I have listed these essays in order of their release with the most recently released works being closest to the top. Of the pieces I have written or had a hand in writing, there are at least nine essays not on this list. Among the ones not on this list which come immediately to mind are (i) three essay extractions from my treatise (ii) one extraction from the Christian Unity essay. There is also (iii) one e-zine article from 2001 and (iv) two of the essays I cowrote in 2001 with Pete Vere. And finally, (v) the two essays I cowrote with Pete Vere for The Catholic Answer  in 2003. (One of which was run in the September-October 2003 issue and the other was run in the January-February 2004 issue.)

Rerum Novarum:

This weblog is my "journal of musings" if you will. It is the place where I put up my musings on a frequent basis and is similar to a homepage except it is interactive to some extent. And it is a place where I can let my hair down a little bit and discuss whatever I want to be it religious, political, social, or other subjects. http://rerum-novarum.blogspot.com/

The 'Tradition is Opposed to Novelty' Canard:

This essay is a detailed response to an article written for The Remnant by David Palm advancing the theory that "Tradition rejects novelty." The question of whether or not this theory is a viable one or not is the subject of this essay. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/dpalm.html

On the Intricacies of Dialogue - A Commentary:

This essay is in the form of a commentary on the divers and intricate elements that go into a proper understanding of -and utilization of- the dialogue in evangelization. In light of the numerous ways in which this term has been utilized in recent years -some properly and others improperly so- it seemed appropriate to deal with this subject from the standpoint of how the Magisterium of the Catholic Church envisions the application of the term. This piece is unlike any other I have done before. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/dialogue.html

Squelching Fr. Gruner's Squawking Squire:

The essay Pete and I coauthored for The Wanderer on Fr. Nicholas Gruner caused apparently no small stirring up of a hornets nest amongst Gruner disciples - including one particular prevaricator who sought to counter that short piece with an avalanche of verbiage which was published in The Remnant. This essay comprises my response in detail to two of the key sections of the piece. (Along with a third theme of the piece which is covered in a more generalized manner.) The intention of this essay is not only to confute those prevarications but also to highlight the disconnect of these kinds of self-styled 'traditionalists' from the Catholic spiritual tradition but with an approach I have seldom utilized in depth previously. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/squire.html

Yes Virginia, Fr. Nicholas is Suspended:

This piece was written in early 2003 and ran in the March 6, 2003 edition of The Wanderer. Though I made some contributions to the work in material and structure, this was primarily Pete Vere's essay.  http://www.catholic-legate.com/tribunal/gruner2.html

Why We are 'Traditionalists' Properly So-Called:

The following template with only a few minor adjustments is identical to the essay of the same name which was published in the December 6, 2001 edition of The Wanderer as the lead editorial. This was originally part of a larger piece which I wrote in November of 2001 which was subsequently lost. (That piece was edited for periodical production by Pete Vere JCL -who also added a few segues to the piece- into what is with minor adjustments what you will find here.) http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/traditionalists.html

An Open Letter to A Friend:

This was written in September of 2002 to a friend who identifies himself as a 'traditionalist'. It is an exhortation for that individual to turn from their state of disobedience and objectively schismatic state and return to the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/albert.html

'Mr Critic' and Salvation Outside the Catholic Church:

This piece is in part a sequel to the first critique of a similar title further down on this list. It is essentially another demonstration of the key theological misunderstandings of a prominent Reformed critic of the Catholic Church. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/critic2.html

The Counter-Syllabus Canard:

This essay is a point by point confutation of the assertion that the Syllabus of Errors has been contradicted in any of its proposition by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church either at or since Vatican II. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/syllabus.html

Spiritual Malpractice II - The Theological Troubles of Dr. Svendsen:

This essay is sequel to the first essay on this theme. However, this piece much more so then the first essay reveals in meticulous detail the theological fallacies of someone who claims to be accredited in the area of theology. To say that I question the quality of his theological formation after this one would be among the understatements of the past ten years but the reader can draw their own conclusions.  http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/svendsen2.html

A Case Study in Modern Day Donatism:

This essay is an response to a letter sent to Cardinal Dario Castrillion Hoyos by Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the SSPX. (Cardinal Hoyos' position is that of Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy as well as President of the Ecclesia Dei commission.) The SSPX's parallels to ancient schismatics along with the addressing of many fundamentally erroneous perceptions of Bishop Fellay are the themes dealt with in this essay. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/donatism.html

Distinctions of Outlook:

