Catholic, father of 7, 25+ yrs software engineer. Politically independent. Perpetually professed lay Dominican. I mute trolls, esp. anons.
Georgia, USA
Joined July 2025
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From St. James (3:5b-12):
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
—
This applies equally to what we post on X, perhaps more so than what we might say in person, given the words remain as a permanent witness to the world. Think twice. Pray more, before you post, especially when angry. 🙏🏻
I came back here to change my settings, and I see this. This is exactly the kind of sickness of soul that I am referring to that X and social media draws people into.
For the record:
1) Suppressing a prayer that was suppressed 62 years ago in accord with a constitution from an ecumenical counsel is not "abusing" anyone. To liken this to that horrible situation in the Church is depraved thinking and a massive insult to and trivialization of what those who were abused have gone through.
2) I am not a "lay Dominican." I am simply a lay Dominican. No quotes. I have the receipts. Have been since 2007.
It is interesting that people seem to feel threatened by that, as if it's some credential they don't have so feel the need to denigrate it/pretend it's not real.
This is not the first time here someone has implied I'm not a real lay Dominican because I don't fit whatever their idea of that would be. There is great diversity of thought in our Order; it is one of our strengths and at least partly why we haven't subdivided into various flavors like some other long-lived orders have.
Being a lay Dominican, or a Dominican of any sort, is not a credential. It is a regulated way of life, i.e., we live by a Rule and by our provincial directories that give more specific structure to that Rule. We do this first of all to seek holiness in our own lives, and secondarily to seek the salvation of souls. It's a vocation and way of living the Faith, not a hobby or a club. It involves several years of initiation, culminating in a lifelong promise to live according to the Rule. For more info, see my province's Web site: laydomsouth.org/
And guess what? People can have different opinions than you and still be genuine, devout Catholics. If you think otherwise, you are very immature in your faith, and likely in your mental/social development. The ability to disagree amicably, even on important matters, is a sign of intelligence and maturity. Something to aspire to and try to practice.
Bye for now.
Welp. It took only 6d of being back here for me to reach the fed-up level again. This place is exhausting, and I dare say bad for most persons’ souls. I encourage y’all to moderate your use. See you after while.
It’s actually quite remarkable that this is a conversation we are having. Parsing from afar, quasi juridically, to substantiate or disprove what amount to conspiracy theory accusations. This is not healthy or good for the church.
I agree! So someone find proof of when the Vatican starting planning the events for the jubilee of Saint Francis...
January 2026 Vatican News was posting that events were in the works for the jubilee to be announced throughout the year.
January 2025 the Italian government and the Vatican met to coordinate events for the Franciscan jubilee.
October 2022 the pope met with organizers to discuss the activities for 2026.
November 2021 the Franciscan centenary started planning events for 2026.
So despite what some say is a last-minute Franciscan event made to block the pilgrimage, I don't think that's the case.
I would also like to add that Pope Leo was originally scheduled to be in Assisi for the World Day of Prayer for Peace, on October 27, to wrap up an event with over 5,000 participants. It should not surprise anyone that the Vatican might also host a Franciscan event in Rome to coincide with people arriving in Italy for that event. But that's just speculation on my part.
Stop knee-jerk overreacting…
Good grief.
Again, I attend the TLM in Rome with the ICKSP and with the FSSP when I'm in the States. I have attended this TLM pilgrimage many times over the years. I am NOT a journalist or blogger who gets paid to rage. I am, however, someone who has been organizing pilgrimages like this for decades and knows exactly how the Vatican and the churches work.
The news over the last few days is that the TLM pilgrimage Mass was not allowed in Saint Peter's Basilica, that the Vatican threw together an event to block them, that the group was denied entry into the basilica to pray, and that they were only allowed one hour at Saint Mary Major at the last minute, with no photos.
Let me break this down...
Celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis were being planned as early as 2021. Meetings took place with Pope Francis in 2022 to discuss the events. In January 2025, the Italian government met with Vatican officials to plan the events. In January 2026, Vatican News referenced planned events to take place throughout the year. So despite what some are saying, the Franciscan event that is happening today was not thrown together to block this Mass at the last minute. In fact, this event coincides with a huge event that starts tomorrow in Assisi, where 5,000 people have registered and which Pope Leo was originally scheduled to attend.
When the organizers requested the Mass for this day, they were told the altar was already reserved and offered another day or another location. They chose another location, Saint Mary Major. No scandal.
