Friday Links
October 27, 2023
Homage to Søren Kierkegaard
The Vocation of the Catholic Artist by Cindy Hernandez Mathis
Mary Eberstadt: Catholics Against Antisemitism: Now More Than Ever
The Greatest Story Never Told by Luke Dittrich
Life at the Center: A Pro-Life Statement
Luke Coppen on Fr Marko Rupnik incardinated in Slovenian diocese
Homage to Søren Kierkegaard
On Monday, October 30, Wiseblood Books will release the poetry anthology, Homage to Søren Kierkegaard. Last year, when DT put out a call for poems in response to the writings of Søren Kierkegaard, over 200 writers sent in their work. Dana Gioia and Mary Grace Mangano did the difficult work of choosing the poems, all of which are collected in this lovely anthology. The book is available for pre-order from Wiseblood Books for only $12, and includes an introduction by Dana Gioia. You can listen to Paul Pastor read his poem, “That Which Cannot Rest Content,” HERE.
The Vocation of the Catholic Artist by Cindy Hernandez Mathis
Mathis writes that, “[t]here is an urgent need for new grassroots institutions in the Church that feed the soul through the creation and enjoyment of art.” The NYC-based ArtHouse2B is one of those organizations trying to do just that. In this essay, Mathis discusses a few of the recent projects ArtHouse2B has showcased. They recently hosted our very own Katy Carl and it was lovely. (More to follow on that event next week.)
Mary Eberstadt: Catholics Against Antisemitism: Now More Than Ever
Eberstadt writes about the “Nostra Aetate and the Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations at a Time of Rising Antisemitism” Conference that took place this week at Franciscan University.
In a day when other initiatives marching under the Catholic banner confuse, and sometimes dismay, the faithful, this conference represents an opportunity to opt for clarity and solidarity over confusion and division. In sum, its participants will try to do what we’re supposed to do: defend the faith and its implications for Catholics and Jews with high spirits and without apology — because that’s what being Catholic means.
The Greatest Story Never Told by Luke Dittrich
Incredible must-read about the kid Flannery O’Connor used to babysit and his adventures in Hollywood.
Life at the Center: A Pro-Life Statement
This statement asks, and answers, these fundamental questions:
“Thus, how can we advance anew a Catholic vision of the human person and of the integral social doctrine of the Church? How can we advance a culture that places “life at the center,” so that the respect and protection of innocent human life at all stages are understood to be of fundamental and irreplaceable importance, even as we are motivated by a wider concern for the common good of society?”
Luke Coppen on Fr Marko Rupnik incardinated in Slovenian diocese
When I first saw this I thought it said “incarcerated” and that justice had, finally, been served . . . In this piece for The Pillar, Coppen tells the story of Rupnik’s move to a new diocese, as well as details of some of the allegations against him.
In 2018, a group of young Catholics penned an open letter, a plea, to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, begging that the sexual abuse crisis be meet not with more cover-ups and collusion, not with more tolerance and transfers, not with more clerical sin and scandal, but with a “cleansing fire.” The letter was written in response to the “predatory carreer” of Theodore McCarrick and the malfeasance that allowed him to exponentially damage the Church and her faithful. Five years later and not much has changed. The “cleansing fire” seems to have missed the chancery offices. Yes, God is merciful, but mercy will not stay his hand forever. All sexual abuse is an abomination that cries out for justice. When it is committed by priests, men whose charism is to bring Christ to us, it is especially wicked. These men have made “a holy place desolate.” They have closed their ears to our pleas and their hearts to the Lord they serve. What can we, the laity, do? What can all of the good priests do? We are beyond letters, I think. We must double down on the old ways—prayer, fasting, abstinence. We must cleanse our own hearts and open our own ears to the word of God and the cries of the victims. We must turn all of our efforts towards doing good and being good.
