In Another 6-3 Religious Freedom Win, Supreme Court Sides With Web Designer Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage

BREAKING: Supreme Court sides with web designer opposed to same-sex marriage | Catholic News AgencyJONES: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment’s free speech clause protects a Colorado web designer who feared she would be prosecuted under state anti-discrimination law for her faith-based objections to designing websites that promote same-sex marriage or same-sex weddings.

What I said at the Lincoln Memorial

(4) What I Said at the Lincoln Memorial - by Chad PecknoldPECKNOLD: One year ago today, a grievously unjust law was overturned. The story of how America came to kill, on an industrial scale, human beings in their mothers’ wombs is a terrifying one. Tens of millions of human lives destroyed. The scale of destruction is so great that, after searching for it’s closest analogy in the evil of slavery, we often look to the infanticide practiced by ancient Carthage.

Who has spiritual authority over you?

Dear Catholic - Who Has Spiritual Authority Over You? - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: Who or what has true spiritual authority over you? Not merely the power to command you to do something, but real spiritual authority? For the sake of this argument we will assume that power and authority are related, but distinct. The best way to lead others is with authority and power. This kind of rule is agreed upon by both leaders and those they lead...

What if all the things you “own” are more truly owned by someone else?

Managing Possessions: The Radical Perspective of a Steward - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: I often struggle with how to think about my possessions, the things I own and how to use them. Today I was struck by something that, if I take it seriously, could radically change my thinking. I am assigned to attend to my things by someone else. And thus these things are only ‘mine’ inasmuch as they are given (indeed leant) for me to care for—according to a plan of the first owner.

What do you get out of Mass? Here’s what...

New%20Advent%3A%20What%20do%20you%20get%20out%20of%20Mass%3F%20Here%u2019s%20what...STEFANICK: It’s been said that familiarity breeds contempt. For Catholics, I think there’s a temptation for familiarity to breed complacency. We are all susceptible of taking for granted that which is closest to us, including the Mass. While Sacred Tradition is very important to understand the fullness of our faith...

Humans are curious by nature. Properly directed curiosity is healthy. Misdirected curiosity is hellish...

Healthy and Hellish Curiosity | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: Our capacity for curiosity is a curious thing. God implanted in us a desire for an expanding spirit of inquiry with temporary satisfactions. St. Augustine recognizes these attributes: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Depending upon how we use it, curiosity is hellish or healthy. Sometimes our curiosity is hopelessly frustrating...

Getting in over our heads in the life of prayer

Getting in over our heads in the life of prayer | Catholic CultureLAWLER: “Put out into the deep…” (Lk 5:4) That was the admonition that Jesus gave to his disciples: an admonition that Pope John Paul II repeated in the conclusion of his for the Great Jubilee, Novo Millennio Ineunte. It sounds so easy. But it takes courage. The oceans, with their unfathomed depths and their incalculable powers, can be dangerous—as today’s news headlines remind us. When we speak of the “oceans” of God’s mercy—even deeper, even stronger—we must speak with awe.

U.S. bishops push back against Rosa DeLauro and 30 other House Democrats who claimed Catholicism and abortion are compatible...

U.S. bishops, Catholics criticize 'statement of principles' on abortion by House Democrats - Detroit Catholic: After more than two dozen Catholic Democratic House lawmakers signed a "statement of principles" advocating for abortion access that cited tenets of their faith as their rationale, the U.S. bishops and other Catholics pushed back, arguing their position was contrary to church teaching.

Octopuses just got weirder: Scientists have discovered they can redesign their brains when they get chilly...

Octopuses Redesign Their Own Brain When They Get Chilly - Scientific American: Octopuses are among the smartest animals on the planet—and some of the strangest. They have about the same number of neurons as dogs, but more than half of those cells are distributed across the slippery cephalopods’ eight arms rather than contained in a central brain.

These two areas of gender activism require clarity and forthrightness from our bishops

Two%20areas%20of%20gender%20activism%20requiring%20clarity%2C%20forthrightness%20from%20bishops%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportWELBORN: At their June 2023 gathering, the United States bishops voted to revisit a section of Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, the latest edition of which was published in 2016. The bishops will review Part III of the document, which offers directives on patients’ rights, the responsibilities of health care professionals and specific areas of potential concern...

How philosophy’s big 17th-century “everything must go” sale ruined beautiful art

How%20Philosophy%20Ruined%20Art%20%u2013%20Theology%20of%20HomeGRESS: The art world is often daunting. It can feel esoteric and inaccessible, with the criteria for what is beautiful, popular, and expensive changing quickly according to whim. Few of us realize that what we think about art is laden with ideas from Descartes, Hobbes, Kant, Marx, Hegel, Nietzsche and so on. By and large, these men have all added to the intellectual soup of our contemporary world. We think their thoughts unthinkingly.

Euler said pi was 6.283185 ... so why don’t we?

How pi was almost 6.283185... - YouTube: The idea for this video, as well as the live shots, came from Ben Hambrecht, with the writing and animating done by Grant Sanderson.

From Nairobi to La Paz, here are the 10 highest capital cities in the world

The%2010%20Highest%20Capital%20Cities%20in%20the%20World%20%u2014%20Daily%20Passport: Some travelers are drawn to locations high up in mountain ranges, offering breathtaking views of sprawling landscapes below. When the destination is the capital city of a country, it often makes a place even more intriguing. The combination of a high altitude and national importance can create a unique urban character — as found in these 10 highest-elevation capital cities around the world.

Sir Alec Guinness was a star beyond Star Wars

Sir Alec Guinness: A Star Beyond Star Wars ~ The Imaginative ConservativePEARCE: For most people, the name of Sir Alec Guinness is associated with his playing of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. Such an association is understandable enough but it does scant justice to Sir Alec’s true legacy as one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century. He was a fine Shakespearean actor, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud...

6 Things You Should Know About Sts. Peter and Paul

6 Things to Know About Saints Peter and PaulBURKEPILE: Here is a prayer for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul: God Our Father, today you give us the joy of celebrating the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul. Through them, your Church first received the faith. Keep us true to their teaching. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

For Catholic science geeks, this spot in Indiana is the place to be for the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse

Come to Indiana to Watch the Total Eclipse of the Sun in 2024| National Catholic Register: Seeing a total eclipse of the sun is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Many have seen a partial eclipse at some point, but it is unfortunate that the vast majority of people have never seen or will never see one of nature’s most wondrous spectacles — a total eclipse of the sun.

Why Half a Million Germans Left the Catholic Church in 2022 — And What It Means

Why%20Half%20a%20Million%20Germans%20Left%20the%20Catholic%20Church%20in%202022%20%u2014%20And%20What%20It%20Means%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterLIEDL: A record number of people left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, according to just released figures from the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK). In total, 522,821 people disaffiliated, a 44% increase from the nearly 360,000 who left the year before, which had been the previous high.

Even here in London, I can sense there’s something profoundly Catholic afoot in the United States. Is this the beginning of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart?

The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart From Sea to Shining Sea?| National Catholic RegisterTURLEY: Last year, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization sent shockwaves not just through the United States but across the world. But this overruling of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was, it seems, just a beginning. The rest of the world watches your country in ways that may surprise you.

Former prioress in Forth Worth admits to sexual misconduct in recording, names priest

Former prioress in Forth Worth admits to sexual misconduct in recording, names priest | Catholic News AgencyPINEDO: In the latest development in the ongoing dispute between a Texas Carmelite monastery and the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, former prioress Theresa Gerlach admitted to sexual misconduct and identified the priest involved as “Father Bernard Marie” in an audio recording played in court Tuesday.

The new furnishings (altar, tabernacle, chairs, etc.) for Notre Dame Cathedral have been unveiled. Here are 5 photos so you can see for yourself how ugly they are...

Notre%20Dame%20Cathedral%u2019s%20New%20Interior%20Design%20Unveiled%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The Archdiocese of Paris has unveiled plans for the new interior of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, which was heavily damaged by fire in 2019. While the cathedral is set to reopen Dec. 8, 2024, as initially announced, the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, has revealed the names of the two candidates chosen to create the new liturgical furnishings...

In Unanimous Decision for Religious Freedom, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Christian Postal Worker Who Refused to Work Sundays

BREAKING: Supreme Court rules in favor of Christian postal worker in unanimous religious freedom decision | Catholic News Agency: The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Thursday in favor of a Christian postal worker who says he was targeted and disciplined by his employer for refusing to work on Sundays because of his religious beliefs.

Former Prioress in Forth Worth Admits to Sexual Misconduct in Recording, Names Priest

Former prioress in Forth Worth admits to sexual misconduct in recording, names priest | Catholic News AgencyPINEDO: In the latest development in the ongoing dispute between a Texas Carmelite monastery and the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, former prioress Theresa Gerlach admitted to sexual misconduct and identified the priest involved as “Father Bernard Marie” in an audio recording played in court Tuesday.

Ticks jump from trees, and 10 other myths about ticks, debunked

11 Myths About Ticks, Debunked: Warmer weather is here, which means tick season is in full swing. Like other creepy crawlies that feed on our blood and spread disease, ticks can cause a lot of anxiety, which has led to plenty of misinformation regarding how dangerous they are, how they find prey, and the best ways to get rid of them. Before venturing outdoors, read up on the most common myths about ticks.

German Exodus: Half a Million Catholics Abandon Church in Historic Departure

German exodus: Half a million Catholics abandon Church in historic departure | Catholic News AgencyWIMMER: The Catholic Church in Germany is facing an unprecedented crisis, with more than half a million baptized Catholics leaving the Church in 2022, according to figures released by the German Bishops’ Conference on June 28.

Why killer whales won’t stop ramming boats in Spain

Why%20killer%20whales%20won%u2019t%20stop%20ramming%20boats%20in%20Spain%20%7C%20CNN: All of the encounters involve some combination of the same roughly 15 animals, which have sunk three vessels and disabled dozens more, according to Mónica González, a marine biologist with CEMMA, or Coordinadora para o Estudo dos Mamíferos Mariños, a nongovernmental organization that is gathering data about the orcas in the strait.

