Chicago priest Fr. Larry Dowling describes procession to ICE facility: “No one had the courage to speak directly to us. No one from Homeland Security could stand in the presence of the Monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. No wonder. Evil is repelled, recoils in the presence of Christ.”

It becomes clear, then, that “our faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members.” 1/2

On October 3, 2025, the Saint Meinrad Institute for Sacred Music presented “Hearing Heaven: The Sound(s) of the Sacred and the Secular.” This concert examined four primary ways in which music has traditionally been considered sacred. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQKHTdm9dMc

The Medievalist Who Taught Us How to Spot a Fascist www.medievalists.net/2025/07/the-... #medievalism

Considering the possibility of offering subscription based online courses independently in the near future. Would anyone be interested in this? And if so, what kind of course would you be interested in taking?

The OBOC College Ministerial Internship Program (CMIP) is now accepting applications. CMIP offers a supportive environment to grow and discover your gifts. Apply today and take the next step in your journey of faith and service. Apply today: https://forms.gle/cSRoLkYiLWd1WRBS8

New Medieval Books: Monasticism in Ireland www.medievalists.net/2024/10/new-... #monasticism

Every time human action exceeds our best efforts to deny human dignity and integrity, I thank God for Maurice Blondel.

If I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1 Cor 13:2)

Phenomenology Friday Insofar as I have a body, I am not a pure consciousness, but am engaged in the world through this body with the aid of which I perceive. […] The role of philosophy is to make us rediscover this bond with the world that precedes thought itself. — Maurice Merleau-Ponty

In any case. The whole thing about being Catholic is you're in it together, which is the best, and the worst.

"Loving God and loving neighbor is precisely how we love ourselves well. And we must love ourselves, not in a selfish or egoistic way, but as God loves us, by accepting oneself as one is..." https://www.saintmeinrad.edu/seminary-blog/echoes-from-the-bell-tower/tools-for-peace/

Psalm 93, Grail translation (1968).

How long, O Lord shall the wicked How long shall the wicked triumph They bluster with arrogent speech the evil-doers boast to each other They crush your people, Lord, they afflict the ones you have chosen They kill the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless child. 1/4

I think Klein is correct to worry about how we're doing politics. I don't think I'd do my worrying how Klein does. But Coates has the more thorough idea of how history works or might work, and that broader perspective is very appealing.

He was a beloved mentor during my college years and a role model as a theologian. A good man. I miss him and am ever grateful for his witness. May he rest from his earthly labors.

"Go and learn what this means,'I desire mercy, not sacrifce.'" (Mt. 9:13)

Bernard Lonergan takes 575 pages to get to a definition of truth, and only then do we have any language of “adequation,” but just one sentence, and it’s such a “fuck you” to everyone who thought that endlessly repeating “truth is the adequation of the mind to reality” got them anywhere.

this is really good

It is Sea Otter Awareness Week! Please be aware of sea otters

In a July sit-down with Crux, Pope Leo XIV said his Black ancestry is part of an ethnic and experiential tapestry giving him "a real appreciation for the wonderful wealth of traditions and cultures and languages that make up the world and, of course, the Church."

Jesus' earthly ministry was chock-full of healing episodes, in which the human body was transformed by the power of God through faith—which also shifted social displacement. Alexander Walton writes that a similar mission lies before the Church today. buff.ly/trESxpN

Zohran Mamdani looks primed to become the New York City's next mayor, with many voters energized by his socialist views on justice for the poor and just desserts for the rich. Félix Cepeda wonders aloud: Can Catholics support him in good conscience? buff.ly/3C1fzAR

*sees discussion concerning consecrated life and Christian perfection* "How the weather today?"

A little dose of monastic practical wisdom for those caught up in repetitive doomscrolling.

There are three friends, committed followers, who became monks. One of them chose to make peace between men who were fighting, according to what is written, 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. The second chose to visit the sick. The third chose to go away and pursue stillness in solitude. 1/4

Ora et labora, folks, ora et labora. It’s the best advice for our times, from one of our wisest fathers.

