Jonathan Ryan's Blog, page 19

Dark Devotional: Learning to Listen

“He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’” Mark 9:35   Four years ago, a dear friend and professor died on the lawn of my seminary while playing frisbee with students.  Jannie was a tall man from South Africa […]

Dark Devotional: Our Lady of Sorrows and Me

“Bruised. Derided. Cursed. Defiled. She beheld her tender child…” Many Catholics I know are wondering, “How do we come back from this level of corruption and evil?” Of course I am referencing the levels from Pennsylvania about all the sexual abuse and misconduct. I am wondering it. I have voiced it. Don’t each of the […]

Mea Maxima Culpa: Clergy Sex Abuse Scandals Tempt Us to Despair

At this writing, the grotesque moral stench of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report lingers in the nostrils, like a dead carcass. This only adds to pain inflicted by Cardinal McCarrick, the “Spotlight” scandals of 2002, along with Ireland, Chile, and more. In Canada, from where I write, the Indian Residential Schools unveil the same systematic […]

Bishops, Fight Your Own War (Or Better Yet, Remember Who You Are)

  Bishops, Fight Your Own War (Or Better Yet, Remember Who You Are) Before August 14, 2018, I used to wake up and immediately experience a sense of gratitude. Even when I was exhausted, or knew we might be late for school or work, I would awake sensing the presence of Love, and of purpose. […]

Fantasy Football and the Catholic Church

Every autumn, I’m left scratching my head as friends and family begin to fill out their brackets for their fantasy football teams. Football is boring enough on its face, but fantasy football somehow involves math as well. Football + math is a recipe for no-thank-you. Fantasy football has always puzzled me – but now I […]

I Wish I Could Believe: Marie’s Story

My friend says I can still talk to you, even if I don’t believe anymore. And after this week, I really don’t think I can believe anymore. But, like the prisoner-priest speaking to Edmond, she said it’s okay. Because you believe in me. And she believes in you. And well, I believe her. So I […]

Reaction Round Up: A Hall of Shame

The past week has been eye opening. Not only is the world more aware than ever of the scope and severity of child abuse and its attending coverups – but we have seen some truly dreadful reactions from Catholic bishops, clergy, and commentators. Here are some of the worst.   1. The scandal is the […]

I Want to Believe: Fr. Stephanos Pedrano’s Story

Editor’s note:  I wanted this series, I Want To Believe, to highlight the authenticity of my fellow Catholics. The news about the scandals has left me disheartened. At this point, honestly, I DON’T really want to believe. I asked my friend Father Stephanos Pedrano, a Catholic priest and monk, to write a post for us […]

Dark Devotional: The Case of the True Presence, and the Hoarding of the Manna- A Eucharistic Tale

  I found myself inside an Episcopal church one Sunday morning last fall, partly an act of defiance, mostly an act of discernment. The particular church we were visiting stands just across the street from a major Catholic parish in town. It felt as though I were going inside the wrong building, and some kind […]

Dear Catholic Bishops, Time’s Up

Over the past few weeks, we at Sick Pilgrim have watched with unease as the Church has responded to the allegations of scandalous and predatory behavior on the part of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. We have seen bishops offer bland platitudes and assurances that they will improve “procedures.” We have seen bishops blame contraception, or deflect […]