Why I’m Not a Liberal Catholic [NYTimes Paywall]

Opinion%20%7C%20Why%20I%u2019m%20Not%20a%20Liberal%20Catholic%20-%20The%20New%20York%20TimesDOUTHAT: During Lent, in a spirit of self-criticism, I wrote an installment of this newsletter outlining the things that I think the liberal tendency within Roman Catholicism gets right, relative to the more conservative tendency to which I myself belong. Specifically, I argued that liberal Catholics have a strong case that the ways the church has changed already, both since the Second Vatican Council and previously, create a more unsettled landscape for believers than conservatives sometimes like to admit...

Think everyone died young in ancient societies? Think again...

Think everyone died young in ancient societies? Think again | Aeon Ideas: You might have seen the cartoon: two cavemen sitting outside their cave knapping stone tools. One says to the other: ‘Something’s just not right – our air is clean, our water is pure, we all get plenty of exercise, everything we eat is organic and free-range, and yet nobody lives past 30.’

U.S. Church Attendance Still Lower Than Pre-Pandemic, Says Gallup Poll

U.S. Church Attendance Still Lower Than Pre-Pandemic: U.S. church attendance has shown a small but noticeable decline compared with what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the four years before the pandemic, 2016 through 2019, an average of 34% of U.S. adults said they had attended church, synagogue, mosque or temple in the past seven days. From 2020 to the present, the average has been 30%, including a 31% reading in a May 1-24 survey.

What Counts as Valid Wine for the Holy Eucharist?

What%20Counts%20as%20Valid%20Wine%20for%20the%20Eucharist%3F%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: What are the limits of valid matter? The Church has not provided us with a comprehensive answer to this question, but it has provided us with pieces of it. For example, in 2003 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued letter in which it authorized the use of mustum for priests who are alcohol intolerant or who suffer from alcoholism.

Servant of God Stanisława Leszczyńska: The Midwife of Auschwitz Who Delivered Thousands of Babies and Saved Thousands of Lives

Servant%20of%20God%20Stanis%u0142awa%20Leszczy%u0144ska%3A%20The%20Midwife%20of%20Auschwitz%20Who%20Delivered%20Thousands%20of%20Babies%20and%20Saved%20Thousands%20of%20Lives%20%7C%20Church%20Life%20Journal%20%7C%20University%20of%20Notre%20Dame: Auschwitz was hell, a nightmare of agony, grief, and despair. Except in the maternity ward. There, as the lice bit and the patients shivered and the rats skittered, there was, astonishingly, peace. There were painless births and healthy babies and mothers holding their little ones as the midwife that they all called “Mother” prayed with them and sang to them and treated them like human beings.

The devil is not a fantasy or a pre-scientific delusion. The devil is real. Deal with it...

(4) Notes on the Prince of This World: The devil is real. Deal with it.CHAPUT: The devil can’t ultimately prevail. But he can do great damage and bring many souls to ruin in the time remaining to him. Yet the devil is largely ignored nowadays, even in the Church. Every Easter we renew our baptismal vows in a ritual that includes a renunciation of Satan and all his empty promises. Do we understand what we’re saying? Do we really believe it? Then why did so many of us stop taking the devil seriously?

Blessed Nykyta Budka, Canadian Citizen Who Died in a Soviet Prison Camp, Pray For Us!

Blessed Nykyta Budka, Canadian Citizen Who Died in a Soviet Prison Camp, Pray For Us!| National Catholic RegisterGRONDELSKI: The optional memorial of Blessed Nykyta Budka (and Vasyl Velychkowsky, another Ukrainian Catholic bishop) is celebrated June 27 by dioceses in Canada. As I noted previously, the Church’s task is to produce saints, but there are only so many days available on the Church’s calendar to celebrate them. We collectively honor them all on All Saints Day (Nov. 1), but some saints are more relevant to particular countries or areas as compared to the universal Church.

‘Great Adventure With Christ’: Catholic Summer Camps for Kids and Teens Offer Spiritual Nourishment and Time in God’s Creation

%u2018Great%20Adventure%20With%20Christ%u2019%3A%20Catholic%20Summer%20Camps%20for%20Kids%20and%20Teens%20Offer%20Spiritual%20Nourishment%20and%20Time%20in%20God%u2019s%20Creation%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGUNTHORPE: Catholic summer camps are incorporating an outside-the-box approach. There is a new trend of Catholic summer camps that are moving away from a traditional model of a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program. Catholic summer camps for kids and teens are now placing elements such as outdoor wilderness activities and exploring nature at the forefront of their focus. These camps can be seen providing a combination of outdoor fun and spiritual nourishment.

Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, Soviet Prisoner Who Found Refuge in Canada, Pray For Us!

Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky, Soviet Prisoner Who Found Refuge in Canada, Pray For Us!| National Catholic RegisterGRAVES: Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky (1903-1973) was a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is in communion with Rome, and a martyr. He had a tremendous zeal for the salvation of souls and lived a life of great virtue amid great hardships. His feast day (and that of Blessed Nykyta Budka) is June 27...

June 27 is the Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Cyril of Alexandria: He seems to have been of an Alexandrian family and was the son of the brother of Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria; if he is the Cyril addressed by Isidore of Pelusium in Ep. xxv of Bk. I, he was for a time a monk. He accompanied Theophilus to Constantinople when that bishop held the "Synod of the Oak" in 402 and deposed St. John Chrysostom...

The Mother of God, news from Knoxville, and all the news

The Mother of God, news from Knoxville, and all the newsJDFLYNN: Today is the optional memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril was the Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, in the 5th century of the Church’s life. He was, in my view, a complicated man with a complicated ecclesiastical life, which deserves a better telling than the prelude to a newsletter allows for...

Bishop Rick Stika Resigns as Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, Amid Mounting Troubles in Diocese; Vatican Appoints Archbishop Shelton Fabre as Apostolic Administrator

Stika resigns: Pope Francis accepted Tuesday the resignation from office of Bishop Rick Stika, the embattled Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, who was accused in 2021 of several failures of leadership, including the cover-up of sexual assault allegations made against a diocesan seminarian. The Vatican appointed Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville to serve as apostolic administrator of the Knoxville diocese...

This potential ‘Roe V. Wade of Latin America’ is threatening right-to-life efforts on an international scale...

Speaking%20Against%20Latin%20America%u2019s%20Roe%20V.%20Wade%20-%20arcoftheuniversePHILPOTT: A case that is potentially the Roe v. Wade of Latin America is now being considered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica. The plaintiffs in Beatriz v. El Salvador are asking the court to declare the right to abortion to be an internationally recognized human right. Such a declaration would be a major setback for the right to life on an international scale...

Pope Francis Names Bishop Christopher Coyne as New Coadjutor Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut

Pope Francis names Bishop Coyne as new coadjutor archbishop of Hartford | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis appointed Bishop Christopher Coyne as a coadjutor archbishop of Hartford on Monday. As coadjutor, Coyne will assist Archbishop Leonard Blair in the administration of the Hartford Archdiocese and should succeed him as archbishop upon his retirement, expected once Blair turns 75 next year. Coyne has led the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, since 2015. The 65-year-old bishop previously served as the auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis from 2011 to 2015.

Memo to pilgrims: If you’re planning to visit Rome for the 2025 Jubilee, come at your own risk

Memo to Pilgrims: Come to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee at your own risk | CruxALLEN: Right now, pious Catholics all around the world likely are making plans to come to Rome in 2025, to take part in the Jubilee Year. The last such ordinary holy year was in 2000 under Pope John Paul II, with the Great Jubilee, and there won’t be another for a quarter-century, so one understands the pull.

Dicastery for Bishops Completes Apostolic Visitation to Bishop Joseph Strickland’s Diocese of Tyler; Sources Say Vatican Focused on ‘Governance Issues’

Apostolic visitation completed in Tyler diocese: The Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops has undertaken an apostolic visitation to the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, whose Bishop Joseph Strickland has been in recent weeks the subject of controversy in the Church. Several sources in the Tyler diocese confirmed the visitation to The Pillar on Saturday, after rumors surfaced on social media, and the visitation was reported on the Church Militant website.

The Pope’s Angelus address tomorrow will be a tale of two Peters

Pope%u2019s%20Angelus%20address%20tomorrow%20to%20be%20a%20tale%20of%20two%20Peters%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Whenever a pope appears in public, the focus, in a sense, is always on Peter – that is, on the pontiff as the successor of Peter and therefore chief among the apostles. When Pope Francis delivers his noontime Angelus address tomorrow, however, he will be sharing the spotlight with a second Peter: Pietro Orlandi, the brother of the famed “Vatican Girl,” who has vowed to be on hand in anticipation of hearing the pontiff say something about his sister’s case on the 40th anniversary of her disappearance.

In Europe’s empty churches, prayer and confessions make way for drinking and dancing

In Europe's empty churches, prayer and confessions make way for drinking and dancing | AP News: The confessionals where generations of Belgians admitted their sins stood stacked in a corner of what was once Sacred Heart Church, proof the stalls — as well as the Catholic house of worship — had outlived their purpose. The building is to close down for two years while a cafe and concert stage are added, with plans to turn the church into “a new cultural hot spot in the heart of Mechelen,” almost within earshot of where Belgium’s archbishop lives...

It was a privilege to call Bishop Victor Galeone my teacher and my friend

Latinity and sanctity: Remembering Bishop Victor GaleoneWEIGEL: On first encountering Father Victor B. Galeone at Baltimore’s St. Paul Latin High School in September 1965, my freshman classmates and I didn’t imagine we were meeting the future bishop of St. Augustine, Florida. What everyone quickly recognized, however, was that he was a language teacher unlike any we had met before. For Father Galeone — rail-thin with crinkly black hair, dressed in an immaculate cassock and full of energy and cheer as he bounced around the Latin I classroom...

Receiving Holy Communion has many wonderful effects in us. Here are some of them...

