Denver’s historic Holy Ghost Church vandalized, with possible reference to Canadian residential schools

Historic Denver Church Vandalized, Motive Unclear| National Catholic Register: A historic Catholic church in downtown Denver was tagged with graffiti on Monday evening, in a possible reference to the controversy over former Catholic-run schools for Indigenous in Canada. The number “1323” was discovered painted in large red figures on an outer wall of Holy Ghost Catholic Church on Monday. The graffiti was cleaned off by Tuesday morning.

“I can’t stop crying”: Historic Catholic church destroyed in suspected arson attack in Canada

"I Can't Stop Crying": Historic Catholic Church Destroyed in Alleged Arson Attack in Canada |: Pray for the Catholic Church in Canada! An historic Catholic church in Alberta, Canada fell victim to an alleged arson attack early Wednesday morning. The fire consumed 114-year-old St. Jean Baptiste Church in Morinville, Alberta in what authorities believe is another hate crime in a slew of Catholic church burnings across Canada.

Islamist insurgents kidnapping children to serve as soldiers, brides in Mozambique

Islamist insurgents kidnapping children to serve as soldiers, brides in Mozambique: Fighting in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique has intensified over the last twelve months, with at least 2500 people killed and over 700,000 forced to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. Fighting broke out in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique in 2017 when a group calling itself al-Shabab...

Ruling our households like the cosmos

Ruling Our Households Like the Cosmos | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: We might not think much about our home as something to rule. The very word ‘rule’ seems out of place here; it smacks of being over-bearing and oppressive. Isn’t our home too intimate and personal to be a subject for ruling? But what if ‘ruling’ properly understood and exercised, especially in the household, is the precondition for human flourishing in all its personal intimacy?

President Biden’s DC Parish Says It Will Not Deny Him Communion

Biden%u2019s%20DC%20Parish%20Says%20It%20Will%20Not%20Deny%20Communion%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: President Joe Biden’s regular parish in Washington, D.C. issued a statement on Tuesday that its priests and ministers will not deny Communion to those approaching to receive. “Holy Trinity Catholic Church will not deny the Eucharist to persons presenting themselves to receive it,” read a statement of the parish council of Holy Trinity, located in Georgetown neighborhood of D.C.

Shooting interrupts Mass in Mexico — caught on parish livestream

Shooting Interrupts Mass in Mexico, Caught on Parish Livestream (Viral Video Inside): The video on shows the priest saying the homily as parishioners heard gunshots. The parish priest appears immobile and astonished by the incident, while some parishioners take shelter and others seem to close the door of the church.

How to respond when people say, “Can’t nature be my church?”

Can%u2019t%20Nature%20Be%20My%20Church%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterSTEFANICK: Some people say, “I see God in creation. Nature’s my church, so why would I bother going to church?” Usually that’s kind of a cop-out. It’s like, “I don’t feel like going to church — here’s my excuse.” But the reality is, of course you could see God out here. The greatest saints saw God in creation. St. Francis called the sun his “brother” and water his “sister”...

Documentary explores Vatican’s ‘Clericus Cup’ soccer tournament through the power of prayer and penalty kicks

Documentary explores Vatican soccer tournament through the power of prayer and penalty kicksLISI: Beyond the Vatican’s walls and its soaring columns lies a not-so-secret passion. It is this passion, one that envelopes much of the planet, that takes over the lives of a select group of Catholic priests and seminarians. What is this passion? It’s the annual Clericus Cup, a soccer tournament contested by teams from various seminaries located throughout Rome.

Extra, extra: On Canada, partisan orthodoxy, and Les Habs

Extra, extra: On Canada, partisan orthodoxy, and Les Habs - The PillarJDFLYNN: The confirmation of unmarked graves at Indigenous residential schools in Western Canada has put a spotlight on a great wound of Canada’s history: the way in which those schools contributed to the demise of native Canadian cultures and families. Since late May, when residential schools were back in the headlines...

Few people realize that “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” include several stories (like ‘Our Lady’s Child’) that are decidedly Christian...

The%20Brothers%20Grimm%2C%20the%20Twelve%20Apostles%20and%20Our%20Lady%u2019s%20Child%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterSCHIFFER: Once upon a time there were two brothers who loved to write stories for children. Jakob and Wilhelm, they were called — Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. After their father died when they were still children, the two brothers lived in abject poverty. Often struggling to find food, they helped to support their family by working in various fields, most notably in academic research and library science.

Benedict XVI celebrates 70 years as a priest — 10-year milestones in Joseph Ratzinger’s service to the Church

Benedict%20XVI%20Celebrates%2070%20Years%20as%20a%20Priest%3A%2010-Year%20Milestones%20in%20Joseph%20Ratzinger%u2019s%20Service%20to%20the%20Church%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: Twenty years ago, for the solemn feast of Sts. Peter and Paul — princes of the apostles and patrons of the city of Rome — St. John Paul II did something very unusual. He did not celebrate the papal Mass in St. Peter’s Square. He attended to be sure — “presiding” and delivering the homily — but the main celebrant was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

The world’s most premature baby — born at 5 months, weighing 11 ounces, given 0% chance of survival — just celebrated his 1st birthday

World%u2019s%20Most%20Premature%20Baby%20Defies%20All%20Odds%3A%20From%2011%20Ounces%20to%20Baby%20Richard%u2019s%20First%20Birthday%21%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMURPHY: The pictures have circled secular media for about a week now: a tiny baby dependent on oxygen smiling in front of a cake that is bigger than his 1-year-old head. They tell the story of an infant who came into the world when his mother, Beth Hutchinson, was only 5 months pregnant. The mother delivered her child and then was told the baby would not survive...

Exorcist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti speaks about the presence of Jesus, says ‘faith is our strongest protection’

An%20Exorcist%20Speaks%20About%20the%20Presence%20of%20Jesus%3A%20%u2018Faith%20Is%20Our%20Strongest%20Protection%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterARMSTRONG: Exorcist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti has a heavy caseload of people suffering from demonic possession or harassment. He has been the chief exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington for more than 13 years. Msgr. Rossetti is also a research associate professor at The Catholic University of America, a licensed psychologist and author of many books and articles.

Pope on Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul: Christ set free these Apostles so they could ‘set free the power of the Gospel’

Pope Francis on feast of Saints Peter and Paul: Peter and Paul found freedom in Christ: In the largest Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica since the start of the pandemic, Pope Francis celebrated the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul with a message that true freedom is found in Christ. Speaking from the altar located above the relics of St. Peter, the pope proclaimed that Sts. Peter and Paul were “two great Apostles of the Gospel and two pillars of the Church.”

Full text: Homily for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Full%20Text%3A%20Pope%20Francis%u2019%20Homily%20on%20the%20Solemnity%20of%20Saints%20Peter%20and%20Paul%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCOATOFARMS: Two great Apostles of the Gospel and two pillars of the Church: Peter and Paul. Today we celebrate their memory. Let us take a closer look at these two witnesses of faith. At the heart of their story is not their own gifts and abilities; at the centre is the encounter with Christ that changed their lives. They experienced a love that healed them and set them free. They then became apostles and ministers of freedom for others.

Why we don’t really want Heaven

Why We Don't Really Want Heaven | The StreamMILLS: He grew up in Maryland and is now living among the heat and highways of central Texas. I grew up in the middle of Massachusetts and have lived for three decades just northwest of Pittsburgh. My friend Al Perrotta and I were talking about missing our homes. “Some places just resonate,” he said. Home resonates with us because it’s home...

The likelihood of a “Eucharistically coherent” Church

The%20likelihood%20of%20a%20%u201CEucharistically%20coherent%u201D%20Church%20%7C%20Catholic%20CultureMIRUS: Way back in 2004 I wrote a commentary entitled Why Communion Won’t Be Withheld. In it I assessed the question of withholding Communion, in accordance with the provisions of Canon Law, from manifestly grave public sinners. The future Pope Benedict XVI, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had just clarified the circumstances under which Communion should be withheld...

Be careful. The Devil enjoys a good dialogue...

Be careful, the Devil enjoys a good dialogue | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: There was a distinct irony that always persisted with some of my students in the classroom. Instead of mastering their ability to learn they developed a mastery of distraction to avoid learning. This was particular true when the subject of Jesus Christ came to their attention not as friend but as Jesus Christ crucified who willingly offered himself in death for the salvation of all souls.

Two explosions — one at a Catholic Church — hit Congo’s eastern city of Beni

Two explosions hit Congo's eastern city of Beni, including at Catholic church: Congo on Monday banned public gatherings for two days in Beni, after the eastern city was hit by two explosions. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a busy intersection in Beni on Sunday, the same day another explosion rocked a Catholic church, authorities said. Neither bomb killed any civilians, but the government closed major gathering spaces...

Benedict XVI will get a surprise to mark the 70th anniversary of his priesthood on Tuesday — his late brother’s choir

Benedict%20XVI%20to%20mark%2070%20years%20as%20priest%20with%20brother%u2019s%20choir: This week marks the 70th anniversary of retired Pope Benedict XVI’s ordination as a priest – an anniversary his personal secretary says will be celebrated with things of personal significance: The liturgy, and former members of his late brother’s choir.

Pride is a deadly sin — and other declarations of independence

Pride Is Deadly Sin & Other Declarations of Independence | National ReviewLOPEZ: “He has to get a life.” I’ve cleaned up the actual quotes for family reading. Disdain would have been something like respect compared with the disgust people seemed to have one recent June morning in Manhattan for a man who was on his phone, livestreaming his time outside a Planned Parenthood center that is still named for Margaret Sanger...

Meet the flyover women pop culture ignores

Meet The Flyover Women Pop Culture IgnoresGRESS: Adherents of radical feminism are five decades into a powerful campaign that seeks to shape the way American women think. Politics, fashion, Hollywood, academia, and media propagate a singular vision of womanhood, relying on savvy use of optics, messaging, and even make-up. These radical feminists have done a remarkable job of silencing or sidelining their critics.

The parish at ground zero: At least 10 Catholic families remain missing in Florida condominium collapse

ADOM :: The parish at ground zero: It is an understatement to say that the people and staff of St. Joseph Parish will be living the crisis of the Surfside condominium collapse in a most intimate way for some time to come. No other Christian house of worship is so close to the ground zero of the Champlain Towers South as St. Joseph. The remains tower in the distance and easily can be seen from the church grounds.

