Many parents consider themselves satisfied if they succeed in shielding their children from the horrible influences outside the home. They also need to consider the bad influences and distractions that appear inside the bosom of the family home. Parents should give great attention to developing those warm relationships inside an atmosphere of intense affection. Free … Read more
On a certain morning in 1208, probably 24 February, Francis was hearing Mass in the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, near which he had then built himself a hut; the Gospel of the day told how the disciples of Christ were to possess neither gold nor silver, nor scrip for their journey, nor … Read more
Founder of the Franciscan Order, born at Assisi in Umbria, in 1181 or 1182 — the exact year is uncertain; died there, 3 October, 1226. Francis received some elementary instruction from the priests of St. George’s at Assisi, though he learned more perhaps in the school of the Troubadours, who were just then making for … Read more
To be like Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ideal that inspired the Middle Ages. Medieval man desired to be linked to Him in the most complete way possible; to lose himself in Him. These sentiments were not only loving movements of admiration and awe. Medieval man took them to their final consequences, reasoning that … Read more
Wherever there is private property, there also one will find a strong family system. The two institutions are intertwined. The family household as an economic unit has always been much more important to the development of a nation than the isolated individual. Indeed, we can say that modern economy was built upon the firm foundation … Read more
Frantz Funck-Brentano, a member of the Institute of France, describes the role of the family in the constitution of feudal society in his celebrated work L’Ancien Régime: The Ancien Régime grew out of feudal society. Nothing contradicts this. As for the feudal system, it was produced, in that astonishing period which ran from the middle … Read more
A true student of history learns from the lessons of the past, to understand the present and chart a course for the future. To grasp the present crisis inside the Church, a look at past episodes in history is essential. There are many lessons to be found in the timely appearance of a 1954 book … Read more
At a recent talk, I compared our days to the times of the barbarian invasions and the fall of the Roman Empire. It is a fairly common comparison that applies to decadent societies like our own. In the end, I highlighted the need to continue to fight the Culture War and thus oppose the neo-barbarians … Read more
Sociologist Robert Nisbet once said that the quest for community cannot be suppressed. It is one of the most powerful needs of human nature. Through community, a clear sense of purpose and belonging is established. People feel they belong to institutions that help put them in order. Many think social media can supply part of … Read more
As I prepared for a rally for traditional marriage, I wondered how people would react to a public display on this issue that many have declared settled. Perhaps the public would be hostile and see us as divisive. Perhaps others would become furious and seek to curtail our right to free speech. I am sure … Read more
