The Restoration Review

We saw a great post this week from the beloved Father Doug Brown, pastor at Mary Queen of Peace in Cleveland. In his heartfelt post, Father Brown urged readers to attend a true Midnight Mass this year, reflecting on its deep spiritual beauty and warning that this cherished tradition is slowly disappearing.  Agree 100%.   Obviously, above all, get to Mass for Christmas, bring your family, and celebrate this wonderful feast day!  And if you want to truly experience the transcendent beauty of Christmas: 1) go at midnight; 2) find a big, beautiful historic church, preferably in the city; 3) bring some friends and family. If you are in the Cleveland area, two obvious choices are: Midnight Mass at Mary Queen of Peace Traditional Latin Midnight Mass at historic St Eilzabeth Shrine on Buckeye. Here is Father Brown's comment in full: It's an old maxim that new pastors should not change the schedule for Christmas - especially in their first few years. I have essentially kept th...

Once again this year, the Solanus Casey Project will be bringing the hope and joy of Christmas to one of Cleveland’s darkest places. On Sunday, 12/21 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, friends of the Solanus Casey Project will be singing Advent Carols in front of PreTerm. We will provide some taste treats and hot cocoa. New winter gloves, hats, and socks, gift cards and lightly worn coats will also be given away to folks in need in the PreTerm neighborhood. The Solanus Casey Project endeavors to “overcome evil with good.” It believes that almsgiving is an often overlooked practice in spiritual battles. Almsgiving incorporates the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting in a way that manifests itself by caring for our neighbors in need. Accordingly, each Friday from 2pm to 4pm, friends of the Solanus Casey Project pray the Rosary in front of PreTerm while giving away baby clothes, diapers, snack bags, winter gear, gift cards, Miraculous Medals and Rosaries. It also helps sponsor this annual car...

St. John Vianney took a spiritually dead French village and turned it into the most vibrant Catholic town in Europe. No budget. No committees. No felt banners. Not even a synod. Just prayer, old-fashioned self-sacrifice, total trust in Our Lord - and a surprising assist from his heavenly powerhouse, St. Philomena. So, can this game plan be duplicated today, in our own morally exhausted towns and cities?  Or more simply even, can a dad apply this directly to his own family? Absolutely. And Kevin Wells has just handed us the blueprint.  Yes, the same Kevin Wells  who writes the powerful and moving articles for Crisis Magazine .  My 2025 Catholic Book of the Year Coached by the Curé: The Spiritual Playbook of St. John Vianney by Kevin Wells I read a mountain of Catholic books this year. Some good, some better, some forgettable. But this one?  It hit home. I even bought an additional 50 copies...for friends, family and neighbors. Because I’m done wa...