As for the procession, the group was not banned from entering. They were not allowed to process in. They could not carry their flags and banners and would have to enter through security like everyone else. If you check the photos, you'll see that the line at that time was over an hour long. So if they arrived at their scheduled time of 1 p.m., it would have been difficult to get through security and across town in time for their 3 p.m. Mass.
👏🏻 Props to the PR people who positioned the group for a photo in front of the walls set up for construction of the Nativity scene instead of moving them over a few feet for an unobstructed view of the basilica! 👏🏻
Last year, we were able to process in because there was a dedicated entrance for the Jubilee with very little wait. Anyone could process in (unfortunately), which is why we ended up with some inappropriate processions. But that was an exception during the Jubilee. Normally, groups cannot just process beyond the piazza, as was the case today.
As for the Mass at Saint Mary Major, they allow one hour for Mass. I have been here with cardinals leading pilgrimages of hundreds of people. Do you know how much time they were allowed for Mass? One hour. Saint Mary Major says on their Mass reservation form and in their confirmation emails that private groups are allowed one hour. Could they have made an exception? Sure, but they don't usually for cardinals bringing busloads of people, so why would they here?
And for the photos during Mass, permission to use a professional photographer has to be requested well in advance. Did the organizers know this and make the proper request? I don't know. Professional photos on Vatican property, including Saint Peter's Basilica, Saint Peter's Square, Saint Mary Major, Saint John Lateran, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and the Scala Santa, require special permission. I've been making these requests for years. It's simple, but getting a reply takes time. It is the Vatican, after all. So perhaps they did not have permission or even ask for permission.
There is plenty to question in the Church, but if you're not looking for clicks, this looks more like poor planning and poor communication, possibly on both sides, than some grand conspiracy.
I feel like almost all I do here is tell people to stop knee-jerk overreacting, to not always assume the worst, and to not treat people you disagree with as if they are de facto villainous monsters.
Seems like this shouldn’t be such a hard bar to achieve.
People have decided to adopt the false narrative that there’s a desire to stop the faithful from invoking St. Michael’s assistance. And they’re working back from that narrative.
Inter Oecuminici 48j says simply: ‘The last gospel is omitted; the Leonine Prayers are suppressed.’
Folks this was suppressed 62 years ago. My bishop is following the Church’s explicit direction on this point and the rationale is directly from SC 50.
Feigning shock and dismay at this is.. a bit late in the game. Attributing following this as some kind of nefarious intent to, I don’t know, invite Satan in?? is unserious in the extreme. It just goes to show how pilled people have become in the liturgy wars.
I’ve heard some things from bishops over the years. But “it is not appropriate to add a prayer to the most perfect prayer, which is the Mass,” is an absolute new one for me.
pillarcatholic.com/p/knoxvil…
The Pillar’s reporting has stirred up another round of Internet judging of my bishop. So I’m reposting this article.
The claims that he’s part of the imagined evil left wing cabal are ignorant and silly.
substack.com/@liturgyandtrut…
Everyone is rightly pointing out that this was the fault of the organizers not properly coordinating.
But the abuse of the situation to inflame trad-friendly folks against the Vatican (and implicitly against the HF) is more egregious. It just proves TC right. There is a firmly rooted rebelliousness and tendency towards dissension and schism in the trad groups.
They should not be indulged, and we should avoid signaling that this mindset is okay. They already believe that Rome and most of the episcopate is apostate—effectively, even if many avoid saying it bluntly. So a concern that they might be alienated by restrictions is easily overstated. They already believe they’re being persecuted.
And most of them will be satisfied with nothing less than declaring V2 a mistake and rolling back liturgical reforms. Until that imagined time, they will continue to cry foul at every perceived and real restriction. There is no compromise with them. The available compromise is rejected. They refuse to work on focusing to make the current rite celebrated well and reverently.
This is a textbook example of obstinate refusal of correction. A firm hand is warranted.
It’s funny how people jump to a conclusion that I’m just randomly ranting with no background or experience on this topic.
I’ve observed the behaviors and words that manifest the attitudes I’m talking about all over the internet in the last 25 years—and I’ve witnessed them first hand in trad communities, having been in them for years. I’ve studied and debated the surrounding issues innumerable times. This isn’t ungrounded, and it’s not about judging hearts. It’s speaking from a lot of experience observing and interacting with people in the trad subculture—judging actions and words.
I am fed up with it. It’s gotten worse since the advent of social media. Pope Francis was right. Pope Leo is right. There’s a real problem that warrants restrictions—some firm action to signal that this is not acceptable for faithful Catholics. They deserve our religious submission of intellect and will on these matters.