Pope Francis meets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in closed-door talks at Vatican

Pope Francis Meets Secretary Antony Blinken at Vatican| National Catholic Register: Pope Francis received U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a private audience in the papal library of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on Monday morning. The Vatican did not release much detail about what was discussed during the 40-minute meeting on June 28, other than that the pope recalled his 2015 visit to the United States and expressed “his affection and attention to the people of the United States of America.”

In meeting with Eastern Orthodox delegation, Pope calls pandemic a ‘lesson in humility’ and warns against doing ‘what we did before’

Pope says pandemic a 'lesson in humility'; warns against doing 'what we did before'SANMARTIN: Ahead of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis welcomed a delegation from Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew I of Constantinople on Monday, urging Orthodox and Catholic faithful to not “squander” the “dramatic crisis” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The delegation is in Rome this week to celebrate the feast of the patrons of Rome, marked on June 29.

Catholic pro-life Democrat Dan Lipinski — ‘The partisan divide is a sectarian divide’

Dan Lipinski - 'The partisan divide is a sectarian divide' - The Pillar: During his 16 years in Congress, Catholic Dan Lipinski became one of the last pro-life Democrats serving in the House of Representatives. Lipinski’s pro-life position drew considerable criticism within the Democratic Party. It became the focus of a tough primary challenge in 2018, which Lipinski won, and a tougher primary race in 2020, which he lost.

The New York Times takes a closer look at the Holy Eucharist — bringing in Eucharistic adorers, Sisters of Life, Dominican theologian, Church Fathers, saints, and Eucharistic miracles

Beyond the Politics of Communion, a 2,000-Year-Old Holy Mystery - The New York Times: It was early Wednesday evening at the adoration chapel at St. Clare’s Convent, home to the Sisters of Life in northeast Washington. Light streamed through the blue and yellow glass windows, fading in and out with the clouds. On the altar, before pink hydrangeas, stood a liturgical vessel shaped like a golden sunburst. And inside the sunburst, called the monstrance, was the Blessed Sacrament...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Pope Francis in closed-toor talks, gets VIP tour of Sistine Chapel

Blinken meets Pope Francis, gets VIP tour of Sistine Chapel: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday received VIP treatment at the Vatican, getting a private tour of the Sistine Chapel before he sat down for closed-door talks with Pope Francis. In a statement released after the meeting, the Vatican press office said the 40-minute encounter took place in a “cordial atmosphere,” and that Francis had recalled the trip he made in 2015 and expressed “his affection and attention for the people of the United States.”

Pope sends letter expressing support for Father James Martin’s controversial LGBTQ ministry

Letter%20from%20Pope%20Francis%20Expresses%20Support%20for%20Fr.%20James%20Martin%u2019s%20Controversial%20%u2018LGBT%u2019%20Ministry%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: In a personal letter sent to Jesuit Fr. James Martin dated June 21, Pope Francis expressed support for his controversial ministry and encouraged him to “continue this way.”

Pope’s Sunday Angelus: ‘Let Jesus look at and heal your heart’

Pope%20Francis%20at%20the%20Angelus%3A%20%u2018Let%20Jesus%20look%20at%20and%20heal%20your%20heart%u2019: Pope Francis challenged people on Sunday to “let Jesus look at and heal” their hearts. In his Angelus address June 27, the pope said that intimacy with Jesus was the path to inner healing.

The journey of Jairus — A homily for the 13th Sunday of the Year

The%20Journey%20of%20Jairus%20%u2013%20A%20Homily%20for%20the%2013th%20Sunday%20of%20the%20Year%20-%20Community%20in%20MissionPOPE: Today’s Gospel today focuses on a man named Jairus and a journey he makes from despair to deliverance, with the help of Jesus. Of course, Jairus is not merely a synagogue official who lived two thousand years ago; you are Jairus and his journey is your journey. We also meet a woman whom the Lord points out as an exemplar of faith...

The secret to making modesty cool

The%20Secret%20to%20Making%20Modesty%20Cool%20%u2013%20Theology%20of%20Home: Hi. I’m Nicole, and I am a recovering modesty speaker. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to bash the virtue of modesty. It’s a virtue for a reason, and I think an important one. In fact, I’m such a big believer in the importance of modesty, that I used to give talks on it to young girls. At the time, I was a mother with two girls and two boys...

On the passing of all things, as seen on TV

On The Passing of All things as Seen on T.V. - Community in MissionPOPE: The video below is a commercial that must have taken weeks to film. And whatever the intent of the commercial, (I think they are selling insurance), there is something of an admonition in both the video and the music that life and the things of life slip away. While the music of the video set forth the theme: Don’t stop, thinking about tomorrow, Don’t stop, it’ll soon be here...

This Sunday, Jesus bets we’ll be like him. The devil bets we won’t...

This%20Sunday%2C%20Jesus%20Bets%20We%u2019ll%20Be%20Like%20Him%3B%20the%20Devil%20Bets%20We%20Won%u2019t%20%7C%20The%20Gregorian%20Institute%20at%20Benedictine%20CollegeHOOPES: This Sunday’s Gospel story takes place immediately after Jesus lands and is met by a large crowd. That means that those who approach him have to do so in front of an audience. First, Jairus, a synagogue leader with a sick daughter, meets him and humbles himself: “he fell at his feet and pleaded.” He throws caution, and shame, to the wind and risks his reputation to approach the controversial rabbi.

Vatican confirms probe of negligence claims against Polish Cardinal Dziwisz

Vatican%20confirms%20probe%20of%20negligence%20claims%20against%20Polish%20Cardinal%20Stanis%u0142aw%20Dziwisz: The apostolic nunciature in Poland confirmed Saturday that the Vatican sent Italian Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco to investigate negligence claims against Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz.

Here are my 25 predictions for the future

Prophesying the Future | Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: This morning at breakfast I asked our almost 30 year old son what he thought the world would be like when he is my age. That is, what will the world be like 35 years from now? That would be the year 2056–the year I would be 100. The best he could come up with was...

The science behind grilling the perfect steak

The Science Behind Grilling the Perfect Steak | Innovation | Smithsonian Magazine: Summer has arrived, and it’s time to fire up the backyard grill. Though many of us are trying to eat less beef for environmental reasons, it’s hard to resist indulging in an occasional steak — and you’ll want to make the most of the experience. So, what’s the best way to grill that steak? Science has some answers.

The wheels of collegiality may grind slowly, but they are grinding truly

Collegiality and eucharistic integrity - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: The concept of the “collegiality” of bishops has been sharply contested since the Second Vatican Council debated it in 1962, 1963, and 1964. That discussion was sufficiently contentious that a personal intervention from Pope Paul VI was required to incorporate the concept of episcopal collegiality within the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church...

Banned books: Pushing back against the new ideology

Banned books: Pushing back against the new ideology - Denver CatholicSTAUDT: How would you know if you were being brainwashed? When something plainly false — contrary to common sense and right reason — is so constantly forced on you and you are not allowed to question it, it’s a good indication. This is the nature of ideology: imposing a position without truly establishing it or allowing it to be criticized...

Father Ed Broom: Combating the lies of the devil

Fr. Ed Broom: Combating the lies of the devil: "The devil really pushes to get dysfunctional families because ... you have a lot of wounded individuals. The devil goes after us so that we become these gaping wounds that we don't bring these wounds to Christ. Now, if we bring these gaping wounds to Christ — he's known as the Wounded Healer — he can heal us...

Called to Rome, called to communion, and call off the doctors

Called to Rome, called to communion, and call off the doctors - The Pillar: Back in March, the Secretariat of State announced that priests would no longer be allowed to celebrate private Masses on the side altars of St. Peter’s Basilica. The move was not well received; many lamented the lost opportunity to say a special Mass for the thousands of pilgrim groups that come through the mother church of the West each year...

What are the future news hooks as U.S. bishops wrestle with Holy Communion?

New%20podcast%3A%20What%20are%20the%20future%20news%20hooks%20as%20U.S.%20bishops%20wrestle%20with%20Holy%20Communion%3F%20%u2014%20GetReligionMATTINGLY: Let’s say that, at some point in the future, multimedia crews manage to discover where President Joe Biden was attending Mass on a given Sunday. As the president attempts to leave, journalists shout an obvious question, something like: Mr. President! The U.S. bishops are almost done with the final draft of their document on abortion, politics and Holy Communion...

60 Catholic House Dems challenge the U.S. Bishops on Communion — here’s what’s wrong with what they said

60%20Catholic%20House%20Dems%20Challenge%20the%20US%20Bishops%20on%20Communion%20%u2014%20Here%u2019s%20Why%20They%u2019re%20Wrong%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMCTEIGUE: Sixty Catholic House members released a “Statement of Principles” in response to the U.S. bishops’ recent meeting discussing “Eucharistic coherence” and whether politicians explicitly and persistently advocating abortions have precluded themselves from fittingly receiving Holy Communion. My answer here to that Statement addresses three groups:

Did the 60 pro-abortion Catholic House Democrats attend Catholic schools? Here’s a rundown...

Did the 60 Pro-Abortion Catholic House Democrats Attend Catholic Schools?| National Catholic RegisterREILLY: When 60 Democratic members of the House of Representatives — all of them baptized Catholics — issued their ultimatum last week demandingaccess to the Eucharist despite their pro-abortion politics, it became apparent how little they know about the Catholic faith and Christ’s invitation to communion with him.

Archdiocese of Miami offers help after ‘heartbreaking’ collapse of building

Catholic agency offers help after 'heartbreaking' collapse of building - Catholic News Service: Staff members with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami were on location and developing a response strategy June 24 near the stunning wreckage of a partially collapsed beachfront high-rise apartment building. As of early June 25, some 159 people who lived in the 12-story building remained unaccounted for, according to local law enforcement officials.

Pope Francis Receives Bishop Bätzing, Reportedly Encourages German Synodal Path

Pope Francis Receives Bishop Baetzing, Reportedly Encourages German Synodal Path| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: During a private audience this morning, Pope Francis urged the president of the German bishops’ conference to continue with a much-disputed Synodal Path for the Church in Germany. According to a statement issued almost immediately by the German bishops’ conference after the meeting, Bishop Bätzing said the Pope...

