I just read an interesting and disturbing essay. The author, Alistair McFadden is a layman who got a funny feeling about a book that has been wildly praised by some semi famous people in traditional Catholic publishing. The book is Cor Jesu Sacratissimum: From Secularism and the New Age to Christendom Renewed and that book's author said he owes much to another book called Meditations on the Tarot. He was so taken with it that he even had a portion of it read during his wedding. Tarot? What would a Catholic have to do with the Tarot?
Cor Jesu Sacratissimum: From Secularism and the New Age to Christendom Renewed is published by Angelico Press. To be honest I've never heard of Angelico but it's supposed to be a serious, high tone publishing house. Apparently many traditional and conservative Catholics consider Angelico to be safe. Alistair McFadden says that Angelico also publishes Meditations on the Tarot. This is bewildering. I read the names of public Catholics connected to Angelico either in it's offices, it's admirers, or its published authors and I was even more confused.
What is Jane Ordinary Catholic to do? A lot of people look up some of the names mentioned in this essay. How many times have you been in a discussion online and someone said, "Well Dr. X says or Fr. X says..." or "It's published by X so it must be okay." ?
These days when I hear of a new Catholic organization or "apostolate" who want my money I look at who is on its board and who its "stars" are. I search the IRS to see their Form 990 and I look at the Secretary of State filings in the state they do business in. If an organization doesn't seem to have any background and no way of finding out who runs it then I assume something is wrong and avoid them. But most people don't have the needed skills or time to do that. They trust. I just look at some of the names mentioned in this essay and I wonder.