I think it’s rather disingenuous and either willfully blind or papering over to suggest that this is not a very common attitude and mindset, enough to justify the use of “most” by me, but obviously this is not a scientific measure. It’s my impression from a lot of experience. People speak plainly like I did from their own experience all the time, and parsing it to suggest it’s a scientific or infallible claim is silly and a waste of time, as if we can truly measure it..
All that said, I welcome and support those who avoid the problematic attitudes while simply desiring reverent, uplifting celebration of the mass. I want that, too. It’s just clear to me the way to that is not stubbornly insisting on the old form, especially considering how so many who do that bring along the problematic mindset and regularly stir up dissension and rebellion towards our pastors—AND especially because the manifest will of the HF is that we should move ahead with the current form, focusing on improving it.
Dear Internet: find something else to obsess about. This is a manufactured controversy.
After a decision to see parishes discontinue the St. Michael prayer after Mass, the Bishop of Knoxville explains his view:
pillarcatholic.com/p/knoxvil…
I’ve always thought these kind of “you clean up for us” requirements are bizarre. It’d be completely understandable if we were just friends and you were letting us stay for free. But no, we’re paying a pretty premium. AND often charged a cleaning fee already.
its just bonkers the new policy @airbnb is trying to put in place. Putting the dishes in the dishwasher, taking out the trash, pulling the sheets off the bed....they are just standard things any normal person would do when staying at a house. Why wouldn't a host be allowed to say that?
Ambrose Little retweeted
When my nephew was very, very small @FaithKMoore and I took him on a long, sweaty, and generally cranky subway ride to see our grandmother, then suffering from advanced dementia. She was our one remaining grandparent. We walked into the room and this woman, who no longer reliably knew our names, lit up with what I can only describe as an uncanny sunburst of understanding. “It’s my great grandson!” she said, and scooped him into her arms like some protecting angel in a parting act of benediction. I never saw her again.
This tripe will do absolutely nothing to make anyone feel more comfortable fending off unwanted romantic advances, but at least it might introduce a made-up problem where none exists into a few young people’s lives. And hey, maybe they’ll even squirm out of an embrace or two that they can never, ever get back, replacing one of life’s most nourishing mysteries—the love that broaches time by force, without our choosing, like an unstoppable angel—with a black crater of discomfort and regret. Nice going, chuckleheads.
Everyone involved in the making of this ad should be forced to watch a million home videos, Clockwork-Orange style, then subjected to one thousand of the sloppiest kisses by a doddering old woman of the state’s appointment, and then sent to sit in a corner wearing a dunce cap while the rest of us go hug our eldest living relative extra tight.
Should give the benefit of the doubt.
denvercatholic.org/exclusive…
I heard Trump is listing his accomplishments on the campaign trail: "I renamed a gulf.. and a lake.. maybe I'll do an ocean next..."
I am repeatedly simultaneously scared and ashamed that my fellow countrymen support this charlatan. They must just turn off their brains...
Literally any time one of our bishops or priests is seen to be rubbing shoulders at all with a political figure, it brings out those on the opposing side bemoaning the supposed evil of associating with sinners. Yet that is precisely the example Christ and his Apostles gave and counseled—and it was the Pharisees who criticized Jesus for it.
I know whom I aspire to be like…
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. — St. Paul to St. Timothy, first letter, chapter 2
You don’t have to like or support Trump to pray for him. In fact, someone of his manifest bad character and the evil he’s done call for quite serious intercession. May God have mercy on him, grant him conversion of heart, and give him wisdom and the fortitude to reform his life and act well despite the many pressures and habits to the contrary.
For the record, I do think the timing is not ideal, and I understand the concern that it could be misleading some to infer that Trump is somehow supported by those bishops. No doubt the optics are the point for the guy who set this up, but all the same, what the bishops actually did--pray for him and our country--is good.
And I'd wager a lot this won't change anyone's actual vote. The people who hate Trump and the GOP are not gonna not vote for him more because of this, and the people who are Trump/MAGA partisans are gonna vote for him anyways. Those of us in the middle are not superficial enough to be duped by antics like this.
Some have said this is clearly partisan. That may be true from Trump's side, but for bishops, visiting and praying **for the current POTUS** is not a partisan act.
Honestly, I am dead tired of the partisans who only screech when the bishops appear to be supporting the other guy/side. I have zero doubt that's the main reason many folks are squawking now.
It's crazy to me that even some putative Christians will diminish the importance and power of prayer.
When your activist mentality overrides what the Faith teaches, you have your priorities wrong. Do you actually believe?
