In May 2024, I will complete my fifth year on the full-time faculty at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM). This is in addition to the three years I taught as an adjunct. These have been the most satisfying eight years of my professional career. I should …

In 1992, British novelist P.D. James departed from her usual genre of detective fiction to write a dystopian novel about the growing prevalence of what Pope St. John II later called “the culture of death.” This culture, wrote John Paul in the 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, is “fostered by powerful …

The Very Reverend Anthony R. Brausch, President & Rector of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) announced a pair of promotions for members of the MTSM faculty this week. Dr. Kenneth Craycraft’s is now a Professor of Moral Theology, having his promotion from associate professor approved by …

The most obvious association that people have with Lent is of “giving something up.” In many cases, of course, this is perfectly legitimate. Along with prayer and almsgiving, fasting is one of the three traditional pillars of Lenten observance, and it is mandated (with exceptions) on Ash Wednesday and Good …

As most Catholics are well aware, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. And, of course, almost everyone associates Lent with giving something up, even if they do not understand the penitential importance of the season. “I gave that up for Lent” is a common refrain, …

In the midst of rapidly changing social norms, the challenges of Catholic discipleship in the U.S. have become increasingly difficult and frustrating. Making matters worse, Catholics can be found on both sides of polarizing cultural and political issues, each thinking theirs is the only reasonable position for a Catholic to …

In June 2023, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board (the “Board”) approved an application from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa to create a virtual Catholic school, St. Isidore of Seville. Like all other virtual charter schools in Oklahoma, St. Isidore will be tuition free, …

In his January 16, 1980, general audience, Pope St. John Paul II noted that the second creation account in Genesis affirms two essential truths about the human person. The first is that the human is the only creature that God “willed for its own sake.” All other created things are …

The first two chapters of Genesis are the foundation of Catholic moral theology, including its teaching on stewardship. Rather than communicate the mechanics of creation, the beginning of Genesis communicates something about the purpose, nature and order of created reality. More to the point, the emphasis in Genesis 1 and …

On November 7, 2023, Ohioans will vote to approve or reject an amendment to the Ohio Constitution, proposing to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right. Drafted and financed by militant pro-abortion advocacy groups, the approved amendment would enable Ohio to have the most extreme abortion law imaginable. Properly read and …