Our Saturday free post will be somewhat miscellaneous but that’s because I have a lot of things to share with you and it’s good to put them in one place.
Videos of Recent Lectures
I haven’t been putting many lectures up on my YouTube page in recent months, but that’s now changed, with two new videos up, and a third to come soon.
My Catholic Identity Conference talk went up a few days ago: “The Traditional Latin Mass—What Truly Unites All the Clans.” After I delivered the speech, Bishop Athanasius Schneider said to me: “Your lecture is very precise, rich, and a good synthesis of the roots of the current crisis in the Church.” Here’s a taste:
The unity of Catholicism comes not from blind obedience to superiors but from professing one and the same faith, from being orthodox. The term “orthodoxy” means both right worship and right belief. It means worshiping God in a traditional apostolic rite and holding the deposit of faith....
Unity does not mean and has never meant uniformity. And in a time of crisis, we actually need “all hands on deck.” Whatever our differences as traditionalists may be—some of them legitimate, some of them debatable, some of them regrettable—now is not a time to wage war against one another, when we are threatened with liquidation at the hands of the worshipers of modernity.
Now is a time for mutual charity, as of brothers baptized into Christ, soldiering for their King; mutual toleration, as of patriots who disagree about civic policy but love their fatherland and are willing to die for it; mutual understanding, as of sympathetic souls enflamed by the same longing for divine beauty and holiness; and, last but not least, friendly cooperation in common endeavors.
This is not to promote a “lowest common denominator” approach; I would prefer to call it a “highest common good” approach! For God is the common good of the entire universe, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, and in the Holy Eucharist is contained the Real Presence of that common good, to which, or rather, to Whom, God’s mercy unites us. Nothing could be more important to focus on and prioritize than this Divine Fire of Charity—and how we approach Him, praise, adore, and receive Him.
I have also posted my Illinois talk, “Why Divine Worship Needs the Power of Non-Verbal Language” (this is one of my favorite topics to speak about!). The video includes a substantial Q&A section where, in place of mumbled questions from the audience, I have inserted typed-out questions on screen.
A couple of weeks ago I announced my new book. Here’s an “unboxing video” where I talk about it some more:
Upcoming Events
For readers who live in Europe:
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Nijmegen, Netherlands
“The Thomistic Virtue of Religion: From Sacred Order to Mystical Union”
Filosofie & Geloof (Philosophy & Faith) Study Day, 9:30am to 7pm
Symposium on Ethics and the Human Relationship with God
Pelgrimshuis Casa Nova
Pastoor Rabouplein 5
6564 BP Heilig Landstichting
(Please register here by October 18; Holy Mass in the traditional rite will be offered at the start of the day.)
Sunday, October 25 (Feast of Christ the King)
Brussels, Belgium
“Living the Liturgy as the Font and Apex of Catholic Life”
Het Oude Klooster Maleizen (Servi Jesu et Mariae)
Terhulpensesteenweg 708
3090 Overijse
Time: 3pm
(Free and open to the public; will be followed by Q&A and booksigning)
Tuesday, October 27
Brussels, Belgium
“Why Christ Is King of Family and Society—and How We Embrace His Reign”
Location: Het Oude Klooster Maleizen (as above)
Time: 7:30pm (Free, but open to men only, as it is being sponsored by and for a men’s group; register by contacting W.jambon@gmail.com)
Saturday, October 31
London, UK
“The Heavenly Model of the Earthly City”
Symposium on Catholic Social Teaching:
The Church’s Remedy for Modernity
Location: Cabrini Community Campus,
Honor Oak, London, SE23 3LE
Time: 2pm to 6pm
Featuring a second lecture by Dr. Sebastian Morello, a panel discussion with Os Justi Press authors, and a public Q&A followed by multi-author booksigning. Free and open to the public, but the organizers ask you to RSVP here.
Castellani
I'm delighted to announce Os Justi Press’s latest release: Christ and the Pharisees & Other Short Works by Leonardo Castellani (1899-1981).
A prolific author of about fifty books and a thousand articles, Castellani is widely revered as one of the greatest modern Argentine writers in multiple genres. Yet until now, English-speaking audiences have had almost no access to his remarkable body of work — a lacuna decisively changed by this new anthology, the first of its kind, equipped with a substantial introduction by the translator, Sebastián Randle.
A student of Cardinal Billot's, a pugilist for orthodoxy at a time of progressive disarray, and a faithful old-school Jesuit who fell afoul of his superiors and suffered years of marginalization, Castellani was at the same time unafraid to poke holes in conventional pieties and complained about unhealthy trends in the Church years before the Vatican II debacle brought many latent weaknesses to light.
Above all, Fr. Castellani was a supremely observant reader of Scripture and one of its finest modern commentators, capable of breathtaking insights into familiar texts, especially the Book of Revelation. All these characteristics are on full display in this enlightening and entertaining little volume, an ideal introduction to the wide scope of Castellani’s genius.
Christ and the Pharisees is available from the publisher in paperback, hardcover, or ebook (at that link you can also “look inside” to see a sample). I also made a video in which I talk about the book and share a couple of passages from it to give you a sense of his marvelous style and wit:
The book is also available from all Amazon outlets.
Speaking of Os Justi Press… our books continue to make waves (as they should!). Here’s a review of one of them, by distinguished professor of Christian literature and mystagogical mixologist Dr. Michael P. Foley:
Review of Abbé Claude Barthe, The Seven Sacraments, Past and Present: A Short Critical Study of the New Rituals
An incredible sale
While of course I appreciate it when people purchase my books from me directly (via the Os Justi Press site where I make signed copies available), I do want to tell you about a knock-your-socks-off sale going on right now at TAN Books: they are giving customers 70% off nearly all Latin Mass books and resources, including my four books from TAN (well, three books and a pamphlet), namely, Turned Around; Once and Future Roman Rite; Good Music, Sacred Music, and Silence; and Ad Orientem:
This is a great time to stock up on copies to distribute! (For instance: maybe someone in Gaylord, Michigan, could buy a ton of Ad Orientem pamphlets and flood the diocese with them…)
A postscript of sorts
The Substack Oriens Journal—always worth reading—has announced that it will be running a series of articles in which official representatives of the SSPX will be presenting their case in writing, with charitable responses from those who disagree with them.
Although one can see some precursors to this kind of dialogue over at OnePeterFive and Pelican+, I would say the project as they have set it up is unique, and a true opportunity for mutual understanding. As you’ll discover in the inaugural post inserted above, the purpose and methodology are clear and Catholic. A highly commendable initiative and one worth following.
Allow me also to recommend Lint Hatcher’s new Substack Lost in the Church. His latest post there well captures the pendular back and forth of so many Catholics who are simply trying to find the truth in a chaotic period of time. I find that Hatcher has a wonderful way of finding the right words for what most of us are thinking and feeling, in a way that helps us to be more patient, more compassionate, and more thoughtful:
Thanks for reading Tradition & Sanity. Please take out a subscription, if you can, to keep this work going.