Our Church is in the ring, and the very men who were appointed to lead us home to Heaven are the ones dispassionately watching from the royal box, and then turning thumbs down for the execution. It’s hard to feel joy in such a time, but joy is a mandate. We are commanded to be joyful!

The movie Triumph of the Heart has helped me greatly in this regard. From the grim horror of Auschwitz, St. Maximilian takes you to the height of joy by the end of this movie. Intellectually, it’s easy to accept that Christians have reason to feel joy in all circumstances, but this movie actually causes you to feel joy, after having just experienced the greatest reasons for despair. If you missed it in the theater, make an effort to see it now in streaming format. It may not seem like holiday fare, but it will carry you over the line to Christian joy.

Opinions expressed in the newsletter, unless otherwise attributed, are my own.

Sheryl Collmer, editor
November 17, 2025
sherylc@coracusa.com

I had been profoundly troubled by the seeming contradictions in the Bible and the lack of rigor in explaining natural phenomena. (I know, some thinking to prove their fidelity will say that there are no contradictions. Let’s just use Jesus’ words: “He who is not with us is against us.” – Matthew 12:30 vs. “He who is not against us is for us.” – Luke 9:40. Let me ask, which did God create first, man or the animals? Whichever you say, I will contradict from the first two chapters of Genesis, which is not a creation story, but two contradictory creation stories woven together. Pretending not to see is not confirming.)

Of course, having had visitations all my life, I could not very well pretend not to believe in Christ. He would probably have given me the old Gibbs slap on the back of the head if I had tried. But His book was a lot harder to understand than all the preachers I ever knew credited it with.

The line that first electrified me from The Confessions came when St. Augustine, in 400 A.D., chided people who tried to use Scripture as “mere” science or history. “It is the word of God given for your salvation,” he thundered. Then I thought of Jesus. He IS God. We can glean much about God’s personality from the human personality of Jesus. The Lord LOVED to illustrate profound truths through the use of parables and metaphors, right beside His literal sayings. I started looking eagerly at all the “contradictions” that had troubled me – and saw that St. Augustine was absolutely right. It all held under that interpretive filter. Coincidentally (or likely not so much) this all began on
St. Augustine’s feast day, a fact I did not discover until a year later.

I immediately began RCIA, the lengthy preparation program for those considering entry into the Catholic Church. To be candid, I expected to be disappointed. As a young adult I had sampled a whole lot of Protestant denominations, looking for something that might match up to my private theological conclusions – and I had found all determinedly ignoring some things that were written that contradicted their doctrinal emphasis or adding some things that were not there to confirm those same doctrinal emphases. I was prepared for this to be just another of the many blind alleys I had gone searching down. The first month I read almost a book a day; theologians, Fathers of the Church, Doctors of the Church, encyclicals, looking for the catch. Believe it or not, in RCIA that first month and a half, I was an enigma, rarely saying anything at all, having people wonder what my deal was. But at the month and a half mark, I knew I was in love and it all came out volcanically one evening in class. After that, my pastor, who taught Church history at Mundelein Seminary, would grin puckishly at some questions and wryly say, “Well, let’s see what Charlie has to say about that.”

At the Easter Vigil of 1991 in which I was received into the Church, one person gave me a beautiful rosary as a gift. This presented me with a quandary, for I had avoided the Hail Mary, with its line, “Holy Mary, Mother of God…” Calling Mary the Mother of God stuck in my throat, hinting at blasphemy. Intellectually, I knew that the phrase was propounded to underscore the divinity and eternal existence of Christ, who in His human incarnation, had a human mother. Still, it filled me with dread. So I prayed, “Lord you know I love you and want to do what is right. I’m going to pray this faithfully for three weeks. Show me whether it is right. If it is not, I will drop it quietly.”

