Article 87 – Lack of Catechesis = Confusion

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Lack of Ability to Think Rationally In this article I want to cover a couple of different strands of thought which have come up on account of some recent events in my life and which I want to relate to my most recent articles covering lack of catechesis, the failure of the Irish ‘catholic’ education system to pass on the faith to the children that are taught in those schools, and the surrendering of what I called ‘catholic territory’ to … Read More

Article 80 – The Virtue of Modesty

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Marriage! The Virtue of Modesty Few Catholics understand ModestyI find that when dealing with the subject of modesty, particularly in regard to how one dresses, very few Catholics seem to understand either the true nature of modesty or the importance of this virtue. It is a very sensitive subject particularly for women, because it is always personal, dealing as it does with how we dress, how we choose to present ourselves and with how we would like others to see … Read More

Article 76 – Advent – Modesty – Preparation

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The Season of AdventAs we enter the season of Advent, where we look forward not only to the coming of Christ’s birthday, but also to His second coming, we are reminded that this is a time of preparation. Primarily, preparation of our souls so that we are ready to meet Christ if he should choose to come at this time and so that we are in a state of perpetual readiness for our own death. I tell my children that … Read More

Immodesty – the doorway to contraception?

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I attended the first Holy Communion recently of a daughter of one of our fellow homeschooling families here in Ireland in a neighbouring parish.  Catholic homeschooling families are quite rare in Ireland.  The priest who celebrated Mass was one of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross and afterwards we got to talking about marriage and family.  The subject of contraception came up, as it usually does, and the priest wondered if immodesty was the main issue that led to … Read More

Article 66 – Modesty: Formation of New Families

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, July 2016   The Happy Themes Of The Spring Of Life We have been looking at Pope Pius XII’s address to the Latin Union of High Fashion. This pope, contrary to what the world would have us believe, is no prude. He says, “This penchant for the adornment of one’s own person clearly derives from nature, and is therefore legitimate.” There is nothing wrong with dressing stylishly and well, and the pope continues, … Read More

Article 65 – Marriage and Fashion

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, July 2016 Latin Union of High Fashion I want to finish off this look at modesty by returning to Pope Pius XII’s address to the Latin Union of High Fashion of November 1957. That the Pope agreed to address this group shows us that modesty and fashion are not mutually exclusive ideas in Catholic thought. The portrayal of modesty as frumpy and old maidish is another lie of the devil which is used … Read More

Article 64 – Marriage! Modesty, Essential to Chastity

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, June 2016 Modesty Guards Purity and Chastity In my last article I returned once again to the subject of modesty. Perhaps there are some readers who wonder why I am spending so much time on this particular matter. The reason is simple. Modesty is the guardian of the gateway to chastity and purity. Without modesty; purity and chastity will be virtually impossible. Without purity and chastity, marriages will be defiled. Jesus the King … Read More

Article 62 – Marriage! Respect for Women Declines

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2016 Rome Life Forum Since I wrote my last article I have been over to Rome for the third annual ‘Rome Life Forum’ and I walked on the ‘March for Life’ in Rome. It was a very interesting and informative weekend and some of the talks have been reported in this paper. I recommend people to check out ‘The Voice of the Family’ website on www.voiceofthefamily.com for more of the talks. On … Read More

Article 61 – The Importance of Modesty

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2016 The Popes on Modesty In order to see how important the virtue of modesty is, and to see just how deplorable the sin of immodesty is, let us look to what some of the Popes have said on this subject. On January 6th 1921, Pope Benedict XV, issued an encyclical letter called ‘Sacra Propediem’ on the Third Order of St Francis. In it he identifies two dangerous passions that affect people … Read More

Article 60 – Marriage! Purity requires Modesty

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, April 2016 The Church Speaks on Modesty So, what does the Church say to women regarding modesty? Are there any official guidelines concerning dress and what can and cannot be worn? Has She anything to say about fashion? The Church, being a good mother, has of course dealt with the question of modesty. Let us look first to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism deals with the subject of modesty, in … Read More

Article 59 – Marriage! Modesty and Vocations

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, April 2016 I do not belong to the Fashion Police or the Modesty Squad I have had some interesting responses to my last article whereby I indicated that I intended to take the risk of escalating the war between the sexes by dealing with the issue of modesty in the context of Catholic church teaching. In all of these responses, the people who responded mentioned how they themselves dress. And so I need … Read More

Article 58 – Marriage! The Virtue of Modesty

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, March 2016 God Made Clothes for Them After God passes the sentence on satan, on Adam, and on Eve, He then banishes Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. In a previous article I mentioned the incredible statement at the end of the second chapter of the book of Genesis whereby we are told that Adam and Eve were naked. We now have another remarkable statement in contrast to that first statement. … Read More