Category: Meta

After more than a year of experimenting with a new theme for Opus Publicum‘s layout, I have decided to return to the one I used when I launched the first version this blog in 2011. While I am not insensitive to some of the “Manifest” theme’s drawbacks, I am not particularly fond of the old theme hiding the “About” and “Writings” pages under a tab which few first-time visitors notice or click on. Further, by hiding the “Categories” for each post, the previous theme was not conducive to visitors searching the archives for additional commentary. A casual comparison of my stats under the previous two themes as opposed to this one reveals a substantial drop in “clicking around.” As usual, if you have any feedback or suggestions to offer, I am all eyes.

Addendum, 1/13/15: After soliciting feedback from various quarters, I have settled on a new design altogether. Basically what it came down to is that the previous template was not mobile friendly; and as one faithful reader put it to me, “Everyone reads your blog on the Blue Line in Chicago.” If only that were true.

Just today I learned that the week between-the-holidays is known in journalism circles as “Dead Week.” Between the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the recent AirAsia crash, the label strikes me as a bit tasteless, but that’s journalism for you. Nothing is supposed to happen this week, not because the stars have aligned just so or that the rulers of this world are of the mind to honor a quiet truce; nothing is supposed to happen because the government is on break (as it has been for some time); commercial operations typically slow down (unless you’re in the liquor business); there are parties to plan (or avoid); and so many of us like to believe that the forces of nature, the occurrence of chance, and the law of averages shall be suspended so that we may “reflect” or, rather, flood social media with banal recaps of “Our Really Great Year.”

I am battling a touch of sickness and lack of sleep, so the glib, tongue-in-cheek follow-up to yesterday’s post, “1962 > 1954,” shan’t be coming down the pipe—at least not in the form I intended originally. With the Feast of the Circumcision only days away, it seems appropriate to reflect on the past year while making predictions, some wild and some sane, about what 2015 has in store for not only yours truly, but the world at large. However, I prefer, at this moment, to be inappropriate; because I really do not have anything to say on these things that you can’t find from other bloggers who far more adept at prognostication and reflection than I. Perhaps if my wife had given birth or the Detroit Tigers won the World Series, I’d have something meaningful to jot down. Oh, sure, the family did many delightful things this past year. I have the great blessing to be wedded to a lady who exemplifies the expression “better half,” along with being furnished with four youngsters who never cease to amaze me; it’s just that the everyday joys I hold dear in my heart aren’t likely to carry any sizable interest outside of a narrow circle of close friends and family. And as for sports, there’s nothing memorable to report, except that Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.

Some “public stuff” did happen along the way, too. My book, which I now think of as my last testament on the arcane world of aviation law, came out. I also took some modest steps away from blogging by writing articles for various outlets—something I am quite pleased with, actually. (And so “Thank You!” to those who gave me that opportunity; I am very grateful.) Oh, and much to my mother’s delight, I appeared on the local NBC affiliate to discuss that terrible tragedy in Ukraine. The one that everyone seems to have already forgotten about.

As usual, I plan to do a few things, maybe even many things, differently next year. To circle back to the original plan for this post, I am, to the best of my abilities, going to commit to praying full-time out of my 1945 Benziger Brothers Breviarium Romanum with the assistance of the St. Lawrence Press’s Ordo Recitandi. It may just happen that by year’s end, I, too, will be shouting condemnation upon “1962.” I just hope no one accuses me of crypto-sedevacantism, especially since one of the primary motivations for this “shift” is to get myself praying more. Regrettably, I need all the help I can get in that department.

To close, allow me to thank all of you who take the time to read, and sometimes comment upon (or ruthlessly criticize), Opus Publicum. I pray that the remaining days of 2014 prove peaceful to you and your families.

Christmas is less than a week away; do you still have some shopping to do? Or, come the 26th, will you find yourself fretting over where to dispose the loot given by friends and family who had grown weary trying to figure out what gift to get you? Never fear; some suggestions are here.

