Sept 8, 2023). (Image: Screen capture) By now it is common knowledge among Catholics who follow social media that the firebrand and rogue traditionalist priest Fr. James Altman has formally declared, in a video posted to YouTube, that Pope Francis is not really the pope and is in fact an anti-pope. This should come as no surprise since he said similar things at a conference for the so-called “cancelled priests” held in June of this year in Chicago. It is noteworthy that in attendance at the conference was a veritable “who’s who” assemblage of the leading lights of the radical traditionalist movement. Fr. Altman was applauded and cheered as a hero by those in attendance even if, to be fair, it canno...

Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look. —Ronald Reagan The gate closed with a sickening metallic clang. The day had come. Tom was in prison. The first day in prison for a new inmate is never an easy one. The gate closes for the first time, and the world becomes infinitely smaller. Boundaries—vast oceans, roaring rivers, majestic mountains—now replaced by concrete walls, iron bars, and razor wire. No man ever feels the gate close behind him without asking himself, “what went wrong? How have I come to this place? What am I doing here?” Tom was in prison, but he didn’t ask himself those questions. He already knew the answers. “What went wrong?” Nothing. Everything was proceeding according to plan. “How have I come to this pl...

When I was asked to write about synodality for The Thomist, an academic journal, I tried to say no. I had not been avidly following developments, but I had noticed a lot of ersatz sociology, generally of poor quality, as well as a marked absence of the name of Jesus Christ. The editor prevailed, however, and, for my sins, I decided to take a fresh look at the topic. I took my starting point from the etymology of synod, as a way (hodos) that comes together (syn). As I explored the language of “way” in the Scriptures, I discovered some important guideposts for an understanding of synodality that rises to a truly Christian (as opposed to merely sociological) level. In this essay, I will summarize those guideposts. The most obvious referent for the word “way” is Christ Himself, who is “the Way...

Objections to the practice of Eucharistic adoration have come to the fore once more in light of the concerted efforts for a Eucharistic revival in the United States. Recently, Eucharistic adoration has been described as passive in nature, yet I would argue that Eucharistic adoration is a form of devotion and piety that can assist in achieving the “aim to be considered above all else” set forth by the Second Vatican Council regarding the sacred liturgy: active participation. Adoration begins within the celebration of Mass, and Eucharistic devotion outside of Mass is always directed back towards the font of the sacred liturgy. Recent popes, including this past August, Pope Francis (see News & Views, page 1) have offered a consistent voice in favor of the renewal and promotion of the prac...

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky ( bio – articles – email ) | Sep 11, 2023 During the Last Supper, Jesus consecrates the wine at the first Mass, forever linking the Eucharist to forgiveness: “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Mt. 26:27-28) Jesus provides a template for seeking reconciliation: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” Present the evidence, and if he refuses to listen, escalate the matter to another witness or two and, if necessary, the Church (cf. Mt. 18:15-17). He adds: “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you ...

VATICAN CITY — The incoming prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has warned that bishops — both “progressive” and those from “traditionalist groups” — who think they have a “special gift of the Holy Spirit to judge the doctrine of the Holy Father” are on a road to “heresy” and “schism.” Speaking in response to a question on accepting Pope Francis’ magisterium, Cardinal-designate Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández told Register senior correspondent Edward Pentin in an exclusive Sept. 8 email interview that the Pope not only has a duty to guard and preserve the “static” deposit of faith, but also a second, unique charism, only given to Peter and his successors, which is “a living and active gift.”  “I do not have this charism, nor do you, nor does Cardinal [Raymond] Bu...