Naturalized Piety: Holy Stairs Article’s Modernist Emptiness

The article from the National Catholic Register (March 14, 2026) details the Holy Stairs replica at St. Patrick’s Church in Pittsburgh, focusing on Father James Cox’s legacy and the devotion’s emphasis on physical mortification and reported miraculous interventions. It frames the practice as a tangible, emotionally resonant connection to Christ’s Passion, accessible to all, with anecdotes of healings and fulfilled desires. However, this presentation systematically evacuates the devotion of its Catholic supernatural essence, reducing it to a naturalistic, therapeutic exercise that omits the social reign of Christ the King, the necessity of the Church, and the doctrine of grace. The article thus embodies the modernist errors condemned by St. Pius X and Pius IX, reflecting the theological bankruptcy of the post-conciliar “Church.”