After three weeks of improbable blessings, I became fully a Marian devotee. It really was not so difficult. Protestants, generally, have a great deal of trouble with mystery, with things that transcend normal understanding. A child always proceeds from its parents. This was the one case in history in which the parents proceeded from the child before the child proceeded from the Mother…because Jesus is one person with two natures, a divine and a human nature. St. Augustine was a true master of spiritual mystery. Speaking of the Eucharist, he once observed that when we eat normal food, it is absorbed into our bodies, but that when we eat the Eucharist, it absorbs us into the one body of Christ.

The Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith recently nixed using the titles, Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces, for the Virgin Mary. I did an informal survey of CORAC Leaders and found that we were all unhappy about it, though I was for a different reason. Most of the leadership wanted those titles to be approved. I have long been uncomfortable with them.

Several years ago, the late Tony Mullen, primary original proponent of the Flame of Love Devotion in America, explained to me that the “Co” did not equate Mary to Jesus, but rather that she CO-operated in a unique way with His entirely unique and unrepeatable act of redemption. Based on his explanation, I was fine with it. Certainly, I have always considered Mary’s “yes” to Gabriel as the actual pivot of civilization. A created being, with full knowledge of potential consequences and free will, saying yes to participating intimately in the Incarnation is incredibly bold and inspiring to me. But I could not get rid of the nagging sense that, in common parlance, “Co-” can signify equivalence. And this is something I do not think we should be ambivalent about.

I cannot be sure that this is not just my vestigial Protestant skepticism, but I don’t think so. The hostility of a large segment of Protestants to Mary, the indifference and contempt with which they treat her, are actually a fairly recent Protestant invention, only about 300 years old. Luther, Zwiegli, and even Calvin were actually Marian devotees. The best I have been able to discern is that hostility to Mary did not actually begin as hostility to Mary, but as a means to further differentiate Protestants from Catholics during the very bitter European battles between the two (and BOTH sides were responsible for some very ugly and completely non-Christian atrocities in that battle). Little else would explain some Protestants’ interpretation of the Scriptural declaration by Mary that “all generations shall call me blessed” in the Magnificat in Luke to mean she was just some random woman. But that is the reality of it. Of course, when the “Mother of God” line was penned, there were no Protestants yet to complain, only a few vestigial Arians who still claimed Jesus was “just a man.”

From the beginning, there were factions that have tried to subtract what was there and factions that have tried to add to what was there. Though many (maybe even most) have done so sincerely, many have unconsciously done so to defend their interpretation of Scripture and theology rather than find truth. I suspect the enthusiasm for the titles among many Catholics may be an over-correction to the disdain for Mary in some Protestant corners.

I am not absolutely sure whether my objection to these two titles is a result of my trace Protestant sensibilities or concern for the imprecise ambiguity of them. (Mary could certainly not be the mediatrix of the graces King David received…or even of the graces she originally received, herself.)

I would, in docility, be content to submit to what the Church solemnly decided if I had confidence in the doctrinal office. And that is where my objection comes in. Whatever the truth is, this is a matter that deserves serious consideration by serious people. I don’t have any serious arguments with this doctrinal note on the titles, but I do have serious problems with the timing of it and the current roster of hierarchical officials involved. We have been immersed in doctrinal chaos for a decade and a half, so much so that it is obvious some officials are busying themselves trying to deny even the plainest commands of Christ and teaching of the Apostles, not to mention the effort to overturn defined Magisterial Doctrine – or just ignore it and pretend that is not an effort to overturn it.

Before getting to a serious matter, the Vatican might quit appointing abortion advocates to Pontifical Councils, blessing same-sex “marriages” and celebrating transgender ideology. We need a good housecleaning on the basics before we even think of dealing with serious matters that require great precision and refinement to define truly and adequately. Before being named Prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine for the Faith by the late Pope Francis, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez was best known for the homo-erotic literature and poetry he wrote and published. He is the hierarchical equivalent of Larry, Curly and Moe. I don’t care how closely reasoned a case is or whether I agree with it or not, I cannot accept a note written by the three stooges to be the final word on the matter.

