Restoring the Sacred Estate

Somewhere along the way, America rewrote its own story. In the name of progress, what was once sacred has been recast as merely symbolic. What we call “modernization” might better be understood as revisionist history—the twisting of our moral estates to suit a secular, self-centered age.

But it wasn’t always so. The Church once stood as the moral compass of the nation—a vital force in shaping statutes, forming values, and guiding the conscience of the people.

Historically, three estates shaped society:

First Estate: The Clergy — the spiritual heart and moral voice.

Second Estate: The Nobility — stewards of governance and justice.

Third Estate: The Commoners — the laborers and builders whose hands sustained the realm.

In modern democracies, these have evolved into:

First Estate: The Executive — enforcers of the law.

Second Estate: The Legislative — crafters of the law.

Third Estate: The Judiciary — interpreters of the law.

And now, the Fourth Estate: The Media — tellers of the law’s story and shapers of public conscience.

And yet, amid this reshuffling of power, the sacred estate—the moral conscience of the Church—has been pushed to the margins.

It’s time we reclaimed our rightful place—not as a political branch or cultural trend, but as the bulwark and buttress of decency, mercy, and moral courage. For it is the Church, at her best, who still stands with the poor and the powerless, who speaks for the voiceless, and who reminds nations that justice is not a policy but a divine principle.

What would it look like if we truly lived that again?