What was Spiderman doing at Pope Francis’ Wednesday general audience?

Why%20Was%20Spider-Man%20at%20Pope%20Francis%u2019%20General%20Audience%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: People attending Pope Francis’ weekly audience on Wednesday, and those following via livestream, were surprised to see sitting among the crowd a man dressed head-to-toe in tight red and blue garb decorated with a silver web.

After Outcry, Vatican Eases Restrictions on Individual Masses in St. Peter’s Basilica

After%20Outcry%2C%20Vatican%20Eases%20Restrictions%20on%20Individual%20Masses%20in%20St.%20Peter%u2019s%20Basilica%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPENTIN: The archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica has made concessions to widen opportunities for priests to celebrate individual daily morning Masses in the basilica, but also has stressed that concelebrated Masses must nevertheless remain the norm there. In a three-page note issued on Tuesday, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti acknowledged that exceptions need to be made...

Learn to hear again — starting with nature

Learning to Hear Again, Starting with Nature | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: We probably take hearing for granted, as though simply something we can do at will. But what if without realizing it we are actually hard of hearing, or even deaf? Hearing is a wonderful and mysterious thing. One of the five senses, it has the dignity of being a way of taking in or having the world around us...

Letting go of our obsession with having the perfect body

Letting Go of Our Obsession with Having the Perfect Body - Community in MissionPOPE: Please permit some musings on the obsession that many of us have with achieving the perfect body ourselves. Let me start by saying (with all the good humor I can summon) that I do not have a perfect body. In fact, I have become increasingly dissatisfied with my appearance over the years as I gain weight, lose hair, and watch the gray eclipse the dark brown of what hair I do have left...

Outliving myself: On finding I have vascular dementia

Outliving Myself: On Finding I Have Vascular Dementia - Catholic HeraldSALTZMAN: Old age is the most unexpected thing that can happen to a person. Leon Trotsky is said to have said that or something very much like it. It’s the only thing I remember of the many things he is reputed to have said. There’s much I no longer recall at all. Until lately old age and me, we were actually were getting along on fairly good terms.

What you need to know: “Eucharistic consistency” fallout, “Catholic awkward,” and episcopal unity

What you need to know: 'Eucharistic consistency' fallout, 'Catholic awkward,' and episcopal unity - The PillarJDFLYNN: Today is the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, the martyred bishop of Rochester. While More is well-known — having become the subject of a movie with six Academy Awards, after all — Fisher’s story is also worth knowing. The bishop was executed June 22nd, 1535, on charges of treason which stemmed from his refusal to recognize King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church in England...

“Jesus and Mary don’t want me”: Learning from the saints in their darkest moments...

%22Jesus%20and%20Mary%20don%u2019t%20want%20me%22%20-%20faith-full: A while back, I listened to an episode of The Daughters’ Project about the importance of not erasing the saints’ struggles from their stories, and it got me thinking about Rafael’s. As the sisters point out, hagiography that totally glosses over the sins that saints struggled with, or casts the suffering they went through in a rosy, transcendent light, doesn’t do anybody any good...

Why be good?

Why Be Good? | Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: I woke up this morning early (as I always do in the summer) and wondered why on earth I ought to be good. Really. What’s the point? Why would anybody be motivated to be good? I immediately thought of some reasons why we ought to be good and none of them really impressed me and inspired me to be good. So why be good? Here are some reasons...

Do dogs go to Heaven?

New Advent: Do dogs go to Heaven?STEFANICK: If a dog dies and a kid's really distraught,it's not a bad idea to tell that kid, “If you really need Fido in Heaven to be happy, he'll be there.” Technically, that's not a lie. But here's the thing — you probably won't need Fido in Heaven to be happy, and that's really good news, because he probably won't be there...

‘When in Rome’ is the best Catholic conversion movie you’ve never seen

%u2018When%20In%20Rome%u2019%20Is%20the%20Best%20Catholic%20Conversion%20Movie%20You%u2019ve%20Never%20Seen%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDAY: Finding a copy of When in Rome might be difficult, but despite its obscurity it is an absolute must-watch — a black-and-white, low-budget MGM picture centered around the Holy Year of 1950. Van Johnson plays Father Halligan and Paul Douglas is Brewster. The picture was produced and directed by reliable MGM helmer Clarence Brown in what proved to be his second-to-last film before retiring.

Vatican Intervenes in Proposed ‘Anti-Homophobia’ Law in Italy

Vatican%20Intervenes%20in%20Proposed%20%u2018Anti-Homophobia%u2019%20Law%20in%20Italy%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The Vatican has intervened with the Italian state in a proposed “anti-homophobia” law, saying that the legislation as written violates freedoms of the Catholic Church in Italy. According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states...

Computer program reveals surprising shared word etymologies — like “cancer” and “chancellor”

Surprising shared word etymologies - Daniel de Haas: I find word etymologies fascinating. Every word we speak or write sits unassumingly on the surface of a rich history, sometimes spanning millenia.

The cannon accident that helped Aloysius Gonzaga become a saint

The Cannon Accident That Helped Aloysius Gonzaga Become a Saint| National Catholic RegisterMCAFEE: Being the son of a wealthy and powerful parents in the height of the Renaissance comes with a ton of responsibility. It also comes with a fair amount of privilege. If that family is among the most famous in Europe, everything you do and say makes an impact. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591), better known by his peers as “Luigi,” perhaps didn’t quite understand that dichotomy at an early age.

Newark’s Cardinal Tobin appointed to Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, Vatican’s highest court

Cardinal%20Tobin%20appointed%20member%20of%20Vatican%u2019s%20highest%20court: Pope Francis on Monday appointed 12 new members of the Vatican’s highest court, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, including Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark.

Pro-abortion Catholic politicians want the Church to leave them alone. Problem is, they will not leave the Church alone...

The Anti-Catholic Catholic Politicians. It's Not Just About Communion Anymore - Catholic HeraldWOLFGANG: Bishops “warned that such action would portray the bishops as a partisan force during a time of bitter political divisions across the country.” That’s AP’s report on the American Catholic bishops — only a quarter of them — who opposed the creation of a document on the nature of communion, and who can receive it and who shouldn’t.

The Supreme Court’s unanimous Fulton decision is a gift for children and pluralism

Supreme Court Fulton Decision a Gift for Children & Pluralism | National ReviewLOPEZ: he Supreme Court, in Fulton v. Philadelphia, just ruled against the City of Philadelphia, which had argued that Catholic Social Services (CSS) could not be a partner in helping children in foster care get out of the overburdened foster system and into loving homes.

Go ahead, teach me — I dare you!

Go ahead, teach me, I dare you! | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: As I scanned the classroom it was obvious that some of my student’s spiritual mindset was not on class participation. This behavioral phenomenon is actually quite typical for a Monday morning class. What’s even more striking is the faces of some of my students that scream; “Go ahead, teach me I dare you!” If you are a teacher at any pedagogical level of instruction you know exactly what I just described...

Fascinating CNN story: Ghosts of coronavirus victims are appearing to loved ones worldwide [this is why Masses, indulgences, suffrages for the dead are so important!]

They lost their loved ones to Covid. Then they heard from them again - CNN: They never ran out of things to talk about. It was obvious from the start. He was a brawny former Maine lobsterman with a booming baritone. She was a redhead with freckles from Wisconsin who worked in corporate recruiting. They talked about everything from sci-fi movies and her love for the rock group Bon Jovi to whether the Lord of the Rings film trilogy did justice to J.R.R. Tolkien's books.

National Park Service bear advisory: “Do not push a slower friend down, even if you feel the friendship has run its course”

%u201CDo%20Not%20Push%20A%20Slower%20Friend%20Down%u201D%u2026National%20Park%20Service%20Hilarious%20Bear%20Advisory: There have a been a string of serious bear encounter incidents in National Parks this year and we all need to be bear aware when traveling in their natural habitat. Looks like the folks at the National Park Service social media team have a bit of a dark sense of humor. Check out these bear safety tips posted Sunday...

3 lessons to learn from Our Lord’s peaceful nap in the middle of a storm

Jesus Rested | Parishable ItemsFELTES: In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus commanding the wind and sea during a storm. He rebukes the wind and tells the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” and a great calm settles. His disciples in the boat, in awe at what they’ve witnessed, say to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” It’s a stunning moment for them, but there’s another striking detail contained in this Gospel...

My soul looks back and wonders how I got over

My Soul Looks Back and Wonders How I Got Over - A Homily for the 12th Sunday of the Year - Community in MissionPOPE: The gospel today is something of a storm journal, a kind of picture of the Christian life as we journey through a stormy world against winds contrary to the gospel. There are distinctive stages, beginning with the call of Jesus to cross to the other shore. But as we cross there are surely storms and difficulties that assail us...

Pope’s Sunday Angelus: “How often do we fixate on our problems rather than bringing them to God?”

Pope Francis: How often do we fixate on our problems rather than bringing them to God?: Speaking from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pope reflected on the Gospel account of the disciples caught in a storm at sea as Jesus slept on their boat. Filled with fear, the disciples cried out to the Lord, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?”

Boys Town sent 800 young men to fight in World War II, and 35 made the ultimate sacrifice. Father Flanagan was the only father they ever knew...

A%20WWII%20Father%u2019s%20Day%20Story%20About%20Father%20Flanagan%2C%20%u2018America%u2019s%20No.%201%20War%20Dad%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCONNOLLY: The honor no American parent wants is the right to display the Gold Star Service Flag. This distinction is reserved for families of military servicemen who have died in the line of duty and is meant to honor and acknowledge the family’s sacrifice and grief. This somber honor dates back to the First World War when military families displayed service flags featuring a blue star...

St. Joseph was the “earthly shadow of the Heavenly Father”

St.%20Joseph%20Was%20the%20%u2018Earthly%20Shadow%20of%20the%20Heavenly%20Father%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterKLEMOND: Foster fathers play a significant and sometimes critical role in caring for children from troubled backgrounds, but because their role is often temporary, they don’t get much mention on Father’s Day. St. Joseph has long been referred to as Jesus’ “foster father” even though we have every reason to believe his presence was steady and abiding throughout Our Lord’s youth.

