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Grab a Copy of Issue 6 - Strange Catholicism here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vi-strange-catholicism  Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange, here:  https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683  Join my Patreon here:  http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue   Episode on the Mysticism of the Stigmata: https://youtu.be/Apc3Ifl1n5o  Irving Houle was a husband, father, grandfather—and a reported stigmatist who experienced the wounds and Passion of Christ nightly for nearly sixteen years. In this episode, we explore Irving’s strange story, the mysticism behind the stigmata, his reported healing ministry, and what these wounds might reveal about becoming more like Christ. Featured in The Margins: Strange Catholicism and explored alongside the strange phenomena of the saints in A Catechism of the Strange.

Check out Issue 6 here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vi-strange-catholicism A grandpa with the stigmata. A mystic who healed a future Catholic icon. Glowing saints, strange relics, visions, miracles, and more. Welcome to Strange Catholicism, Issue 6 of The Margins — an exploration of the strange, beautiful, and sometimes downright weird corners of the Catholic faith.

Jesus tells a story about two sons: one says yes and never moves, the other says no — then gets up and goes. In Matthew 21:28–32, we look at a faith that has to become physical: feet in the vineyard, hands in the dirt, sweat on the body. Because God doesn’t just want the yes on your lips. He wants your body where your yes is.

🕊️Resources 🕊️ Episode on Theosis: https://youtu.be/TRbknjxcA5U My Catholic Zine, The Margins: ⁠www.stanthonystongue.com/margins⁠  My Book, A Catechism of the Strange: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683⁠  My Patreon: ⁠http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue⁠  Why do Catholics keep bones? In this episode, we look at relics, the Bible, theosis, resurrection, and what all of this says about the human body. Relics aren’t just strange Catholic objects—they’re a reminder that grace reaches deeper than we think. Based on the relics chapter of A Catechism of the Strange.

🕊️Resources 🕊️ My Catholic Zine, The Margins: ⁠www.stanthonystongue.com/margins⁠  My Book, A Catechism of the Strange: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683⁠  My Patreon: ⁠http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue⁠  Absolutely — keep it simple, searchable, and not stuffed: Description: On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, we sit with Mary as the wounded Bride: the woman whose heart was pierced, who stayed near the wounds of Christ, and whose love became something bodily, tangible, and costly. This episode explores Our Lady of Sorrows, the wound of love, bridal mysticism, compassion, the Crucifixion, and what it means to remain open to love in the presence of suffering.

In this episode, we look at Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, the Greek phrase splagchnistheis—to be moved in the guts—and the way Scripture repeatedly connects holiness with a heart that can still be affected by suffering. Compassion is not the enemy of truth. The question is whether the mercy we receive from Christ actually makes us more merciful.

Some saints were said to literally glow. In this episode, we look at the strange stories of luminous saints, the Transfiguration, theosis, and what it might mean for a human life to become radiant with Christ. --- 🕊️Resources 🕊️ Mysticism, Word By Word -- Theosis: https://youtu.be/TRbknjxcA5U?si=BzlYg2gZhzG9V8xz My Catholic Zine, The Margins: www.stanthonystongue.com/margins  My Book, A Catechism of the Strange: https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683  My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

What if heaven is closer than we think? In this Mass Prep, we explore Matthew 18:15–20, communal prayer, the Bride of Christ, and Jesus’ strange promise to be in the midst of us.

What happens when Silicon Valley’s values start shaping the Catholic imagination?In this episode, I’m talking about optimization, branding, algorithms, prayer streaks, Catholic AI, “frictionless faith,” and the danger of treating holiness like something that can be measured on a dashboard.This isn’t an anti-tech rant. It’s a plea for a messier, more embodied, more human Church — one where people still have faces, names, wounds, and time for one another.I just want to see her face. 🤖Resources 🕊️ Essay - Against Silicon Valley Catholicism: https://stanthonystongue.substack.com/p/against-silicon-valley-catholicism  Issue V - Beware of Catholic Robots: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-v-beware-of-catholic-robots  My Book, A Catechism of the Strange: https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683  My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

Join my Patreon Check Out my Zine Order my Book In this week’s Mass Prep, we look at Matthew 16:21–27: Peter trying to correct Jesus, what it means to actually follow Christ, and the strange call to lose your life in order to find it.

What if the spiritual life is less about finding God, and more about realizing that God has been chasing you the whole time? In this episode, we look at Francis Thompson’s The Hound of Heaven, the conversion of Jacques Fesch, Jonah, the lost sheep, and the strange, relentless mercy of a God who refuses to stop coming after us. God Chases You Like a Dog (Essay) The Margins: A Catholic Zine Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange

Order my book here. Buy a zine here. In Matthew 16:13–20, Jesus asks Peter one of the most important questions in the Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” This week, we’re reflecting on faith becoming personal, learning to recognize Christ, and the beautiful moment when Peter names Jesus—and Jesus names Peter.

Order my book, A Catechism of the Strange here: https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683 In this episode of Mysticism, Word by Word, we explore the Christian idea of becoming more like God through grace, where it appears in Scripture, how the mystics understood it, and what it looks like in everyday spiritual life.

In this episode of From the Margins, I’m talking about why I wrote Beware of Catholic Robots — my new manifesto on Catholic AI, prayer apps, digital spirituality, human dignity, work, and what happens when faith becomes optimized, monetized, and frictionless. We’ll get into Catholic AI companies, spiritual formation, AI and pastoral care, the gamification of prayer, ethical labor, and why the Church should remain stubbornly human. Get Issue V: Beware of Catholic Robotshttps://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-v-beware-of-catholic-robots

Order My Book, A Catechism of the Strange What is the stigmata — and more importantly, what does it mean?In this episode, we explore the strange Catholic phenomenon of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ appearing on the bodies of saints and mystics. We’ll talk about St. Francis of Assisi, redemptive suffering, victim souls, “offering it up,” and why these mysterious wounds reveal something deeper about suffering, sacrifice, and union with Christ.This is also one of the central ideas behind my new book, *A Catechism of the Strange*: strange Catholic phenomena aren’t just curiosities — they teach us something about God, holiness, and the human soul.