Padre Peregrino – Page 12 – Theology from a wandering priest

30 11, 2023

A “Springtime” of Vocations
A “Springtime” of Vocations

A “Springtime” of Vocations

By Father David Nix|2023-11-30T14:32:41+00:00November 30th, 2023|Theology|

I found a website called Christendom Restoration that graphed vocations before and after the Council, as seen above. It used very advanced calculus on the growth of American seminarians versus years, such as S(t)=47247.8e -0.0846t and S(year) = 47247.8e -0.0846(year-1965) in order to reveal only significant statistics. The above chart shows the Pre-Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Growth functions of seminarians in the United States. As you can see, it uses "Springtime" in a sarcastic sense for what has happened since 1965. Earlier this year. Fr. Z posted the above graph. Notice again that American priests were on the rise until Vatican II. After that, it tanked... ...not so for tradition in [...]

28 11, 2023

“Three Generations of Imbeciles Are Enough.”
“Three Generations of Imbeciles Are Enough.”

“Three Generations of Imbeciles Are Enough.”

By Father David Nix|2023-11-28T15:24:52+00:00November 28th, 2023|Theology|

One of the unknown connections between so-called "transgender" surgeries and forced sterilizations in early 20th century American history is the targeting of children with mental-health problems. Many people are now familiar with Miss Chloe Cole (top right.) She is a young woman born in 2004 who went on puberty blockers at age 13. She had a double mastectomy at age 15. She is now suing Kaiser Permanente of California. The beginning of the lawsuit filed reads thus: "This case is about a team of doctors (i.e., the Defendants) who decided to perform a mutilating, mimicry sex change experiment on Chloe, then a thirteen-year-old vulnerable girl struggling with complex mental health [...]

23 11, 2023

Should You Recall Past Sins?
Should You Recall Past Sins?

Should You Recall Past Sins?

By Father David Nix|2023-11-23T11:10:34+00:00November 23rd, 2023|Theology|

Should you recall past sins? The basic answer to this is one that most of you already know: Do not beat yourself up about sins you have confessed because those sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. (Or, if you are an adult convert, your sins were washed away in baptism.) Keep in mind in St. Luke chapter 15, we have the Prodigal Son parable: After a significant stint of sin, he returns to the Father and he is planning on saying, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your [...]

22 11, 2023

The Life and Death of St. Cecilia As Told By St. Alphonsus
The Life and Death of St. Cecilia As Told By St. Alphonsus

The Life and Death of St. Cecilia As Told By St. Alphonsus

By Father David Nix|2023-11-22T17:55:30+00:00November 22nd, 2023|Theology|

St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr, has always been most celebrated in the Church of God; even from the fourth century a Church has been dedicated to her honor in Rome; and honorable mention is made of her, not only in all the martyrologies, but even in the Canon of the Mass. In the eighth century there was a report that Astulphus, King of the Longobards, had carried off the body of our saint from Rome; but she appeared, in a vision, to Pope Paschal I, assured him that the report was false, and encouraged him to seek her relics. The holy pontiff found them, in the cemetery of Prætextatus, Prætextatus, [...]

21 11, 2023

The Ladder of Divine Ascent for Lay People
The Ladder of Divine Ascent for Lay People

The Ladder of Divine Ascent for Lay People

By Father David Nix|2023-11-15T10:34:36+00:00November 21st, 2023|Theology|

One of the greatest works of the early Desert Fathers is The Ladder of Divine Ascent. It is considered to be a masterpiece of ascetical theology, but it is primarily for monks. Thus, I was surprised when a married man with children started telling me about how this is one of his favorite books. This layman (about my age) usually does one hour of mental prayer a day and lives very impressive asceticism. (He was not bragging to me, but he admitted he and his family try to make their home a little monastery.) Nevertheless, I still wondered if The Ladder of Divine Ascent should be the goal of the [...]