Two big tips for young dads in June

Two Tips for Young Dads in June| National Catholic RegisterBECKER: It’s wedding season, and bells are chiming out all over the place. We’ve already RSVP’d for two nuptial celebrations this month, and there’s another in July. Of course, these days it’s just my wife, Nancy, and me slipping into the back pews and sniffling at the vows...

Lead, protect, teach — the three things every good father does

Lead%2C%20Protect%2C%20Teach%20%u2014%20The%20Threefold%20Responsibility%20of%20Every%20Father%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterSCHIFFER: In 1994, a team of Swiss researchers conducted a study on how faith is transmitted in the family, and their results were surprising. If a father does not go to church — even if the mother is deeply religious — the study showed only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper. Whether a child will remain a Catholic...

‘Luca’ (Rotten Tomatoes 89%) is burdened by tiresome tropes, but it’s still a sweet film

SDG%20Reviews%20%u2018Luca%u2019%3A%20A%20Sweet%20Film%20Burdened%20by%20Tiresome%20Tropes%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGREYDANUS: In Pixar’s Luca, a gentle, overtly Miyazaki-esque coming-of-age period piece struggles under the heavy weight of iron-clad Disney/Pixar formula requirements and story beats. The charming elements work well enough to carry the film, but only just. The premise of two young sea monsters living just off the coast taking on human form and venturing into the human world for a summer of discovery and adventure

God doesn’t just calm storms. He turns their violence into covenants — and sacraments...

This Sunday, Stop Seeking Storms | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: The Gospel and readings for this Sunday, the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, are all about finding faith amid the storms of life. But there is another lesson: God turns violence into sacraments that bring peace. The tale is told with the characteristic novelistic details of Mark’s Gospel.

Why sharpen a knife (and a bit about how)

Why%20Sharpen%20a%20Knife%20%28and%20a%20Bit%20about%20How%29%20%u2013%20Hearth%20%26%20FieldHANNING: Certain tools possess primordial qualities. The simpler the tool the more visceral response it yields. When I give my son a hammer, an ax, or a saw it is as if the entire woods demand to become a cabin. They no longer see thick trunks and hanging boughs; they see posts and beams. Somehow, this creative impulse written into our DNA is triggered by the handling and use of these tools...

What it’s like to be an Arab Christian in the Holy Land

Arab Christians in the Holy Land | Commonweal MagazineFRANKOVICH: One of the most important things we must do is watch our tongues. Let every word we speak be a word that promotes justice and peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. Our words create the worlds we and our children live in. Our words are words of war or of peace, of hatred or of love, of prejudice or of openness, and with the words we speak we form the reality that will materialize tomorrow.

On the 40th anniversary of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ let us consider Indiana Jones, the embodiment of the American spirit

Indiana Jones: American Epic Hero ~ The Imaginative ConservativeKLUGEWICZ: A people, a civilization defines itself largely through the heroes that it adopts and celebrates. These heroes may be entirely mythical: We think of the Homeric epics, which tell the story of Odysseus, who overcomes many trials in his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War; of Lohengrin, the German knight who rescues a noblewoman...

Alexa, make me happy

Alexa, make me happyENGELLAND: The packaging of the Amazon Echo boasts that Alexa is happy to help. Happy to help us in what way? What is it Alexa can help us achieve? She can help us become the people we are becoming. For our waking lives more and more resemble a never-ending all-you-can-eat buffet...

Scott Hahn on how Father Scanlan let the Holy Spirit breathe life into Steubenville — and Benedictine, Belmont Abbey, Christendom, TAC, Ave Maria, University of Mary, and more...

Memories of Father Michael Scanlan with Scott Hahn and Monsignor Shea | Prime Matters: Dr. Scott Hahn, who holds the Father Michael Scanlan, T.O.R. Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the founder and president of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, sat down with Monsignor James P. Shea, President of the University of Mary...

‘American Spartacus’ — On Juneteenth, let’s honor this black Catholic Civil War hero

%u2018American%20Spartacus%u2019%3A%20On%20Juneteenth%2C%20Let%u2019s%20Honor%20This%20Black%20Catholic%20Civil%20War%20Hero%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPETERSMITH: Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, recognizing the liberation of Black Americans and the final conclusion of the U.S. Civil War. On June 19, 1865, enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, saw the Union Army, which included regiments of armed Black Americans fighting under the American flag, reunite the country and declare them free from bondage.

When you teach about Jesus Christ, be urgent

When you teach about Jesus Christ, be urgent | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: The urgency to teach the person of Jesus Christ who is God should resound with any one because the final aim is eternity with the Father in heaven. As the Church prescribes that a parent should exercise urgency to baptize their infant child within a brief period of time after birth, this same urgency never dissipates to assist anyone develop a fruitful and faithful devotion and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

If our culture ever turns around, it will be because Christian men stand up and fight

On Fathers and Christian Masculinity - Denver CatholicSTAUDT: The Year of St. Joseph points us to Jesus’ adoptive father, Joseph, as the essential model for fathers. Joseph not only manifests genuine masculinity, he also images God’s own fatherhood, as Pope Francis makes clear in his apostolic letter, Patris Corde: Jesus, though the Son of God, obeyed Joseph, learned from him, and worked with him, acknowledging Joseph as a true expression of God’s own fatherhood.

European Union founding father Robert Schuman declared ‘venerable’ by Pope Francis

EU founding father Robert Schuman declared 'venerable' by Pope Francis: Pope Francis has declared venerable the French statesman Robert Schuman, known as a key “founding father" of the European Union. After a June 19 meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope advanced the sainthood causes of Schuman and six others.

Catholic bishops vote to draft Communion guidelines: What happens next?

Catholic bishops vote to draft Communion guidelines: What happens next?LISI: Following three days of contentious debate, the U.S. Catholic bishops approved a measure on Friday to draft a statement that could deny Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians like President Joe Biden. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, at their spring conference held remotely because of the pandemic, voted 168 to 55...

“This Church harasses women!”: Catholic priests face belligerent mob during New York City pro-life march

"This Church Harasses Women!": Priests Face Belligerent Mob During NYC Pro-Life March |: On Saturday, June 12, two priests walked through a pro-abortion mob and stood for the unborn. The priests walked through the streets of Brooklyn, New York in a peaceful and prayerful demonstration to a nearby abortion clinic after St. Paul Church’s morning Mass.

USCCB votes 168-55 to prepare document on the Holy Eucharist

BREAKING: USCCB votes to draft document on the Eucharist - The PillarCONDON: The voting results of the USCCB’s June meeting are in, and the bishops have voted to approve the drafting of a teaching document on the Eucharistic. The bishops voted on a range of agenda items; results on several items were announced at the opening of their final day of meetings this afternoon.

Joseph Lamb, an Irish Catholic who got his break from Scott Joplin, was an unlikely ragtime giant

Joseph Lamb: an Unlikely Ragtime Giant | In The Muse: Performing Arts Blog: Joseph Francis Lamb was born in the suburban township of Montclair, New Jersey in 1887. The fourth and youngest child of Irish immigrants, James and Julia Lamb, Joseph grew up with his brother and two sisters in a spacious home built by his carpenter father. It was from his father that he acquired woodworking skills...

U.S. Bishops continue intense debate over timing and impact of proposed document on Holy Communion

U.S. Bishops Continue Intense Debate Over Timing and Impact of Proposed Document on Eucharist| National Catholic RegisterBROWN: The second day of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) spring general assembly featured a lengthy and passionate debate over the proposal to draft a document on the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist. The document, which would include a discussion of worthiness to receive Communion...

Supreme Court unanimously rules in favor of Catholic foster agency in case that pitted religious freedom against LGBTQ rights

SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Catholic Charity in Religious Freedom Case: The US Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday in favor of a Catholic child welfare organization, saying the charity has a right to decline to place foster children with same-sex couples.

USCCB Meeting: Debate Erupts Over Allowing Unlimited Debate on Holy Eucharist Document

USCCB Meeting: Debate Erupts Over Allowing Unlimited Debate on Proposal to Draft Document on Eucharist| National Catholic Register: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) spring general assembly got underway with some immediate controversy Wednesday as a vigorous debate arose over what is usually a routine vote to approve the meeting agenda.

The lie of LGBT weakness: Corporate America just keeps handing the movement money and publicity

The Lie of LGBTI Weakness. Corporate America Just Keeps Handing the Movement Money and Publicity - Catholic HeraldJOEGRABOWSKI: Of course it was just another example of tokenism and hucksterism by a corporation seeking to align itself with a faddish cause célèbre. Of course the media’s and the Twitterati’s response demonstrates that for all our demographic stagnation and declining fertility, the relative rate of birth of suckers has not slowed since P.T. Barnum first observed that datum in his famous (alleged) quip.

This summer, step up and step out into the life-giving practice of wholesome toil

Choosing Toil this Summer | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Summer has begun. As a kind of new beginning, every season offers a natural occasion to be more intentional about life. Yet a season is not a generic restart. Rather, each constitutes a concrete call, if we give ear to the natural world, for attending to specific aspects of our life. Summer is certainly no exception. It is a time of work and productivity. Just look to the plants and the animals...

U.S. bishops vote to keep time limits on discussion of Eucharistic document

Bishops vote to keep time limits on discussion of Eucharistic document: While some U.S. bishops on Wednesday pushed for no time limits in debating a motion to draft a teaching document on the Eucharist, during their meeting this week, a majority opposed that push, allowing for a vote to proceed under the normal limits of debate.

There are two handy tools hidden behind your electrical outlets — and few DIYers seem to know about them

New%20Advent%3A%20There%20are%20two%20handy%20tools%20hidden%20behind%20your%20electrical%20outlets%20%u2014%20and%20few%20DIYers%20seem%20to%20know%20about%20them: Leah of See Jane Drill shows the two tools in an electrical outlet and demonstrates how the tools are used...

On the balance of love and correction according to St. Gregory the Great

On the Balance of Love and Correction according to St. Gregory. - Community in MissionPOPE: Applying salutary discipline, and balancing it with necessary consolations and encouragement is never an easy task. It is possible that a parents can be too severe on their children, such that they become disheartened, and lack necessary self-esteem...