We read this book for table reading in the monastery. Good book. The author critiques Cyprian Davis a little for his methodological quirks and a notable absence of female Black Catholic figures, but confreres said Fr. Cyprian needed that to keep him honest.

Phenomenology Friday “But since, on the contrary, we are in and toward the world, and since even our reflections take place in the temporal flow that they are attempting to capture … there is no thought that encompasses all of our thought.”

"Hard times is here and everywhere you go Times are harder than ever been before You know that people, they are are driftin' from door to door But you can't find no heaven, I don't care where they go" -Skip James-

Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life: 1) that one contemplative breath 2) When babies emote in sacred spaces. 3) When you remember that random song you love as a teenager 4) wearing shorts to Church all year under a habit/vestments 5) a cool breeze with crisp deciduous aroma

Don’t miss out! Group registration for OBOC 2026 is OPEN, and reservations are already filling fast! Bring your group and dive into an unforgettable summer of faith, fellowship, and liturgy. https://www.saintmeinrad.edu/youth/summer-conferences/

My only point here was that everyone (including myself) thought that being Christian meant specific ideas about it means to be human(which is true in a sense), and our ideas are quickly transformed as we understand what Jesus means to be a disciple. 1/3

JH Newman, 1858: «… what the Catholic Church once has had, she never has lost. She has never wept over, or been angry with, time gone and over. Instead of passing from one stage of life to another, she has carried her youth and middle age along with her, on to her latest time.»

As one Swiss nerd said:

We sing this hymn only during Passiontide and at the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. open.spotify.com/track/0mOheq...

Lamentations 5,14 Senes defíciunt de portis, iúvenes de choro psalléntium. Los ancianos ya no se sientan a la puerta, los jóvenes ya no cantan. The old men have quit the city gate, the young men their music.

@alejacorazonhm.bsky.social offers a helpful report at @rns.org about the roundtable I participated in last night at Georgetown University alongside four Catholic bishops and three Catholic activists. I was there as the moral theologian outlining Catholic social teaching on immigration.

"Disagreements and conflicts among persons are not a problem, but an obstinate 'need to be right no matter what' is a serious problem for a community." https://saintmeinrad.edu/seminary-blog/echoes-from-the-bell-tower/let-mercy-triumph-over-judgement/

Fr. Damian was our confrere who died in 2016. In 2015 he was named a Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor bestowed by the Governor of Indiana for distinguished service to the state. https://www.therepublic.com/2025/09/05/father-damian-schmelz-a-moral-compass-for-natural-resources/

María, Madre de gracia, Madre de misericordia, defíéndenos del enemigo. En la vida y en la muerte ampáranos gran señora. Amén.

I am going to pray for a while...

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.

Benedict speaks about the qualities of the Abbot (Ch. 2 of His Rule), one quickly notices that the measure of his qualities is Christocentric. He is well aware that religious authority(in the Christian sense) almost involves carrying the Cross.

Summer break is now ending, and a new History of Philosophy podcast will be with you in just a few hours! We kick off the autumn with an interview: Ariane Schneck will be speaking to me about Descartes and Elizabeth of Bohemia.

Show me an image on your phone that has your energy but is not a selfie.

People asked me, " Is your patron Gregory the Great?" Sadly, no. Benedictines claim him as part of the Benedictine family. Let's just say that I went eastward into ancient Cappadocia for inspiration. My patron is a weird guy whose brother was a famous bishop and sister who was his wisdom teacher.

"If I am a Christian, I not only can, I *must* see Christ in my fellow man, and must see in Christ's deed the eternal love of God. ... And this is not a lofty pinnacle for the elect; it is the one and only everyday commandment of Christ, which compels us constantly to encounter God." Balthasar

Recently, a confrere launched a YouTube with drone footage that gives a glimpse of life at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. You might see me in some of the footage, but I am a mere black robed creature amidst the local beauty. youtube.com/@dronemonks?...