The Effects of Holy Communion - SpiritualDirection.com: It comes as a surprise to many people to hear that the Eucharist is a cause, but realizing this simple truth helps us to receive the effects or fruits of holy communion. Just as food nourishes a child and causes the child to grow strong in the bodily life, so holy communion nourishes our souls and causes us to grow strong in the spiritual life – the life of grace. Besides causing growth, food also has many other effects on our bodily life...

5 Examples of Synodality in Crisis

Five Examples of Synodality in Crisis| National Catholic RegisterDESOUZA: The synodal process on synodality for a synodal Church took a big step in Rome this week, as the instrumentum laboris (working document) for the October synod was released. Yet it may well be that the real significant news about the synodality project took place recently in Kigali, Rwanda; Alexandria, Egypt; Orlando, Florida; Kochi, India; and Berlin.

Unpacking the Synod on Synodality’s ‘Instrumentum Laboris’

Unpacking%20the%20Synod%20on%20Synodality%u2019s%20%u2018Instrumentum%20Laboris%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterLIEDL: Although the instrumentum laboris, or “working document,” for October’s Synod of Bishops makes clear that it “is not a document of the Church’s Magisterium,” the 50-page document undoubtedly does have something to say, propose, and arguably teach about the kind of synodal Church that Pope Francis has made such a priority of his pontificate — and perhaps about far more.

This Sunday, one week after Dodgers vs. Catholics, Jesus reminds us to ‘fear no one’

This%20Sunday%2C%201%20Week%20After%20Dodgers%20vs.%20Catholics%2C%20Jesus%20Says%20%u2018Fear%20No%20One%u2019%20%7C%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20and%20MoreHOOPES: “Fear no one,” Jesus says on the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A. Then he gets deadly serious and declares: “Whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” Jesus wants us to stop cowering before the power of sin and sophisticated faithlessness, and his Church is listening...

A wildman, some quiet time, and the kids are all right

A wildman, some quiet time, and the kids are alrightCONDON: Of all the figures in the New Testament (saving our Lord, obviously), I confess John is the one whom I find most fascinating, and the narrative of his life most compelling. I laugh a little every time I read the account of his naming, at how infuriated Zachariah must have been with the neighbors who “made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called,” since he was struck dumb, not deaf, by the angel in the Temple.

Bishop Lee Piché to Return to Ministry in Twin Cities 8 Years After Resigning as Archdiocesan Auxiliary

Piche to return to ministry in Minnesota archdiocese: A Minnesota bishop is set to be assigned to a pastoral ministry role in his archdiocese, eight years after he resigned from the office of auxiliary bishop amid scandal in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Bishop Lee Piché, who resigned as an auxiliary bishop at the age of 57 in 2015, will become vicar for retired priests in the Minnesota archdiocese next month, the archdiocese confirmed to The Pillar June 22.

It’s good to see Pascal being recognized by Pope Francis and others for his contributions. He was, indeed, a genius...

Pope%20Francis%20Celebrates%20Blaise%20Pascal%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: The French mathematician, philosopher, and apologist Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was born 400 years ago. The anniversary of his birth was recently celebrated by Pope Francis in an apostolic letter titled Sublimitas et Miseria Hominis (“The Grandeur and Misery of Man”)—reflecting one of the themes in Pascal’s writing.

The German conversation should be much more interesting with Archbishop Gänswein in it. And, whether he intended it or not, Francis will be the pope who put him there...

Pope%u2019s%20move%20has%20implications%20not%20just%20for%20G%E4nswein%2C%20but%20also%20Germany%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: A terse two-line statement from the Vatican on June 15, announcing that Pope Francis has decided to send Archbishop Georg Gänswein back to his home diocese without any indication of a new assignment, has been widely interpreted as a papal rebuff to the 66-year-old German prelate. In effect, it makes Gänswein the most famous unemployed Catholic bishop in the world...

St. Thomas More was the King’s good servant, but God’s first

St.%20Thomas%20More%20Was%20the%20King%u2019s%20Good%20Servant%2C%20But%20God%u2019s%20First%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMARCUM: “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.” These are the famous words of St. Thomas More, spoken to the crowds moments before his public beheading on July 6, 1535, just two weeks after the execution of St. John Fisher with whom he shares his feast day. Both men chose death rather than betray their faith by acknowledging King Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England.

St. John Fisher, the martyr overshadowed by St. Thomas More

St. John Fisher, the Martyr Overshadowed by St. Thomas More| National Catholic RegisterCRAUGHWELL: It’s not Thomas More’s fault. His fame is so widespread that he has put in the shade the only English bishop who had the guts to stand up to Henry VIII, and lost his head because of it. That bishop was St. John Fisher (1469-1535). Certainly, most if not all of the Register’s readers will recognize that name. But let’s face it, what Fisher needs is his own version of A Man for All Seasons...

Pope Francis Advances the Cause for Canonization of Fatima Visionary Sister Lúcia dos Santos

Pope%20Francis%20advances%20the%20sainthood%20cause%20of%20Fatima%u2019s%20Sister%20Lucia%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyMARES: Pope Francis has advanced the sainthood cause of Sister Lucia dos Santos, the eldest child to witness the Fatima apparitions. In a decree signed on June 22, the pope recognized Lucia’s heroic virtue and declared her “venerable.” The Church will now need to approve a miracle attributed to her intercession before she can be beatified.

Frozen bank accounts are freezing the Church in Nicaragua. Here’s why...

Frozen bank accounts are freezing the Church in Nicaragua. Here's why: A seminary in the Nicaraguan city of Bluefields announced this week it would cease operations, after the government froze its bank accounts last month — along with the accounts of hundreds of other Nicaraguan Catholic institutions, which the government says are complicit in an international money-laundering scheme.

What happened at the LA Dodgers’ Pride Night? That depended on the source of the coverage...

What%20happened%20on%20LA%20Dodgers%20Pride%20Night%3F%20That%20depended%20on%20source%20of%20the%20coverage%20%u2014%20GetReligionLISI: The Los Angeles Dodgers recently honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as part of team’s annual Pride Night. The appearance by the “drag nuns” — supporters call them “satirical,” while opponents label them “a hate group” — was either a success or a bust depending on what brand of media selected by news consumers. The Dodgers lost the game that night, as well as the next two matches with the rival Giants from San Francisco.

Vacation for the Sake of Vision

Vacation for the Sake of Vision - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Our word ‘vacation’ comes from an interesting Latin verb that means to be idle, empty, free, or unoccupied. This gives occasion to consider an important question: why do we go ‘on vacation’ anyway? Vacations reasonably can have various purposes. But a line in the forty-sixth Psalm can point to the deeper potential of our vacations. In the Latin it says, “vacate et videte.” These are plural imperatives, and so can be translated “Be still (or unoccupied, or idle), and see…” This is a remarkable directive.

In Nigeria, Father Marcellus Nwaohuocha Freed After Torture, Hospitalized With ‘Deep Wounds on His Head’

Nigerian%20priest%20freed%20after%20torture%2C%20hospitalized%20with%20%u2018deep%20wounds%20on%20his%20head%u2019%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20Agency: Father Marcellus Nwaohuocha of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who was kidnapped on June 17 from Nigeria’s Jos Archdiocese, has been freed. In a June 20 statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s partner news agency in Africa, the superior of the order in Nigeria, Father Peter Klaver, announced Nwaohuocha’s release from captivity after having been tortured, adding that he “has deep wounds on his head.”

Pope Francis Names Cardinal Ghirlanda to Succeed Cardinal Burke as Order of Malta Patron

Pope Francis names Cardinal Ghirlanda to succeed Cardinal Burke as Order of Malta patron | Catholic News AgencyMARES: Pope Francis on Monday appointed Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ, to succeed Cardinal Raymond Burke as the patron of the Order of Malta. The Vatican announced June 19 that the 80-year-old Jesuit cardinal will take on the role as the “Cardinalis Patronus,” the papal representative to the sovereign order responsible for promoting the spiritual interests of the order and its 13,500 members.

Vatican prosecutor may be biggest beneficiary of Pope’s hospitalization

Vatican%20prosecutor%20may%20be%20biggest%20beneficiary%20of%20Pope%u2019s%20hospitalization%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: From a news point of view on the Vatican beat, a pope being in the hospital is a bit like a blazing sun on a hot summer day – it shines so brightly that it tends to be blinding, and you have to squint to bring anything else into focus. Thus it was that during the nine days Pope Francis was in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital June 7-16, several other Vatican storylines were, to varying degrees, overshadowed.

Is there a future for Archbishop Pierre’s synodality?

Is%20there%20a%20future%20for%20Archbishop%20Pierre%u2019s%20synodality%3FCONDON: Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, opened the public session of the bishops’ June meeting with an address on synodality. Two years after Pope Francis inaugurated the global process for the synod on synodality, Pierre told the USCCB in Orlando, “it may be we are still struggling to understand synodality.”

Pope Francis Makes First Public Speech Since Hospitalization for Abdominal Surgery

Pope Francis makes first public speech since hospitalization for abdominal surgery | Catholic News AgencyMARES: Pope Francis appeared in the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Sunday to make his first public speech since his release from the hospital on Friday. The 86-year-old pope waved and smiled on June 18 as he gave thanks for the prayers and messages that he received during his nine-day stay in the hospital to recover from surgery to repair an incisional hernia.

While virtue can be expressed in words, it is a father’s virtuous deeds that create maps for children...

Fatherly Virtue: Virtuous Dads Make the Family and the World Better| National Catholic RegisterCLARK: Historical periods are commonly differentiated into various features that define them, such as the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, or the Age of Discovery. Our day may come to be known as the Age of Confusion. Our society may come to be defined by its refusal to define anything. The mere attempt to define words like person, baby, truth, conscience or woman often results in personal accusation and reprimand. Nevertheless, it is this society in which we fathers must raise and educate our children...

