Boy Scouts, Volcanoes and Mother of God School
A blessed Sixth Sunday of Easter, as we journey with Christ and His Apostles towards Pentecost…Veni Creator Spiritus!
It had to happen, I suppose: The Boy Scouts are now the No Scouts, at least, no preconceived (and I mean that quite literally) gendered Scouts, a once all-boy organization run by all-men which stood for over a century, now neutered beyond recognition by legal fiat, like most other of our institutions. As they see it, there are no sexes, just amorphous genders of one sort or another, fluid and flowing, whimsical and effervescent. Mark Steyn has a fine take on the role of the Supreme Court in America in this eunuchization of a fine cultural institution.
Funny, that the Girl Guides will still exist, who will not become just the ‘Guides’, and will not take in ‘boys’, that is, those who have an XY chromosome, or look as though they do, and insofar as one can still use the term ‘boy’ anymore, as it seems a boy is just a girl who does not seem to realize it yet. But a girl does indeed seem to be a girl.
For, as Steyn points out, this ideological battle is not binary, but is really is about gutting masculinity and maleness, anything ‘patriarchal’. If I may wax theological as the Sun rises on this morning, it is an indirect assault on the Fatherhood of God, and the Sonship of Christ; they are already removing the term ‘father’ and ‘husband’, and the next step is to eradicate the all-male priesthood, that last bastion of ‘patriarchy’, and we better be prepared to stand fast. But some bastions may not hold: It was related to me that a certain priest in a certain parish recently apologized to his congregation for having to use male pronouns of God. Alas.
As Cardinal Ratzinger said in his Report, the faith may well be lost in many parts of the world, but strong and vital pockets will remain, where the same faith will shine like ‘sparks amongst the stubble’. For we can live without Boy Scouts, but we cannot live without priests.
Hawaii looks as though it’s about to blow at high Do, if I am spelling that correctly, with the ‘do’ rhyming with ‘dough’. I presume the Tragically Hip were referring to the musical notation, an apt analogy, signifying a countdown of sorts, from low do to high do. And speaking of high, the islands that comprise Hawaii are some of the highest in the world; what makes them seem small-ish is that their base is thousands of metres below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. They are also mean and active volcanoes, whose eruptions volcanologists, like meteorologists with the weather, can predict with an accuracy not much above statistical significance. Mostly, it’s just guesswork, like when the mega-caldera beneath Yellowstone is going to go off, with a destructive force unknown to modern history. Volcanoes blow then they blow, at high Do or low So. And God might indeed be saying to America and the rest of us, I told you, so…
Mary Mother of God School in Toronto celebrated its 25th anniversary Gala dinner on Saturday evening, a milestone for the private school, all funded and staffed by individual persons independent e of governmental and statist control, a stance that now really is counter-cultural. Hence, no sex-ed, no LGBT clubs, no biased and skewed and ignorance-inducing curricula; just God’s good, clear truth, with a panoply of solid courses, all taught through the intercession of His Mother by a raft of excellent and faithful teachers. The amount of work to raise funds is incredible, but everyone pitched in, and became more virtuous in the process, as we donated voluntarily. Unlike the lavishly funded public school system, which seems to get proportionately worse the more of our involuntarily-usurped money is poured into its gaping maw.
So congratulations to all the staff, students, benefactors and supporters of Mary, Mother of God! Here’s to another quarter century, and another generation of students well and truly taught!
Carney’s Amoral Majority
After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→
Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress
This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→
A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop
As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→
A Tale of Two Benedicts
A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→
My Name is Bernadette
April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→
Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk
As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully
Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→
The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus
As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→
Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace
Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→
Payette’s Payout
I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→