If you want to revitalize a Roman Catholic parish, here’s what you have to do: Priests (and when applicable, deacons): 1) Offer frequent times for Confession, and no, not just “by appointment”. “But why would I offer more confession times when people barely come to our Saturday half hour slot?” Just offer it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen priests increase the opportunities for Confession even when it wasn’t in response to a demand, and somehow, people not only started filling up the Saturday time slot, but the others, as well! 2) Offer the traditional Latin Mass, if possible. If not, offer the Novus Ordo as reverently as possible, by following the GIRM and infusing within it any traditional elements, as allowed. The Mass is the most important part of a priest’s life, and its worthy celebration will pay dividends for the life of your local parish. Move away from the 4-hymn sandwich. Prioritize a schola cantorum and the organ. If you can’t yet sing the Propers in Latin, sing them in English! 3) Offer perpetual Eucharistic adoration, if possible. If not, offer Eucharistic adoration frequently. Many people think that the key to fixing a parish is by implementing programs, doing all sorts of activities. There is no pastoral plan greater than the worship and praise of the LORD in the Blessed Sacrament. Put that first, and watch everything fall into place. 4) Preach brief, often, and well. The brevity of homilies allows for people to grasp 1-2 concepts clearly. Info-dumping everything you learned in seminary is not going to result in a successful take-home message. But preach whenever possible: at baptisms, funerals, daily Mass, parish Vespers. Work on your Sunday homily throughout the week. Pray on it. Consult secondary literature, such as biblical commentaries. Don’t avoid preaching on controversial topics. 5) Offer opportunities for parish fellowship. In between Sunday Masses, have coffee and social time. Be present for it. Promote it! In an era dominated by the digital, these sorts of in-person experiences allow authentic community to develop. Young adult (18-30) groups are great. Think also of marriage & family apostolates. For laity: 1) Show up. Obviously, go to Sunday Mass. But as your schedule allows, attend parish lectures, Bible study, Lauds/Vespers, bazaars and festivals, etc. The American Catholic’s social life was once dominated by the parish. I think it’s time we bring that back. 2) Tithe, donate money, time, and your talents. As appropriate to your current situation, make financial sacrifices to allow the parish to continue its work. Don’t just throw $5 in the basket if you’re driving a Tesla Model X. A good rule of thumb: if you’re spending more money on fast food every month than you are in the collection basket, it’s time to reevaluate your discretionary income. 3) Join parish organizations, like the Knights of Columbus, choir, CCD/Faith formation. Many of the Millennial generation grew up thinking “eh that’s the stuff for the older people.” That’s how these things die (also, we’re starting to become those “older people”). Ask your pastor where your talents meet the parish’s needs. 4) Love your priest (even if you don’t like him!) Do not treat your priest like a sacramental dispenser. Find out his birthday, interests, favorite food. Invite him over for a family dinner or take him out to lunch. While respecting proper boundaries, invite him into your life as an important person. Thank him, and pray for him! 5) Invite someone to Mass with you: a friend, coworker, or even a stranger. You are the primary agent by which the parish engages the world. “Come and see” ___ Certainly, there are more ways to revitalize a Roman Catholic parish, so feel free to list them below. But in every healthy parish I’ve seen, these elements were present. As our Western culture continues to decline and fragment, the parish might be one of the few places we can rebuild it. 📍 Mission San Rafael Arcángel, California

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: Pope Leo XIV is a man of deep prayer and love for Christ and His Church. He is also a man who understands the dignity proper to the papal office, and embraces it as a gift to be shared with the universal Church. May God protect our pope!

"It seemed certain that at the moment when the Kingdom of heaven would come to touch the earth, it would immediately burst the fragile envelope of time, dissipate sorrow, cast out death, “make all things new,” (Rev. 21:5) and transfigure the universe. Indeed, should it descend for anything other than this? But, behold, on the contrary, that its power is covered with signs of weakness and its grandeur with signs of humility. Behold that its eternity slips silently under the unchanged bark of time. Behold that its felicity is immersed in the very ocean of our trials. It was made so as to disperse suffering, temptations, and death, and behold that it chooses to live in the midst of them so as to tame them, seeking not—alas!—to eliminate them but only to illuminate them. The law of its radiation ought to be a law of the glorious transfiguration and behold that it wishes to be first of all and for long centuries only a law of sorrowful sanctification. We expected it in its radiance as the heavenly kingdom in paradise, and behold that it has come to us with the traits of a pilgrim and crucified kingdom." - Journet, Church of the Word Incarnate, vol. 4, p. 979

Important here to note: this took place during a Mass attended by students from the original Chesterton Academy. The Sacred Liturgy is essential to a Catholic school. How beautiful it is that these students witnessed the devotion of a priest who truly loves our Eucharistic Lord.

