May the patron of the Church and the Terror of demons, Holy Saint Joseph, intervene. You had me at YouTube, Bishop Barron & merch. I do fear that our society has devolved into an illiterate non-thinking money hungry idiots. I’m tired of it. I have no doubt these two were products of the demonic Life Teen program, which I hope you will one day cover. Their comparison wasn’t inviting or thought provoking. It was cheap, vulgar and immature. Satan entices while Christ invites. Christ has no interest in selling key chains or weird rings. He does, however, want to transform your life with grace, beauty, truth and goodness. It’s not an easy road that can be easily accomplished by cosplaying 20th century literary figures. This while thing is scandalous!
Meet the molester Dale Fushek, who was vocations director in the Diocese of Phoenix in the early 1990s, and told me, when I talked of my conversion & desire to bring people to the Faith , lisped “well that sounds rather *heavy* — being a priest is about *people*”. Preferably stripped to the waste teen males. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/14641/lifeteen-founder-msgr-dale-fushek-excommunicated
Yeah, he runs a “Praise and Worship Center”, your basic non-denomination junk prayer and singing nonsense. I want to go on their site and ask them how many teen boyfriends Fr Dale has these days.
The cosplaying is really reaching ridiculous levels. It's all about being obsessed with the aesthetic of some idealized time period (which is nothing other than a fantasy) as a form of escapism, rather than doing the hard work of actually living a Christian life in 2025 and facing real problems head-on.
"You don’t compare the Mass, a reenactment of Calvary, the unbloody Sacrifice, the worship offered by Christ to the Father, to a woman’s body, let alone a sexualized object of male fantasy."
You can when what you have as a reference point is the Novus Ordo, which was never actually seen by its creators as the re-presentation of Christ's Sacrifice to the Father in expiation for our sins.
I myself am not Catholic, but I have observed these very things in Novus Ordo communities. I could never describe it, but you explained what I was observing and put it into perfect words. Thank you.
Great article, and right over the target. Matt Fraud has way too many pints eons ago when he interviewed Christopher West who "unpacked" JPII's "Theology of the Body", where eroticism was conflated with Sanctifying Grace. Miss Happy Catholic does the same thing, as an Evangelist for the new Gospa that The Marital Embrace is a source of Sanctifying Grace. Ugh.
So yes, like Cigar Smoking Ryan Grant on the RunDown, Fraud and his partners want to try and meld the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Apostolic Tradition with the Heresies- and let's be blunt about it, because that is EXACTLY what they are- of Vatican II, and the Abomination of Desolation.
The French Revolution started with the naked truth of their absolutely hostility to all things Catholic and Cultural, but then learned to play Dress Up. Pius XI noted the same thing about the Communists and the Russian Revolution of 1917. Now, the Vatican II Church is doing the same thing. Back in the 1970's, the "Renewal wanted to smash and destroy everything. Gregorian Chant was replaced with guitars. Fine art was replaced by tacky banners of butterflies. Statues were replaced with felt banners of stick figures and the sacred actions of the Mass were replaced by the maudlin and clowns.
But by 1985, things began to change. A new generation of priests wanted to have more "reverent" liturgies, if only to help that sagging bottom line. And in 1988 JP2's Moto Proprio paved the way for the union of Vatican II and Pre-Conciliar Bells and Smells. Just give your pinch of incense to the Revolution, Traditional Catholics, and you can have all your claptrap.
Back in those days, the SSPX vehemently disagreed with this mentality, and rightfully branded the FSSP as Traitors and Sellouts. And then, after 2000, the SSPX softened, and is now what the FSSP was in the '90's. And nobody wants to tell the obvious truth because they want to be recognized by the Establishment.
Well, it's like I told my Bogus Ordo Pastor back in 1984: I would rather be in a church with 12 people who truly have the faith than one packed with 1200 lukewarm souls who are trying to have one foot in the church and the other in the modern world.
The SSPX gave its pinch of incense under the leadership of Bishop Fellay. The reason is because to not do so is to admit the Sedevacantists are correct. And that is what the SSPX wants to avoid at all costs.
This entire phenomenon is nauseating -- bodybuilder priests, man to man godly talk over cigars and tumblers of whisky, "catholic" clergy reviewing Hollywood movies, and every form of carnival barkers' click-bait.
But don't miss the following book, recommended by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski. No, it is not parody. Read every word of the blurb for: "12 Rules for Manliness. Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?"