On Father’s Day, Remembering a Hero Who Wore Bermuda Shorts

On%20Father%u2019s%20Day%2C%20Remembering%20a%20Hero%20Who%20Wore%20Bermuda%20Shorts%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMURRAY: I’m a big fan of superhero movies. There is something so compelling about a larger-than-life figure who can run at lightning speed, deflect bullets and save innocent people from the evil machinations of the villain. When I was growing up, my father was my first glimpse of a hero. Instead of the dramatic garb of movie superheroes, however, he preferred Bermuda shorts and short-sleeved shirts to withstand the harrowing heat of Miami days...

Father Rupnik is dismissed? Good. But I have questions...

Father Rupnik is dismissed? Good. But I have questions.SCALIA: The Society of Jesus has dismissed Father Marko Rupnik from the order. According to Father Johan Verschueren, his superior in Rome, Father Rupnik was turned out by the decree of Jesuit Superior General Father Arturo Sosa June 9; he has 30 days to appeal that decision. This was done, as Father Verschueren put it in a report from Catholic News Service Rome, “in accordance with canon law, due to his stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”

Still pondering ‘Ted Lasso’ and the redemption of ‘Nate the Great’

Still pondering 'Ted Lasso' and the redemption of 'Nate the Great'SCALIA: Parting truly is “such sweet sorrow,” and in this era of anti-heroes, deep irony and unsympathetic characters, I miss “Ted Lasso.” Having found a well-written, brilliantly acted story about people I could actually care about — even if I needed closed captioning to understand most of them — I’ve felt the loss keenly.

Protesters Shut Down Dodger Stadium Main Gate on Pride Night

Protesters shut down Dodger Stadium main gate on Pride Night: The Los Angeles Dodgers' Pride Night arrived on Friday, with the protester and police presence you would expect after weeks of controversy stirred up around the guests invited to the event.

I just concluded a 45-day jail term for trying to talk women out of abortion

Criminals for the Gospel of Life - Crisis Magazine: The author of this article is a convicted criminal. I was lured into a “life of crime” beginning in 1978 by someone who himself was once charged with federal racketeering. I have been called by judges “a dangerous person from whom society needs to be protected,” a “recidivist,” and, most recently, by the Attorney General of New York, even a “terrorist.” I have spent time in jail for my “crimes.”

Dear Reluctant Potential Dad: Give your wife the baby she wants

Husbands, Give Your Wife the Baby She Wants - Word on FireKACZOR: So, your wife wants another baby, but you are putting on the brakes. I understand. When I was in graduate school at the University of Notre Dame, my wife Jennifer wanted another baby. We were only making $10,000 a year, and I felt overwhelmed in a demanding graduate program. In fact, I thought I might fail out and destroy my dream of becoming a professor. But my father-in-law Miles insisted that a new baby would also bring new blessings...

The Holy Spirit clearly had 2023 America in mind with this Sunday’s Gospel

This Sunday, the Holy Spirit Clearly Had 2023 America in Mind With This Gospel | Benedictine College Media and MoreHOOPES: The Gospel reading is a plea for help from a world that longs for the Church this Sunday, the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. You can tell the words are inspired by the Holy Spirit, because what St. Matthew wrote two millennia ago expresses precisely what is missing from parishes in America today. In the Gospel, the Holy Spirit describes for Americans the people whose homes fill our parishes.

The zen of the river, the synodality of the nuncio, and the soul of golf

The zen of the river, the synodality of the nuncio, and the soul of golfCONDON: The bishops have called for all Catholics to pray a Litany of the Sacred Heart today in reparation for the anti-Catholic mockery being honored at Dodgers Stadium. I will be, and I hope you will too. Meanwhile, this newsletter is coming to you from sunny Orlando, where JD and I are currently sitting at the back of a conference hall for the USCCB’s spring assembly...

The Summer Reading List, 2023 edition

The Summer Reading List, 2023 editionWEIGEL: Few of the following qualify as “beach reading;” they all qualify as good reading. In graduate school, I was informed that there was no such thing as “biblical theology,” only textual analysis. Bishop Robert Barron demonstrates what nonsense that was, and is, in The Great Story of Israel: Election, Freedom, Holiness, a book that nourishes both mind and soul.

What St. Benedict teaches us about fatherhood

What St. Benedict teaches us about fatherhoodSTAUDT: We call St. Benedict of Nursia the father of monks, and his teaching on spiritual fatherhood drew me, in part, to become a Benedictine oblate. Thirteen years ago, as a father of a growing family, I was looking for greater focus and direction in my spiritual life, especially in integrating prayer, work and family life. I thought back to a Cistercian monastery where I had made some retreats in high school...

On Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Francis Returns to Vatican After Surgery, Plans to Lead Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday

PHOTOS: Pope Francis returns to Vatican after surgery | Catholic News AgencyBROCKHAUS: Pope Francis was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to a round of applause on Friday after an eight-day stay following abdominal surgery. He greeted hospital staff and other patients as he left the hospital in a wheelchair June 16. Outside the building, the pope was asked how he was doing by media, to whom he said, “I’m still alive!”

Two Months After Being Booted, Franciscan Friars Return to Pastoral Ministry at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland

Franciscan friars return to pastoral ministry at Walter Reed in Bethesda, Md.: Franciscan priests have returned to pastoral ministry at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, two months after the center decided to end their contract. The priests and brothers of Holy Name College Friary of Silver Spring, Maryland, resumed their service at the medical center June 13, according to a June 15 press release...

On Dodgers and Drag Queens

On Dodgers and Drag Queens| National Catholic RegisterWARSAW: One of the reasons baseball is America’s pastime is it usually exists far outside of contentious debates, political rancor and cultural divides. At least that’s how it’s supposed to be. But that image has come crashing down at the iconic Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The controversy has been centered for some weeks now on the Dodgers’ June 16 celebration of “Pride Night.”

A chef explains how to take your grilled burgers from good to great

Chef Tips To Grill the Best Burgers | Cool Material: A skillet may be necessary for a smash burger or getting anything like that glorious burger at the end of The Menu, but summer calls for burgers on the grill. When it comes to backyard burger cookouts, being behind the grill is a sacred spot. Sure, burgers might not be the most complicated thing in the world to make...

When Evangelicals become Catholic, hearing these Catholic horror stories is just part of the process

When Evangelicals Become Catholic, These Catholic Horror Stories Are Just Part of the Process| National Catholic RegisterMILLS: When my family entered the Church 22 years ago, some of my evangelical friends went out of their way to tell me Catholic horror stories. I hadn’t thought of this for years, but remembered it the other day when I was thrust into the company of evangelical Anglicans. At least one of them had been among the people who two decades ago told me the horror stories.

Father Marko Rupnik Dismissed from Jesuits for ‘Stubborn Refusal to Observe the Vow of Obedience’

BREAKING: Rupnik dismissed from Jesuits | Catholic News AgencyBROCKHAUS: The priest and artist Father Marko Rupnik, accused of the physical and psychological abuse of numerous religious sisters, was dismissed from the Jesuits this month, according to the religious order. The Society of Jesus said in a June 15 statement Rupnik was expelled due to his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”

How 4 children survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash

How 4 children survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash: Lost and by themselves, four children managed to survive 40 days in the wilderness of the Amazon jungle before they were rescued. The four children — Lesly, 13; Soleiny, 9; Tien Noriel, 4; and Cristin, 1 — were found thin but very much alive Friday after a rescue operation that combed through more than 1,600 miles of dense forest. Colombian special forces airlifted them to the capital, Bogotá, sparking scenes of jubilation across the country and news headlines around the world...

The Future of the Church Is in Africa, Which However Brings a Dowry of Tribal Wars

The%20Future%20of%20the%20Church%20Is%20in%20Africa%2C%20Which%20However%20Brings%20a%20Dowry%20of%20Tribal%20Wars%20%u2013%20Settimo%20Cielo%20-%20Blog%20-%20L%u2019EspressoMAGISTER: There is only one continent on which Catholicism is not retreating, but expanding: Africa. Five of the ten countries with the highest Mass attendance rates are African. The only seminaries filling up instead of emptying are African. And also from Africa comes the resistance against the current that is driving so many Catholic Churches in the North toward the shores of blessing homosexual couples...

Cross Azure, a “papal election,” a feud, and a political party

Update on Alexis Bugnolo & Ordo Militaris | FrMatthewLCSCHNEIDER: A while back, I wrote an in-depth piece of investigative journalism on Alexis Bugnolo and his various organizations. As my piece still comes up high on searches for him, I think it is worth noting a few updates. After summarizing my prior piece, I will note the revocation of his charity’s tax-exempt status, a questionable Ukraine charity called Cross Azure, a “papal election,” a feud, and a political party.

The Adeodatus Foundation: Recovering Roots and Life in Catholic Education

The Adeodatus Foundation: Recovering Roots & Life in Catholic Education ~ The Imaginative ConservativeDEAVEL: Much of American Catholic education, from primary school to university is, as the late Newton Minow famously opined about television, a vast wasteland. The remarkable system of Catholic parochial schools has itself withered due to a fatal addiction to “relevance” in the form of American Progressive educational dogma and faddish discipline...

How Catholicism makes us look more closely at ourselves — and why

How Catholicism makes us look more closely at ourselves -- and whyMILLS: My friend Bobby Winters, who is both a mathematician and a Methodist, was in the capital of Paraguay doing something academic, and discovered that the place he’s staying had no street number. The address people there use relates his street to another, like “On Smith Street near the corner of Jones Avenue.” This must be hard for someone with the mathematician’s insight into the value of numbers...

California lawmakers consider bill to remove kids from parents who don’t support transgenderism — state senator warns families they might have to leave state

California State Senator Warns Parents to Flee State Amid LGBTQ Bill: A California state senator told a gathered crowd of parents at the California Senate Judicial Committee to flee the state on June 13 during a hearing on a bill which would put parents who don’t affirm their child’s “gender transition” in danger of child abuse charges.

