My Latest Writings

After my last update in November, I took over a month off from my more usual types of writing to revise  a collection of creative nonfiction stories I've worked on over the years using the techniques of fiction. I was preparing the collection for a literary magazine competition (results to be announced in June).

Study for an illustration for "Skinner's Remains"

In addition, I rewrote a short story called "Skinner's Remains," which was originally included in my thesis for my M.A. in writing.  Dappled Things has accepted that story for its print magazine. After the story is published in an upcoming issue, I'll republish it at this blog.

 My review of a lectionary study aid, Index Lectionum: Scripture Usage in Roman Catholic Masses Before and After Vatican II, points out the kinds of things you can learn when you compare the new lectionary with the old using the tables in the book. Even though the goal of a three-year cycle of readings was to include more scripture, it's alarming to some how many important doctrinal verses have been omitted.  I submitted the review in September to Homiletic and Pastoral Review, and it was published in January. It was listed in National Catholic Register's "Best of Catholic Blogging"  and republished or listed at Catholic Canada, at Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland,  and at other sites around the web.

These two articles of mine were published in the last two weeks.

• Runaway Pope: The Saint Dante Condemned to Hell’s Antechamber was published at Dappled Things Deep Down Things blog.

From the article: "Four years ago, on February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked me along with the rest of the world when he announced he would be resigning from the papacy on February 28. Recently I have been reading and thinking quite a bit about Pope St. Celestine, who also resigned—719 years before Pope Benedict—on December 13, 1294,  and who was the only other pope who ever voluntarily stepped down from the papacy. One thought-provoking contradictory fact about St. Celestine is that although he is a canonized saint, the great poet Dante doomed him to eternal suffering in the anteroom of hell. Many other aspects of  the life of this sainted hermit monk who became pope against his will are equally bizarre and fascinating, including the fact that he ran away twice from the papal role that was forced upon him."

•  "Abortion, Underlying Myths, and a Skewed Idea About Mercy" was published at Catholic Stand  as the first of what will be a monthly column with them. The article was picked up by BigPulpit.com as one of the featured posts on the TUESDAY MORNING EDITION, February 14, 2017. CERC (Catholic Education Resource Center) listed the article as an Editorial of Interest and used this quote I included from the writer, teacher, and pastor Donald Williams as a pull quote. "Surely killing one’s children in the sanctuary of the womb is not an acceptable way to manage one’s sexuality."