I strongly urge the hierarchy (many of whom, I fear, don’t really believe in God at all anymore, but just want to leverage the temporal influence of the Church and make it their own) to read Wisdom 6:1-11 and get their affairs in order if they won’t get their houses in order. I cannot take this doctrinal note seriously because there are too many officials in the Vatican I do not take seriously – because they do not take Scripture and the Magisterium seriously. I subscribe wholly to Galatians 1:8,9: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!

As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!”

A global Zoom (we have international members, did you know?) is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, December 7 at 3:00 pm Central Time. Charlie will speak, then take questions.

The first part will concern the renewal of the faith and the face of this world this year. The second part will concern next year, with critical decisions and action to get it right. The best time to defeat evil is to attack it when the power of evil is broken. But if we don’t stand, we lose. Are you prepared to go forth with faith as your only reliable lantern? All are welcome. No pre-registration, just sign on December 7 >

The next physical healing session will be Wednesday, December 3 at 7:00 Central time. To register, email maryjanekeppler@gmail.com.

See more details here >

The CORAC mission “Go Forth” is meant to launch us all into the “prayer of doing”. All around us are people and situations that need a helping touch. Most of us are involved in parish ministries to address some of the bigger community needs, and there are other easy, daily, quick ways to be the hands of God in our lives.

Check the posts here >

Find things like Pie It Forward, Warmth Drive, and Be A Light In The Supermarket. Read through all these short little missions to become aware of all the easy things we can be doing day by day. They’re so easy, you could actually do 30 of them in 30 days.

The Pie It Forward initiative, one of my favorites, is simply a matter of baking or cooking enough to take to neighbors or people who need a little extra love. It even includes Aunt Bee’s recipe for apple pie!

Pie It Forward >

When you feel overwhelmed with the sheer volume of worrying news, take refuge at Coffee & Covid! Author Jeff Childers does not, by any means, ignore or sugar-coat the news, but he has an optimistic slant that frankly cheers me up. Given that most of the media world has the specific goal of terrifying people and keeping them in an uproar, it makes sense to take the antidote: reality with a dose of humor, and never forgetting God. You can subscribe for free and get daily emails, or buy a paid subscription and get the bonus Sunday round of news.

Subscribe to Coffee & Covid >

Sat Nov 15 Coach Jeffrey
Trump targets Epstein pals; leaked emails show Epstein was an idiot; Dems caught plotting with a pedophile; Trump slashes costs fast; grocery prices fall; SNAP rules tighten; Ukraine corruption

Fri Nov 14 Strategic Misdirection
Trump hints at Obamacare overhaul; Hegseth hides a carrier; real war on drugs heats up; new midterm issue erupts; tariffs fuel a factory boom; BBC bungles edits again; DOJ sues California

Thu Nov 13 Swamp Critters
Open season in the swamp: DOJ nets top Dem operatives; Arizona’s Katie Hobbs probed for bribery tied to a grim orphanage; Epstein disclosures loom; DNC staff revolt; another Ivy caves and dumps DEI.

Wed Nov 12 Contentedness
A special edition: the affordability crisis undermines MAGA, and we leap into action. Consumer sentiment, China, the Administration, the OBBBA, Epstein, perspective, and much more.

Tue Nov 11 Following Science
BBC admits errors; Trump threatens lawsuit; UK reels from bad month; Trump hijacks affordability debate; we unpack prices, wages, and policy; DOJ whacks Big Meat; trans sanity surfaces.

Mon Nov 10 Unconditional Surrender
Democrats wave the white flag as eight defectors end the shutdown standoff; Trump seizes their healthcare issue; topples BBC in a three-day war; and crushes Big Pharma in a live Oval Office surrender.

Sun Nov 9 Affordability… access to paid subscribers only; I think it’s worth it

Sat Nov 8 Lunch Money
SCOTUS showdown week: food stamp fight heads to the High Court; Trump’s tariff case ties into another national debate; and the Justices restore sanity on gender-ID passports

Fri Nov 7 The TikTok Spirit
You know it had to be a special edition: Nancy Pelosi dropped out of her re-election race. But WHY? The Democrats have clearly charted a bold, fresh new map.