8 books about sisters and nuns for inspiring summer reading

Eight%20books%20about%20sisters%20and%20nuns%20for%20inspiring%20summer%20reading%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportFRASER: The astonishing discovery of Sister Wilhelmina’s incorrupt body at the Monastery of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Missouri ought to raise interest in—or at least questions regarding—religious life, particularly in the life of nuns and sisters. What in the world could inspire women to cast aside all natural goods, such as marriage, children...

Pope Francis Remains at Gemelli Hospital, Vatican Says Doctors Plan to Discharge Him ‘in the Next Few Days’

Vatican%3A%20Pope%20Francis%u2019%20doctors%20plan%20to%20discharge%20him%20from%20hospital%20%u2018in%20the%20next%20few%20days%u2019%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyMARES: Pope Francis’ doctors expect the pope to be discharged from the hospital “in the next few days,” according to the Vatican. The 86-year-old pope is currently recovering in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital one week after he underwent a three-hour surgery for an incisional hernia. A team of surgeons removed scar tissue and operated on a hernia...

A father’s exercise of authority is a concrete expression of his love — and an incomparable gift to his children...

A Father's Authority: Love in Action - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Sociologist Christopher Lasch once wrote, “Socialization makes the individual want to do what he has to do; the family is the agency to which society entrusts this complex and delicate task.” Complex and delicate indeed. But then again, it is no more complex than the reality of parental authority, the archetype of human authority... A father’s exercise of authority is a concrete expression of his love — and an incomparable gift to his children...

Vatican Convicts Climate Activists Who Vandalized a Statue, Orders Them to Pay $30,000 in Damages

Vatican convicts climate activists, orders them to pay $30,000 in damages | Catholic News AgencyBROCKHAUS: Vatican judges on Monday found two climate activists guilty of criminally damaging the base of an important statue in the Vatican Museums during a protest last year. As part of the conviction, Guido Viero, 61, and Ester Goffi, 26, were ordered to pay a combined approximately $30,390 in damages to Vatican City State...

I was Jewish, then Protestant, then Catholic. Here’s why the Holy Eucharist strikes me so powerfully...

I%20Was%20Jewish%2C%20Then%20Protestant%2C%20Now%20Catholic%20%u2014%20Here%u2019s%20Why%20the%20Holy%20Eucharist%20Strikes%20Me%20So%20Powerfully%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterWISCHER: On May 20, I took part in a Eucharistic procession that made its way through Washington, D.C., carrying the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to the White House and other centers of power in our nation’s capital. At each stop, local priests — including Father Charles Trullols of the Catholic Information Center (CIC) and Msgr. Charles Pope — led a kneeling crowd in prayer for our country, our leaders and other intentions.

Has a religious sister ever blessed your life? Write down your story, send it here. It’s a good way to help make reparation for the Dodgers’ affront...

Has a Religious Sister Ever Blessed Your Life? The Register Wants to Hear From You!| National Catholic RegisterPRONECHEN: You already know the story of the group the Los Angeles Dodgers are planning to honor on June 16 (the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus). To counter the Dodgers’ contemptuous gesture, the Register would like to hear from you, our readers, about how a religious sister has affected your life in a positive way. A way that has influenced you to become a better person...

‘A Time to Laugh’: Laura Horn’s YouTube Channel Offers Humorous Take on Catholic Internet Culture

%u2018A%20Time%20to%20Laugh%u2019%3A%20YouTube%20Channel%20Offers%20Humorous%20Take%20on%20Catholic%20Internet%20Culture%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterAABRAM: Everyone loves a good inside joke. But there aren’t that many creators that cater specifically to the sometimes silly workings of Catholic internet culture. Enter Laura Horn — a mom and wife to Catholic Answers apologist Trent Horn — whose YouTube channel pokes good-natured fun at Catholicism in the digital age.

US Bishops Ask Catholics to Pray Litany of Sacred Heart in Response to Dodgers’ ‘Blasphemy’

Bishops%20Invite%20Catholics%20to%20Pray%20Litany%20of%20Sacred%20Heart%20in%20Response%20to%20Dodgers%u2019%20%u2018Blasphemy%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) is inviting Catholics to join together in making an act of reparation for the act of “blasphemy” scheduled to take place at Dodgers Stadium on June 16 on the day the Catholic Church celebrates the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

DeSantis’ Catholic faith goes under the media microscope before 2024 presidential primaries

DeSantis%27%20Catholic%20faith%20goes%20under%20the%20media%20microscope%20before%20%2724%20presidential%20primaries%20%u2014%20GetReligionLISI: The presidential race is just starting to heat up. While it may still be early, candidates are popping up every few days and announcing their intention to seek the Republican nomination in 2024. Among those seeking to dislodge the early favorite — polling shows that to be former President Donald Trump — is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis...

The Population Bomb is a myth. The world’s real problem is underpopulation, not overpopulation

The Bomb Myth - The American ConservativeKACZOR: The dogma of overpopulation is in search of a justification. The reasons offered to be concerned about overpopulation have repeatedly shifted, but have also been repeatedly disconfirmed. In his 1789 Essay on the Principle of Population, Thomas Malthus argued that population growth outpaces food production, so an increasing population would lead to widespread starvation...

You Do Belong Here

You Do Belong Here - The Catholic ThingROYAL: We’re quite prone, in these days of political hysteria and fragility, to blow up discrete incidents – sensationally circulated on social media – into cosmic proportions. But every now and then something does turn up in the worldwide churn of pixels that shows a boundary has been crossed. That happened, I believe, last week in Canada, when a public school teacher told a Muslim student who was protesting Pride Month events by skipping class that if he didn’t respect LGBTQs by participating, “you don’t belong here.”

Rubicon and its consequences: What we need now in our personal lives, our Church, and our culture

(4) Rubicon and Its Consequences - What We Need NowMAIER: I want to talk about what we need now: what we need now as Christians; what we need now to renew the presence of Jesus Christ in our personal lives, in our Church, and in our culture. Truth matters, because Somebody famous once said that the truth will make us free; not necessarily comfortable or happy, but free—free to change our thinking, our actions, and our lives. Free to become the men and women God made us to be. Free to be better than we are.

10 Theological Principles from the Benedict XVI Treasury

(4) Ten Theological Principles from the Benedict XVI TreasuryROWLAND: A recent edition of The Spectator carried an article by Dan Hitchens in which he quoted the Cambridge historian Richard Rex as saying that there have been three great crises in the history of the Church. The first was over the nature of God (all those fights about Christology in the early Church), the second over the nature of the Church herself (all those Protestant splits during the sixteenth century) and now, a battle over the nature of man (all those fights about what we may or may not do with our bodies).

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski: The beauty and mystery of marriage

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski: The beauty and mystery of marriage | Respect Life Radio: "The living of the Divine Law, the living of the mystery of the marriage requires grace and requires God's help. It's not something that humans can do on their own," said Peter A. Kwasniewski, who holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College and an MA and PhD in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America. After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College...

Woman With Same-Sex Attraction Calls on D.C. Archdiocese to Cancel Parish’s “Pride” Mass in Viral Tweet

Woman With Same-Sex Attraction Calls on D.C. Archdiocese to Cancel Parish's "Pride" Mass in Viral Tweet: One woman's tweet went viral after she penned an open letter to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., requesting the cancellation of an upcoming "Pride" Mass scheduled on June 14.

What happened when this Protestant minister tried to preach on the 6th Chapter of John

Preaching John 6 as a Protestant - Dean Waldt - The Coming Home Network: As a Presbyterian minister, Dean Waldt was committed to teaching the Scriptures. But when leading an adult Sunday school class on John 6, Dean came to a crossroads; it seemed clear that what Jesus was saying about Himself lined up much more with Catholic teaching on Holy Communion than it did with his Presbyterian understanding of the Lord’s Supper.

Here are 8 of the oldest buildings in the United States. (Before reading this, can you guess which state has 4 of them?)

8%20of%20the%20Oldest%20Buildings%20in%20the%20U.S.%20%u2014%20Daily%20Passport: Relatively speaking, the United States is a spring chicken — a downright young country compared to nations in Europe, Asia, and worldwide. Still, while the U.S. thus lacks truly ancient landmarks tourists can check out elsewhere, it does boast surprisingly old structures to visit now. Here, then, are eight of the country’s oldest buildings. Can you guess which state has four of them?

Hundreds Attend Lutheran Church Service in Bavaria Generated by ChatGPT

Can a chatbot preach a good sermon? Hundreds attend church service generated by ChatGPT to find out | AP News: The artificial intelligence chatbot asked the believers in the fully packed St. Paul’s church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth to rise from the pews and praise the Lord. The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by an avatar of a bearded Black man on a huge screen above the altar, then began preaching to the more than 300 people who had shown up on Friday morning for an experimental Lutheran church service almost entirely generated by AI.

On the Need to Receive the Eucharist Worthily

On the Need to Receive the Eucharist Worthily - SpiritualDirection.comPOPE: In light of Sunday’s Feast of Corpus Christi, I would like to recall the need for the reverent and worthy reception of Holy Communion and to develop an explanation for the Church’s practice of what some call “closed Communion.” Not everyone who uses this terminology means it pejoratively, although some do. But to some extent it is fair to say that we do have...

100 Years Ago, Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide Marched Straight to Heaven

100 Years Ago, Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide Marched Straight to Heaven| National Catholic RegisterSIMONSON: The prisoners in Mardin Castle were rounded up at nightfall. Soldiers called out their names, one by one, and tied them with ropes. Rings were pressed around the necks, and chains put around the wrists, of those thought to be Armenian. All of them stood like that, for several hours, until the soldiers had finished arranging them into columns and rows. They were marched out through the prison gate.

“What is this?” It is the New Manna; the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ...

The New Manna | Parishable ItemsFELTES: In the Old Testament, God freed his people with the Prophet Moses. The Hebrews in Egypt were slaves to Pharaoh since birth, but God’s mighty works through Moses liberated them. Though he had led them through the waters of the Red Sea their journey was not yet completed. They were still in the arid desert and God wished to lead them into his Promised Land, “a land of milk and honey” he had promised to their ancestors. God had already blessed his people, yet he wished to give them his even fuller blessings there.

