We exhaust ourselves trying to plan futures we were never given grace to survive. There’s no God in chess, but there is in real life. https://writings.crusadergal.com/p/theres-no-god-in-chess

A diocese’s seminarians reflect its spiritual ecology. So why dismantle what was working? The Diocese of Charlotte is delaying ordinations and stripping seminarians of their cassocks, while forcing them into a year of lay work mid-formation. Read the article: https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/when-a-diocese-undermines-its-own-vocations

There is a growing ideological trend that seeks to deprive those broadly considered to being “on the right” of any and all rights, through dehumanization and the systematic exclusion from key institutions. I lived this reality in a small way when I was made a victim of a minor crime in an American city. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2026/01/04/unworthy-of-justice-how-ideology-determines-victims/

Christianity has never been a faith of mere sentiment. From the first century onward, it has made a claim on the whole person, and it comes into sharp focus at Christmas. Read the article: https://writings.crusadergal.com/p/the-claim-christianity-makes-at-christmas

Five books stood out this year. In an age of excess, noise, and content masquerading as wisdom, these were rare companions: books that changed the way I think, pray, judge, and remember. From Boethius on suffering and providence, to C.S. Lewis’ medieval imagination, to ecclesial indifference, and the loss of ritual, these are books worth keeping and rereading. Read this article instead: https://writings.crusadergal.com/p/five-books-that-can-change-your-soul

Another school stabbing. More calls for metal detectors. But metal detectors don’t fix a culture that can’t raise children. Read it: https://writings.crusadergal.com/p/the-moral-collapse-that-metal-detectors

Years after vilifying dissenters, the FDA now concedes vaccine deaths. But the damage to bodies, souls, and public trust cannot simply be footnoted. This late reckoning reveals more than it resolves.

Prefer to watch the video? You can do that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8vT1kecJRI

If we treat people like projects to be optimized, we shouldn’t be surprised when everything becomes cold: medicine, workplaces, even our own homes. https://writings.crusadergal.com/p/inside-the-sterile-doctors-office

(Just make sure they are the right ones.) Modern society treats judgment as a sin and prejudice as a crime. But without them, we lose all standards, and even justice itself. Theodore Dalrymple saw this decay firsthand. We cannot reject all prejudices, but we can choose wisely.