Weekly Roundup (Aug. 26-Sep. 1, 2023)

Os Justi publishes a study on "Romanitas," and other points of interest

New book from Os Justi Press

I’m very happy to announce Alan Fimister’s fine new work, The Iron Sceptre of the Son of Man: Romanitas as a Note of the Church.

Back cover description:

Three days before His Passion, Our Lord warned the High Priests: “the Kingdom of God is taken from you and given to a nation that will bear the fruit thereof.” What is this nation? Who are the people of the Messiah? What is the Kingdom inherited by the saints of the Most High, and why does the Messiah rule the nations “with an iron sceptre”? The Church Fathers, East and West, are clear in their answer: the people of the Messiah are the Romans. Although in its pagan form it is Babylon and the Beast, the Roman Empire is translated by the power of the Cross from the temporal to the spiritual order and becomes what the Apostle calls “the restrainer”: the power that holds back the coming of the Antichrist. The removal of this restrainer signals the commencement of the final persecution of the Church and the end of all mortal things.

Guided by the teachings of the Fathers, St Thomas Aquinas, and St John Henry Newman, The Iron Sceptre of the Son of Man explores the essentially Roman character, the Romanitas, of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and demonstrates how a true understanding of this fifth Note of the Church can guide us in the most vital and perilous of all discernments.

About the author:

Alan Fimister is Assistant Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Director of Graduate Theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut. He is the author of Robert Schuman: Neo-Scholastic Humanism and the Reunification of Europe (2008) and, with Fr Thomas Crean O.P., Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy (2020). He is the Director of the Dialogos Institute. A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, he is married and has three children.

You may order this book either directly from Os Justi Press (here) or from Amazon (here, or at any of the other sites).

One rave review already, from Joshua Charles:

Please get this new book by my friend Dr. Alan Fimister (published by my friend Peter Kwasniewski. I was able to read it before publication, and it’s fantastic—a book whose time has come. It is significant not only for its eschatological insights, but for understanding Christian civilization, and even apologetics, helping our separated brethren among the Protestants and Eastern Orthodox understand the truly “Roman” nature of the Church, which persists to this day in the Catholic Church.

Article

At New Liturgical Movement this week, I take readers on a tour of the great St. Patrick’s church in New Orleans, with attention to its history, architecture (including the splendid rectory), stained glass, statuary, and furnishings.

St. Patrick’s in New Orleans, looking back toward the choir loft

Leisurely interviews

Mass of the Ages filmed about 14 hours of interviews for Part 1. My own interview lasted 3 hours—a bit like Pints with Aquinas! Now all of these interviews have been made available to MotA supporters:

With the upcoming release day of Episode 1: Director's Cut scheduled, we are now releasing the full length, uncut interviews! As originally promised, these interviews are available for FREE to our qualified Kickstarter supporters. Keep an eye on your inbox for your code. Unable to support us during the Kickstarter or found out about MOTA since then? No problem! For a limited time, these interviews will be made available for purchase at a discounted price. By purchasing these interviews you will also be supporting our mission to spread of the Latin Mass. Thank You!

One thing I’ll say: the production values are very high. So you can see and hear the interviewees quite well, and the questions posed by Cameron are always interesting ones. Go here for the interviews.

Upcoming Conference

I’ll be speaking in Bozeman, MT, on September 9, 2023. The title of my talk is, “The Corruption of the Best Is the Worst: When Obedience Becomes the Devil's Tool.”

For more information and tickets, go here. Hoping to meet some T&S readers!