This essay is an examination of Fr. Chad Ripperger's discourse on "extrinsic tradition" with certain philosophical problems (along with key historical/logical shortcomings) to the work outlined in reasonable detail.  http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/distinctions.html

Confusing Culture With 'Tradition':

This essay started out as a critique of an essay of Cardinal Stickler. However, it eventually took on a life of its own and some of the blemishes of the pre-conciliar period policies and outlooks ended up being discussed. (These are ones that most ardant self-styled 'traditionalists' who adhere to these policies either do not know or - if they do know of them - do not want to fess up to.) The mantra "to be deep in history is to cease to be a 'traditionalist'" applies in spades here.

http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/stickler.html

The title of this essay says it all. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/primer.html

This essay was coauthored with 'Matt1618' and deals with the subject of communion in the hand and the revisionist history surrounding this practice which is employed by both its supporters and its opponents.
http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/communion.html

Christian Unity and the Role of Authority:

This essay was written with the same goal in mind as my treatise contra false 'traditionalism.' However, the focus of this piece is Christianity and not Catholicism. For personal reasons this work was (and is) one I have the most interest in promoting as the subject was (and is) one close to my heart in more ways than one. [Though initially released in January of 2001, this piece was retouched slightly and HTML reformatted for easier reading in January of 2003. - ISM 1/14/04] http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/unity.html

This essay addresses a number of errors of Reformed apologist Dr. Eric Svendsen. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/svendsen.html

Though now this is an appendix to the project coauthored with Dr. Art Sippo and 'Matt1618', this was originally an essay in its own right which critiqued a piece which ran three times in The Remnant in 2000. The credibility of Atila Sinke Guimaraes as someone who understands Catholic theology or Church history is dealt a blow of significant proportions here. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/appendix1.html

This project was coauthored with Dr. Art Sippo and 'Matt1618' to address the endless prevarications of a group of very amateurish extreme 'traditionalists' with regards to the original Mass sections of my Prescription treatise. It also serves as a detailed examination of common errors of those who impugn the validity of the Pauline Missal. [This piece was reformatted for easier reading in January of 2003. The Appendix sections of this work were revised as per their content (most of them to a significant degree) in January of 2003 and were recopyrighted. - ISM 1/14/04] http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/detection.html

This essay defends the Pauline Liturgy (aka "Novus Ordo") as a legitimate restoration. There was (and is) no intention made with this piece to endorse liturgical abuses nor imply that the rite is above further corrections to put it more into accordance with the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. (Though my views on this liturgy are more positive now than they were at the time this piece was composed.) This was initially a stand alone essay; however it was later seen as expedient to revise the work and incorporate it into a larger project as an Appendix section. However, it still retains a value apart from the project in which it was made a part of. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/appendixa.html

The 'Tinkling Cymbal' of 'Mr. Critic':

This essay more or less addresses the misrepresentations and uncharitable accusations of a well-known Reformed apologist which were made against a Catholic writer whom I had (and have) good thoughts of. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/critic.html

Justification By Faith Working in Love:

This essay is a look at Justification through the words of Sacred Scripture. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/justif.html

On the Real Presence:

This essay is a biblical, historical, and grammatical examination of the doctrine of the Real Presence. http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/realpresence.html

A Prescription Against 'Traditionalism':

This project is a systematic multitopical refutation of the theory of so-called 'traditionalism'. The topics covered in this project include Church History, Vatican II (its authority and misinterpretation), the Mass, Schism, Sedevacantism, Ecumenism, Religious Liberty, and other themes. This treatise is heavily documented, almost all of its sources can be verified as to their context, and the work demonstrates well beyond any reasonable doubt that these groups are not authentically Catholic in any way, shape, matter, or form. Furthermore, while aimed primarily at those who to some extent are autonomous of the Pope; nonetheless portions of this are applicable to every kind of false 'traditionalist' out there.

All too often in these kinds of conflicts of ideologies there are key distinctions which are overlooked. This treatise makes those necessary distinctions and assists the readers in learning how to make them. It is not an exaggeration to say that this work is the foundation of all the other 'traditionalist' related pieces penned by this writer -and probably always will be. [The third edition of this project was revised in December of 2002 and January of 2003 with some new material added, a more irenic and nuanced restatement of the work's original material in most places, a lot of live link fixes, and a lot of template restructuring. Due to the extent of all that, the treatise was recopyrighted. - ISM 1/14/04] http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/shawn.html
 

©2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, These writings were composed by I. Shawn McElhinney except where otherwise noted. The texts may be downloaded or printed out for private reading, but they may not be uploaded to another Internet site or published, electronically or otherwise, without the express written permission of the author.