The Dispatch
“Contextuality” (with apologies to Irving Berlin)
After watching “White Christmas” with the family for the umpteenth time last December, I was moved, perhaps by a demon, to scribble a spoof of [...]
To Make All Things New
Essay
Ecclesia semper reformanda est: the Church is always in need of reform. Few phrases have been invoked more often since the Second Vatican Council, and few have been asked to carry so many contradictory agendas. [...]
A Conspiracy of the Faithful
Features
When Archbishop Edward Weisenburger announced in November 2025 that every parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit would be restructured, the Archdiocese’s own newspaper reported his promise of a process “transparent, inclusive and open to all [...]
Analysis
Supreme Court likely to uphold religious freedom in education in Colorado
On November 3, 2026, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in St. Mary Catholic Parish, Littleton, Colorado v. Roy, a case with potentially far-reaching implications for the First Amendment right to the free exercise of [...]
Columns
Natural law, modern equality, and more on turning the corner
Last month, I wrote a bit about the renewal of family life as part of overall social renewal. I said it would require men and women to see each other as complementary, so they would [...]
Books
Priming the soul for the mystery and miraculous nature of life in Christ
Fairy tales have been part of the Christian tradition for a long, long time, and some of the most brilliant and insightful minds have opined on their importance. J.R.R. Tolkien, in his marvelous essay “On [...]
Essay
Man, Machine, and Jeremy Bentham’s Head
When you grow up in Western New York, as I did, you learn two things about the Niagara River. First, it’s great for swimming and boating. Second, don’t get caught in the current. Past a [...]
Essay
“God is glorious in His saints”: St. John Henry Newman and All Saints
Editor’s note: This homily was preached on the Solemnity of All Saints, 1 November 2026, at the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, New Jersey. St. Paul tells us that “God is glorious [...]
Features
Rome excoriates publisher of a “credibly accused” list
In a shockingly frank judicial decision—decided in June 2025 but made available in English just last week in the canon law journal of St. Paul University in Ottawa1—the Roman Rota, the rough equivalent of the [...]
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Last month, I wrote a bit about the renewal of family life as part of overall social renewal. I said it would require men and women to see each other as complementary, so they would [...] -
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“The Apostle Paul, an outstanding and almost inimitable yet stimulating figure, stands before us as an example of total dedication to the Lord and to his Church, as well as of great openness to humanity [...] -
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Betsy Hayes:
Do you remember “situational ethics”? It was big in its time. There’s nothing new under the sun.
mrscracker:
Thank you so much for all your hard work Mr. Olson and to your technology people, too. God bless!🙏
DeaconEdwardPeitler:
"Leo XIV: A Pope who wants to be a Citizen (Monday Vatican): 'The Pope himself, through the Holy See Press…
