A recent article of mine generated quite a bit of controversy. Many of the most vocal critics seem to have missed the point of the article altogether, and as a result accused me of advocating for individual creativity in the liturgy. In this essay, I want to respond to some of the more...
When I first read Summorum Pontificum in 2007, I remember thinking ‘This is not going to end well.’ Before I go on, I must explain that years ago I was a priest of the Society of Saint Pius X, until I left the Society in 1999 and was subsequently laicized at my own...
Everything this time of year seems big—and full of wonder, awe, and beauty, too. The lighting of the Christmas trees in our town squares, or at the White House or Rockefeller Center. Parking lots full of cars and stores full of shoppers. Streets full of fresh cut trees, and festooned with garland and...
Today, the text of the new Rite of Institution of Catechists was posted today (in Italian) on the Vatican website. Beginning January 1, 2022, members of the laity—both men and women—will be eligible to be admitted to this stable ministry. This is the third lay ministry, following the opening of the ministries of...
A reflection on the readings for the Third Sunday of Advent — December 12, 2021 Imagine, for a moment, that you are unjustly imprisoned, far from home, and prevented from doing the work to which you were called. But during this experience, you are given the opportunity to write to family and friends....
In my nearly four years as editor of Where Peter Is, I’ve usually had good intuition about which of our posts will attract attention. Whenever we’ve broken a news story (such as when we uncovered court documents that helped reveal the truth behind the viral video of a “church brawl” in October), or...
“So it is, dearest children; and so I affirm, our doctrine detaches itself from errors that have circulated and still surface in the culture of our time, and which could totally ruin our Christian conception of life and history. Modernism represented the characteristic expression of these errors, and under other names it is...
When the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops released its preparatory document for the Synod for a Synodal Church in September, one of the items highlighted was a statement that “dialogue between Christians of different confessions, united by one Baptism, has a special place in the synodal journey.” (30 Preparatory Document, Synod...
In my experience, many traditionalists[1] perceive the “New Mass” as empty and bland compared to the richness of the Tridentine liturgy. From their perspective, the new liturgy needs artificial distractions, from ad-libbing to clowns, to maintain people’s interest. The inherent richness of the Tridentine liturgy, they argue, avoids the need for all this...
Today was the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and Pope Francis made a surprise visit to Rome’s Spanish Steps to venerate an outdoor statue of the Blessed Mother. NCR’s Christopher White reports: For two years running, the Vatican has canceled Pope Francis’ public ceremony in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna to mark the Feast...
Our outlook on society has been too much in terms of the confessional, and too little in terms of the City of God. A man could avoid the sin of being theologically drunk every night of his life, and give a very poor impression to his neighbours of the Virtue of Temperance. And...
Two weeks into Advent and the oft-repeated words of George Santayana are—again—coming true. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!”. While the Scriptures continuously reinforce the theme the preparation—“The days are coming” (Jeremiah 33), “Be vigilant” (Luke 21), “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3)—I find my days...
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