Recently, I visited an Eastern Orthodox Monastery in East Texas called Holy Archangels Monastery.  Upon arrival, they were extremely friendly and hospitable.  But they made it mildly clear that I was not on the right path as a Roman Catholic.  And I made it clear we didn't agree on things like the Filioque.  Ironically, for our love of objective truth over friendly interactions, we got along even better than if we had established a peace-pact on false ecumenism.  They were true traditionalists, although of a different tradition.  They received me warmly, especially when they saw I wasn't going to say something stupid like "Isn't it great we all believe basically the same thing?" As I walked through the monastery refrectory, I saw (and smelled) how clean and natural their life was.  It reminded me how healthy was a life of [...]

First of all, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all of my listeners and readers, all of my benefactors—both material and spiritual.  We who raise our own funds as religious figures are often tempted to thank our spiritual benefactors just as much as our material benefactors—but only as a show to keep the financial donations coming.  Not me anymore.  I have faced enough spiritual attack since my ordination in 2010 that I can not tell you how much more I need prayers and novenas and Masses and especially your fastings even more than financial donations. Still, I am extremely thankful for both groups of donors.  All of you make my life of prayer and teaching possible.  We priests who are called names for being too traditional especially thank you for knowing where your donations go, especially [...]

The amice is the neck and shoulder sweat-guard that is the first item put on by a Roman Catholic priest while vesting for Holy Mass.  The priest touches the amice to his head as a blessing as he prays:  Place upon me, O Lord, the helmet of salvation, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil.  I say that prayer in Latin before every Mass, which is: Impóne, Dómine, cápiti meo gáleam salútis, ad expugnándos diabólicos incúrsus.  After the amice touches the priest's head, he wraps it around his shoulders and ties it across his torso.  Besides being a blessing and a sweat-guard, the amice also covers the cassock (or a habit in my case) with white below the neckline but above the dip in the center-chest of the fiddleback chausible: Monks, however, must cover not only their chest and [...]

This morning my good friend's mother went to her eternal reward.  Earlier this week, I had the privilege of praying the old rite prayers of the Commendation of the Soul.  (I didn't know the above picture was being taken at the time.)  The old rite prayers after the mysteries of holy Extreme Unction and after the Apostolic Pardon are extremely powerful.  Here's an example of the many prayers we prayed and I assure you it's worth reading these examples:  

As most of you know, I went to a normal diocesan seminary.  One of those seminarians was later ordained for a midwest diocese.  On his Facebook profile, he once put up an interesting conversation he had with an older priest.  He asked the older priest if young priests would save the Church.  The old priest said "No, young priests will not save the Church.  Jesus Christ will save His Church."  Of course, the post had hundreds and hundreds of likes. I wanted to "like" it too because it shows that Christ is in charge of His Church.  I also wanted to "like" it because it reminds us priests to be humble (and not clericalistic) before the mystery of a great crisis in the Catholic Church.  But ultimately I did not "like" that FB post because it's a Protestant notion that [...]

Recently, I was praying my Roman Breviary while walking a beautiful autumn evening around the Highline canal trail, just south of Denver.  I was born in the city-limits of Denver.  I grew up in the city-limits of Denver, and ever since I was 12 years old, I loved maps and riding my bike around the Highline Canal.   Now, 30 years later, I find myself still on the same trails.  This autumn, as I walked the above trail praying the old Divine Office, I thought a lot of what has happened in twelve years since my ordination as a Catholic priest.  As I walked and thought, I remembered an event that happened on this exact trail about 14 years ago, just before my ordination as a transitional deacon for the Archdiocese of Denver.  I remembered it pretty well, but I decided [...]

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.—Mt 19:21. In my VLX series (Video Lectio Divina, an online Bible Study) we recently covered the above line from St. Matthew chapter 19.  In it, the rich young man is proud that he has kept the commandments of God.  But Jesus then challenges him to go further:  To sell everything he possesses, give it to the poor, and then follow Jesus.  Any of my listeners might be right to say, "Wait a minute.  Why hasn't Father Nix taken this literally and tried to sell everything if he is teaching all this online?" The fact is: [...]

What is it like not to be in parish ministry anymore? Many of my enemies online say that my hermit-life is just a farce. In some sense, they are correct. When I was still in parish ministry five years ago, bouncing around, looking state-to-state where I could continue to help with the TLM, becoming "a hermit" was the last thing I could apply for under pressure like this: On the 20th of June 2017, a friend I hadn't seen since high-school bought me lunch at a Thai restaurant at the DTC. While eating, my phone rang.  Now, I usually don't answer my phone when I'm talking in real life to another person, but it was my Archdiocese. In a most slimy manner, a highly ranking member of the clergy smoothly requested I leave the priesthood.  There was no disciplinary reason. [...]

Recently, a French priest wrote me from Europe and asked me about the title of my blog, "Padre Peregrino."  I admitted that "Father Pilgrim" sounds ridiculous in English, but it seems to work better in the romance languages and other languages.  He wrote me about the title of my blog: "It seems to me that it corresponds well to the present circumstances, where we realize that we must move from the 'classic' type of parish to a less ordinary type, at least for a European of origin and education, of 'mission.'" I replied, "You understood correctly that 'Padre Peregrino' was an accidental term. I was kicked out of five Novus Ordo parishes (for trying to apply traditional rules to the vigilance on the Eucharist) and each successive pastor usually let me take University students on the Camino and other international travels as [...]

I want to thank all my donors for your tremendous kindness to my way of life of prayer, study, podcasting, pro-life work and evangelization.  One advantage to having many "small donors" instead of "big donors" is this:  I am beholden to no one except Christ as I speak and write as best as I can on issues of reform of Church and State.  When someone comes to the point that they don't like what I say or write, they simply leave my support team, and it doesn't affect me too much. I wish them all the best!  I truly have no hard feelings at all.  I would rather have the freedom to preach hard truths than all the money in the world.  Friends come and go.  Donors come and go.  (I honestly can't think of anyone specifically as I type [...]