Smell Like the Sheep? The Sheep Smell Like Incense

 by Fr. Richard G. Cipolla

Pope Francis has famously said that a true priest should have the smell of his sheep on him. Those may be the best words that have come from the mouth of this pope, at least so far.  Those words should be taken to heart by those career priests who have never tasted the stew of parish life, many of whom wander around the corridors of the Vatican bureaucracy as well as those in the bureaucracy of diocesan headquarters just talking to each other.   No lambs, no smell.  

Exactly One Year After Removing Bishop Strickland, the Vatican Cancels Latin Mass Throughout His Tyler, TX Diocese

 

When Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, TX in November 2023, one of the reasons given for his termination by Apostolic Nuncio Christophe Pierre was that he refused to "implement the motu propoio Traditionis custodes," i.e. cancel Latin Masses throughout his diocese. Bishop Strickland refused to do so because he could not, in good conscience, hurt well-meaning, faithful Catholics in his diocese: "As a shepherd and protector of my Diocese, I could not take actions which I knew with certainty would injure part of my flock and deprive them of the spiritual goods which Christ entrusted to His Church." 

“Fear is the Key” — Guest article about wokery and mob rule

“Fear is the Key” — Guest article about wokery and mob rule

Joseph Bevan

With the proliferation of electronic media there has arisen a powerful force within society which is instantaneous and deadly in its effect. This is known as popular opinion or, more accurately, mob rule. It is fear of the mob which is governing almost every facet of our human existence, and which has given rise to an elaborate defence mechanism, and that is ‘political correctness’ or ‘wokery.’ Wokery is resorted to in order to neutralise the threat of adverse popular opinion and it affects almost everything we do, say or think. There is little doubt that there now operates a ‘herd mentality’ which is driven by the internet. Definitions of ‘political correctness’ or ‘wokery’ have proved elusive simply because it is something we accuse others of, and rarely do we admit that we ourselves may be guilty of it.
 

A Reflection for the Octave of All Saints by a Catholic Hermit

Omnes Sancti Monachi et Eremitae: The Divine Diversity of the Desert

A Reflection for the Octave of All Saints by a Catholic Hermit

“Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit; and there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord; and there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all.” (1 Cor. 12:4-6)

Saint Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles, was also an exalted mystic. His heavenly contemplation of God was the source of all his insight. His heart, which was captivated by Christ, yearned for this ultimate end: “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28).
 

God bless America - God has blessed America

Catholics were essential for the resounding victory of former President Donald J. Trump and Senator J.D. Vance on Tuesday's elections.

We pray for the upcoming administration, for policies favorable to the liberty of the Church and the preservation of human life, and for peace and prosperity for the United States and all the world.

2025 Papa Stronsay Calendar Now Available

 

 

The 2025 edition of the Papa Stronsay Calendar is now available for purchase: order yours here!

Pope Francis, the Synod, and the Sacred Heart -- by Roberto de Mattei

 October 31, 2024

The Synod that closed on Oct. 27 at the Vatican seemed like an attempt by Pope Francis to put out the fire set by the German bishops with their “synodal way” launched in January 2020. The ambitious goal that the progressive bishops, not only the German ones, set for themselves was to take a decisive step forward from the 2019 Pan-Amazonian Synod in 2024, achieving the diaconal ordination of women, the marriage -- under certain conditions -- of priests, the implementation of the LGBT agenda, and the granting of doctrinal authority to bishops' conferences. None of this is present in the Final Document approved on Oct. 26. A document that displeased everyone and caused Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci to write that “there are neither winners nor losers” (“Aci Stampa,” Oct. 26, 2024).