Wednesday, July 08, 2026

"I shall fear nothing even in the midst of the shadows of death." ~ The remarkable courage and fidelity of Madame de Lafayette

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Portrait of Madame de Lafayette later in life.  The town where I grew up is a small suburb of Philadelphia called Lafayette Hill. As a kid, ...
Monday, June 22, 2026

"Nunc dimittis, Domine." ~ The last words of Thomas Jefferson, July 4, 1826

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Detail from a portrait of an elderly Thomas Jefferson as painted by Thomas Sulley, 1821. In a previous post, I examined some of the speculat...
Friday, May 01, 2026

"Lord, increase my pain, but increase also my patience." ~ The death of Pope Saint Pius V

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Pope Saint Pius V is saved from assassination by a miraculous crucifix. Detail from an early 18th century anonymous painter of the Roman Sch...
Sunday, April 19, 2026

Deus Non Vult? - Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump, Clermont, and Lepanto

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Medal showing Pope St. Pius V struck in honor of the victory of the Holy League at Lepanto. Last week's blow-up between the Roman Cathol...
Friday, April 10, 2026

The Avignon Papacy at Mar-a-Lago? ~ Is the Trump Administration attempting to capture Pope Leo XIV?

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Cardinal Pierre and Undersecretary Colby share a heated and contentious handshake during their meeting in January 2026 (courtesy of DOW Rapi...
Thursday, April 02, 2026

"The Easter Hare is Inexplicable to Me" ~ Is the Easter Bunny a Christian or a heathen?

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The Easter Bunny as imagined by Johann Conrad Gilbert in the late 18th century.   OK, I admit it. I have never liked the Easter Bunny.  Of c...
Friday, March 13, 2026

"He commanded them to rebuild the Temple." ~ Julian the Apostate's spectacular failure to reconstruct the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 363

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"For I am rebuilding with all zeal the temple of the Most High God." –Julian the Apostate as preserved in De Mensibus written by ...