Thu Nov 6 The Return of Snake Plissken
In which we search the fallout from Tuesday’s elections for hopeful lessons; and a 1981 classic Kurt Russell movie returns with a bang of new relevance.

Bishop Strickland was admitted to the Fall Plenary Assembly of the USCCB this year. He made an intervention (stood up to speak) during an exposition of the Committee on Doctrine. He exhorted the bishops to address the situation (and others like it) of Fr. James Martin overseeing the Confirmation and reception of Holy Communion by a “married” gay man, with his “husband” acting as his sacramental sponsor.

Strickland’s intervention and description of the background situation is here >

It was discouraging but not surprising that the issue Strickland introduced was not addressed by the bishops. However, he accomplished two things:

• He brought up the issue and let the bishops know that their mushiness (or outright advocacy) of homosexuality is not going unnoticed.
• He once again let the laity know that at least one person will speak up for us, and for the Church in Her ancient truths.

The bishop posted a rejoinder on Friday, “what I wished I’d said at the conference.” I think even Bishop Strickland was a little surprised at how thoroughly he was brushed aside after speaking, and was at a loss for words until a few days later.

Dear Faithful Catholics-

These words came to me after awakening this morning. They are words I should have said to break the silence after my intervention at the USCCB meeting. I say them now to Pope Leo, to the bishops and to all who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ. “How long will you halt between two masters? If you believe Christ is Lord, then follow Him! If the world is your master, then go to it! But no longer profane His sanctuary while you betray the Cross!”

Bishops, STOP with the games! STOP with the lies. STOP turning a blind eye to the little ones! A massive stockpile of millstones is ready to be distributed among you. One for Pope Leo, a truck load for the Curia in the Vatican, and cargo ships full for the vast majority of today’s successors of the Apostles.

How dare I speak these words, how dare I judge these princes of the Church? No brothers, HOW DARE YOU inflict harm on the little ones over and over again?? You harm the little ones when you make the Sacred Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Holy Mass, a bauble, a bargaining chip for your worldly conniving, a platform for spewing heresy and playing footsie with the world.

You harm the little ones when you welcome couples caught up in sin, flaunting their sad disordered lives and instead of calling them to repentance in Jesus Christ, you have a chat about silly things and are acclaimed for being so kind. You even welcome them into the sacred sanctuary and drape a veil of blessing over the dung of their sin.

You harm the little ones when you spend hours in meetings quibbling over this word or that phrase when the world is guiding them deeper into darkness and despair. The little ones cry, “Where is hope” and they are ignored. You harm the little ones when you promote lawlessness
and turn a blind eye to the rapes, the murders and the attacks of nefarious criminals who waltz across open borders. Some of the little ones are caught up in these mass migrations and trampled upon as they seek a better life. Some of the little ones find their homes and towns invaded as shepherds say “we must welcome the stranger” and then allow marauders and criminals free rein.

We must all seek Jesus Christ as Lord and hear His call to repentance. We must say no to the depravities of the world and bring the light of truth to all the dark corners of the world. We must say no to the lawlessness that turns a blind eye to sin. We must believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. We must be shepherds.

Our diocese had to endure a letter from our bishop read aloud at every Sunday Mass this weekend, concerning immigration, taken pretty much verbatim from the USCCB meeting last week. The bishops never specify whether they are talking about legal or illegal immigration, so it’s a good bet they’re talking about illegal, from which they are accustomed to controlling large sums of money in Catholic-associated NGOs. A good chunk of that money is no longer flowing, as USAID was shut down and some Catholic charities exposed as accomplices to trafficking.

I daresay all of us are engaged in some form of ministry to alleviate the suffering of the poor. Why do we need to be lectured about extending charity to only one class of people? Encouraging tens of millions of people to break the law, and then trying to shame the rest of us into excusing it, is not a Christian example I can find anywhere else in history. The 20-30 million undocumented immigrants in this country, many of whom are provided with free housing, health care and education (free to them; we’re paying) make life harder, costs higher, cities more ungovernable, language more indecipherable, security less sure, for those of us who are citizens, never mind the effect on our elections.