Welcome to America, where the juror who votes to convict a woman of child murder is more severely criticized than than the mother who commits the crime.

Here are the facts: 5 of 268 active U.S. Catholic bishops are black— about 1.9%. Only between 2 and 5% of U.S. Catholics are black (depending if you count the full diaspora). The ratio isn’t too far off. Moreover, the Catholic laity aren’t in charge of choosing bishops! So he’s essentially accusing his brother bishops, the nuncio, and maybe even the pope (!) of “racism.” That’s extremely irresponsible. I think the vast majority of practicing Catholics care less about what race their bishop is, and more about how Catholic they truly are.

Unpopular opinion, but the ubiquity of dogs everywhere in our society—restaurants, schools, stores, and airplanes—is a sign of a decaying society. I don’t care about your “fur baby.” We need to bring back excluding pets from most social situations, and telling these people “no.”

For those keeping score at home: You can be an Austrian Catholic theologian and argue for women’s ordination, contraception, and same-sex “blessings” —but if you criticize liberalism, you lose your teaching position. I’m not even an integralist, but this is absurd.

In some ways, “travel” has become an idol for our age. While I think it’s good to visit and learn about other cultures, many Millennials/Gen Z have turned it into a personality trait, when in reality, all of their “travel” is simply a manifestation of consumeristic narcissism.

"Just think, my dear ladies, of how many mentally disturbed women we are going to have in the United States in the next 10 or 15 years when the guilt of abortion begins to attack the mind and soul." Archbishop Fulton Sheen was prophetic.

There are few places where you can witness the consequences of Original Sin quite like a Costco on a Saturday morning.

From today’s First Friday traditional Latin Mass at our Catholic classical school—the best thing to exist in the Bay Area. Newman-Guide recommended, deeply Catholic in word and practice: Stella Maris Academy is an amazing place for Catholic families and employees alike. A truly integrated, holistic, virtue-based, contemplative curriculum centered on truth, goodness, and beauty. Allegiance to Jesus Christ and His Church. A place where scholars and saints are formed. You want to take the culture back? This is how you start.

“Locus iste a Deo factus est, inaestimabile sacramentum; irrephensibilis est.” “This place was made by God, a priceless sacrament; it is without reproach.” From today’s First Friday traditional Latin Mass at our Catholic classical school—the best thing to exist in the Bay Area.

It only took 40 years for “Burning Man” to go from symbolic countercultural witness to cringe, consumeristic, influencer-slop. If you truly want to be countercultural in 2026, simply go to church, marry a person of the opposite sex, and have children.

I think social media and the Francis papacy destroyed some people’s brains. While it is true that sometimes, statements made by recent popes seem to emphasize material goods over and against spiritual goods, we should not overcorrect and thus act like the former has nothing to do with the Christian life. Our Lord performed healings of both a physical and spiritual nature. Just because the spiritual has a priority over the physical doesn’t mean the latter has no value. Yes, popes should talk about sin and grace, virtue and vice, salvation and damnation. But praying for “our daily bread” (or in this case, water) isn’t antithetical to our salvation! The early Church understood well the essential link between the needs of the body and the needs of the soul. The Church Fathers are constantly warning about the need to perform spiritual AND corporal works of mercy. Praying for access to clean drinking water IN NO WAY competes with our access and living out of the purifying waters of baptism. “Uh praying for access to drinking water? How about access to THE SACRAMENTS?” is a low-IQ response to a legitimate prayer intention. The fear that every pope is somehow this globalist NGO Freemason because he *checks notes* prays for us to be good stewards of the earth’s natural resources is absolutely irrational. At some point, trads need to abandon the constant hermeneutic of suspicion and do what St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us: to assume the good will (and best possible interpretation) of others. Of course, we should be cautious against focusing solely on the material goods. But in our effort to be traditional Catholics, we shouldn’t turn into reactionary Docetists, who think how we engage the physical world is irrelevant to the life of the soul.

