Faithful Friday: Princess Anna Vsevolodna
In the early 9th century, Princess Anna Vsevolodna was born into prominent status as the daughter of Kievan Great Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich and granddaughter of the Byzantine Emperor.
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Faithful Friday: St Narcissus
St. Narcissus’ origins are lost to history, but he was born at the end of the first century and was appointed as the thirtieth bishop of Jerusalem around 180AD. He was known for his many virtues and his dedication to his office. During his episcopacy, there was a year that the church ran out of lamp oil.
Read MoreIn The Name Of Our Princess, Snow White
By T.K. Wilson … There was a dear old lady, who could never remember my name, yet she loved my brother and I, and she called me Little Snow White because of my long dark hair (not black, but very close) and pale complexion. It wouldn’t be until I was an adult that I would bear that nickname as a true badge of honor.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: John Ball
An obscure man from an obscure parish who was content to be forgotten, John Ball was born in Cassington, Oxfordshire, in October 1585.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: Theodore Beza
Theodore de Beze was born on June 24, 1519, in Vezelay, France. He studied to be a lawyer then set up practice in Paris, where he also wrote poetry. At one point he became very ill and, once he recovered, he sought out the famous reformation leader John Calvin, who was living in Geneva, Switzerland. There, Beza became a professor of Greek, then he travelled Europe preaching the Protestant cause.
Read MoreSometimes Love Isn’t Enough
By T.K. Wilson (Rated G) I’ve been noticing a trend in Western cartoons, the trend of the “misunderstood” villain. You know the ones, the ones who have such sad reasons for being bad you feel like they’re almost justified in their actions. Almost. There’s a difference here between a character like Mr. Freeze, who was […]
Read MoreFaithful Friday: Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto was, in many ways, the pivotal moment of this ongoing strife. There was much at stake, particularly as the number of Christian hostages had accumulated astronomically over the years.
Read MoreBeauty, Beast, and Faerie
By T.K. Wilson … When we find a benevolent Faerie King in stories or literature, he is usually presiding over a bountiful feast in the midst of endless summer. Like our friend the Beast, he makes the stranger welcome and gives him the finest of everything, even favorites of the guest.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: St. Wenceslaus
“Good King Wenceslaus” is largely remembered today in the old Christmas carol that actually takes place on the second day of Christmas – December 26th, St. Stephen’s Day. In the song, Wenceslaus is revered as kind, gracious, courageous, and persevering. The real Wenceslaus, a prince of Bohemia, was born around the year 903AD to Duke Wratislaw (son of the devout Princess Ludmilla) and his wife Dragomir.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: John Henry Newman
One of the most influential figures in both high-church Anglicanism and Catholicism, John Henry Newman was born in the city of London in the year 1801. His father, John, was a banker. The eldest of six, Newman was brought up a Calvinist and eventually went to Trinity College to complete his education as an Anglican priest.
Read MoreCommunication Without Tongues Part IV: On Writing, Vulnerability, and Matt Fradd
By Cordelia Fitzgerald … Writing is really such a vulnerable sport! Up until the advent of records, a passing, but regrettable, utterance from an unfortunate individual would probably be forgotten. Alternatively, it could be passed from mouth to mouth, but would probably die out within a generation or two. Enter writing.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: Nicetas the Goth
Nicetas (also spelled Niketas) was a member of the Gothic people and lived near the Danube River in what is now Romania. We do not know under what circumstances Nicetas was brought to the Christian faith, but we do know he was baptized by Bishop Theophilis of the Goths.
Read MoreTea for Texas
By Lawrence “Mack in Texas” Hall … Bubba Ebarb, of happy memory, required certain specific performances for his several successful restaurants. One of his rules was that the iced tea would never reach the old age of one hour before it was tossed and replaced with a fresh brewing of the refreshing leaf.
Read MoreFellowship, Friendship, Brotherhood
By Amanda Pizzolatto … J. R. R. Tolkien has gone down in history as one of the greatest minds in literature. He single handedly created a brand new language, complete with the grammar and vocabulary rules. He then created a world for this language, followed by some myths and stories. But the one line that will forever be connected to him was “In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit.” And the rest is, of course, history.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: Frédéric Ozanam
This realization spurred these students towards serving the impoverished around them, namely in the establishment of the Conference of Charity, later called the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, after Ozanam’s role model.
Read MoreFaithful Friday: St. Simeon Stylites
Also known as St. Simeon the Elder, Simeon was born circa 390 in Sisan, Cilicia (modern Syria) to Sisotian and Martha. Simeon became a monk at the age of eighteen…
Read MoreFaithful Friday: St. Simeon Stylites
Also known as St. Simeon the Elder, Simeon was born circa 390 in Sisan, Cilicia (modern Syria) to Sisotian and Martha. Simeon became a monk at the age of eighteen…
Read MoreFIFA FO FUM
By Lawrence “Mack in Texas” Hall … Association football, aka soccer, aka football, is said to be “the sweet sport,” though no one seems to know why. Soccer is nominally a healthy youth sport in which teams of young men and women kick a round ball and occasionally each other, but what one observes in the FIFA World Cup is a sour political mess of grownups acting like children without any positive role models.
Read MoreRiding to the Sound of the Guns
By Lawrence “Mack in Texas” Hall … In Texas most firefighters are unpaid volunteers, a rare contradiction to the axiom that you get what you pay for. Volunteer firefighters don’t get paid nothin’, but their names are written large on the scroll of Texas heroes.
Read MoreJordan Peterson, Pope Francis, and Social Justice: The New Doctrine of the Nicolaitans?
By Ruth Amsden … A recent disagreement between Dr. Jordan Peterson and Pope Francis left me feeling thoughtful. I was raised in an extremely anti-Catholic fundamentalist Christian sect, but have since come to cherish my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. I have also, through long acquaintance with his work, come to cherish Dr. Peterson and his dear wife, Tammy.
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