Poll: Regular Mass attendees say politicians who oppose Church teaching on grave matters ‘create confusion’

Poll%3A%20Regular%20Mass%20Attendees%20Say%20Politicians%20Who%20Oppose%20Church%20Teaching%20on%20Grave%20Matters%20%u2018Create%20Confusion%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: A poll by a Catholic advocacy group released on Tuesday found that, among Catholics who attend Mass regularly, the vast majority say that Catholic politicians who take policy positions contrary to Church teaching “create confusion” among the faithful.

The theater of Cardinal Marx’s resignation was clearly intended to convey a message. But what?

Unpacking%20the%20Theater%20of%20Cardinal%20Marx%u2019s%20Resignation%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: I was wrong about the resignation of Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich. I wrote here that “it is unlikely that Pope Francis would have permitted [Marx’s resignation letter] to be published if he did not intend to accept it.” Wrong, but perhaps understandably so. Objectively it remains “unlikely” that a superior would permit someone to publish a resignation letter if he did not intend to accept it...

You are the old, the sick, the poor, or will be. Do unto others...

You are the Old, the Sick, the Poor, or Will Be. Do Unto Others. - Catholic HeraldTIMOTHYJONES: On the way in, we walked down a hallway where we could just see in to a few of the rooms where some residents lived who couldn’t leave their rooms. I’d brought a youth group to a nursing home to sing carols to the people there, and these patients weren’t able even to make the trip to the common room where we would be singing.

A (needed) guide to reading G. K. Chesterton

A (Needed) Guide to Reading G. K. Chesterton - Catholic HeraldMILLS: People quote him all the time, but he’s not always that easy to read. G. K. Chesterton, who died 85 years ago today, was one of the greatest of Christianity’s popular writers in the last century. But while he offered forehead-slapping insight, he sometimes gave his readers head-scratching obscurity. I love Chesterton’s writing, but I just want to warn you that...

Why listen to the misogynists, Paxton? A woman doesn’t need abortion to succeed...

Why Listen to the Misogynists, Paxton? A Woman Doesn't Need Abortion to Succeed - Catholic HeraldABERNATHY: Texas high schooler Paxton Smith gave a surprise valedictorian’s address at her high school’s graduation reacting to the state’s attempt to restrict abortion. She said she needed access to abortion to accomplish her goals. Without it, she was “terrified.” Jacqueline Abernathy, once an ambitious high school star herself, explains why she’s so wrong.

Term limits for Church leaders: a policy created to be ignored?

Term limits for Church leaders: a policy created to be ignored? | Catholic CultureLAWLER: The Vatican decision to impose term limits on the leaders of lay associations is not unreasonable on its face. The new policy addresses the problems that have arisen in some lay movements when long-term leaders abused their authority. It should, in theory, provide for the fresh new perspectives that Pope Francis always desires, and guard against the encrustation of power that he fears.

Hidden King: A reminder that your ordinary, everyday life matters, and YOU matter

New Advent: Hidden King: A reminder that your ordinary, everyday life matters, and YOU matterSTEFANICK: Do you ever feel overlooked and unimportant? Do you ever wonder if the small stuff you do every day matters? Washing the dishes, taking out the trash, doing the laundry, mowing the lawn. ... St. Joseph was a poor, hardworking dad who spent his earthly life hidden from any earthly honor. His life was ordinary and unknown to most...

Authenticity changes lives — and silence doesn’t work in evangelization

Authenticity Changes Lives! - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: I sometimes think the Apostles were complete knuckleheads. How could you watch Jesus raise people from the dead, heal the blind, change water to wine, walk on water, and more...yet doubt or be afraid? Then I realize that I have met the same Jesus and I do the same thing. I have seen Jesus save lives...

The 3 heroic priests aboard the Titanic who died saving the lives (and souls) of passengers

The 3 Heroic Priests Aboard the Titanic Who Died Saving the Lives & Souls of Passengers |: One twitter user recently posted photos of three heroic priests who offered their lives for the passengers aboard the Titanic before it sank on April 15, 1912. The priests chose to minister to passengers on the ship rather than choosing a lifeboat to save their own lives.

The Southern Baptist Convention, and what to expect from the upcoming U.S. bishops’ meeting, and “we are greatly blessed”

What to expect: The USCCB and Christian unity - The PillarJDFLYNN: Today is the feast of St. Abraham of Clermont. Born in Syria in the fifth century, Abraham was imprisoned for five years by the Persian Sassanian Empire, which at that time ruled much of the Middle East, and which had enacted a persecution against Christians in the region. After years in chains, Abraham escaped Sassanid captivity and went west, eventually settling as a hermit in what is now central France...

What do divorced Catholics need from their friends?

What%20do%20divorced%20Catholics%20need%20from%20their%20friends%3F%20%u2013%20SIMCHA%20FISHERFISHER: The Catholic Church takes the sacrament of marriage seriously. Because this is so, it also takes abuse seriously, and never requires spouses and children to silently endure abuse in the name of the sanctity of marriage. But those who do leave marriages, or those who are left, are often treated like second-class citizens by their fellow Catholics...

Don’t let people seduce you with the rhetoric of self-invention and making up your own values. There’s no project duller and more suffocating than that...

Breaking Out of the Prison of Self-Invention - Word on FireBARRON: For the past many years, I have been maintaining an internet ministry that allows me, through comment boxes, to listen in on the questions, complaints, and pontifications of thousands of people in regard to religion. I have noticed that these commentaries sort themselves out in fairly predictable ways, centering around issues of God’s existence, the problem of suffering...

“Do I really sound like that?” — Hearing your voice can be an uncomfortable experience. Here’s why...

Hearing your voice can be an uncomfortable experience. Here's why - CNN: As a surgeon who specializes in treating patients with voice problems, I routinely record my patients speaking. For me, these recordings are incredibly valuable. They allow me to track slight changes in their voices from visit to visit, and it helps confirm whether surgery or voice therapy led to improvements.

President Biden’s request for meeting, morning Mass at Vatican today nixed by Pope

Update: Vatican Refused June 15 Meeting, Morning Mass No Longer on the Agenda| National Catholic Register: President Joe Biden's attendance at early morning Mass with Pope Francis has been nixed from an early plan of the June 15 meeting of both leaders, a reliable Vatican source told CNA.

‘I got it’: Daughter offers perspective on her mother’s decision to become a cloistered Carmelite nun

%u2018I%20Got%20It%u2019%3A%20Daughter%20Offers%20Perspective%20on%20Her%20Mother%u2019s%20Decision%20to%20Become%20Cloistered%20Carmelite%20Nun%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The last time I saw Ann Miller, she was seated behind a grille at the cloistered Carmelite monastery in Des Plaines, Illinois. The fashionable clothes and Elizabeth Arden haircut were gone. Instead she wore a brown Discalced Carmelite habit and black veil...

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Dramatic time-lapse video of a supercell thunderstorm over Texas

APOD: 2021 June 13 - A Supercell Thunderstorm Over Texas: Featured here are four time-lapse sequences of a supercell in 2013 rotating above and moving across Booker, Texas. Captured in the video are new clouds forming near the storm center, dust swirling on the ground, lightning flashing in the upper clouds, all while the impressively sculptured complex rotates ominously.

Father Thomas Joseph White on vocations, his new role at the Angelicum, and the Hillbilly Thomists

Father Thomas Joseph White On Leading the Angelicum, Vocations, and the Hillbilly Thomists| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White says he is “humbled by the decision” to be appointed rector of the prestigious Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and at the same time hopes to bring positive elements of the American ethos to the university...

The meaning of the colors at Mass, and the connection with the Temple of Jerusalem

The Meaning of the Four Colors at Mass | Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: Now in Ordinary Time we’re back to wearing green vestments and folks quite rightly wonder what the meaning of the four colors of vestments signify (six if you count the rose and black vestments). So I explain to the altar boys that red is for the blood of the martyrs and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

The 5 progressive stages of sin

The Progressive Stages of Sin - Community in MissionPOPE: We are living in times when many are doubling down on their sin. As the darkness grows, many fiercely defend their sinful practices. This is especially evident in the matter of abortion. The science could not be clearer that there is a unique, beautifully formed, distinct human life in the womb of a pregnant mother, with a heartbeat, brain activity, alternating sleep and wake cycles, and the ability to feel pain...

Pope’s message for World Day of the Poor: ““If the poor are marginalized ... the very concept of democracy is jeopardized”

Pope%20Francis%3A%20Marginalizing%20the%20poor%20threatens%20%u2018the%20very%20concept%20of%20democracy%u2019: Pope Francis said Monday that “the very concept of democracy is jeopardized” when the poor are marginalized and treated as if they are to blame for their condition. In his World Day of the Poor message released June 14, the pope appealed for a new global approach to poverty.

Meet the Vatican librarian who was the Gordon Ramsay of his age

Meet the Vatican librarian who was the Gordon Ramsay of his ageALLEN: This Tuesday will mark the 546th anniversary of the foundation of the Vatican Library on June 15, 1475, by Pope Sixtus IV, the pontiff who helped usher in the Italian renaissance through his patronage of learning and the arts. That makes it an apt moment to recall a figure who plays a key role in the institution’s story, even if he’s all but forgotten today.

If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me

If You Can Use Anything Lord, You Can Use Me - A Homily for the 11th Sunday of the Year - Community in MissionPOPE: The readings for this Sunday speak of God’s providence, which is often displayed in humble, hidden, and mysterious ways. While it is true that God sometimes works in overpowering ways, His more common method seems to be using the humble and even unlikely things of the created order to accomplish His goals.

Pope’s Sunday Angelus: God is at work as “a good seed,” and the Church should never give in to the “weed of doubt”

VATICAN Pope: God is at work, and the Church should not give in to the weed of doubt: The Church should not let herself be overcome by the “weed of doubt” because God is always at work in the world as “a good seed”. This means that everyone is always called to start again with “patience and perseverance”, said Pope Francis today before the Angelus prayer, which included a strong appeal against child labour and for the people of Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region.