Wayback in the day, as a little kid, I recognized excellence in the Church. I'm not seeing it much today. Thanks for this. Made me uneasy, like watching bad actors.
Subscribed to Fradd's podcast five or six years ago. After a couple of episodes, he hosted two kids, recent graduates from nearby Franciscan University Steubenville (yikes!), who spent the hour demeaning the Catholic faith with tired canards like "Those horrible nuns from grade school" and joking about the sacrament of Confession. Yeah, no. I couldn't hit the Unsubscribe button fast enough.
On another note, your "Performative masculinity" observation w/r/t cigars is right on the mark. Who of us wasn't guilty of this in our college days? But for Fradd, a supposedly mature, disciplined middle aged adult male, to use this cliche' vanity to attract young men to his brand is the mark of a huckster, not an evangelist. Unfortunately, many prominent "brand name" Catholic priests and seculars on the podcast/author circuit have copied this "cigar and bourbon" schtick. One hopes our young men will outgrow the fad, as did we. But speaking from my own son's personal experience, even our bishops and vocation directors are applying the tobacco and whiskey sales pitch in their outreach meetings and dinners [double face palm]. For now, the performative has hijacked the informative.
A lot of these influencers have built up personality cults. I’m very leery of them. They move from being Christ centered to being self centered. They play dress up with Catholic traditions and devotions: “hey look at my $300.00 Rosary and my merino wool Brown Scapular which can be yours for a donation of $100.00.”
I tuned away from Catholic Nancies when they were adopting the nonsense like “proselytism is not evangelization” and of course “It’s above my pay grade” when manifest heresies were being peddled by Bergie’s stooges. Of course it’s never “above their pay grade” when it comes to excommunicating us with their Junior Pope Deputy Brigade certificates.
May the patron of the Church and the Terror of demons, Holy Saint Joseph, intervene. You had me at YouTube, Bishop Barron & merch. I do fear that our society has devolved into an illiterate non-thinking money hungry idiots. I’m tired of it. I have no doubt these two were products of the demonic Life Teen program, which I hope you will one day cover. Their comparison wasn’t inviting or thought provoking. It was cheap, vulgar and immature. Satan entices while Christ invites. Christ has no interest in selling key chains or weird rings. He does, however, want to transform your life with grace, beauty, truth and goodness. It’s not an easy road that can be easily accomplished by cosplaying 20th century literary figures. This while thing is scandalous!
Cannot stand Life-Teen!
Meet the molester Dale Fushek, who was vocations director in the Diocese of Phoenix in the early 1990s, and told me, when I talked of my conversion & desire to bring people to the Faith , lisped “well that sounds rather *heavy* — being a priest is about *people*”. Preferably stripped to the waste teen males. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/14641/lifeteen-founder-msgr-dale-fushek-excommunicated
Yep. I think he apostatized.
Yeah, he runs a “Praise and Worship Center”, your basic non-denomination junk prayer and singing nonsense. I want to go on their site and ask them how many teen boyfriends Fr Dale has these days.
The cosplaying is really reaching ridiculous levels. It's all about being obsessed with the aesthetic of some idealized time period (which is nothing other than a fantasy) as a form of escapism, rather than doing the hard work of actually living a Christian life in 2025 and facing real problems head-on.
"You don’t compare the Mass, a reenactment of Calvary, the unbloody Sacrifice, the worship offered by Christ to the Father, to a woman’s body, let alone a sexualized object of male fantasy."
You can when what you have as a reference point is the Novus Ordo, which was never actually seen by its creators as the re-presentation of Christ's Sacrifice to the Father in expiation for our sins.
Sweetly cutting and all too true: "offering postures of resistance to a Church they are still desperate to be validated by".
I myself am not Catholic, but I have observed these very things in Novus Ordo communities. I could never describe it, but you explained what I was observing and put it into perfect words. Thank you.
Great article, and right over the target. Matt Fraud has way too many pints eons ago when he interviewed Christopher West who "unpacked" JPII's "Theology of the Body", where eroticism was conflated with Sanctifying Grace. Miss Happy Catholic does the same thing, as an Evangelist for the new Gospa that The Marital Embrace is a source of Sanctifying Grace. Ugh.
So yes, like Cigar Smoking Ryan Grant on the RunDown, Fraud and his partners want to try and meld the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Apostolic Tradition with the Heresies- and let's be blunt about it, because that is EXACTLY what they are- of Vatican II, and the Abomination of Desolation.
