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Extraordinary Form 101
A Beginner’s Guide to the Old Latin Mass |
| In July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI made one of the Church’s treasures—a liturgical form observed by Roman Catholics for centuries—available to anyone who desired it. His purpose: to show the faithful that that the sacred traditions of the Church have never lost their ability to speak to people of all times and places. Here’s a helpful primer on the Old Mass. |
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By Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
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Sidebar |
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"A Beautiful Act of Love"
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| The Master of Papal Ceremonies on Pope Benedict’s understanding of the Traditional Latin Mass.
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EF Training and Resources
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| Resources for priests and laity interested in learning the EF of the Roman rite
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Feature Article |
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Bad Poetry, Bad Theology
The Curse of Bad Liturgical Music (Part Two) |
| Part One of our series on liturgical music looked at why so much contemporary Church music is unsingable. As it turns out, strained melodies are just one part of the problem: Many of these songs are spiritually and theologically unsound, celebrating the self instead of praising God.
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By Anthony Esolen
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Helpful Resources on the Web
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| These sites contain an abundance of resources on restoring beauty and reverence to liturgical music.
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By Mary Ann Carr Wilson
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Why Hymns Are at the Bottom of the List
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| The GIRM’s list of options for the parts of the Mass de-emphasizes the use of hymns—for a good reason.
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By Mary Ann Carr Wilson
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Why Is Gregorian Chant the Standard?
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| Reasons the Church gives chant "pride of place"
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By Mary Ann Carr Wilson
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Feature Article |
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Catholic Martyrs of the Holocaust
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| Recent years have seen a marked increase in accusations of collaboration between the Catholic Church and the Third Reich. As is often the case, the reality is more complicated than detractors suggest. The regrettable actions of some Catholics cannot alter the fact that thousands of others resisted the Reich and risked their lives to save Jews. Thousands more—priests, religious, and laity of all ages—were slaughtered by the Nazis.
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By Matthew E. Bunson
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The Bishop’s Cry of Protest
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| At great personal risk, Bishop Clemens August von Galen of Munich forcefully denounced the Nazis. |
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The Persecution of Poland
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| Of all the occupied European states, Poland’s people—Jewish and Christian alike—suffered most grievously. |
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The Priests of Dachau
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| Dachau’s infamous "priest block" imprisoned thousands of clergy and religious. |
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Priests of Dachau Tell Their Stories
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| True accounts of the denizens of the "priest block", in print and film
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Feature Article |
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Aquinas vs. Intelligent Design
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| Creation or evolution? The longstanding debate heats up as more people subscribe to intelligent design theory. Many Christians, anxious to counter Darwinism with a seemingly scientific approach to divine intervention, have embraced ID. But is the theory compatible with Catholic intellectual and philosophical tradition? The writings of Thomas Aquinas suggest caution.
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By Michael W. Tkacz
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What Is "Intelligent Design"?
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| A thumbnail primer on the popular theory |
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Further Reading
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| Thomistic approaches to understanding evolution, creation, and ID |
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Catholic Faith and Modern Science
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| The Church teaches that the intersection of faith and science requires careful reasoning. |
Catholic Answers