God doesn’t just feed us, save us and stay with us; he incorporates us into his very life

This Sunday: The Consequences of Communion | Benedictine College Media and MoreHOOPES: When Jesus said “I am the way,” he wasn’t kidding. Last week, on Trinity Sunday, he promised us that we can participate in the life of the Trinity. This Sunday Jesus shows us that he is our way into that life — literally. The Church in America this Sunday celebrates Corpus Christi Sunday, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Year A, which the worldwide Catholic Church celebrates the previous Thursday...

Pope Francis Continues Recovery at Gemelli Hospital, Sends Message on Catholic Social Doctrine to European Political Party

Pope Francis sends message from hospital to European political party | Catholic News Agency: While recovering in the hospital, Pope Francis sent a message to the largest political party in the European Parliament. In a letter to the European People’s Party published by the Vatican on June 11, the pope urged politicians to be united on “issues where primary ethical values and important points of Christian social doctrine are at stake.”

Catholic Pilgrim Goes Viral as ‘Backpack Hero’ After Stopping Mass Stabbing in France

Catholic%20pilgrim%20goes%20viral%20as%20%u2018backpack%20hero%u2019%20after%20stopping%20mass%20stabbing%20in%20France%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20Agency: A 24-year-old Catholic Frenchman named Henri went viral Thursday as the “backpack hero” after he stopped a potentially deadly knife attack at a playground in southeastern France by chasing away the attacker with a backpack.

Yes to Prudence, No to Fear — Why the Mistakes We Made During COVID Must Never Happen Again

Yes%20to%20Prudence%2C%20No%20to%20Fear%20%u2014%20Why%20the%20Mistakes%20We%20Made%20During%20COVID%20Must%20Never%20Happen%20Again%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPOPE: Now that the COVID-19 public health emergency has officially been declared over, it is time for us to assess the horrific toll these draconian measures took on our human family. A recent commentary by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch provides us with a starting point for this assessment...

Bongs, edibles, and rival police reports — what’s new in the surreal Fort Worth convent case?

Bongs%2C%20edibles%2C%20and%20rival%20police%20reports%20%u2014%20what%u2019s%20new%20in%20the%20Fort%20Worth%20convent%20case%3FCONDON: The ongoing standoff between the Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth and a local Carmelite monastery of nuns took another surreal turn this week, with allegations of drug use and criminal activity flying between the diocesan chancery and the convent. As the situation continues to get more outlandish, what do we actually know so far — and are we any closer to understanding what is going on in Texas?

Diocese of Fort Worth releases photos allegedly showing drug use at Carmelite monastery

Fort Worth Diocese releases photos allegedly showing drug use at Carmelite monastery | Catholic News Agency: Charges and countercharges of illegal activity have further escalated a bitter public dispute between the Diocese of Fort Worth and a monastery of Carmelite nuns in Arlington, Texas. In the latest salvo in what has become a protracted legal and public relations battle was launched by the diocese on Wednesday when it released a pair of photographs that purportedly show cannabis and marijuana products inside the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity.

Texas Carmelites Case Reflects the Vatican’s New Culture of Ecclesial Punishments

Texas%20Carmelites%20Case%20Reflects%20the%20Vatican%u2019s%20New%20Culture%20of%20Ecclesial%20Punishments%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: The curious case of the Carmelites in Texas brings attention to a culture shift in the Church. Ecclesiastical punishment has made a return. Indeed, one of the hallmarks of the Pope Francis pontificate is that punishment is back, sometimes fiercely so. Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth was investigating the local Carmelite monastery. In response to his actions, the sisters sued in both canonical and civil court...

FSSP’s Father James Jackson Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Charge, Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison; More Charges Pending in Separate Kansas Investigation

Father James Jackson Pleads Guilty in Child Pornography Case| National Catholic Register: Traditional Latin Mass priest Father James Jackson pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge Thursday and now must wait to find out how long he might spend in prison. In a plea agreement he signed ahead of his scheduled June 20 trial, Father Jackson, 68, a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), admitted to a single charge of receipt of child pornography...

About that whistleblower’s “we have an intact UFO” story...

UFO%20Whistleblower%20Says%20We%20Have%20Alien%20Craft%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: There have been a large number of alleged UFO whistleblowers over the years, including many who were kooks and frauds. However, the whistleblower in this case has notable credentials. His name is David Grusch, and he served as the National Reconnaissance Office’s representative to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force from 2019-2021. Afterward he served as the Nation Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s co-lead for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena analysis and its representative to the task force.

The iconic pasta causing an Italian-American dispute

The iconic pasta causing an Italian-American dispute - BBC Travel: An article claiming the American paternity of carbonara has caused an uproar in Italy and a spike in curiosity in the US. But where is the famous dish really from, and why do people care so much?

Politico profiles Catholic political philosopher Patrick Deneen: ‘I don’t want to violently overthrow the government. I want something far more revolutionary’

Patrick%20Deneen%20Book%3A%20The%20New%20Right%u2019s%20Man%20in%20the%20Ivory%20Tower%20-%20POLITICO: On a recent Wednesday evening, 250 members of Washington’s conservative intelligentsia packed into a ballroom at the Catholic University of America to hear a speech by the political philosopher Patrick Deneen. As the audience took their seats, Deneen, a salt-and-pepper-haired professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame...

Seeing More: Worshiping Jesus during Mass, Adoration and beyond

Seeing More: Worshiping Jesus during Mass, Adoration and beyondSTAUDT: What do we see at Mass? Often enough, we encounter a mundane vision of outdated architecture, some empty pews, those who made it there struggling to pay attention, and liturgical gestures that have grown overly familiar. If only we could look deeper, we would see Calvary opening before us, we would see Christ offering his flesh and blood at the Last Supper, a myriad of angels and saints joining us, and an open road leading us to the heavenly Jerusalem...

The once-classy LA Dodgers have decayed into the Wimps of Summer

The Wimps of SummerWEIGEL: When I dip into life’s memory bank for moments of unalloyed joy, the afternoon of October 9, 1966, quickly surfaces. On a brilliant autumnal Sunday, I was sitting with my Grandfather Weigel behind first base in Baltimore’s old Memorial Stadium, which erupted in jubilation when Lou Johnson’s fly ball settled into the glove of center fielder Paul Blair and the underdog Orioles completed a four-game sweep of the World Series...

Pope Francis ‘in Good General Condition’ on Day After Three-Hour Abdominal Surgery at Gemelli Hospital

Pope%20Francis%20in%20%u2018good%20general%20condition%u2019%20one%20day%20after%20abdominal%20surgery%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20Agency: One day after Pope Francis’ abdominal surgery for an incisional hernia, medical staff report that the pope is “in good general condition, alert and breathing naturally,” according to the Vatican. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists on June 8 that the pope’s routine follow-up examinations were good and that he will continue to rest in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Surgeon: Pope Francis ‘Well, Awake, Alert’ at Gemelli Hospital After Three-Hour Operation

Surgeon%3A%20Pope%20Francis%20%u2018Well%2C%20Awake%2C%20Alert%u2019%20After%20Operation%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: Pope Francis is awake after reacting well to both surgery and general anesthetic, an Italian surgeon said Wednesday afternoon. Pope Francis “is well, awake, alert, and already made his first joke 10 minutes ago,” Dr. Sergio Alfieri said June 7 during a brief press conference at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is recovering following abdominal surgery.

Award-winning gay teacher suspended for calling transgender ideology ‘anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-human’

Award-Winning Teacher Suspended for Disagreeing With Transgenderism: A gay fifth grade teacher in Glendale, California, was placed on leave after complaining at a school board meeting that his school promotes transgenderism. Ray Shelton, a 25-year veteran teacher, spoke at a recent meeting of the school board for the Glendale Unified School District wearing a T-shirt that read “Make Biology Great Again.” Shelton, who teaches at Mark Keppel Elementary School, has been named the Glendale school district’s “Teacher of the Year” twice and earlier this year won the PTA’s Golden Oak Award.

Pope Francis to Have Abdominal Surgery Under General Anesthesia This Afternoon, Vatican Confirms

Breaking: Pope Francis to have abdominal surgery under general anesthesia | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia on Wednesday afternoon, the Vatican has confirmed. The operation was planned by the pope’s medical team in recent days after it became necessary due to a hernia that was causing recurrent, painful, and worsening symptoms, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

Why a ‘just peace’ in Ukraine will require more than defeating Putin

Why%20a%20%u2018just%20peace%u2019%20in%20Ukraine%20will%20require%20more%20than%20defeating%20Putin%20%7C%20America%20MagazinePHILPOTT: As long as there has been a war in Ukraine, people have called for peace. Some propose a peace simply defined as a halt to fighting. They cite the suffering: More than 300,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, thousands of civilians have been killed, and more than nine million Ukrainians have been displaced and have become refugees. Sirens, shortages and missiles continuously frighten Ukrainian civilians...

Dare to be dull...

Dare To Be Dull | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: We all have routines, necessary but dull. We brush our teeth in the mornings, wash, feed the kids, and drive to work according to schedule. Variety is the spice of life. So, we break up our routines with birthday parties, vacations, weddings, even funerals. But a closer inspection reveals that these breaks in our rituals...

There are some great multiverse-concept shows out there. But the multiverse doesn’t prove what some people wish it did, and here are 3 reasons why...

The%20Multiverse%20Doesn%u2019t%20Prove%20What%20You%20Wish%20it%20Did%2C%20Bruh%u2019%20-%20Voyage%20ComicsSCHRAMM: This being said, I have actually generally liked multiverse-concept movies or TV shows, one of my favorites being Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (although, the movie is much more than a multiverse movie). The concept has become so mainstream now, two other prominent examples being the recently awarded Best Picture Everything Everywhere All at Once and the still-popular-though-arguably-past-its-prime Rick and Morty...

