Nathaniel Peters

A reader writes: Most have heard of G.K. Chesterton’s explanation for why he became a Catholic, a mischievous (and, of course, paradoxical) tale about a stolen umbrella whose punchline goes something like: ” I am a Catholic because the Catholic Church is a Church of sinners and I am a . . . . Continue Reading »

Today marks the death of Hildegard von Bingen, one of the greatest women of history. Receiving next to no formal education in her youth, she became a polymath and the author of books on herbal medicine, the natural sciences, theology, and music. Hildegard invented her own alphabet. She composed . . . . Continue Reading »

A new hymn for the new messiah, courtesy of Mark Shea : I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All the sick and unemployed, My hand will save. I, the last, best hope on earth, I’ll increase our nation’s worth. I will make our planet heal I promise change . . . Chorus: . . . . Continue Reading »

From the September issue of Magnificat : The miniature is part of a manuscript, a psalter/hymnal destined for the liturgical use of monks, which dates back to the 1040s and belonged to the monastery of Saint-Germain-des-Prés before its acquisition in 1795 by the National Library of . . . . Continue Reading »

I know it’s the middle of Pentecost/Ordinary Time, but I’ve been itching for some spice to the liturgical season. Yesterday I noticed that I was humming “Sing ye to the Lord,” a marvelous piece of English choral music by Sir Edward Bairstow. Here’s a recording from . . . . Continue Reading »

It looks like politicians are the same in Australia too. . . . . Continue Reading »

After watching clips of Charles Gibson’s interview with Sarah Palin, my impressions were similar to those of Ross Douthat and Clive Crook at the Atlantic . But if Mark Levin’s website is accurate, there were some passages where Palin showed greater depth and subtlety that were edited . . . . Continue Reading »

Those are good finds , Keith. If we leave aside the patently false assertions about book banning and evolution, and the misinterpretation of Palin’s remarks at her former church, we can focus on Doniger’s remarks on womanhood. Doniger articulates beliefs that many pro-choice people . . . . Continue Reading »

The Wall Street Journal has a collection of recent writings against Trig Palin, or more specifically against Sarah Palin for giving birth to Trig. I had suspected that many in the media felt threatened by a mother who would give birth to a son with Downs, but Salon’s Cintra Wilson takes the . . . . Continue Reading »

Last January we published Jason Byasee’s ” Not Your Father’s Pornography .” This week, another FT contributor, Ross Douthat, has a piece at the Atlantic (where he is a senior editor) asking whether using pornography is adultery . The piece catalogs the rise not only in the . . . . Continue Reading »