• Papa Stronsay Calendar – I have said it numerous times before, and I’ll say it again: this is the single best traditional Catholic wall calendar around. If you don’t believe me, click the link, watch the video, and then order it.
• The Angelus Magazine – Do you know what would go great with a beautiful traditional wall calendar? A year’s subscription to a wonderful traditional magazine. I can’t say enough good things about The Angelus; and it remains an honor for me to be published in it.
• Ordo Recitandi 2015 – The St. Lawrence Press Ordo is the only one available which follows the traditional Roman Rite as it existed prior to the unfortunate reforms of the 1950s and 60s. Even if you rely on the 1962 Breviarium Romanum, there is still a lot to be gleaned from this fine publication.
• Schola Sancta Caecelia, In Bethlehem – As I mentioned the other week, several talented young ladies from my parish have just released their second album of traditional chants and hymns. If you don’t own their first one, Stella Splendens, you can purchase that as well.
• The Remnant Newspaper – The good folks over at The Remnant are offering an array of subscription specials this holiday season; go take advantage of one.

Because it is snowing still in West Michigan and the icy streets have me trapped inside for the second day in a row I am going to break from the typically “detached” nature of this web-log for a bit. The good news is that this will provide a break for those of you who are tired of what seems like an endless series of posts on the Christian East. The bad news is that I am still neglecting the other topics that seem to draw the most readers here, namely Catholic Social Teaching (CST), traditional Catholicism, and liturgy. What can I say? Sometimes I bore even myself with the subjects that matter to me most.

The Josias has a new website; you can find it here. While updates have been few and far between, let me assure you that that is about to change. The latest edition, “A Catholic Political Part in Wilhelmine Germany,” was graciously supplied by Pater Edmund of Sancrucensis fame.

For those interested, my latest article, “No Light from the Orthodox East on Christian Marriage,” is available in the newest issue of The Angelus — the flagship English-language publication of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). Though the article is currently behind the publication’s online paywall (see here), let me take a moment to encourage you to acquire a print subscription.

Since undergoing a design and format overhaul two years ago, The Angelus has become one of the most aesthetically pleasing and edifying Catholic publications available. While Catholics — even traditional Catholics — continue to have reasonable disagreements concerning some of the positions of the SSPX, the fact remains that The Angelus provides a rich variety of content which speaks to all Catholics everywhere. In any given issue you will find important articles on Church history, art, music, social teaching, and the lives of Saints. You can find more details on subscribing here, or purchase individual issues from Angelus Press here.

For those curious, my answers to the Owen White’s deceptively difficult “Ochlophobic Questions” is up on his web-log here. While I know he would say no thanks is necessary, I also want to extend gratitude for Owen’s thoughtful words on our sometimes rocky, but almost always enjoyable, friendship. Make sure you read the other entries in the series as well.

Owen White has opened the next chapter in his fascinating, engaging, and provocative web-logging career with a series of form Q&As with a number of other bloggers, writers, intellectuals, etc. who have influenced him over the years. You can find out more about the series here. Some of the people “profiled” so far include Pater Edmund Waldstein (Sancrucensis), Adam DeVille (professor and author of Eastern Catholic Books Blog), and John Medaille (a leading Distributist thinker). For reasons unbeknownst to me, I was asked to contribute to the project as well, though given all of the balls Owen has in the air at any given moment, it may be a bit before my answers show up on his blog.

As some of you already know, Owen and I first crossed paths (swords) many moons ago over his rightly infamous überfromm posts — the first comprehensive takedown of (American) Orthodoxy’s dominant pathologies that I had ever encountered. In fact, I can’t say that I have ever encountered a better one since. Whether people want to admit it or not, those posts, along with many subsequent reflections on being Orthodox in America and its attendant politics, changed the way many Orthodox bloggers approached their confessional haunt. Sure, there are far more pseudo-pious Orthodox blogs out there than not, but the fact there is even a contingent which are willing to take a hard look at the glories and miseries of the Eastern Church in the West is because of Owen White.

I can’t say that I agreed with him much at the time, though Owen’s observations have a way of rattling around in the heart and mind. Finally the noise gets irritating enough that you have to open yourself up to remove it and that is when you have to take a fresh look at what was driving you mad. I am sure if one drew up a list of every topic Owen and I have a shared interest in, no matter how remote, we’d wind up on opposite sides more often than not — and that’s a good thing. Even though we have never met in person, I have no qualms about calling him my friend; and should we find ourselves once again bloodying our knuckles over some matter political, theological, or ecclesial, we’ll both come out the better for it.