The ideas underpinning our societal wreckage (including LGBTQ+) may seem new, but they’re much older than you realize

LGBTQ May Seem New, but It Grew From an Old Ideology| National Catholic RegisterGRESS: The LGBTQ+ movement has made significant strides over the last decade. Few institutions and major corporations have withstood its aggressive pressure to embrace its agenda, fly its flags, and speak its pronouns. The trans movement is the latest fiction being foisted upon us, as biological men steamroll biological women. We are supposed to ignore the farce and affirm that these men are “actually women.” “Transitioning” in the other direction is also being heavily encouraged, as young women embrace testosterone injections and “top” surgeries.

Sacrilege in Shia LaBeouf’s New Padre Pio Film?

Sacrilege%20in%20Shia%20LaBeouf%u2019s%20New%20Padre%20Pio%20Film%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCLARK: Disclosure One: I have not seen the recently released R-rated film about Padre Pio. Disclosure Two: I refuse to ever watch the film. The reason for my refusal is that the film contains a sexualized scene of sacrilege involving an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some might say that mine is an overreaction — that this is only a portrayal, rather than textbook sacrilege...

A Veteran Exorcist Reacts to the LA Dodgers’ Mockery

A%20Veteran%20Exorcist%20Reacts%20to%20the%20LA%20Dodgers%u2019%20Mockery%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterARMSTRONG: Turn the other cheek, Jesus told us. Speaking up for our faith and proclaiming Christ was also a biblical directive: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38)...

8 Modern Errors Every Catholic Should Know and Avoid

8 Modern Errors Every Catholic Should Know and Avoid| National Catholic RegisterPOPE: There are many errors in our time that masquerade as wisdom and balance, but they are no such thing. I have written before (HERE and HERE) on many errors of our time of a more philosophical nature. The following list that I compile is more phenomenological than philosophical...

Smurfs, saints, and Vegas baby, Vegas

Smurfs, saints, and Vegas baby, VegasJDFLYNN: Today is the feast of Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post. I’ll talk more about Blessed Anne at the end of this newsletter. I’m writing to you from the road this week. I was in Philadelphia on Sunday and Monday, so that I could be a panelist at the annual Cardinal Foley Symposium at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

The long, strange history of the baseball cap

Baseball cap history and timeline | MLB.com: You could be forgiven for thinking the baseball cap was always there, perched upon humanity’s head from the very first day we walked on the Earth, as eternal as the tallest trees or the deepest ocean. But, of course, that’s not true.

An Extraordinary 500-Year-Old Shipwreck Is Rewriting the History of the Age of Discovery

An Extraordinary 500-Year-Old Shipwreck Is Rewriting the History of the Age of Discovery | History | Smithsonian Magazine: At the southern edge of Sweden, not far from the picturesque town of Ronneby, lies a tiny island called Stora Ekon. Sprinkled with pine trees, sheep and a few deserted holiday cottages, the low-lying island is one of hundreds that shelter the coast from the storms of the Baltic Sea. For centuries, the spot was a popular anchorage point, but the waters are now mostly quiet; the most prominent visitors, apart from the occasional pleasure boat, are migrating swans.

I am always filled with awe when I read about the ‘man of Macedonia’ in Acts 16. The importance of this brief passage cannot be stressed enough...

The%20Man%20From%20Macedonia%3A%20Catholic%20Philosophers%u2019%20Favorite%20Bible%20Passage%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMORSE: The importance of this Scripture passage has been with me for so long, I can’t now recall exactly where I read it. I think I first became aware of this passage from something in the writings of Joseph Ratzinger. No matter. I am always filled with awe when Acts 16:6-10 comes up in the lectionary for daily Mass, as it recently did.

Report: Pope Francis Visits Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for Check-Up, Planning Proceeds for Trips to Portugal and Mongolia

Report: Pope Francis Has Check-Up at Rome Hospital| National Catholic Register: Pope Francis went to a Rome hospital’s center for the elderly for a visit on Tuesday, according to Italian media reports. Italian news agency ANSA reported that Pope Francis spent around 40 minutes at Gemelli Hospital before returning to his Vatican residence shortly before 12:00 p.m. on June 6. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks heaven is a ‘fantasy’ and that anyone who says otherwise is a ‘liar.’ He also says thinking of death makes him ‘uncomfortable’...

Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks heaven is a 'fantasy' and he's not comfortable with death: Arnold Schwarzenegger is uncomfortable about death and thinks heaven is just a "fantasy". The 75-year-old actor doesn't believe in an afterlife and has insisted "nothing" happens when we die, branding anyone who says otherwise as a "liar". Asked "what's in the future for us" by Danny DeVito for Interview Magazine, he said: "It reminds me of Howard Stern's question to me. 'Tell me, governor, what happens to us when we die?'

Our galaxy is staggeringly bigger than you are ... and you are staggeringly bigger than the quantum world

New Advent: Our galaxy is staggeringly bigger than you are ... and you are staggeringly bigger than the quantum world: This is a journey into the scale of the galaxy we live in, the Milky Way, our home in the Universe.

Robert Hanssen, Catholic father and FBI agent who led a double life as a lecher and spy, found dead in Supermax prison cell

Robert%20Hanssen%2C%20ex-FBI%20agent%20convicted%20of%20spying%20for%20Moscow%2C%20dies%20in%20prison%20%u2013%20DNyuz: Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent who took more than $1.4m in cash and diamonds to trade secrets with Moscow in one of the most notorious spying cases in American history, died in prison Monday. Hanssen, 79, was found unresponsive in his cell at a federal prison in Florence, Colorado, and later pronounced dead, prison officials said...

Abortion will be ended by families — and the Sisters of Life will show the way

Abortion Will Be Ended by Families; Sisters of Life Show the Way | National ReviewLOPEZ: Three decades ago, the Sisters of Life were founded in New York so that any pregnant woman or mother in need could go to the Catholic Church and have someone to embrace her and walk with her. Cardinal John O’Connor at the time put out a help-wanted ad after realizing during a visit to Dachau that “Never again” wasn’t true. There are good people with good intentions who work at Planned Parenthood...

‘Gravely Serious Situation’: KC Archbishop Discovers Parishes Using Wine With Additives, Warns ‘All Masses Invalid’ for Several Years at Multiple Churches

KC archbishop clarifies wine validity norms: The Archbishop of Kansas City has warned priests that they could be offering Mass with invalid matter, and that they should ensure their altar wine is both free from additives and especially vinted for sacramental use. The archbishop wrote to priests May 31 to warn that he had recently learned of parishes using wine that would invalidate their attempts to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

6 popular rules of etiquette explained: Why ‘no problem’ is a problem, why salt and pepper travel together, and why the ‘Dutch reach’ is a good idea worldwide

Etiquette Mysteries: 6 Popular Rules Explained: The catalog of social graces is constantly growing and changing to reflect the world we live in. Yet for every self-explanatory etiquette principle (silence your phone at the movies), there’s another seemingly arbitrary one (men should escort women on the left). While these “rules” may seem old-fashioned and are often broken in today’s society, they were once the guidelines for proper manners. We took the courtesy of demystifying six of them.

Former ‘worshipful master’ explains what Freemasonry is all about, why he converted to Catholicism, and why Catholics can’t be Masons

Freemason%20Christians%20Are%20Deeply%20Incoherent%2C%20Says%20Former%20%u2018Worshipful%20Master%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterTADIE: Since the 18th century, Freemasonry and the presence of Catholics in its ranks have been the subject of countless condemnations by Church authorities, including by a dozen different popes. In his famous 1884 encyclical Humanum Genus, which denounced the moral and philosophical relativism of Freemasonry...

Millions of Catholics have honest concerns about problems they see at Mass. It is a grave pastoral mistake not to take their concerns seriously...

Wanted: Open, Honest Dialogue on the Liturgy| National Catholic RegisterCHAPP: Among the many reforms and theological developments of Vatican II, perhaps none had a more direct impact on the life of the Church than the changes made to the Eucharistic Liturgy following the Council. One can perhaps excuse the ordinary Catholic for not being directly affected by the theology of the Council. But the liturgy is the most immediate encounter with the Church that the average Catholic has...

Explore medieval life and death with these 5 brilliant interactive maps

(4) Explore medieval life and death with these 5 brilliant interactive maps!: For most of their existence, original sources and records from the Middle Ages sat in libraries and private collections, largely unavailable to the public. But today, thanks to modern technology, they’re easier to access than ever: the information, manuscripts, and resources that have been transcribed, translated, digitised, and put online are far more than you could ever hope to use in your life!

On the threat of ‘lawfare,’ does Pope Francis practice what he preaches?

On%20the%20threat%20of%20%u2018lawfare%2C%u2019%20does%20Pope%20Francis%20practice%20what%20he%20preaches%3F%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Despite being the oldest reigning pontiff in the last 145 years, Pope Francis at 86 nevertheless remains remarkably au courant. Among other things, he sometimes borrows the latest cultural buzzword to drive home a point. One good example is the term “lawfare,” a neologism combining the words “law” and “warfare” to suggest weaponization of the judicial system for political ends.

Sacrilege, Desecration, Murder: Religious Persecution Takes Its Toll on Catholic Faith in Mexico

Religious Persecution Takes Its Toll on Catholic Faith in Mexico| National Catholic Register: Recent episodes of violence against the Catholic Church, including the murder of a priest and the attempted murder of an archbishop, once again bring to the fore the persecution of the faith in Mexico and the power of organized crime. On May 22, Augustinian priest Javier García Villafañe was found shot to death in his car on the Cuitzeo-Huandacareo highway...

Msgr. James Shea on Evangelizing in a Post-Christian Society, Belief in the Invisible World, and Utopias

Msgr. James Shea on Evangelizing in a Post-Christian Society, Belief in the Invisible World, and Utopias| National Catholic RegisterBROWN: Msgr. James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, has caused much discussion in Catholic circles with the book From Christendom to Apostolic Mission (University of Mary Press), which communicates that we are living in a post-Christian age and are called to be missionaries to this new era.