The French Revolution started with the naked truth of their absolutely hostility to all things Catholic and Cultural, but then learned to play Dress Up. Pius XI noted the same thing about the Communists and the Russian Revolution of 1917. Now, the Vatican II Church is doing the same thing. Back in the 1970's, the "Renewal wanted to smash and destroy everything. Gregorian Chant was replaced with guitars. Fine art was replaced by tacky banners of butterflies. Statues were replaced with felt banners of stick figures and the sacred actions of the Mass were replaced by the maudlin and clowns.
But by 1985, things began to change. A new generation of priests wanted to have more "reverent" liturgies, if only to help that sagging bottom line. And in 1988 JP2's Moto Proprio paved the way for the union of Vatican II and Pre-Conciliar Bells and Smells. Just give your pinch of incense to the Revolution, Traditional Catholics, and you can have all your claptrap.
Back in those days, the SSPX vehemently disagreed with this mentality, and rightfully branded the FSSP as Traitors and Sellouts. And then, after 2000, the SSPX softened, and is now what the FSSP was in the '90's. And nobody wants to tell the obvious truth because they want to be recognized by the Establishment.
Well, it's like I told my Bogus Ordo Pastor back in 1984: I would rather be in a church with 12 people who truly have the faith than one packed with 1200 lukewarm souls who are trying to have one foot in the church and the other in the modern world.
The SSPX gave its pinch of incense under the leadership of Bishop Fellay. The reason is because to not do so is to admit the Sedevacantists are correct. And that is what the SSPX wants to avoid at all costs.
As we're told, you'll know them by their fruits....
Boys playing at being men, under the cover of “religion”, for money. Well said.
This entire phenomenon is nauseating -- bodybuilder priests, man to man godly talk over cigars and tumblers of whisky, "catholic" clergy reviewing Hollywood movies, and every form of carnival barkers' click-bait.
But don't miss the following book, recommended by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski. No, it is not parody. Read every word of the blurb for: "12 Rules for Manliness. Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?"
https://bookshop.org/p/books/rules-of-manliness-bear-woznick/18771108?ean=9781644136362&next=t&aid=105365&listref=books-for-manliness&next=t
Wayback in the day, as a little kid, I recognized excellence in the Church. I'm not seeing it much today. Thanks for this. Made me uneasy, like watching bad actors.
“Chesterton and Tolkien are name-dropped as lifestyle brands.”
Zing! And please pronounce it “Tol-keen.”
Subscribed to Fradd's podcast five or six years ago. After a couple of episodes, he hosted two kids, recent graduates from nearby Franciscan University Steubenville (yikes!), who spent the hour demeaning the Catholic faith with tired canards like "Those horrible nuns from grade school" and joking about the sacrament of Confession. Yeah, no. I couldn't hit the Unsubscribe button fast enough.
On another note, your "Performative masculinity" observation w/r/t cigars is right on the mark. Who of us wasn't guilty of this in our college days? But for Fradd, a supposedly mature, disciplined middle aged adult male, to use this cliche' vanity to attract young men to his brand is the mark of a huckster, not an evangelist. Unfortunately, many prominent "brand name" Catholic priests and seculars on the podcast/author circuit have copied this "cigar and bourbon" schtick. One hopes our young men will outgrow the fad, as did we. But speaking from my own son's personal experience, even our bishops and vocation directors are applying the tobacco and whiskey sales pitch in their outreach meetings and dinners [double face palm]. For now, the performative has hijacked the informative.
“… theological clarity of the Roman tradition.”
Come on. Puhleeeze. Dig a bit deeper and stop mindlessly repeating Tradcat Papal Mantras which have no connection with reality.
https://youtu.be/poANisTt_EI?si=V1Al48bYWmyudzpp
Er...Orthodox... er...shill alert!
A lot of these influencers have built up personality cults. I’m very leery of them. They move from being Christ centered to being self centered. They play dress up with Catholic traditions and devotions: “hey look at my $300.00 Rosary and my merino wool Brown Scapular which can be yours for a donation of $100.00.”
No thanks.
I tuned away from Catholic Nancies when they were adopting the nonsense like “proselytism is not evangelization” and of course “It’s above my pay grade” when manifest heresies were being peddled by Bergie’s stooges. Of course it’s never “above their pay grade” when it comes to excommunicating us with their Junior Pope Deputy Brigade certificates.
There is nothing more cringe-worthy than such performative masculinity on the Internet.
what is considered a “sexy” woman? lol