I’m going to create the Five Pillars of San Francisco’s Holy List: 1. Charity: loving God above all things and loving our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God 2. Hope: desiring the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, trusting in Christ’s promises 3. Faith: believing in God and all that He has revealed 4. Chastity: loving others in true freedom and self-master 5. Justice: perfecting the will by rendering to God and neighbor what is due

When speaking about the Lindsay Clancy trial, we need to keep in mind the following points: 1) Murder is always evil. 2) While certain conditions can mitigate the culpability of a moral action, we should not assume that a person loses all personal agency. The conditions contextualizing the action should be investigated, not just based on "vibes" or horoscopes. 3) Compassion for mothers who are struggling must be balanced with justice for lives destroyed by murder 4) "I did my own research" usually means "I watched a bunch of TikTok videos", and should not be confused for actual expertise on the subject matter. 5) Arguably just as disturbing as the actions of Lindsay Clancy herself is the sheer amount of mass psychosis going on in this country among terminally-online women committed to a post-truth narrative in which "the husband did it" (he didn't), "the system failed her" (actually, she failed the system), and that mental health struggles somehow absolve a person from any responsibility of their actions (they don't). Much of the toxic Lindsay Clancy discourse can be solved by pointing to the above points. If you see any of the Clancy Craziness™ in the wild, feel free to direct them to this post.

Things that will be high-status coded in the next 5 years: 1) not having tattoos 2) sending your children to classical, low-tech schools 3) not using AI to write What else am I missing?

TikTok hit mothers like smallpox hit the New World. The craving for attention and validation, the suspension of any prudence and discernment—so many modern women have sold their souls to the Almighty Algorithm. We are witnessing the destruction of human nature in real-time.

I will probably get flak by some people in my trad circles for saying this, but I’m very pleased and optimistic with Pope Leo XIV. Since his election, I can’t help but trust he is the right person to lead Catholics at this time. After the Francis pontificate, Leo provides a real sense of unity and peace to a divided Church. - on the traditional Latin Mass, he has shown a fatherly solicitude to making TLM-attendees feel heard - on moral issues, he stands by the Catechism and synthesizes the best of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis - he is deeply prayerful and spiritual, showing a deep respect for the Petrine office and traditions Yes, I know he’s not “Pope BasedCrusader1096”. He’s not condemning his predecessor. He’s not promoting all of the trad interests. He’s not trying to undo Vatican II. And he isn’t micromanaging bad bishops, as much as we wish he would. But the fact that Pope Leo is as good as he is DESPITE studying where he did from 1977 - 1982 shows that he isn’t an ideologue. Catholic Theological Union and religious life in the 1970’s was absolutely wild. Despite this, Leo is not some sort of progressive radical trying to tear down the Church. He’s a man of deep faith and love for the Church. I can’t help but think that if we got an Athanasius Schneider as pope, the cause of traditional Catholicism would be seen as merely a partisan thing, akin to going from Obama to Trump. Instead, I think traditional Catholicism will enter the mainstream through a gradual fine-tuning of Vatican II’s reception, and the eventual takeover of the hierarchy by priests who were formed by Newman Guide schools, EWTN, and a “reform of the reform”. I think this Leonine papacy will somehow serve as a bridge to this revitalization rather than as its adversary. Pope Leo is our pope, and I pray for him daily. Trads shouldn’t fall for clickbait and controversial headlines. Anyone capable of discernment can see that Leo knows and loves Christ and His Church. And ultimately, that is the entire foundation of the papacy.

Anyone who has studied Vatican 2 knows that the Council’s call for liturgical reform and the Consilium’s resulting work are not the same. If anything, the TLM as celebrated today reflects the desires of Sacrosanctum Concilium more than the felt banner parish blasting the St. Louis Jesuits’ discography. Insofar as it has been promulgated by the pope, the Novus Ordo is legitimate and valid. But we are not required to believe it is the *best* or most ideal form of the Roman Rite. We should, of course, listen to the Holy Father about how it ought to be celebrated. That said, we are not forbidden from criticizing elements of the modern rite. After all, if the Consilium weren’t forbidden from pointing out perceived “defects” in the traditional Latin Mass, why would we be forbidden from pointing out limitations of the Novus Ordo?