The Practical Parson

 This past week, a woman in Louisiana died at the age of 88.  Now in and of itself that may not be a newsworthy notice, the woman in question- Carolyn Bryant Donham, is known the world over as the woman whose accusations led to the murder of Emmett Till in 1955.  All the world over today, people are celebrating the fact that she is deceased, and proclaiming their desire that she burn in hell for her lies and causing the death of that young man so many years ago.   What I find truly ironic, is that this "I hope she burns in hell" mentality is overwhelmingly coming from the same cabal of hypocritical leftists who have been chanting "believe all women" for the past several years.  But it does raise a necessary talking point to true change that is needed in society today- should we always and everywhere take someone at their word when they accuse another person of horrific and violent crimes?  Should we, as the leftists say, just take a woman at her word w...

 In recent months, I have found myself being forced by society to bear witness to an ongoing saga of insanity being played out in the public square.  The debate surrounding the Transgender ideology and its purported rights and privileges have become topic of violence and hatred; truly ironic in light of the fact the people who promote the ideology claim to do everything in the name of "love" and "acceptance".  I have never cared much either way about whether a man or a woman wishes they were the opposite sex, and whether they decided to mutilate their body in order to satisfy that desire for validation; that is entirely within their own right to do so as an adult citizen of the nation in which we live.  However, seeing an increased number of people demanding that children under the age of 12 be subjected to (so-called) "gender-affirming care" in the way of life changing surgeries, puberty blockers, and enough supplemental hormones to damage their brain cel...

  In Church circles these days, one hears a lot of discussion about tradition, with particular emphasis on liturgical tradition and its effects on popular piety and faith.  The Latin Mass loving Roman Catholic faithful seemingly lead the charge in this, dedicating documentaries, podcasts, art; all for the sake of promoting a return to the traditions of holy faith, as known by our forefathers.   That being said, it is unfortunate that a number of the same Roman Catholic faithful seem to think that they somehow are the sole proprietors of sacred tradition; hardly surprising in light of numerous papal documents claiming so over the years.   Holy Tradition though is not the sole property of the Roman Church, nor is it only to be found within the confines of Rome; Holy Tradition can be found in all churches which maintain a line of patrimony to the first apostles.  These churches are those with historical ties to western or eastern Christianity, and co...

  This week, a number of Traditionalist Anglican clergy and their Bishop (of Fulham), are on retreat in Rome.  They were invited by the clergy in charge of St. John in Lateran to hold a mass in the "choir" of the cathedral, behind the main altar of the church.  What to many Christians might seem a point of fraternal generosity or a sign of mutual respect; has instead inflamed the passions of a number of Roman Catholic churchmen and laymen across the Christian world.    How dare those silly protestants hold their service in our church???  The claim that is referenced in defending such position, is the old argument that because Pope Leo XIII issued the Papal Bull Apostolicae Curae which claimed Anglican Orders as "utterly null and void"; that this means definitively that Anglican Apostolic succession is indeed null and void.  Unfortunately for my more conservative minded Roman Catholic friends, a Papal Bull is not the law of the church.  There ...

Over the past 4 or 5 years, I have sat back from my chapel porch and watched the world go by; as it is wont to do.  I have watched flowers grow, the trees in my garden sprout new branches and fruit, the grapes in my small vineyard grow and produce their first batch of wine.  I have also watched other things around the churchyard which have needed intervention- weeds which needed pulling, peeling paint which needed re-touching, stains on chapel carpeting which needed cleaning.  There has been much that has gone on here, though most of it only noticeable to my own eye as the one who is caretaker of it.  In this, I feel a connection with the eternal Father: who watches over the whole of creation like the great gardener and caretaker of the universe which He is, and I begin to understand the problems of this world through an empathetic place with our Lord. Our world today demands ever-increasing progress: Progress for "rights", progress for technology, progress for moral...

  Today we celebrate the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, following the 40 days we have walked alongside him in the desert of Lent towards the cross of Calvary. Easter is a joyous time; filled with light, happiness, family, friends, and flowers... absolutely EVERYWHERE you can imagine.  Yes, the Joy of Easter is palpable to all who even simply pass by a church today.  However, what do we make of it?   So many people in our churches these days focus all of their energy on the end holiday of the period, and little to none on the time leading up to it; much like as with Advent and Christmas.  Yes, we want the joy, chocolate, and flowers of Easter; but so many don't want the rest of the story that makes today possible- Suffering, Crucifixion, and Death.  This is endemic of our society, which has grown so dependent on "safe spaces" and coddling; to the point where we can't handle any form of negativity or sadness, only ever focusing on happy things th...