The Narthex

In Part 1 (linked below) I discussed Pope Leo's plans to continue to live in community as pope, St. Augustine's description of friendship, short biographies of two friends with whom he did not live in community, and the communities of Cassiciacum, where he prepared for baptism, and Thagaste, his hometown…

Pope Leo XIV is the first member of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) to serve as pope. This Order follows the short “Rule of St. Augustine” written by St. Augustine about 400 A.D.[i] Augustinian friars live in community. Upon his election, Pope Leo announced that he would…

Timothy Reichert’s “Christian Ownership Maximalism” is an original article (linked below) in the December 2025 issue of First Things. It deserves wide readership, thorough debate, and I’d argue adoption in Catholic circles. Christendom as we have known it -- whether the religiously suffused culture of medieval Europe or the ethnic…

A few weeks ago, the Missionary of Charity Brothers celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their presence in Los Angeles. First, a bit of history. With the blessing of their foundress Mother Teresa, in 1966 Br. Andrew (originally a Jesuit priest) began his service as co-founder of the Congregation, centered in…

Recently I wrote about what I call “food gentrification,” the displacement by grocers of staples for “foodie” treats, and its adverse impact on prices. My comments centered on a New York Times story lauding the “comeback” of bakeries offering niche (and premium-priced) novelties, one baker touting the fact that he…

A peculiar subset of modern moral corrosion is metal theft: the stealing of objects ranging from manhole covers to fire hydrants to be sold as scrap metal. Copper currently sells in the $4.60–$4.70 per pound range, making it a tempting target. What might look like petty crime is, in fact,…

“What? Curiosity is a sin”? I waited quietly. “Nonsense,” says my dear wife. “I won’t bother reading any more of this blather.” My response: “Well, don’t you wonder why the op-ed guy claims it is?” Privately, I lamented her reigned-in curiosity. But my curiosity was piqued, so I decided to…

Here in Inglewood, and in many areas of greater Los Angeles, we deal with a perplexing urban phenomenon: coyotes, sometimes in packs, prowl about at night and in the early morning. They’re hunting small animals, often rodents and cats. Nobody knows why the coyotes are on the increase, though there’s…

About a year ago a new Planned Parenthood of America (PPA) clinic moved into the neighborhood. We first noticed it on the way to Mass at our Inglewood, California, parish, St. John Chrysostom. The clinic, fairly large and with bold signage, is in a busy strip mall. Why not? The…

A tweet got me thinking about manufacturing jobs. The poster asked, “Do we really want manufacturing jobs back?” He seemed incredulous and saw an attempt to re-shore manufacturing as “turning back the clock.” My answer: Yes. As the post-COVID “recovery” showed us, America and many Western countries are extremely vulnerable…

Does charity begin at home? The short answer to the question is yes, it surely does. But the answer is controversial. In part, that’s because a short answer often calls for a careful explanation and we don’t provide it. Sometimes we’ve filed it where we can’t find it. That’s alright,…

Twenty years ago, as rector of Sydney University's St. John's College, I interviewed a young woman for admission. In those days it was still acceptable for a Catholic educational body to expect in its students a certain sympathy, at least, for the Christian faith, so I asked her about her…

Speaking in Trieste at a recent event exploring Catholic Social Teaching, Pope Francis remarked, “It is evident that democracy is not in good health in today's world.” He’s right, of course. But it’s not even clear what “democracy” means. As a matter of etymology, democracy is the rule of the…

“Sleek barbarians” is a term and concept articulated by contemporary Polish philosopher Zbigniew Stawrowski which I have tried to popularize and disseminate in the English-speaking world. I do so because the concept seems to have even broader application here than in Poland (though Poland does not lack for its own…

In the old Catholic catechism, four sins were identified as “crying to heaven for vengeance” – murder, sodomy, defrauding workers of their wages, and oppression of the widow and orphan. Outrage, rightly understood, is a moral thing. To be outraged at injustice, especially when it is tolerated or even pronounced…