Crannóggy Island

L ost in the Fog? Introduction Many Catholics today find themselves disoriented by conflicting theological voices, unsure of what the Church truly teaches. This confusion is not always accidental. The Magisterium has warned against “studied ambiguity” used to mislead the faithful under the guise of orthodoxy [1]. In many cases, the use of seemingly faithful language while subtly altering its content lends itself to misinterpretation or even manipulation. A theological trend often described as progressive - one that emphasises historical conditioning, lived experience, and cultural adaptation - has emerged as a key driver of this phenomenon. While often motivated by pastoral concern, such an approach risks treating doctrine as fluid rather than fixed, reframing it as one option among many rather than the authoritative truth revealed by Christ and His Church. Pope Francis’s pontificate introduced a significant shift: from the doctrinal clarity of his predecessors to a pastoral s...

Yep, Happy Jack admits it - He was a Black Sabbath fan back in the day. Rest in Peace Ozzy.  Introduction: Hellfire and Heavy Metal No band has provoked more moral panic and theological misreading than Black Sabbath, the pioneering heavy metal group from Birmingham, England. With their ominous soundscapes, Gothic album art, and lyrics invoking Satan, war, and judgment, they became lightning rods for controversy. But beneath the doom-laden riffs and Ozzy Osbourne’s haunted vocals lies something more complex - a body of work rich in apocalyptic imagery, Christian motifs, and a moral vision not unlike that of the biblical prophets. Far from advocating for evil, Black Sabbath’s early albums offer a critique of human sin, institutional corruption, and spiritual blindness, often drawing implicitly on Christian categories of good, evil, and divine justice. I. Black Sabbath: The Sound of Judgment 1. Origins in Industrial Despair Formed in 1968, Black Sabbath emerged from the decayi...

  Introduction This post examines how the essential marks of holiness and catholicity, often seen as opposites, are complementary. The next article will explore a deeper challenge: how modernist and progressive ideas have introduced confusion and doctrinal drift. While this post acknowledges the danger of extremes, its focus remains on how the Church must hold together holiness and catholicity as mutually enriching dimensions of her identity and mission. Can the Church Be Both Smaller and Greater? “The Church will become small,” Joseph Ratzinger once predicted, “but she will find her centre anew.” In a time of scandal, secularism, and spiritual fatigue, Catholics are asking hard questions about the future of the Church. Should we aim to be leaner and holier, even if that means being less culturally relevant? Or should we press harder on the Church’s mission to reach everyone, embracing diversity and dialogue? Some fear we’re splintering. Others see a refining. Beneath the ten...

  Introduction In our modern world, there's a lot of confusion about who we are as men and women. Questions about gender, sexuality, and even our own bodies seem to swirl around us, often distorting the beautiful truth of being "male and female." This post is an invitation to rediscover the timeless vision of masculinity and femininity, a vision rooted in Scripture, revealed perfectly in Jesus Christ, and faithfully taught by the Catholic Church. We'll explore how cultural challenges like "toxic masculinity," pornography, gender ideology, and new reproductive technologies have wounded us, and how a renewed understanding of God's design can bring healing and transformation. Our central question is simple: How can embracing the true meaning of being male and female offer a path to healing in a world that often feels lost? By looking at how men and women are meant to complement each other, reflecting the very love of the Trinity, we can find deepe...

  Introduction Modern feminism, in its many forms, has brought attention to the injustices women have historically endured—political exclusion, domestic exploitation, and cultural marginalisation. Yet as feminism evolved into more radical, postmodern expressions, it advanced visions of womanhood and equality that oppose the Catholic understanding of the human person. While the Church at times failed in its practice, her doctrine offers a deeply rooted anthropology: one that affirms the equal dignity of man and woman while embracing their distinct vocations. Catholic tradition does not see sexual difference as a cause of oppression but as part of a divine design—wounded by sin, yet restored in Christ. Through Scripture and the thought of figures like St. Edith Stein, Sr. Prudence Allen, Alice von Hildebrand, and St. John Paul II, the Church has developed a vision of woman that reclaims her original vocation, recognises the wounds of sin, and offers a path of redemption. 1. Cre...