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June 12, 2019

Note from the Managing Editor:

On the few occasions when I've had the good fortune to speak with author/artist Michael O'Brien, those conversations have always quite naturally found their way into the depths.  O'Brien strikes me as a man singularly incapable of being superficial or uninteresting.  A new biography about Michael O'Brien, On the Edge of Infinity, details the life of this remarkable Catholic intellectual, artist, mystic, and prophet.  We have an excerpt from the prologue below.

I'm always heartened when I hear about a Catholic leader whose backbone is on display.  Recently, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence advised his flock not to take their children to gay Pride parades.  Tobin was promptly, widely, and viciously attacked on social media for asserting the obvious.  "Of course children should not go to a Pride parade," says Anthony Esolen, "just as they should not be looking at pornography, or being made to think about what grown-ups do in bed."  See Esolen's unpacking of this utterly ridiculous dust-up, "Bishop Tobin Attacked for Speaking a Plain Truth."

And finally I recommend you have a look at what Ana Samuel has to say to Pete Buttigieg, "A Message to Mayor Pete from a Latina Mama: 'Don't Force Your Sexual Ideology on Me and My Children'"

God Bless you all this week. - J. Fraser Field



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"God has assigned as a duty to every man the dignity of every woman." - Saint John Paul II



New Resources


 
The Commandment of Love - Saint Teresa of Calcutta - from Jesus, The Word to be Spoken: Prayers and Meditations for Every Day of the Year

If you don't have love for one another, then how can you love Christ?


 
Epilogue - Clemens Cavallin - On the Edge of Infinity: A Biography of Michael D. O'Brien

"Michael O'Brien is, I believe, the greatest living Catholic novelist... There are not many people in the world who are more worth meeting than Michael O'Brien." - Peter Kreeft


 
Bishop Tobin Attacked for Speaking a Plain Truth - Anthony Esolen - Crisis

A few days ago, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence sent out a message that within living memory absolutely no mother or father, liberal or conservative, Christian or Jewish or secular, or anyone old or young would have considered to be controversial.


 
A Message to Mayor Pete from a Latina Mama: "Don't Force Your Sexual Ideology on Me and My Children" - Ana Samuel - Public Discourse

I would like to respond to a tweet by Pete Buttigieg, newly announced Democratic presidential candidate.


 
Real Talk On Natural Family Planning - Deanna Johnston - Catholic East Texas

Using NFP is not always "easy."


 
Pascal Siakam: How a Toronto Raptors star got his start in seminary - CNA

When Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam entered Game 5 of the NBA Finals last night, he did what he always does, he crossed himself and then pointed upward to the sky.


 
From Failing Hands We Throw - Peter Stockland - Convivium

Thursday June 4, 2019 marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day.


 
The Mendacity of Public Officials - Father George W. Rutler - From the Pastor

While experience cautions theologians against the quicksand of politics, politicians not infrequently rush in to theological matters where angels fear to tread.

Editorials of Interest:

Time To Take the Lead - First Things

Editorials of Interest


You have never heard a Sacred Music Choir like Floriani - The Catholic Gentleman

The Floriani men's schola has a very unique beginning.


New Vatican document says gender theory is 'cultural and ideological revolution' - Catholic Herald

The document calls on Catholic schools to resist 'attempts to negate the male-female duality of human nature'


Want to be closer to God? Try active contemplation. - NC Register

How to turn work into prayer.


Moms and dads, don't be afraid of doing what you love - Aleteia

Something sacred happens when we put aside our to-do lists.


D-Day: 75 Years Later, France Remains Grateful - NC Register

The French (and the world) keep alive the memory of the fallen American soldiers who fought in — and helped win — the keystone battle of World War II.


Prosecution falters during Cardinal Pell appeal hearing - NC Register

Under questioning from the judges, led by court president Justice Chris Maxwell, Boyce struggled to account for what the judge called the "wildly improbable" circumstances of Pell's alleged crimes.


In opening arguments, Cardinal Pell's lawyers set out case for appeal - CNA

Pell's legal team told the Court of Appeal that he was seeking leave to appeal on the grounds that his conviction by a jury was 'unsafe.'


DiNardo accused of mishandling clerical sexual misconduct case - NC Register

DiNardo, who suffered a stroke in March, is set to lead the Spring Assembly of the U.S. bishops' conference next week.


Does Bishop Tobin deserve our support, or do we deserve his? - Catholic Culture

It isn't the role of the sheep to protect the shepherd.


Charged priest uses charter freedoms in strike at abortion bubble-zone law - Ottawa Citizen

Fr. Anthony Van Hee is a fixture in downtown Ottawa for his 30-year peaceful protest against abortion.


Time To Take the Lead - First Things

Religious and social conservatives, not classical liberals and libertarians, need to lead American conservatism.


France Votes to Restore Notre-Dame Exactly as It Was - Architectural Digest

The senate has just passed a bill that stipulates the structure must be returned to "its last known visual state."


Gene-edited Chinese babies are at significant risk of premature death, study shows - Aleteia

A new study found that the changes in the babies' DNA make them more vulnerable to certain viruses.


Illinois Senate approves bill declaring abortion a 'fundamental right' - CNA

The Illinois Senate has approved an expansive abortion bill that would declare abortion a 'fundamental right' in the state and remove regulations on abortion clinics and doctors.


Louisiana Just Passed a Near-Total Abortion Ban. The Democrat Governor Plans to Sign It. - Vice

The new law is part of an increasingly aggressive effort at the state level, usually steered by Republicans, to trigger a Supreme Court challenge that could overturn Roe v. Wade.


About Drag Queen Story Hour - First Things

Drag queen story hours are not all that small. Moreover, the group has expansive aims.


The Pentecost Testimony of a Mad, Fed-Up Catholic - America

Well, Lord, here we are again. This crap just never stops coming.


How veganism went from a diet to a dogma - NC Register

A certain kind of veganism is, in a sense, a return to paganism with its "Earth-centered" spirituality.


Brexit Did Not Cause Brexit - First Things

In the British media's coverage, two things stood out. First, the establishment's failure to realize that Brexit did not cause Brexit; and second, its venomous contempt for those who voted Leave.


The decline of romantic coupling in today's sex-saturated culture - Mercatornet

What's behind the 'sex recession'?


The Mendacity of Public Officials - Crisis Magazine

While experience cautions theologians against the quicksand of politics, politicians frequently rush into theological matters where angels fear to tread.


Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman and
St. Justin Martyr, pray for us

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