This Sunday, Jesus Says to Fight 3 Kinds of Pride This Lent

This%20Sunday%2C%20Jesus%20Says%20to%20Fight%20Three%20Kinds%20of%20Pride%20This%20Lent%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives a whole series of brief sayings. Often, scholars suggest that Luke is simply compiling a “best of” collection of Jesus’s words in one place here, but that’s not necessarily the case. It could very well be that Jesus is doing what Hebrews often do — stringing together a number of parallel words of wisdom, driving a single point home through repetition with a little variety.

Vatican Bulletin: ‘Pope Has Isolated Bronchospasm, Noninvasive Ventilation Started’

Pope has isolated bronchospasm, noninvasive ventilation started - Vatican News: A Holy See Press Office statement on Friday evening says Pope Francis’ respiratory condition worsened following an isolated bronchospasm. The Pontiff was promptly started on non-invasive mechanical ventilation, to which he is responding.

Why We Need Lent — Advice from St. Benedict

Why We Need Lent: Advice from St. BenedictSTAUDT: Lent shouldn’t be necessary. That’s what St. Benedict of Nursia, the great father of monks, thought at least. Jesus commanded us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. In response, Benedict thought the whole year should be Lenten in nature, a time of penance and renewal. He even made conversion one of his three vows along with stability and obedience...

A Pilgrim’s Guide to Sodom

A%20Pilgrim%u2019s%20Guide%20to%20Sodom%20-%20The%20Catholic%20ThingMAIER: This is a column about Betty and Les Ruppersberger. To the eye, they look like any other ordinary married couple. And in a way, they are like other ordinary couples. Keep them in your memory because I’ll come back to them in a moment. But first, consider the following. One of the most vivid chapters in Scripture is Genesis 18. In the course of its thirty-three verses, God hears of the wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah...

Not Breaking, Necessary Vulgarity, and Breakfast Vibes

Not breaking, necessary vulgarity, and breakfast vibesCONDON: Pope Francis is feeling better, so we are told by the Vatican press office. That is good news, obviously. I wrote here last week about the need and right of the pope for some measure of privacy and dignity as he wrestles with his mortality, and our obligation to pray for him. I am grateful the prayers of so many have been answered with what seems to be real, if guarded, progress in his recovery since then.

Full Text: Vice President JD Vance at the 2025 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

Full Text: Vice President JD Vance at the 2025 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast| National Catholic Register: I came here last year as a very young senator not knowing how much my life would change, and I'm thankful to God — but also thankful to the friendship of the people in this room for helping us get there, because I think that we have turned a new page in Washington, D.C., and we are going to take advantage of the opportunity that God has given us.

The Gift of a Good Teacher

New%20Advent%3A%20The%20Power%20and%20Beauty%20of%20Nazar%E9%u2019s%20Monster%20WavesMCKEEGAN: When I was in sixth grade, my parents told me that I would be switching from Catholic school to public junior high the following year. In preparation, I went one day to visit the junior high school. The principal assigned a student to be my guide, and I went with that student to all her classes...

Remembering W. David Solomon, Founding Director of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture

Remembering W. David Solomon, Founding Director of the Center for Ethics and Culture // News // de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture // University of Notre DameHALLENIUS: The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture mourns the passing of its founding director, W. David Solomon, associate professor of philosophy emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, on February 26, 2025. He was 81. Solomon received his B.A. from Baylor University and his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Texas before joining the Notre Dame faculty in 1968, where his teaching and research focused on virtue ethics, ethical theory, and medical ethics...

Why St. Gregory of Narek Became a Doctor of the Church

Why St. Gregory of Narek Became a Doctor of the Church| National Catholic RegisterGRONDELSKI: If you don’t know who St. Gregory of Narek is or never heard of his feast before, you’re not alone. He’s a relatively new addition (ca. 2001) to the Roman Calendar and even only more recently (2015) declared a doctor of the Church. So, let’s get to know him. Gregory was from Armenia, today a small mountainous country wedged between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran and Georgia, with problematic territories in Russia (think Chechnya) not too far away.

Vatican Thursday Morning Update: ‘Pope Francis Sleeps Well as Health Shows Slight Improvement’

Pope Francis sleeps well as health shows slight improvement - Vatican News: The Holy See Press Office said on Thursday morning that Pope Francis slept well and spent the first part of the morning resting. “The Pope slept well during the night and is now resting,” read a brief statement. After breakfast, the Holy Father continued his treatment while setting in his armchair. He has been informed of the many initiatives to pray for him, and he remains in good spirits. The Jubilee Audience scheduled for Saturday, March 1, has been canceled...