“Don’t lose heart”: The third apparition of Our Lady of Fatima on June 13

Our%20Lady%20Of%20Fatima%20.%20.%20.%20The%20June%2013%20Apparition%3A%20%u201CDon%u2019t%20Lose%20Heart%u201D%A0%7C%A0The%20Wanderer%20NewspaperFOLEY: The June 13, 1917 saw the second apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the young shepherds, Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia. The message given by the Blessed Virgin on that day is a very important one, indeed vital, but it has been somewhat overshadowed by what she said during the first apparition...

How will the pandemic affect the Church in the long run? Phil Lawler’s new book takes a closer look...

New%20book%20with%20a%20Catholic%20perspective%20on%20the%20pandemic%20looks%20at%20the%20church%u2019s%20futureLISI: One sure sign that the pandemic is fading may be the steady stream of books about it that have started to trickle out. It’s true that COVID-19 affected the planet like nothing else in our lifetimes. In fact, the fallout from what has transpired over the last 15 months could be felt for years, if not decades, to come...

Important summertime reminder: Drowning doesn’t look like drowning. Here’s how to know when someone is in trouble, and how to respond...

Can You Tell When a Person is Drowning? - Soundings Online: The captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim and headed straight for a couple who were swimming between their anchored sportfish and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other, and she had screamed, but now they were just standing neck-deep on a sandbar.

God doesn’t want you to be a “nice Catholic” — he wants you to be a saint

The%20Difference%20between%20the%20Saint%20God%20is%20Calling%20You%20to%20Be%20and%20a%20%u201CNice%20Catholic%20Person%u201D%20%u2014%20Tim%20Glemkowski%2C%20Catholic%20EvangelistGLEMKOWSKI: The difference between being the saint God is calling you to be and being a "nice Catholic person" is, in a word ... risk. I find myself thinking a lot lately about the witness of my parents. By the grace of God, all six of their kids, as members of the least religious generations in U.S. history, are practicing the faith and, even, have active and living relationships with God...

Father Thomas Dailey: Beholding the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Fr. Thomas Dailey: Beholding the Sacred Heart of Jesus: "The Sacred Heart is so powerful, precisely because it's that imagery of the actual human heart of Jesus that reminds us — not only of our own hearts physically, that we have one, that it's central to who we are — but that it's in hearts that are united in love that we find our greatest fulfillment," said Fr. Thomas F. Dailey...

Gallup poll: For first time, more Americans believe abortion is “morally acceptable” than “morally wrong”

New%20Gallup%20Poll%3A%20More%20Americans%20Believe%20Abortion%20is%20%u2018Morally%20Acceptable%u2019%20Than%20%u2018Morally%20Wrong%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: A new Gallup poll reveals, for the first time in two decades of surveys, more Americans believe abortion “morally acceptable” than “morally wrong.” According to a Gallup poll published on Thursday, 47% of people surveyed found abortion to be “morally acceptable,” the highest tally since the poll began in 2001. Conversely, 46% of those surveyed said that they believed abortion to be “morally wrong.”

It is imperative that we identify how the woke movement operates, as it often mimics Christianity

Can Catholics Get Woke? | Catholic AnswersMERING: One of the reasons woke ideology has been successful at making inroads among Christian communities is that it feeds off the Christian precept to offer compassion and aid to the marginalized and suffering. This leads to a lot of confusion about whether or not Christians can get woke, with many seeing it as the natural outgrowth of that Christian precept...

99% of people don’t know this simple math hack for calculating percentages

New%20Advent%3A%2099%25%20of%20people%20don%u2019t%20know%20this%20simple%20math%20hack%20for%20calculating%20percentages: This little trick makes math calculations much easier...

Vatican imposes term limits for leaders of ecclesial movements to help stop “violations and abuses”

Vatican%20Imposes%20Term%20Limits%20for%20Leaders%20of%20Ecclesial%20Movements%20to%20Stop%20%u2018Violations%20and%20Abuses%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The Vatican issued a decree Friday setting limits on the terms of leaders of international associations of the faithful and new communities. In an introduction to the June 11 norms, the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life said that it wanted to define “the criteria for prudently guiding government” in lay ecclesial movements.

As new report is released, Vatican bank chief says “bad old days” are done

As%20new%20report%20released%2C%20Vatican%20bank%20chief%20says%20%u2018bad%20old%20days%u2019%20are%20doneALLEN: With release of an annual report showing a healthy profit in 2020 despite the Coronavirus pandemic, Friday capped what’s already been a good run in June for the Institute for the Works of Religion, the so-called “Vatican bank,” including good grades from Europe’s top financial watchdog and a key recognition by the IRS in America.

Cardinal Kasper says he’s “very worried” about the German Church’s “synodal way”

Cardinal%20Kasper%20%u2018Very%20Worried%u2019%20About%20German%20Church%u2019s%20%u2018Synodal%20Way%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: An influential theologian considered to be close to Pope Francis has said that he is “very worried” about the German Catholic Church’s controversial “Synodal Way.” Cardinal Walter Kasper said in a June 8 interview with the Passauer Bistumsblatt that he hoped the prayers of faithful Catholics could serve as a corrective.

The rise and fall of the Sacred Heart in Dublin

The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Heart in Dublin| National Catholic RegisterTURLEY: Just north of Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral, there was an area once known as “Monto.” From the 1860s to 1925, Monto was the site of Europe’s largest red-light district. Estimates vary but some suggest that there were as many as 1,200 prostitutes working in that area. Monto’s brothels ensnared many from the higher echelons of society but their chief clientele came from the various army barracks dotted around the city.

From simply sentimental to strong and sure — a consideration of devotion to the Sacred Heart

From Simply Sentimental to Strong and Sure - A Consideration of Devotion to the Sacred Heart - Community in MissionPOPE: I must say that in the past I was not always as on board as I should have been when it came to the Feast of the Sacred Heart. As a man, I have struggled especially with some of the Sacred Heart images of past years, especially from the 1940s into the 1970s that, frankly, made Jesus look like a bearded lady.

A real surprise, a curious case, and an offer the Pope refused

A real surprise, a curious case, and an offer the pope refused - The PillarCONDON: We started the week by reporting the full list of bishops who “signed” a letter emailed to Archbishop Jose Gomez calling for the subject of Eucharistic coherence to be dropped from the USCCB’s meeting agenda for next week and for committee work in the issue to cease. Well, it turns out, not all of the bishops whose names appeared on the letter were all that keen on the idea.

Pope Francis names new prefect of Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy

Pope Francis Names New Prefect of Vatican Congregation for Clergy| National Catholic Register: Pope Francis Friday named Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik as the new prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy. The 69-year-old bishop is the first Korean to lead a Vatican congregation.

Pope Francis refuses to accept resignation of Cardinal Marx

Pope%20Francis%20Declines%20Cardinal%20Marx%u2019s%20Resignation%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: Pope Francis declined on Thursday the resignation of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, offered to him last month. In a June 10 letter, the Pope asked the influential German cardinal to continue as archbishop of Munich and Freising.

Following UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Catholic wedding, the task of announcing new Anglican bishops will fall to someone else [London Times paywall]

Announcing%20bishops%20will%20fall%20to%20someone%20else%20now%20PM%u2019s%20a%20Catholic%20%7C%20News%20%7C%20The%20Sunday%20Times: Boris Johnson might have assumed that his most profound change to the British constitution was to secure Brexit but as Britain’s first Catholic prime minister he has also prompted a rethink on the link between religion and politics.

Mimetic desire and the seven deadly sins

Mimetic Desire and the Seven Deadly Sins | Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: The French thinker Rene Girard had a seminal insight which has shed light on just about every aspect of human endeavor from theology and anthropology to economics, politics, psychology and business development. It’s called mimetic desire which being translated is “imitation envy.” Basically it is the observation that we learn by watching and imitating others, we desire to be like the other...

How to defeat dumb pro-choice memes

How to Defeat Dumb Pro-Choice Memes | The StreamMILLS: No matter how often Christians explain that we oppose killing the unborn because humanity knows that killing the innocent is wrong, not because we’ve got special insider instructions, the pro-choicers say “You’re imposing your religion.” When they do that to our secular friends...

The New York Times admits it was wrong about Pius XII

The New York Times Admits It Was Wrong About Pius XII - Catholic HeraldDOINO: When Sister Margherita Marchione died recently, at the age of 99, the New York Times, to its credit, published a lengthy and sympathetic obituary. Less to its credit was the clumsy anti-Catholic mistake in the obituary. A mistake the newspaper then, surprisingly, corrected.

Have fun — it’s virtuous!

New%20Advent%3A%20Have%20fun%21%20It%u2019s%20virtuous...STEFANICK: Do you take yourself too seriously? Are the challenges of life dragging you down? Even in the midst of all the chaos of life, it’s important to have good, clean, wholesome FUN. You need it! Not just to have a good time, but to be holy. I hope this video is an encouragement for you to do so.

The Sacred Heart is a feast of friendship and an answer to your loneliness

The Sacred Heart: A feast of friendship and an answer to loneliness | Angelus NewsCAMERON: The late renowned theologian Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete used to say that if Christianity doesn’t connect profoundly with what we care about — addressing the deepest needs of the human heart — then “you can substitute the Great Lizard for Christ.” But I don’t know anyone who wants to worship the Great Lizard. And the reason is because Great Lizards don’t make great friends.

This cloistered Carmelite nun had 10 children and 28 grandchildren. Her son just told the story of her incredible life in 13 tweets...

Son of Cloistered Nun With 10 Children & 28 Grandchildren Tells Story of Her Incredible Life |: Twitter user Mark R. Miller posted an amazing and stirring story of a late cloistered Carmelite nun who had 10 children and 28 grandchildren.

Grooming preschoolers? This shocking video makes clear: It’s time to pick a side...

Grooming%20preschoolers%3F%20Time%20to%20pick%20a%20side.%20%u2014%20Leila%20MillerMILLER: For many years, I have heard and seen snippets of children’s videos, books, and school curricula that intend to indoctrinate even the smallest children into acceptance and celebration of the LGBTQ ideology, to normalize grave sin and acclimate little ones to incredible deviations from the moral law and our Catholic faith.

