An Editorial Project on Institutional Accountability
Ninetysix
History matters. Memory matters. Accountability matters. A record kept for those who were told to forget.
The Mission
Why Ninetysix?
In 1517, Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses challenged practices within the Church and ignited a conversation about faith, authority, reform, and accountability that would reverberate for centuries.
The ninety-sixth thesis represents the questions still worth asking—the ones that emerge when history meets lived experience, when faith encounters human institutions, and when official narratives leave something out.This is not an attack on faith. It is an act of fierce, unyielding accountability.
Here, we will dissect the intersection of Catholic history, deep spirituality, lived experience, and institutional trauma. We will talk about the pain, but we will also talk about the truth.
Welcome to the 96th thesis.
If the truth burns the institution, it is only because the institution is made of wood, hay, and stubble.
The Columns
Two Voices, One Record
FAITH, UNFILTERED
Confessions of a Cradle Catholic
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Bureaucrats in Vestments
The tragedy of the modern clergy is not rampant malice, but a quiet, calculated compliance. It is the parish priest who has traded his prophetic voice for a modest pension, a steady stipend, and the security that comes with staying in the hierarchy’s good graces. There is nothing more dangerous to a community than a shepherd who is more afraid of his supervisor than he is of God. In the years leading up to the Reformation, the humanist scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote a scathing satire called The Praise of Folly. In it, he systematically dismantled the clergy of his…
After the Collar: From the Other Side of the Altar
Breaking Free – GUY’S WRITINGS ARE COMING SOON
An honest look at priesthood, faith, and institutional life from someone who stood on the other side of the altar—and ultimately chose a life beyond the collar.
Different Voices, One Conversation
Shared Platform
Ninety-Six Press is a shared platform for exploring the intersection of Catholic history, deep spirituality, lived experience, and institutional accountability. Founded on the belief that truth is never the enemy of faith, Ninety-Six brings together different voices and perspectives willing to ask difficult questions about the institutions we love, serve, leave, challenge, and sometimes struggle to name.
At its heart are two distinct perspectives:
Confessions of a Cradle Catholic, which consists of reflections, essays, and documented reporting by a cradle Catholic — someone born and raised in the faith, shaped by its rhythms, and now reckoning with its fractures.
Breaking Free, which consists of reflections, essays, and documented reporting by a convert who later left the Church — someone who chose the faith as an adult and eventually chose to walk away.
The experiences are different. The perspectives are different. But the questions are the same.
This is not about tearing down faith. It is about holding institutions accountable for what they have done in the name of faith.
The conversation didn’t end with ninety-five theses. It’s still going.
From the creators — Editorial Note
The essays published on Ninety-Six Press represent the personal perspectives of their authors. They are not intended as official theological statements, legal claims, or institutional positions.
THE QUESTION
The Ninety Sixth Question
You ask. We dig deeper.
Reader questions about Catholicism, theology, and identity — submitted by readers, answered with honesty.
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Does the Church Get a Say in Who I Date or Marry?
Great question! When it comes to dating, or marrying someone outside of your own religious tradition, there are several things to consider. How important is it to you that your significant other believes as you do, and holds a similar philosophy, values, and world-view as yourself? Do you expect that person to pray and to worship with you? Will you want to share religious holidays and observances together? Religious and spiritual beliefs are core values, and are often closely bound up with one’s very identity. While dating someone from another tradition (or no spirituality at all) may…
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