From The Pastor: 

The Devil’s Greatest Trick

The Devil’s Greatest Trick

November 6, 2018

Nostalgia is a selective editing of the past. For instance, there are those who wish we had today some of the architects of thirteenth-century cathedrals, but who avoid mentioning thirteenth-century dentists. In recent times, the general conceit has been the opposite of nostalgia. The philosopher Owen Barfield spoke of "chronological snobbery," defined as the belief that "intellectually, humanity languished for...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

At the Balance of Your Destiny…

At The Balance Of Your Destiny…

October 28, 2018

Some classical composers whose melodramatic quirks would have made life with them difficult, such as Beethoven, Wagner, Berlioz and Satie, have their opposites in such genial geniuses as Hayden, Mozart and, I would argue, Edward Elgar.   Elgar was among the more modern, and had a gift for friendship. The “Enigma Variations” are musical sketches of friends who enjoyed his company....


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: A One-Step Process to Break the Parent-Adult Child Cycle of Abuse and Pain

Book Review: A One-step Process To Break The Parent-adult Child Cycle Of Abuse And Pain

October 28, 2018

A review of Sam and Gifford Keen’s Prodigal Father Wayward Son: A Roadmap to Reconciliation —  Best-selling author, Sam Keen (Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man), and his son, Gifford (Gif), were estranged for many years. Sam’s story is the all too common account of a father working hard, gaining fame and then cashing it all in, leaving his...


Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "

From The Pastor: 

Culture and Saints: What shapes us?

Culture And Saints: What Shapes Us?

October 20, 2018

There are those who would not let facts get in the way of theory, and such was the English philosopher Herbert Spencer who promoted the “survival of the fittest.” This “Social Darwinism” theorized that the weak and poor would gradually die out to make way for an inevitable social progress. He was idolized by Andrew Carnegie, even though that richest...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

Catholic Youth Synod syllabus falls short: Instead follow example of Catholic leaders throughout history

Catholic Youth Synod Syllabus Falls Short: Instead Follow Example Of Catholic Leaders Throughout History

October 16, 2018

Last Sunday was the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, a conflict that saved civilization on the seventh of October, 1571. The day after that anniversary marked the celebration of the life of Christopher Columbus, an observance that has become muted by polemicists who do not understand the significance of events. Were it not for the courage of the 41-year-old...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

The Church and Mainland China

The Church And Mainland China

October 6, 2018

The opening line of a children’s poem by Mary Howitt in 1828 is a caution for growing up in a duplicitous world: “‘Will you walk into my parlour?’ said the Spider to the Fly.” Christians must be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16) because we are sent as sheep into a world of wolves. So there we...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Summer Sharing, Amazing Future and Proven Predictions

Summer Sharing, Amazing Future And Proven Predictions

October 3, 2018

It appears the long hot, really hot, Texas summer is over. Can’t believe we have had nearly two weeks of near continuous rain. Pat and I have done our best to establish a few traditions during our 12 years of marriage to each other. One of those is providing funds for summer camp to each of the 16 grandchildren instead...


Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

From The Pastor: 

Perspective, History, and the Seductive Charm of Evil

Perspective, History, And The Seductive Charm Of Evil

September 29, 2018

Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 with only 39.8 percent of the popular vote and was so loathed that he had to take a night train secretly into Washington for his inauguration. The Salem Advocate in his own state of Illinois editorialized: “…he is no more capable of becoming a statesman, nay, even a moderate one, than the braying ass can...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

The Power of St Michael the Archangel in our life and especially in our time of crisis

The Power Of St Michael The Archangel In Our Life And Especially In Our Time Of Crisis

September 24, 2018

The selection of Saint Michael as our parish’s patron in 1857 certainly was inspired. Who could be a better champion in “Hell’s Kitchen” than that heavenly soldier wielding the sword, as the great statue in our church shows him? As angels are pure spirit and sublime intelligence, it is tempting for mortals of flesh and limited intelligence to pretend that...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude

Book Review: Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude

September 16, 2018

Unstructured time is an under-appreciated and wasted gift in today’s modern industrialized world. We are driven by activity and fill moments of silence with busyness. We are conditioned to equate “work” with virtue and are uneasy with solitude. Authors Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin in “Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude” challenge this modern conditioning to work. They draw...


Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "

From The Pastor: 

Forget Not The Effect of the Blessed Sacrament in every Catholic parish tabernacle

Forget Not The Effect Of The Blessed Sacrament In Every Catholic Parish Tabernacle

September 16, 2018

On the ninth of October in 1845, Blessed John Henry Newman was received into the Catholic Church by the Passionist priest Blessed Dominica Barberi. On the 150th Anniversary of that meeting of saints, to the very hour, I had the privilege of offering Mass in the little room where it took place.       Newman’s decision was hard, as he...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

From The Pastor: 

Amid the Cleansing of the Church, Now is the Critical Time “to be Found Faithful”

Amid The Cleansing Of The Church, Now Is The Critical Time “to Be Found Faithful”

September 10, 2018

A rare gift is to be the pastor of a parish, and one of its greatest benefactions is a fatherly part in the lives of so many people.  One thinks of the film “Good bye Mr. Chips” when the venerable schoolmaster sees in his memory’s eye all the lads he had taught over generations.  That is why at each Mass...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

Management That Makes A Difference: 

The Pinnacle of a Successful Company Is…

The Pinnacle Of A Successful Company Is…

August 31, 2018

…Brace yourself for this.  It’s not pretty.  The pinnacle of a successful company, the quintessential activity that makes success possible, is a CEO’s weekly staff meeting.  Yes.  A staff meeting.  Now, if you’ve read any of my books or essays, you know that I’ve talked about meetings before.  So, you might be wondering, what’s changed? Well, in working with CEOs...


Patrick Lencioni

(President, The Table Group)

Patrick Lencioni is the founder and president of The Table Group, and a prolific author of best-selling books on business management, particularly in relation to team...

" Recognized as a true pioneer in leadership and business, Patrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author. "

Ceo Learnings: 

BOOK REVIEW: Fatima – Advice, Direction and Hope for Living Our Lives Well

Book Review: Fatima – Advice, Direction And Hope For Living Our Lives Well

August 3, 2018

A Review of Rev Joseph Roesch MIC’s “Fatima: A Pilgrimage with Mary” — “Fatima: A Pilgrimage with Mary” author Father Joseph Roesch, MIC, is the Vicar General of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a fraternal community of consecrated life in the Roman Catholic Church. He worked as an actor after college and in...


Thomas M. Loarie

(CEO, Bryologyx)

View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...

" Thomas Loarie is CEO of Bryologyx, a radio host of The Mentors Radio Show, and the former, seasoned and pioneering CEO of life science... "
Witnessing to the Beauty of Catholic History

Witnessing To The Beauty Of Catholic History

August 3, 2018

Continuing to share the pearls of wisdom from the Pilgrimage In The Footsteps of St. Dominic, as Catholic business men and women each of us has an obligation to witness (experience, reflect and share) to others about our Catholic faith. The first place our group stayed was in the walled town of Avila. In addition to the lovely Cathedral near...


Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

From The Pastor: 

Calm in Chaos

Calm In Chaos

August 3, 2018

It is our custom to suspend my weekly column through the month of August until Labor Day. I do not take a vacation (for reasons I explained half a dozen years ago in an essay called “Vacation Trials and Tribulations,” available on the Crisis Magazine website.) Summer is supposed to be a time of repose, and that has bid me reflect on...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

CAN PROPAGANDA BE OVERCOME – WILL PROPAGANDA RULE OUR LIVES?

Can Propaganda Be Overcome – Will Propaganda Rule Our Lives?

March 14, 2018

Award-winning journalist Sue Ellen Browder opened her presentation at this year’s Legatus Summit by saying, “If you don’t tell your story—no one else will.”  Her topic, “How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement,” was both eye-opening and alarming as she revealed how propaganda has driven the outcome on the abortion issue, including the U.S. Supreme Court decision. ...


Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

From The Pastor: 

Slavic Lessons in Suffering This Lent—Crucified between Fascism and Communism

Slavic Lessons In Suffering This Lent—crucified Between Fascism And Communism

March 5, 2018

In March of 1937, Pope Pius XI issued two encyclicals within five days of each other. Mit Brennender Sorge condemned National Socialism, and Divini Redemptoris condemned Communism. These ideologies, attacking human dignity and replacing God with the power of the self-justifying State, were In March of 1937, Pope Pius XI issued two encyclicals within five days of each other. Mit Brennender Sorge condemned National Socialism, and Divini...


Fr. George Rutler

(Pastor of St. Michael's Church)

View Articles Father Rutler was ordained to the diaconate in Rome by His Eminence William Cardinal Baum in 1980 and received priestly ordination in St. Patrick's...

The Right Work Ethic

The Right Work Ethic

February 23, 2018

January 25-27, 2018, found Pat and me in Orlando, Florida for the annual Legatus Summit of Catholic leaders. The other Austin Chapter members present were Richard Benkendorf who has succeeded me as Chapter President, Lisa and Ken Ellis, Kim and Bill Moore, and Michelle and Paul Tucker.  It was a wonderful event with great speakers, good food, spiritual enrichment and...


Tim Von Dohlen

View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...

BOOK REVIEW: Cardiac Arrest – A Warning to Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Society at Large

Book Review: Cardiac Arrest – A Warning To Aspiring Entrepreneurs And Society At Large

February 12, 2018

A Warning to Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Society at Large: The Abuse of the Justice System to Advance Political Aspirations.  Howard Root was an accomplished lawyer when he gambled his career on becoming a medical device entrepreneur. A Warning to Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Society at Large: The Abuse of the Justice System to Advance Political Aspirations.  Howard Root was an accomplished...


Editors