Transgenderism and children’s hospitals: When the state comes for your kids

When the State Comes for Your Kids | City Journal: Ahmed is a Pakistani immigrant, a faithful Muslim, and until recently, a financial consultant to Seattle’s high-tech sector. But when he reached me by phone in October 2020, he was just one more frightened father. Days earlier, he and his wife had checked their 16-year-old son into Seattle Children’s Hospital for credible threats of suicide...

Nobody knows exactly how tornadoes form — and that lack of understanding can be deadly

Tornado warnings lag behind hurricane predictions because of a meteorology mystery - Vox: Shortly after midnight on March 3, 2020, Moe Odhwani woke up to find his cellphone buzzing violently beside him. The screen told him that a tornado was nearing his home in East Nashville, Tennessee. In the past, these alerts had never amounted to much — but he took shelter in the garage just to be safe.

I am deeply grateful for Poland — a nation that may yet become a beacon to the world, if they take heed of John Paul II’s social doctrine

Thirty years of Poland - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: Over the past three decades, I’ve spent about three years, all told, in Poland, much of it in Cracow, a city I’ve come to regard as virtually another home. On this anniversary, however, my mind turns to some extraordinary people I first met in June 1991. Many are no longer with us but I cherish the memory of them, for their contributions to my education in matters Polish was incalculable.

Here’s a tutorial on the Latin of “O Salutaris” and “Tantum Ergo”

Learn%20the%20Latin%20of%20%u201CO%20Salutaris%20Hostia%u201D%20and%20%u201CTantum%20Ergo%20Sacramentum%u201D%20-%20Community%20in%20MissionPOPE: As a further reflection in the wake of Corpus Christi Sunday, permit me to offer a reflection on the two great Eucharistic hymns of Benediction. I sometimes get requests for help in understanding the Latin texts of these very familiar hymns for Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction.

The new Pharisees are watching and want to know: How woke is your supper?

The New Pharisees Are Watching and Want to Know: How Woke Is Your Supper?| National Catholic RegisterABBOTT: The intimate relationship between cancel culture and food eerily resembles the situation in Christ’s time. Scripture has plenty to say about purity and identity. A pertinent example for today comes in July 2020 when David Tamarkin, chief editor of the Epicurious website...

Will Cardinal Marx’s resignation boost his influence beyond Germany?

Will%20Cardinal%20Marx%u2019s%20Resignation%20Boost%20His%20Influence%20Beyond%20Germany%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPENTIN: Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s surprise letter of resignation as archbishop of Munich and Freising last week appeared aimed at precipitating — to borrow the words of the World Economic Forum — a “great reset” of the German Church regarding its handling of clerical sex abuse.

At Wednesday audience, Pope tells Catholics to pray the ancient Eastern Christian “Jesus Prayer” throughout the day

Pope%20Francis%3A%20Say%20the%20%u2018Jesus%20Prayer%u2019%20Throughout%20the%20Day%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: Pope Francis on Wednesday encouraged busy Catholics to say the “Jesus Prayer” throughout the day. Speaking at the general audience June 9, the pope recommended the short prayer at the heart of Eastern Christianity’s mystical tradition.

Vatican’s financial crimes prosecution hurt by inexperience

Vatican%u2019s%20financial%20crimes%20prosecution%20hurt%20by%20inexperience: European evaluators warned Wednesday that the Vatican’s efforts to investigate and prosecute financial crimes were suffering from understaffing and inexperience, as well as the mistaken belief that its own cardinals and bishops were immune to criminal conduct.

The more a pope sees himself as a reformer, the more inclined he is to act like an old-school monarch

A%20reforming%20pope%u2019s%20dilemma%3A%20Using%20the%20center%20to%20deliver%20decentralizationALLEN: Before St. John Paul II, the old joke used to go that being pope meant never having to say you’re sorry. Since John Paul actually apologized for various failures and sins of the church well in excess of 100 times, that bit of papal humor no longer really applied. However, here’s another old papal saw that’s still highly relevant...

When a man becomes a priest, he begins to weave a human fabric with divine threads. Thank God for our faithful priests...

When a Man Becomes a Priest | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: An ancient Latin word for priest means bridge-builder. From time immemorial we humans have recognized that our life and very identity, whether we will it or not, are deeply connected with the divine. And this connection is complicated. It needs attending, and building. And certain men are set apart to be special agents of building that connection...

Selective indignation: Canadian calls for a Vatican apology

Selective indignation: Canadian calls for a Vatican apology | Catholic CultureLAWLER: We have seen this pattern before, in the sex-abuse scandal. Catholic bishops were asked to apologize—and with ample reason, because their negligence was appalling. But when they did apologize, there was no letup in the demand for further apologies. Victims’ advocates insisted that the Church should sever all ties with clerics guilty of abuse...

God and St. Augustine: How does one study the ocean?

God and St. Augustine: How Does One Study the Ocean?| National Catholic RegisterMARTIN: It was during the pontificate of Paul VI that a number of monks and scholars found themselves in Rome for a conference on the life of St. Augustine. Drawn by the timeless attractions of the Doctor of Grace, they came, fittingly enough, to the center of Catholic Christendom, the Eternal City, for learned and spirited exchanges concerning the greatest of the Church Fathers of the first millennium.

“Love them both”: Offering healing to women after abortion

Love Them Both: Offering Healing to Women After Abortion| National Catholic RegisterCLARK: “Love them both.” For many years, this has been the counsel to pro-life advocates: to love both mother and baby. And to never stop loving, even after — perhaps especially after — abortion. The trouble is that this is easier said than done, largely because it is not always easy to know how to help women after abortion.

Pope orders visitation of Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy

Pope orders visitation of Vatican's Congregation for Clergy: Pope Francis earlier this month asked an Italian bishop and expert in canon law to conduct visitation of the curial Congregation for Clergy, much like the one that recently concluded of the Vatican’s liturgy department.

Burger King announces large LGBTQ+ donation, takes a dig at Chick-Fil-A for giving employees Sundays off

Burger King Takes A Dig At Chick-Fil-A With LGBTQ Donations - Digg: Burger King said they would be making LGBTQ donations during pride month and specifically trolled Chik-Fil-A in its announcement.

Full list of 66 signatories opposing USCCB vote on ‘Eucharistic coherence’ made public

Signatories%20on%20letter%20opposing%20USCCB%20vote%20on%20%u2018Eucharistic%20coherence%u2019%20include%205%20cardinals%2C%206%20archbishops%20-%20The%20Pillar: The signers of a May 13 letter which pressed the U.S. bishops’ conference to suspend its conversation on “Eucharistic coherence” include 47 diocesan bishops, five of whom are cardinals, along with 19 auxiliary bishops.

Why Chinese women don’t want more children

Why%20Chinese%20women%20don%u2019t%20want%20more%20children%20-%20The%20Spectator%20World: Years after my mother and I left China, I found out the real reason why. A neighbor had reported my mother for being pregnant with her second child. She was paid a visit by local officials who gave her a choice: she could either take herself to the abortion clinic or they’d take her there themselves...

That high-school valedictorian’s abortion plea is a cry for help

High-School Valedictorian Abortion Plea: Cry for Help | National ReviewLOPEZ: You may have heard by now about Paxton Smith, the high-school valedictorian in Texas who set aside her expected speech and instead delivered a condemnation of the recent heartbeat law in the state, a law that restricts abortions early in pregnancy (because the unborn, developing child has a heartbeat very early).

The hidden continuity of Pope Francis

MondayVatican%20%u2013%20Vatican%20%BB%20Pope%20Francis%2C%20the%20hidden%20continuity%20%7C%20MondayVaticanGAGLIARDUCCI: In 2010, Benedict XVI wrote a letter to the Church of Ireland shaken by the case of abuse. And there was a passage in that letter that was enlightening: after the Second Vatican Council – we read – “there was a well-intentioned but misguided tendency to avoid penal approaches to canonically irregular situations.”

Why Boris Johnson got married in a Catholic church

Why Boris Got Married in a Catholic Church | Ed Condon | First ThingsCONDON: On May 29, U. K. Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson married his girlfriend Carrie Symonds—a Catholic and the mother of his youngest child—in London's Westminster Cathedral. The wedding came as a surprise, both because it had not been announced prior to the day and because Boris was not widely known to be a practicing Catholic...

Sister Maria Laura Mainetti, stabbed to death 21 years ago by “three girls influenced by a satanic sect,” is beatified

Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti: Nun stabbed to death by three teenage girls is beatified: An Italian nun who was stabbed to death by three teenage girls was beatified on Sunday, after Pope Francis declared her a martyr, killed “in hatred of the faith.”

Children know that Our Lord can do, and does, the things He says. They know the Holy Eucharist is real...

Believe Like Children | Parishable ItemsFELTES: It has been humorously observed that for second graders preparing for and receiving their First Communion it can be harder for them to believe that the round, flat, unfluffy, Consecrated Host was ever bread to begin with than it is for them to believe it is Jesus. This is because they believe that Jesus can do, and does do, the things he says...

Corpus Christi: Our greatest dreams become true in Christ, and our worst fears are realized without him...

This%20Sunday%2C%20Our%20Future%20Glory%20%u2014%20or%20Horror%20%7C%20The%20Gregorian%20Institute%20at%20Benedictine%20CollegeHOOPES: Our greatest dream is that we will realize the deepest desires awakened in us by the transcendent reality we sense all around us. We want to be fully known and infinitely loved, such that we feel dissatisfied even with the greatest loves we experience on earth. We feel overwhelmed by beauty at times and want to experience Absolute Beauty...

Crime and punishment: Explaining the sweeping changes to Church law

Crime%20and%20Punishment%3A%20Sweeping%20Changes%20to%20Church%20Law%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: Tuesday the Holy See announced a major revision to the Code of Canon Law. The entirety of Book VI of the Code, which deals with how the Church punishes offenses against canon law, has been replaced. This marks the culmination of a project that has been underway for fourteen years. The revision was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, and Pope Francis has announced that it will go into effect on December 8th.

3 teachings on Corpus Christi

Three Teachings on Corpus Christi - Community in MissionPOPE: Notice that in preparing for the Last Supper and First Mass, Jesus told two of his disciples to enter Jerusalem and look for an usual thing, a man carrying a water jar. This was usually women’s work and thus a man doing so would stand out. The were to follow him, and: he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Now, this is for us a spiritual prescription for the inner room that is our soul...