16 11, 2023

A 60 Year Old Pastor’s View of Priesthood in America.
A 60 Year Old Pastor’s View of Priesthood in America.

A 60 Year Old Pastor’s View of Priesthood in America.

By Father David Nix|2023-11-16T13:04:55+00:00November 16th, 2023|Theology|

My article earlier this week is called Are Young Priests More Orthodox? In it, I explained that young guys enter seminary pretty conservative, but slowly become more liberal after ordination. I asked a 58-year-old Catholic Priest friend in the South of the United States for feedback. (He belongs to a different Southern diocese than the one featured in the picture above.) I half-expected him to tell me I was too cynical, so I was surprised that he texted back 21 points much more critical of the American bishops' interactions with their priests than anything written in my blog two days ago. I asked him if I could use it in [...]

14 11, 2023

Are Young Priests More Orthodox?
Are Young Priests More Orthodox?

Are Young Priests More Orthodox?

By Father David Nix|2023-11-15T10:57:34+00:00November 14th, 2023|Theology|

Are young priests more orthodox than previous generations? The good news is the answer is "yes," as proven in the below study. But this means only one of two things: Either younger priests are truly more conservative than older priests -or- the diocesan priesthood in America liberalizes many or most. The above is a picture of the Theological College, the Catholic seminary producing priests across the street from Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington DC. One of the research groups at CUA is called The Catholic Project which recently published a study on how American Catholic priests self-identify as either orthodox or progressive. The title of the study is [...]

12 11, 2023

Argentine Bishop Sounding Like Viganó
Argentine Bishop Sounding Like Viganó

Argentine Bishop Sounding Like Viganó

By Father David Nix|2023-11-12T08:11:54+00:00November 12th, 2023|Theology|

Archbishop Emeritus Héctor Aguer of La Plata, Argentina recently wrote about cancelled clergy. His letter is especially important in light of recent news on Bp. Strickland. Rorate Caeli had the full translation, so I reproduce it here: 1. Priests cancelled. I am not dealing now with what is happening at the international level, but with a phenomenon that is becoming more and more frequent in Argentina, in various dioceses. "Cancelled" is equivalent to a displacement to non-existence when counting the official number of priests who serve as clergy in a particular (diocesan) church. They are deprived of the means to exercise the ministry and are disavowed before the faithful. They [...]

9 11, 2023

St. Thomas on the Resurrection of the Body
St. Thomas on the Resurrection of the Body

St. Thomas on the Resurrection of the Body

By Father David Nix|2023-11-09T07:58:41+00:00November 9th, 2023|Theology|

I only recently discovered a treasure from St. Thomas Aquinas called the Compendium of Theology. I first wrote a commentary on his book here a month ago. St. Thomas continues the richness of his teaching today on the resurrection of the body in chapters 151-168. I was going to comment on it like last time, but the teaching of the Angelic Doctor will stand alone today. This is what you and I have to look forward to in both body and soul if we make it to heaven: CHAPTER 151 REUNION WITH THE BODY REQUISITE FOR THE SOUL’S PERFECT HAPPINESS We should note that the disquiet of the will cannot be [...]

7 11, 2023

Why Do Rad-Trads Keep “Guessing” Everything Right?
Why Do Rad-Trads Keep “Guessing” Everything Right?

Why Do Rad-Trads Keep “Guessing” Everything Right?

By Father David Nix|2023-11-06T21:02:59+00:00November 7th, 2023|Theology|

Why do trads keep guessing the outcomes correctly in nearly every issue happening in current events? I usually point out that conservatives and traditionalists understand truth better than liberals and leftists because we put evidence ahead of identity politics. I still think that’s the main reason why we keep “getting it” on so many current events in Church and State. But today, I want to explore some additional reasons. After talking to many traditional Catholics over the past three years, I can say with confidence that over well over 90% of them refused the COVID vaccine. That number may be above 95%. The vaccine is just one of a dozen [...]