In the magnificent book Purgatory by Father F. X. Schouppe, S.J., the author relates a narrative first told a Father Nieremberg, who Father Schouppe records, passed away “in the odor of sanctity” in 1658. A Vision The narrative begins on the Feast of All Saints. While preparing her soul for Holy Mass, a pious young … Read more
Progressive public schools in the northeast, Midwest and West Coast are failing fast. Meanwhile, their Southern counterparts show significant achievement gains. Let that sink in for a moment. For generations—perhaps going back to the days just after the Civil War—Southern schools were generally considered the worst of the worst. A Remarkable Reversal A recent article … Read more
While perusing a recent copy of Education Week, I was pleasantly surprised. One article speculated that a once-nearly-universal building block of American Education, the spelling test, may be making a comeback. Newly Recognized Value The article is based upon a “meta-analysis” that compiles fifty-nine separate studies of students with learning disabilities (LD). One of the … Read more
Since World War II, New York City (NYC) residents have suffered from rent control. The very phrase implies that the city needs to intercede for tenants to ensure that unscrupulous landlords don’t charge too much for the properties they control. Although the system is Byzantine in its complexity, it remains popular. For years, getting a … Read more
Many historic parishes around the United States rejected the architectural embellishments that marked them as distinctively Catholic during the roughly thirty years after the Second Vatican Council. Many parishioners mourned as high altars, murals, windows and other features were carted away, covered over, or simply destroyed. Others silently wept as sacred decorations provided by the … Read more
China’s massive economic problems can be boiled down to two related issues: underpopulation and overproduction. Both are easy to trace to government policies and communist ideology. A Population Disaster A recent article in Fortune spelled out the population issues in stark and simple terms. FREE Book, Order Today: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy … Read more
For the last decade or more, high schools have pushed STEM—an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics—as the key to success. Well-meaning teachers, counselors and administrators—frequently baffled by the computers on their own desks—confidently told students that developing STEM skills would guarantee future prosperity. Technology and Prosperity Above all else, the essential twenty-first-century skill … Read more
Public education is a barometer of the state of American society. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the recent assassination of the conservative political activist Charlie Kirk has created a new set of school-related controversies. Politics and the Schoolroom While hard figures have never been collected, it is safe to assume that most … Read more
In light of increasing challenges to the Church’s teachings on the family and marriage, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and twenty-three autonomous sister associations worldwide released “A Filial and Apprehensive Supplication to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.” The document delivered to the Vatican is dated September 15, 2025. … Read more
Since the year 2000, Communist China has become the illicit drug capital of the world. Safely beyond the reach of any law-enforcement agency, its government-controlled labs dump deadly drugs on the world, reaping huge profits. A variety of drug-fueled gangs then import the substances into the United States and Europe. Its roll-out of a powerful … Read more
