The Narthex
New Oxford Blog
Migration History Matters
Most of the immigrants helped by Mother Cabrini and Bishop Scalabrini were likely here legally
By John M. Grondelski | October 22nd 2025 11:01 AM“Migration” features, albeit in limited fashion, in Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te. Of the three paragraphs that mention it, two are historical. I am not a professional historian but I think I know enough to ask some questions about what those two paragraphs really support versus what some…
READ FULL BLOG POST50 Years of Grace
Missionary of Charity Brothers work with 'the unwanted, the lonely, the old, the disabled'
By James Hanink | October 21st 2025 1:31 PMA 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…
READ FULL BLOG POSTInverted Pneumatology?
Many Western European clerics seem to think the Spirit moves mostly outside the Church
By John M. Grondelski | October 21st 2025 12:21 PMPneumatology is that branch of theology dealing with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is understood as indwelling in the Church and keeping her from error. The Church’s inerrancy is neither political nor historical; she can and has made mistakes in those areas. The Church’s inerrancy is related to her…
READ FULL BLOG POSTEU Pushes New Five-Year Gender Plan
Why is Brussels moving in the opposite direction from the UK and USA?
By Sabino Paciolla | October 20th 2025 12:17 PMThe European Union adopted in October 2025 its “LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030,” a document that immediately sparked heated debate across the continent. The strategy, officially presented by the European Commission, promises to raise the bar on rights, safety, and inclusion for LGBTIQ+ people, but some of its content is generating…
READ FULL BLOG POSTIt Takes IVF to Make a Village
A Polish MP touts the government’s “success” in funding the making of 6,000 babies via IVF
By John M. Grondelski | October 15th 2025 6:45 PMIs producing 6,000 babies in test tubes an “achievement” for a government? Yes, apparently, according to Polish parliamentarian Weronika Smarduch. October 15 marks the second anniversary of the election of Donald Tusk’s current left-leaning government which she supports. Its apologists have taken to social media to tout its “achievements.” MP…
READ FULL BLOG POSTChat Control: One EU Battle Won
But the war for privacy, and thus for democracy, continues
By Sabino Paciolla | October 14th 2025 11:00 AMWriting in the October 9 Die Welt, Andreas Rosenvelder observed that then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt said something remarkable in a 2009 interview: "If there's something you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't do it.” The advice seems harmless, like that of an older brother, but it's also the…
READ FULL BLOG POSTRandom Ruminations #30
Chicago Drama... Anglican Cringe... No, Virginia... Connecting the Dots... and more
By John M. Grondelski | October 13th 2025 11:57 AMChicago Drama ICE's current campaign against illegal immigrants in Chicago has led to numerous detentions at its Maywood, Illinois, facility. Complaints are now being made that ICE is preventing pastoral access (confessions and Communion calls) to detainees. If true, that would be concerning. People should have religious care. However, I…
READ FULL BLOG POSTDue Diligence Dereliction
Every employer is obliged to file an I-9 form for every worker. What happened in Des Moines?
By John M. Grondelski | October 9th 2025 12:08 PM“Due diligence” is an expectation that someone responsible for making an important decision research all relevant facts, risks, and legal obligations prior to making that decision. It is routine in the economic and legal fields, where exercising due diligence before committing to a contract or financial obligation is a normal…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe Performative and the Prophetic
The authentic prophet, to borrow from Camus, is willing to speak out clearly and pay up personally
By James Hanink | October 7th 2025 8:11 PMPhilosophers are intrigued by “performative speech.” In the right circumstances, “I promise” binds the speaker to act as promised. Similarly in the right context “I thee wed” binds one to a shared conjugal life. The British philosopher J. L. Austin spoke of “illocutionary acts,” that is, speech acts that accomplish,…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe Iceman Slummeth
Blessing ice is stupid because nobody gets baptized in ice
By Jason Morgan | October 7th 2025 12:39 PMPope Leo XIV recently dabbled in one of his predecessor’s old tricks. At an October 1 event at Castel Gandolfo celebrating the tenth anniversary of the late Francis’s paean to Mother Earth, Laudato Si’, Pope Leo got up to some highly questionable shenanigans with Arnold Schwarzenegger (famous for his movie…
READ FULL BLOG POSTRandom Ruminations #29
Conversion Therapy on SCOTUS Docket... Truckers against Trafficking... and more
By John M. Grondelski | October 7th 2025 11:36 AMSarah Mullally’s New Role King Charles III through UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (or maybe vice versa) has appointed Sarah Mullally to be the next “Archbishop of Canterbury.” Thoughts? Well, in one sense the question is moot. There hasn’t been a real Archbishop of Canterbury for over 400 years. Changes…
READ FULL BLOG POSTDurbin Scandal Follow-Up
Ratzinger clarified, 'Abortion cannot be compared to the death penalty, as if they were the same'
By Sabino Paciolla | October 6th 2025 8:45 PMIllinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, known for his radically pro-abortion and pro-LGBT positions, was originally scheduled to receive a "lifetime achievement award" from Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, this November. This news sparked controversy among Catholics. Fierce criticism has come from U.S. bishops, first from Springfield, Illinois, bishop Thomas Paprocki,…
READ FULL BLOG POSTPoverty Must Be Addressed
Deciding how to alleviate poverty & promote the common good is the domain of lay persons
By John M. Grondelski | October 6th 2025 10:43 AMPope Leo XIV’s premier apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, on the poor, is due for release Thursday, though it was signed October 4. I have no insight into what it may contain and look forward to reading the Pope’s document. I do not prejudge what it might say. That said, I…
READ FULL BLOG POSTSignificance of Guardian Angels for Adults
God has given you a spiritual person to walk with you and point you where you need to go
By John M. Grondelski | October 3rd 2025 2:01 PMMany of this journal's readers likely grew up saying the poetic prayer, "Angel of God, my guardian dear." And not a few Catholic homes likely had some version of early 20th century German artist Fridolin Leiber's prints of Schutzengel -- the "guardian angel" -- usually supporting two children in some perilous…
READ FULL BLOG POSTDurbin-Cupich: When Politics Meets Catholic Teaching
Pope Leo XIV found himself having to address thorny issues extemporaneously
By Sabino Paciolla | October 1st 2025 6:22 PMIn the landscape of the Catholic Church in the United States, marked by tensions between social commitment and fidelity to moral doctrine, a development has emerged that has shaken the foundations of ecclesial dialogue. Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, announced his intention to award a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to…
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