Social media is so toxic to kids that it has its own surgeon general’s warning?

Social media now has a surgeon general's warningBOUCK: Hindsight is not actually 20/20, although it is a perspective that has a different vantage than the present moment. Sometimes its power is exaggerated, such as the notion that we can judge things based on mercurial concepts such as being on the “right side of history.” Of course, history is no impartial judge, nor are we omniscient recipients of that knowledge. In an age that is “beyond good and evil,” what standards can even be used is quite murky and debatable.

God Is a Loving Communion of Persons

God is a Loving Communion of Persons | Parishable ItemsFELTES: A Muslim man once accused me of what he called an “unforgivable sin.” My supposed offense was espousing a core truth of our faith, the foundation of all reality: Trinitarianism — that God is one being in three persons. I was dialoguing on that occasion with generally friendly and thoughtful Muslims, Jews, and Unitarians in a website’s comments section, responding to something a man who believes in God but rejects the Trinity had posted. This is what he wrote...

Exploring the Mysteries of the Magi

Mysteries%20of%20the%20Magi%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: “Wise men” is a common translation in English Bibles, but it doesn’t give us a good idea who they were. The Greek word used here is magoi, the plural of magos. These terms may be more familiar from their Latin equivalents: in St. Jerome’s Vulgate, we read that magi came from the east; an individual member of the group would be a magus.

An architect breaks down why American diners came to look like that

New Advent: An architect breaks down why American diners look the way they do: Michael Wyetzner returns to Architectural Digest to provide an expert look into the design evolution of American diners from the 1920s through to the 1960s and explains why all diners came to look like that.

‘I Will Never Forget That Scream for as Long as I Live’ — In Exclusive TV Interview, Nuns Share Story of Discovering ‘Incorrupt’ Sister Wilhelmina

Sister%20Wilhelmina%u2019s%20nuns%20describe%20finding%20her%20body%20in%20exclusive%20interview%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20AgencyMULLEN: Her flashlight was dim, so when Mother Abbess Cecilia Snell first peered inside the cracked coffin lid and saw a human foot inside a black sock where one would expect to find only bone and dust, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she took a step back, collected herself, and leaned in for another look, just to be sure. Then she screamed for joy.

The Most Holy Trinity embraces us, sustains us, and wants to include us fully in Trinitarian life one day

This Sunday, the Trinity Restores Our Innocence | Benedictine College Media and MoreHOOPES: So, Lent and Easter are over. What’s next? The day that reveals what the whole point was all along: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Trinity Sunday, Year A. The Trinity kicked off Lent, with the Holy Spirit driving the Son into the desert to do the will of the Father despite Satan’s temptations — and the Trinity ended Lent in Holy Week, with the Father glorifying the Son on the cross, and the Son pouring forth the Holy Spirit to draw us into his life.

Penitential Rite Held After Naked Man Stands on St. Peter’s Basilica’s Main Altar

Penitential%20Rite%20Held%20After%20Naked%20Man%20Stands%20on%20St.%20Peter%u2019s%20Basilica%u2019s%20Main%20Altar%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMULLEN: Two days after a naked man stood on the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in a shocking security breach, the basilica’s archpriest on Saturday reconsecrated the altar during a penitential rite, as required by canon law in cases where sacred places are desecrated. Vatican News reported that the unidentified man was a Polish national who approached the high altar on June 1 as the basilica was about to close. He quickly undressed and climbed onto the altar. Photos posted online showed the words “Save children of Ukraine” written in marker on his back.

Small Worlds, Great Glory and Motherhood

Small Worlds, Great Glory and Motherhood| National Catholic RegisterHELDT: We must lead the culture then in recovering a proper, robust imagination when it comes to womanhood and the vocation of marriage. It begins with our acknowledgment that we are created for small worlds, for the hidden and mundane things. Far from being diminished by this, it instead animates our purpose and infuses life, even daily life, with beauty and meaning.

Test Everything; Hold Fast to What Is Good – A Meditation on the Need to Soberly Assess This World

Test%20Everything%3B%20Hold%20Fast%20to%20What%20Is%20Good%20%u2013%20A%20Meditation%20on%20the%20Need%20to%20Soberly%20Assess%20this%20World%20-%20Community%20in%20MissionPOPE: How do you and I regard this world? How do we perceive its offerings, philosophies, and standards? I pray that we soberly assess the things of this world. Sadly, many Christians pass through their days in this world in a very unreflective manner, accepting, without critique, many ungodly and harmful notions. Almost anything can be spewed forth from the television...

Here are 10 excellent books to help introduce you to Catholic fiction

An%20Entry%20into%20Catholic%20Fiction%3A%2010%20Novels%20%u2013%20Building%20Catholic%20CultureSTAUDT: What’s the point of reading fiction? Wouldn’t it just be better to read works of theology and the spiritual life? Well, I wouldn’t replace spiritual reading with fiction. Novels and shorts stories, however, do make a contribution to Catholic life and culture by engaging our imagination in a vicarious engagement with human action, exploring the psychology of characters...

Inside the Treasure of San Gennaro: Unveiling the Secrets of Naples’ Religious Relics

Inside%20The%20Treasure%20Of%20San%20Gennaro%3A%20Unveiling%20The%20Secrets%20Of%20Naples%u2019%20Religious%20RelicsLISI: The southern Italian port city of Naples is one of contradictions. It is known both for its majestic views of Mount Vesuvius as well as hellish traffic. It’s the city where pizza was invented but also where unemployment is a persistent problem. It is also a city, Italy’s third largest after the capitol Rome and Milan, that features both Greek and Roman art...

Judging the revolutions of the 1960s by the standards of those days

Judging the revolutions of the 1960s by the standards of those days | Catholic CultureLAWLER: If we can now say definitively that the Castro regime did not bring a socialist utopia to Cuba, and we can, what should we say about the whirlwind that hit the Catholic Church at roughly the same time? And the sexual revolution, proclaimed just a few years after that? The Batista government that Castro overthrew was corrupt and authoritarian...

What do you want of me Lord?

What do you want of me Lord? | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: Whether you consider yourself a child of God or not, we all possess a common characteristic often overlooked; we are neophytes to the world around us. How you and I are raised in this world will depend on the intention of our parents and their view of the world and how they hand it down to us. As infant budding neophytes, we rely entirely on the intention and parental goodwill of our parents...

The Vatican as peacemaker in Ukraine?

The Vatican as peacemaker in Ukraine?WEIGEL: A few days after Cardinal Matteo Zuppi’s appointment as head of a Vatican “peace mission” to “help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine” (as Vatican News put it), a startling picture appeared on p. A1 of the Washington Post. That graphic image illustrated just how daunting a task Cardinal Zuppi and the Vatican Secretariat of State face...

This Saturday we celebrate the feast St. Charles Lwanga and Companions...

St.%20Charles%20Lwanga%20and%20Companions%20%u2013%20Theology%20of%20HomeTRULL: The tale starts powerfully enough with a Ugandan Chief, King Mwanga. This is a man who is used to getting what he wants. He is irascible, erratic, passionate, cruel, full of lust and cunning — terrifying qualities in a man who wields supreme authority over his minions. He is a king who must be obeyed, or dire the consequences. It is a terrifying prospect, that kind of power...

This old manor house on the road to Fátima has its own story of the miracles

An old manor house on the road to Fatima has its own story of the miracles - Catholic Herald: How Nuno Vasconcelos, now in his fifties, came to quit his life as a banker to run the Quinta da Alcaidaria-Mór, his family’s historic Portuguese manor house near the Holy Shrine of Fátima, belongs in a Peter Mayle novel. In the 1980s, Mayle tapped into a middle-class escapist fantasy of swapping the rat race to restore a farmhouse with a vineyard in the hills of Provence.

Report: Archbishop Gänswein Ordered to Leave Vatican, Return to Home Diocese Without New Role

Report: Archbishop Gänswein Ordered to Leave Vatican, Return to Home Diocese Without New Role| National Catholic Register: According to a German newspaper report, Pope Francis ordered Archbishop Georg Gänswein to leave the Vatican and return to Germany by the end of June. The longtime private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI has been told to return to his home diocese of Freiburg in southwest Germany, but has not been given any role or assignment, the Welt newspaper reported on Friday.

Desecration at the Vatican: Naked man jumps on high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica to protest Ukraine war

Naked man jumps on altar of St. Peter's to protest Ukraine war: A man visiting the Vatican stripped off his clothes and ran naked to the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in an apparent act of protest against the war in Ukraine, officials said. An image posted online shows the man with an inscription painted on his back calling for Ukrainian children to be saved.

Mass near Cleveland disrupted after priest discusses Dodgers controversy during Sunday homily

Bay Village priest faces backlash after he discusses LGBTQ controversy during Sunday sermon - cleveland.com: A Bay Village priest is facing backlash after saying the church is “under attack” and referencing a pro-LGBTQ nonprofit in a sermon Sunday. The Mass was interrupted when someone stood up and challenged the issue. Later, police were called to an incident outside of the house of worship.

Are the purported prophecies true? Will there be Three Days of Darkness?

Will%20There%20Be%20Three%20Days%20of%20Darkness%3F%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: In certain Catholic prophetic circles, there is a concept known as the “three days of darkness,” according to which a judgment will come upon the earth, and it will be preternaturally shrouded in darkness. One of the most famous quotations about this event is attributed to the Italian mystic Bl. Anna Maria Taigi (1768-1837). She is said to have stated...

LA Dodgers Pitcher Denounces Team’s Decision to Honor Anti-Catholic Group: ‘God Cannot Be Mocked’

Dodgers%20Pitcher%20Denounces%20Team%u2019s%20Decision%20to%20Honor%20Anti-Catholic%20Group%3A%20%u2018God%20Cannot%20Be%20Mocked%u2019%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: A Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher became the latest Major League Baseball player to publicly condemn the Dodgers’ decision to honor an anti-Catholic drag group known as the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” Blake Treinen issued a statement Monday night in which he said...