Read & Reflect

Being back, a schism if you believe it, and World Cup fever

Pillar paid subscribers can listen to Ed read this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DRHappy Friday friends,Here I am, back.Let me begin by saying thank you, sincerely, and profoundly, for the countless messages of concern, prayers — even Mass intentions — you all sent me following last week’s newslet...

Why did Cardinal Nzapalainga meet Leo XIV?

Pope Leo XIV met Tuesday with one of Africa’s most prominent Catholic leaders.Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, pictured in 2017. Screenshot from @UNMINUSCA YouTube channel.That, in itself, is not surprising. But the background to the June 30 encounter between Leo XIV and Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalaing...

‘Toward a more perfect union’

Letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States of AmericaI extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This semiquincentennial marks that defining m...

American gratitude

As we approach America’s semiquincentennial, I have been thinking back to the joyful celebrations for the bicentennial, and wondering why our 250th birthday party is such a dud.Credit: UnsplashThen I thought that perhaps my recollections of the “Spirit of (19)76” were a bit tinted by rosy retrospect...

How many SSPX laypeople are there?

Journalists covering this week’s illicit episcopal consecrations by the Society of St. Pius X have faced an awkward problem.More than 15,000 laypeople attended the SSPX episcopal consecrations in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1, 2026. Screenshot from @SSPX YouTube channel.It’s this: it seems impossibl...

The important Catholic debate

War? Schism? Genocide? Fraud, pestilence, global conspiracies? These are all child’s play. Back in my day, Catholics used to spend our days on the internet arguing about really important things, like yoga.Simcha’s butter chicken.Oh yes. It’s finally summer, the streams are flowing, and I’d dearly li...

[Daily Rosary Meditations] Jerzy Popiełuszko

[Daily Rosary Meditations] Freedom

How the SSPX Preserved Single-Sex Catholic Education

Catholic educators are now revisiting questions concerning the nature and purpose of education, as seen in the recently released Front Royal Statement. Perhaps among these questions should be whether the near-universal adoption of coeducational schooling has served the distinct educational needs of...

After the Enthronement: Living the Sacred Heart Devotion as a Family

Many Catholic families have welcomed the Sacred Heart of Jesus into their homes through an enthronement ceremony. Others have participated in parish consecrations or renewed personal acts of devotion during the month of June. These are beautiful practices, but they naturally raise an important quest...

The Life and Death of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko

A Visitor from Heaven, Part I: Apparitions in Northern Italy Last year, in remote Poland, an intriguing book appeared around private apparitions of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko. This publication may serve as a spiritual guide for all who desire to enter through the narrow gate and live forever with Jes...