Dwight Longenecker

Greenville

Contributing Writer at National Catholic Register

Evangelical home, then Oxford and an Anglican priest, now Catholic priest, blogger, husband, dad, read my autobiography "There and Back Again"

Articles

Tolkien’s Faith

1 day ago | catholiceducation.org | Dwight Longenecker |John Cuddeback |George Weigel

The interminable Tolkien industry has churned out blockbuster feature films, television series, commentaries, critiques, essays and analysis. Numerous biographies have dissected his life, his friendship with C.S. Lewis, and his continuing legacy. The influence of Tolkien’s Catholic faith on his great saga has been observed and analyzed, but no single volume has used Tolkien’s Catholic faith as the sole lens through which to view his life.
Behold the Lamb of God

2 weeks ago | catholicdigest.com | Dwight Longenecker

At the very heart of the Catholic Mass, the priest turns to the people and lifts up the chalice and consecrated bread that has become the body and blood of Christ. He repeats the words of St. John the Baptist when he saw Jesus coming to him at the Jordan River: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). These few words contain within them a vast and fascinating history that looks both back with thanks and forward with hope.
The Poetry and Particularity of Mary

1 month ago | theimaginativeconservative.org | Dwight Longenecker

At the Annunciation, in a room in Nazareth, the fresh innocence of Eve is recapitulated, but in a new configuration. This is the nature of creation: that all things general, to become real, must become particular. It should therefore not come as a surprise that God Himself should also take particular flesh from a particular girl on a particular morning in March. Writing poetry makes one aware of words—how does the rhythm implicate and replicate emotion?
Why Do We Ring Bells at Mass? The Fascinating Medieval History You’ve Never Heard

1 month ago | churchpop.com | Dwight Longenecker

There's a conversation going on about why we ring bells in the Catholic Mass. The answers so far have been incomplete or incorrect. In the Middle Ages, churches had many side altars. You can still see the many side chapels when you visit a medieval cathedral in Europe. Often the side chapels were added to a church or cathedral by a wealthy benefactor who left an endowment (a parcel of land from which there would be a revenue stream).
10 Reasons Why the Rosary Is So Powerful

1 month ago | ewtn.co.uk | Dwight Longenecker

Satan hates God. Satan hates you. And Satan hates the Rosary. , January 9, 2020 – National Catholic RegisterSaints say it. Popes say it. The Rosary is a powerful weapon against evil. But have you stopped to figure out why? Here are 10 reasons why the Rosary prayer is the most powerful and how you can use it most fully. 1. It Engages Your Will. The human will is powerful because it is a sharing in God’s power.
Jimmy Carter and John Lennon’s Leftist Anthem

Jan 20, 2025 | theaquilareport.com | Dwight Longenecker

Who could possibly be opposed to a religion that calls everyone to be nice, compliant and tolerant?— a religion that helps people?—a religion that makes the world a better place?—a religion unencumbered by “superstition, dogma and an unscientific metaphysic?” This, of course, is the attractive ideology of communism: to be good, to help people, to make the world a better place—and to do so without God. John Lennon himself agreed that Imagine could be interpreted as a communist anthem.
The Rise of Religious Young Men

Nov 26, 2024 | ncregister.com | Dwight Longenecker

COMMENTARY: More young men than young women in America today are religious, an indication of an increase in male positivity. A young man prays the Rosary. (photo: Gianna B / Unsplash) Commentaries November 26, 2024 As pastor of a parish in South Carolina, I am witnessing a remarkable trend: Almost every week I receive a call, email or visit from at least one young man interested in learning more about the Catholic religion.
The Rise of Religious Young Men

Nov 26, 2024 | ewtn.co.uk | Dwight Longenecker

COMMENTARY: More young men than young women in America today are religious, an indication of an increase in male positivity. , November 26, 2024 – National Catholic RegisterAs pastor of a parish in South Carolina, I am witnessing a remarkable trend: Almost every week I receive a call, email or visit from at least one young man interested in learning more about the Catholic religion. They are older teenagers and both single and married men in their 20s and early 30s.
Trump’s Victory & the True Border Crisis

Nov 10, 2024 | freeread.causeaction.com | Dwight Longenecker

The triumph of Donald Trump was simply the triumph of the majority of Americans who saw their society slipping into anarchy and chaos without borders. I hope that in the next Trump years, the renewed, common-sense desire for proper borders in every area of life will prevail and will be balanced by that other great American virtue—the rights of individual freedom.
Pope Francis includes Naples archbishop among new cardinals

Nov 5, 2024 | catholicworldreport.com | Hannah Brockhaus |Dwight Longenecker

Pope Francis includes Naples archbishop among new cardinals By Hannah Brockhaus for CNA The blood of St. Januarius liquefied on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, before a Mass in Naples, Italy, where Archbishop Domenico Battaglia said that the blood of the fourth-century martyr is a powerful reminder that “love is stronger than death.” / Credit: Archdiocese of NaplesVatican City, Nov 5, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).