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About the Author

Prime Matters
Editorial Panel

In keeping with the best of our ancient Benedictine heritage, in which authors sign their work simply “a monk,” the editorial panel of Prime Matters remains anonymous, committed solely to articulating and awakening the Catholic imaginative vision for Catholics and all people of goodwill.

Published Pieces

The Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Šaštín, Slovakia

The Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Šaštín, Slovakia

It has been said that God writes straight with crooked lines. The origins of the Basilica of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows might provide an example of that kind of oblique writing.

Prime Matters
Jan 18, 2024
Open church door

An Anniversary Year for Evangelization

Forty years ago, St. John Paul II made the first reference to the "New Evangelization" while speaking to Latin American bishops in Haiti.

Prime Matters
Dec 11, 2023
The Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral

Home to the relics of the Magi, the Cologne Cathedral - whose construction lasted for 632 years - has drawn pilgrims since its cornerstone was placed in 1248.

Prime Matters
Nov 9, 2023
Perov Vasily's "First Christians in Kiev"

Perov's "The First Christians in Kiev"

Perov's depiction of Christians worshipping under the cover of night reminds us of the generations of Christians who have embraced the conquering spirit of the Gospel through times of uncertainty.

Prime Matters
Nov 2, 2023
Castel Gandolfo and Lago Albano

Castel Gandolfo

Overlooking a crater lake hidden within the hills southeast of Rome, the papal palace (and gardens and observatory) at Castel Gandolfo has provided popes a respite from Rome's summer heat.

Prime Matters
Oct 25, 2023
Michelangelo's "Pieta"

Michelangelo's Pietà

Michelangelo's Pietà captures a serene moment of surrender, as the Virgin Mary cradles the body of her crucified son in her lap.

Prime Matters
Oct 12, 2023
Mary College at ASU, Tempe, AZ

Old St. Mary's Church, Tempe

Old St. Mary's, the oldest standing church in the Phoenix area, has served the spiritual and pastoral needs of Catholics in Arizona for generations and is now home to Mary College at ASU.

Prime Matters
Oct 5, 2023
The Monastery of Mar Saba

The Monastery of Mar Saba

Like all things genuinely Christian, the ancient Monastery of Mar Saba has been no stranger to conflict and controversy as it has borne witness to the Gospel throughout the ages.

Prime Matters
Sep 27, 2023
The Vatican

Understanding the Synod

How are we to understand the upcoming Synod?

Prime Matters
Sep 24, 2023
Caravaggio's "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist"

Caravaggio's "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist"

Caravaggio's stark presentation of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, housed in St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, invites us to view a brutal reality through the eyes of faith.

Prime Matters
Sep 20, 2023