I can only see one reason why the bishops have elevated the needs of illegal immigrants above those of ordinary citizens, and that is money. They’ve taken a gamble that the next election will turn the spigot on again, and they’re buying futures. I think they’ve made a bad call.

The Catholic laity is not insensitive to the suffering of others, but we will rebel against our bishops playing politics and using the Catholic faith to rationalize what is unreasonable.

Bishop Strickland launched a new website, Pillars of Faith, several months ago, to consolidate his various letters, articles and podcasts. The team at POF has now introduced a fraternity to be composed of priests, religious and laity. I tend to shy away from any new commitments as my To-Do list constantly expands (and there is no Honey- Do to take up the slack) but the Lay Associates of the fraternity are only asked to do what we pretty much are already doing (daily rosary, sacraments, works of mercy, Adoration and prayer for priests) with regularity for the intentions of the fraternity.

Read through the commitments on the fraternity page, and determine if it’s something you’d like to join. I’m an easy sell on anthing the Bishop proposes, but even if I wasn’t, I’d join. I’m tired of feeling the frustration of not being able to do anything while the Church is degraded and demeaned. This gives me something to do about it.

In their own words on the website:

From the foundation of the Pillars of Faith Apostolate arises the Pillars of Faith Priestly
Fraternity, a brotherhood of Catholic priests, deacons, and seminarians who are the
priestly heart of the apostolate. United with them in spirit and mission are religious men
and women whose prayer and witness strengthen the fraternity’s life of holiness.
Alongside these are the lay associates, men and women called to live the spirituality of the
fraternity in their own state of life, forming its supporting body within the world.

If you find you’d like to join, sign up here >

Gene Gomulka is a sexual abuse victims’ advocate, investigative reporter, seminary instructor and diocesan respect life director. Gomulka was ordained a priest for the Altoona-Johnstown diocese but left the priesthood after reprisals by a bishop for reporting clergy sex abuse. He is extremely knowledgeable on the subject of sex abuse in the priesthood, and very outspoken.

I advise caution when reading this article, “Why Did the Lavender Mafia Select Robert Prevost?” Gomulka documents his findings and conclusions, but the material is very disturbing. I post it only because it is important to the health and future of our Church to be honest and informed about the state of the episcopate and papacy. We have sleptwalked too long under the delusion that bishops can do no wrong. They can.

Read article >

Gavin Ashenden is a convert to the Catholic Church. Formerly an Anglican priest, he was chaplain to Queen Elizabeth from 2008 until he retired in 2017. After criticizing an Anglican cathedral which invited a Muslim student to read a surah from the Quran during the service, Ashenden was squeezed between his loyalty to the royal household and his integrity as a Christian. He was received into the Catholic Church in 2019.

As a Catholic layman, he is free to comment or criticize as he sees fit, and he does. Below is a conversation between two outstanding scholars of Catholicism: Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Gavin Ashenden (58 minutes).

Watch video >

Last week, Elizabeth Nickson posted the first part of a critique of Hollywood and Big Media: The Old Bad Demon-
Inflected Culture is Dead >

The easy money to be made in Hollywood attracted amoral people who could be made to do anything for money. Now the money is drying up, and creators of hellish content are failing, as decent people flee to truth. The Turning Point alternative halftime show for the Super Bowl is a good example.

The self-reform of the culture is underway. This article is part one, and the good news should come next week from Ms. Nickson, fast becoming one of my favorite culture warriors.

Watch here for the next installment >

The US Debt Clock.

Meanwhile, in another section of the data clock:

I ask you, has your health care gone up threefold in quality? Mine hasn’t. Providing free health care to 20-30 million illegal visitors who aren’t paying in to the system is logically going to drive our costs up. Our payments for health care are, in part, something like a forced charitable contribution.