Posts

Halloween and the Catholic Faith

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Fr. Scott Archer | October 2, 2026 Halloween has a strong connection to the theology, liturgy, and popular traditions of the Catholic Church. The name itself points us toward that connection. “Halloween” is a shortened form of All Hallows’ Eve , meaning the vigil or eve of All Saints’ Day. The “hallowed” ones are the saints—the holy men and women who are in the presence of God. It is sometimes claimed that Halloween is simply a Christianized version of an ancient Celtic pagan festival. The history, however, is more complicated. The ancient Celtic peoples certainly had seasonal festivals, but there is little reason to think that October 31 was uniquely significant throughout the Celtic world in the way that this popular explanation suggests. The development of Halloween as we know it is much more closely connected with the Catholic observances that surround November 1 and November 2. The Feast of All Saints was originally celebrated in Rome on May 13. In the eighth century, however,...
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Like Odysseus to the Mast

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Tenth Sunday after Pentecost | Fr. Scott Archer | August 2, 2026 “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Lk. 18:14). There are two ways of standing before God. One stands as though he possesses something to offer—as though righteousness were an achievement to be displayed, a record to be presented, a claim to be made. The other stands with empty hands, conscious not of his own merits but of his need. One measures himself and finds satisfaction; the other measures himself before God and asks only for mercy. This contrast reaches into every Christian life, because the great temptation is not always open rebellion against God. More often, it is subtle self-sufficiency. We begin to trust in what we have done, what we have avoided, what we know. The eager multitudes came to Our Lord with humble and teachable hearts. This is the pattern of the spiritual life: God does not despise our poverty; rather, through it He draws us into the fullness of His truth. The multitudes did ...
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Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

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By Fr. Scott Archer July 5, 2026 “I have compassion upon the multitudes” (Mk. 8:2). I have been reflecting upon the recent events surrounding the consecration of new bishops by the Society of St. Pius X. It grieves me profoundly that they have chosen to take this drastic step into schism . Our Lord's compassion extends not only to those who hunger for bread, but also to those who wander from the unity He established in His Church. My love for the traditional Roman liturgy is neither recent nor superficial. I understand its beauty, its reverence, and the profound spiritual nourishment it has provided countless faithful throughout the centuries. Yet love for the traditional liturgy can never be separated from love for the Church that has faithfully preserved and handed it down. The sacred liturgy belongs to the Church; it is not the possession of any movement or society, however sincerely devoted they may believe themselves to be. One cannot preserve Catholic Tradition by sever...
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The Barque of Peter and the Cost of Separation

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  Fr. Scott Archer  July 2, 2026 I have been reflecting with great sorrow upon the recent events surrounding the consecration of new bishops by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). It grieves me profoundly that they have chosen to take this drastic step into schism. It is not a moment for triumphalism, anger, or recrimination, but for mourning and earnest prayer. Every separation from the Mystical Body of Christ is a tragedy, for Our Blessed Lord prayed that His disciples might be one, and unity with the Successor of St. Peter has always been the visible bond of that communion. I cannot pretend to understand the mentality that would drive them to such a place. Precisely because I have offered the Tridentine Mass for more than twenty-eight years, my love for the traditional Roman liturgy is neither recent nor superficial. I understand its beauty, its reverence, its theological richness, and the profound spiritual nourishment it has provided countless faithful throughout the cent...
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Easter (2026)

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By Fr. Scott Archer April 5, 2026 “He is risen” (Mk. 16:6). On that first Easter morning, the holy women came to the tomb of Our Lord. Mary Magdalen, Mary of Clopas, and the other women from Galilee had watched carefully where the body of Jesus had been laid. After His burial they returned to the city to prepare spices and ointments, intending to come again and anoint His sacred body. However, they first rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Meanwhile the chief priests, still filled with fear and malice, went to Pontius Pilate. They asked that the tomb be guarded, lest the disciples steal away the body and claim that Christ had risen. Pilate granted their request, and soldiers were placed at the tomb. Yet all of this could not prevent what God had decreed. Early on Sunday morning Mary Magdalen came to the tomb—perhaps even before the others had arrived—and she saw that the stone had already been rolled away. The body of Our Lord was gone. Without yet meeting the other wom...
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Good Shepherd Sunday (1962 Missal)

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By Fr. Scott Archer April 14, 2024 “The good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep” (Jn. 10:11). 112 years ago today, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the north Atlantic. One passenger aboard that fateful ship, one which Pope St. Pius X would call a martyr for the Church, was Father Thomas Byles. He was raised in a Protestant family in Yorkshire, England. Like his brother William, he eventually converted to the Catholic faith. He attended the Beda College in Rome and was ordained to the priesthood on June 15, 1902. His trip to America on the Titanic was prompted by the upcoming wedding of his brother William, at which he was asked to officiate. William had moved to New York to run a rubber business and fallen in love with Katherine Russell of Brooklyn. He was able to make arrangements with Captain Smith to offer Mass for the passengers since he had brought a portable altar stone and all accessories. On Sunday morning, April 14, 1912, Father Byles offered what would be his last...
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Cabrini

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Review by Fr. Scott Archer March 8, 2024 Cabrini is an amazing addition to Catholic filmography. In the capable hands of director Alejandro Monteverde, who cowrote the screenplay with Rod Barr, it takes us on the journey of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini from her convent in Lombardy, where she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to her first foundations in New York. It is the story of how she overcame opposition from both ecclesiastical and civic authorities to establish her empire of hope. The stunning cinematography by Gorka Gómez Andreu brings the viewer into 19 th century New York in a way few cinematographers have done. Every frame is a work of art, inviting the audience into the dismal world of Catholic Italian immigrants. The tragedy of their plight, as well as the work of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, is underscored with authentic set decoration by Stephanie Q. Bown. The brilliant original score by Gene Back adds emotion to the urgency of her mission, p...
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