Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.~ from the Te Deum When I wrote to Dr. Moss requesting her latest work The Myth of Persecution, I received a prompt and gracious reply assuring me of a copy. Dr. Moss hoped that I would not see the book as an attack upon the […]
My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints
“Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” ~Apocalypse 13:10 My Peace I Give You by Dawn Eden is a much-needed spiritual resource for those recovering from any type of physical or emotional suffering brought on by the lust, crassness or cruelty of others. It took a long […]
Merry Christmas
Luke 2: 1-20 The Infancy Narrative In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up […]
Presence
It’s been years. She’s desperate; her money gone, her health still declining. She has no hope, no relief and wellness seems to be an impossibility. Doubled over, in a crowd that is abuzz on the dusty streets she becomes part of the mayhem and a crazy idea flickers in her […]
Scandal and the Queen
The other day I ran across an article entitled “Top 5 Marie-Antoinette Scandals” which was filled with errors. What an incredibly misleading portrayal of the Queen! Marie-Antoinette, in spite of being from a generation known for its fast pace of living, did not live in a manner which gave public […]
Art and Faith, as They Intersect in Writing
We recently observed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Fortnight of Freedom, and this might be a good time to look at writing as an expression of our journey and expression of faith. Regular readers of this blog are most likely members of Catholic Writers Guild – which means […]
Marie-Antoinette and the Carmelite Order
The connection between the Carmelite Order and the Royal House of France originated in the Middle Ages, when St. Louis IX encountered the hermits on Mt. Carmel and brought them to France. When the Discalced Reform came to France from Spain in the early seventeenth century, the royal family assisted […]
Madame de Polignac and the Politics of Calumny
The closest confidante of Queen Marie-Antoinette was Madame de Polignac. Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac, also referred to as “Yolande,” is usually portrayed in books and films as Marie-Antoinette’s “bad girl” friend, responsible for leading the young queen of France into a wild, decadent lifestyle. Often depicted as a […]
The Fersen Myth in Literature
Surfing the internet anyone can see that the myth that Swedish Count Axel von Fersen was the lover of Marie-Antoinette is deeply entrenched in the public mind. This is due to major publishers yearly churning out sensational biographies and novels, which focus on the legend rather than on the facts, […]
May and Mary
May is, without a doubt, a crazy month for most of the people I know. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that maybe May is Mary’s month because the only way we moms will get through it is with her help. Call me a bit cynical. Or overwhelmed. Or […]