The California Angels’ amazing Shohei Ohtani has become the best show in baseball, and perhaps in all of sports...

We May Not Be Appreciating Shohei Ohtani Enough - The Ringer: The Angels’ two-way star has been one of the most valuable players in MLB this year, even before accounting for the unprecedented nature of his skills in the modern game. Let’s marvel at all the things that have made his 2021 special—and could make him even more special in the future.

Contra ambiguity: Francis, Biden and the U.S. bishops

Contra ambiguity: Francis, Biden, and the US bishops | Catholic CultureMIRUS: There are strong indications that US President Joe Biden will have an audience with Pope Francis later this month. Biden will be in Europe for a NATO summit meeting, a United States-European Union summit, and a meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Combine this story with the offer of Cardinal Reinhard Marx (Munich) to resign because of his failure to work effectively against sexual abuse by clergy...

Disaster looms if Pope Francis restricts the traditional Mass

Disaster looms if Pope Francis restricts the traditional Mass | Catholic CultureLAWLER: The rumors are true. My sources in Rome—too many and too reliable to be doubted—confirm that a document is circulating at the Vatican which, if given papal approval, would significantly restrict use the “extraordinary form” of the liturgy, the traditional Latin Mass (TLM). This document is in draft form. It could be amended. It might never be released. But it would not even be under discussion without...

Here’s one more reason to admire elephant trunks: They can inhale air at speeds of more than 335 miles per hour

What Can't Elephant Trunks Do? - The Atlantic: The trunk of an African elephant is an evolutionary marvel. Clocking in at weights well over 200 pounds, it ripples with thousands of individual muscles that help the superlong schnoz lift barbells, uproot trees, and fling bothersome lions into the air.

Send in the bugs — the Michelangelos need cleaning

Send in the Bugs. The Michelangelos Need Cleaning. - The New York Times: As early as 1595, descriptions of stains and discoloration began to appear in accounts of a sarcophagus in the graceful chapel Michelangelo created as the final resting place of the Medicis. In the ensuing centuries, plasters used to incessantly copy the masterpieces he sculpted atop the tombs left discoloring residues. His ornate white walls dimmed.

Pope Francis has questioned the purpose of official Vatican media. Does he have a point?

Pope%20Francis%20questions%20the%20purpose%20of%20official%20Vatican%20media%3A%20Does%20he%20have%20a%20point%3F%20%u2014%20GetReligionLISI: The year was 2012 and then-Pope Benedict XVI, yearning to “encounter men and women wherever they are, and begin dialogue with them” sent out his first tweet. The papal Twitter account in English — and associated accounts in different languages — continues to this day under Pope Francis.

Cardinal Marx offers to resign, the other 4th, and it’s Pride Month — again

Cardinal Marx offers to resign, the other 4th, and it's Pride Month - again - The PillarCONDON: With Congress set to receive a report this month from national intelligence agencies about the government’s knowledge of “unidentified aerial phenomena,” expect UFOs to be in the news a fair bit. We got a jump on the subject, and asked a Biblical scholar about a book arguing that some passages of the Old Testament could be read as “close encounters.” His answer: “Uh, no.”

Here’s bit of clarity about the spectacular “resignation” of Germany’s Cardinal Marx

A%20bit%20of%20clarity%20about%20spectacular%20%u2018resignation%u2019%20of%20German%20cardinalALLEN: Covering the Catholic Church is a tough gig for reporters, not least because we’re often forced to be killjoys. We’re forever put in the position of raining on a media parade, and such was the case again Friday with the sensational “resignation” of Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich.

Sunday Angelus: Pope Francis expresses sorrow after indigenous children’s graves found at Church-run school in Canada

Pope%20Francis%20at%20the%20Angelus%3A%20Discovery%20of%20Indigenous%20children%u2019s%20graves%20at%20Church-run%20school%20%u2018shocking%u2019: Pope Francis expressed sorrow on Sunday at the discovery of Indigenous children’s graves at a Church-run residential school in Canada. Speaking after the recitation of the Angelus June 6, the pope assured Canadians of his sympathy and prayers, but did not issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools, as requested by the Canadian government.

The Vatican should address these 6 pandemic oddities

Vatican Should Address These 6 Pandemic Oddities| National Catholic RegisterDESOUZA: Thursday is the traditional day for the feast of Corpus Christi, though in much of the world it is transferred to Sunday (June 6 this year). There is something odd going on the Vatican though this year — the latest in a series of oddities that have marked the pandemic. Strange things have been happening the world over as pastors struggle to maintain public worship in a time of closures...

June is the month of the Sacred Heart — a perfect time for Enthronement in your home

June%20Is%20the%20Month%20of%20the%20Sacred%20Heart%20%u2014%20a%20Perfect%20Time%20for%20Enthronement%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGRAVES: The Second Vatican Council, St. Augustine and more than one pope have termed the family as a “domestic church.” Enthronement is a dedication of the family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, based on the eternal, limitless love for mankind borne by Our Lord. Jesus promised harmony within the home to believers who honor and expose his Sacred Heart...

Cardinal Marx offers resignation to Pope Francis

Cardinal Marx Offers Resignation to Pope Francis| National Catholic Register: Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the 67-year-old archbishop of Munich and Freising, has offered his resignation to Pope Francis. The influential cardinal is a member of the pope’s Council of Cardinals, the coordinator of the Vatican Council for the Economy, and until last year the chairman of the German bishops’ conference.

Mixed ‘blessings’ as Bishop John Stowe attends Catholic dissenters’ Pride Month event

Mixed 'blessings' as Bishop Stowe attends Catholic dissenters' Pride Month event: Catholic dissenters and LGBT activists on Tuesday hosted an online Pride Month “blessing” in reaction to a Vatican statement reiterating that same-sex unions cannot be blessed. Speakers made comments that rejected Catholic teaching, talking about “God’s triumph of queer love” or declaring that pride is not sin but “salvation” and “a promise of liberation for all.”

What else to expect at the USCCB’s upcoming online meeting

What%20else%20to%20expect%20at%20the%20USCCB%u2019s%20upcoming%20online%20meeting%20-%20The%20PillarJDFLYNN: The preliminaries to that discussion have included dueling essays in Catholic periodicals, attention from global media syndicates, and even an effort spearheaded by a few cardinals to keep the topic off the meeting agenda entirely. Eucharistic coherence may be the main attraction for casual observers of the U.S. bishops’ conference, but the astute will note that...

Boris Johnson’s marriage: An explainer on Catholic marriage and Church law

Boris%20Johnson%u2019s%20Marriage%3A%20An%20Explainer%20on%20Catholic%20Marriage%20and%20Church%20Law%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPIETRZYK: There has been a great deal of controversy in the news and on social media surrounding the recent marriage of Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, in the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Westminster in London. The focus of the acrimony has been an accusation by some that Johnson received special treatment because of his office and wealth...

Are Catholics cannibals?

New Advent: Are Catholics cannibals?STEFANICK: Jesus told his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Was he crazy?! Are Catholics cannibals? The Feast of Corpus Christi is this coming weekend. I hope this video helps you to celebrate it more fully. Please share the video with your friends and share your comments. I really love hearing from you.

Here is Fr. James Martin’s subtle method for undermining sound doctrine

Fr%20James%20Martin%u2019s%20Subtle%20Method%20for%20Undermining%20Sound%20Doctrine%20-%20Catholic%20Herald: I think I’ve finally wrapped my mind around Fr James Martin SJ’s method for undermining sound doctrine and leading souls astray without ever actually committing heresy. Others have described him as “going right up to the line, and never crossing it.” This is a fair metaphor, but not completely accurate...

Vatican athletics team prepares to take part in Games of the Small States of Europe

Vatican athletics team prepares to take part in Games of the Small States of EuropeSANMARTIN: What do a librarian in his late 60s, several monsignors, a nun, a survivor of modern-day slavery, and a pharmacist have in common? They are all members of Vatican Athletics, which will be participating in Saturday’s Games of the Small States of Europe. The games that will be held in San Marino are organized by the national Olympic Committees of nine European small states since 1985.

As a Christian watching these cycles of public shaming, I see only half of the Gospel story...

Penance and Public Shaming - The BulwarkLIBRESCO: Cycles of public shaming ebb and flow through our public discourse. Some implicate public figures in scandals or crimes, while others entangle formerly private individuals whose errors are placed before a national audience. We need a way to find an answer to the following questions...

A eulogy for Everyman — because if we’re not ready to talk about death at a funeral, when will we ever talk about it?

A%20Eulogy%20for%20Everyman%20%u2014%20and%20a%20Reminder%20That%20You%20Are%20Going%20to%20Die%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGRONDELSKI: There is not some “reservoir” of good deeds that coexists with mortal sin. Without grace, our good deeds are dead, lacking merit for salvation. They are ineffective, paralyzed. Given our culture’s downplaying of sin, we are prone to forget that. So, being “right” with God has an existential significance for whom we are.

The history behind the next landmark school choice case

The History Behind the Next Landmark School Choice Case| National Catholic Register: More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, with the public school system in crisis and teachers’ unions hell-bent on preventing the return of students to the classroom, parents are clamoring for alternatives to the educational status quo. The state of Maine, meanwhile, is hell-bent on denying them those alternatives: The state, which has a tuition assistance program...

How the Pope’s canonical reform closes door on German deaconesses

How%20the%20Pope%u2019s%20canonical%20reform%20closes%20door%20on%20German%20deaconesses%20-%20The%20PillarCONDON: On Tuesday morning, Pope Francis promulgated a revised Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, which contains the penal law of the Latin Church. Included within its provisions is a new, far more explicitly outlined crime on the attempted ordination of women, in what could prove to be a pointed action directed at the Church in Germany.

Australian state moves to cancel Catholic cemeteries

Australian state moves to cancel Catholic cemeteries - The Pillar: The Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, has launched a petition opposing a new government plan to bring all cemeteries under state control, which would end the Church’s role in caring for the graves of Catholics in New South Wales. “This decision will end the involvement of faith groups in the management and operation of cemeteries in favor of a secular government run bureaucracy,” Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, told his priests in a May 27 letter.