St. Pius X and the "Church of Nice"

That's the subject of my latest column at Catholic Lane today.  The term "church of nice" has been made popular by Michael Voris of ChurchMilitantTV.  It is a clever marketing gimmick (as is most of his work), but like most marketing gimmicks, it really lacks substance.  It is even more lacking when you compare the attitude he promotes to the attitude the saints and popes advise us to take.

Criticizing bad policy and bad prelates isn't the issue.  It is how you are doing it.  And quite frankly, they are doing it wrong.

Why the Modesty Debate is Horrible, and How I'm Trying to Change It

If there's one topic I've cared to debate in Catholic circles, it is the subject of modesty.  We don't think the subject of modesty through.  We argue about the length of swimsuits and dresses, about whether or not men are lust-filled monsters by virtue of being men or whether they are molded that way.  This debate is a traffic and combox magnet, but it's probably one of the least productive debates around.

Over at Catholic Exchange today, I try to change that.  In the first of a multi-part series, I focus on how immodesty begins in the heart.

Why Priests Should Celebrate the Extraordinary Form

Today at Catholic Lane, I make a call for priests to celebrate the Extraordinary Form.  There are lots of priests who think that since a Latin Mass is being celebrated in their reason, "traditionalists needs are being met" so they really don't have to get involved.  I hope they become involved not for our sake, but the sake of their vocation.

Blog Update and New Projects at Catholic Lane

With the baby coming up in February, I find myself having less and less time to do blogging.  As a result, this blog will see a real decrease in posting, even more than it already has.  I'm asking people to subscribe via the button on the right so they can receive posts by email.  If you write for Catholic Lane, please subscribe, as I will frequently announce projects on this blog.

Speaking of which, time for another project!

Far too often Catholics don't know their Church Fathers.  When they do, it is talking points for an apologetics argument.  Knowing the Greek meaning of "presides in charity" in the thought of St. Ignatius is a cool nugget to have (hint, it proves the papacy in the early church), but it is kind of limited in telling you how to best live your life as a Christian trying to follow the Gospel.  That's what I want to fix.

After Lent, we will be tackling a different work by a Church Father per month.  For example, June might be where we discuss St. Ignatius' aforementioned Epistle to the Romans.  The writer would provide short commentaries (or maybe a 1,000 word short essay) a few times a month to help us understand how this writer teaches us to live the Gospel. 

As always, the rule of Pius X will be strictly enforced.  What is the rule of Pius X?  I've quoted it so many times, I've simply made it a rule.  When talking about how to teach Christian doctrine, St. Pius X stated the following in Acerbo Nimis:

The task of the catechist is to take up one or other of the truths of faith or of Christian morality and then explain it in all its parts; and since amendment of life is the chief aim of his instruction, the catechist must needs make a comparison between what God commands us to do and what is our actual conduct. After this, he will use examples appropriately taken from the Holy Scriptures, Church history, and the lives of the saints -- thus moving his hearers and clearly pointing out to them how they are to regulate their own conduct. He should, in conclusion, earnestly exhort all present to dread and avoid vice and to practice virtue.

If anyone is interested in this, please let me know.  As always, you can find me on Twitter @CatholicSmark if you have any questions, or the other ways of contacting me listed on this blog.

Blessings,
Kevin Tierney
Associate Editor, Learn and Live the Faith
Catholic Lane