Pew Research Study: For Every New Catholic Convert, 8 Catholics Leave the Church

Pew%3A%20US%20Christianity%20downturn%20leveling%2C%20but%20Catholics%20suffer%20%u2018greatest%20net%20losses%u2019%20-%20OSV%20News: A multiyear decline in Christianity in the U.S. may have leveled off, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. However, the survey found Catholics are seeing the greatest net losses of believers compared to other religions in the U.S. The data indicates that for every one person received into the Catholic Church, another 8.4 individuals have left the faith, either altogether or for another worship tradition. This increases the trend Pew found in 2014, when 6.5 Catholics left the faith for every person who entered.

40 Unique Penance Ideas for Lent

40 Unique Penances for Lent - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: For Lent, many Catholics traditionally like to give up a favorite food, give up social media, stop cussing, etc., even though Catholics are not required to "give something up". This year, we want to help you get started on having a great Lent by offering unique ideas on what to "give up", which we have crowd-sourced from others. Ash Wednesday is March 5th this year...

Pope Francis’ ‘Lifewatch’ Encapsulates the Real Work of the Catholic Church

Pope%20Francis%u2019%20%u2018Lifewatch%u2019%20Encapsulates%20the%20Real%20Work%20of%20the%20Catholic%20Church%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: Twenty years ago, as Pope St. John Paul II entered the last weeks of his life, I wrote that a papal “deathwatch” — as some inelegantly styled it — was really a “lifewatch.” John Paul was teaching the world how to suffer and to die, which is an important part of how to live. The lifewatch for Pope Francis has begun, even as the most immediate crisis seems to have passed. The Church is getting to work...

After Years of Decline, the Share of Christians in the United States Has Stabilized

After Years Of Decline, Share Of US Christians StabilizesLISI: While the Christian share of the U.S. population has remained relatively stable in recent years, the country’s religious composition continues to evolve. For the first time in decades, a new study shows that the proportion of Americans identifying as Christian has stopped its long-term decline, holding steady at 62%. Meanwhile, the number of religiously unaffiliated individuals...

3 Keys to Having Truly Good Fun

3 Keys to Having Good Fun - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Having truly good fun is a virtue. This might seem to undermine the very notion of fun by making it a serious matter. Yet here we can discover once again that right-thinking always brings out the true richness of human life. Thomas Aquinas has a subtle and beautiful understanding of the place of play or fun for everyone, not just children. It is worth considering a few features of it. Play/fun/amusement — here we can use the words interchangeably...

Do Pointless Evils Refute God’s Existence?

Do%20Pointless%20Evils%20Refute%20God%u2019s%20Existence%3F%20-%20Word%20on%20FireKACZOR: The argument from evil is the most powerful reason to deny the existence of God. It comes in two versions: The first is the logical problem of evil, and the second is the evidential problem of evil. In another essay, I explored the logical version—the claim that any evil at all, even a single hangover, disproves God’s existence. The other approach, the evidential version, to the problem of evil can be formulated in two premises...

Vatican’s Wednesday Night Update: ‘Pope Continues to Show Slight Improvement’

Pope continues to show slight improvement - Vatican News: Pope Francis continues to show signs of improvement, with his kidney issues subsiding. A recent CT scan confirmed a normal progression of his lung inflammation, and his blood tests returned good results. In the afternoon, he resumed his work. However, his prognosis remains guarded.

Humanities Syllabus for February: A Book, a Film, a Poem, a Piece of Music and 4 Paintings

Humanities Syllabus for February: The Journey of LifeCONLEY: During this Jubilee Year, many of us are making pilgrimages, whether all the way to Rome or to designated pilgrimage sites closer to home in our diocese. Through this Humanities Syllabus, we are embarking on another kind of pilgrimage, through some of the greatest landmarks of our cultural and literary tradition, which enliven our minds and imaginations. By rediscovering these treasures, we are tracing the human journey as beings who desire truth and seek to rest in goodness...

Pope Francis: ‘The Church Is Not an NGO But a Love Story’

Pope Francis: 'The church is not an NGO but a love story' - Catholic ReviewSCALIA: In the wake of recent headlines about the bruising cuts made to federal funding of various Catholic ministries, Pope Francis’ words from his 2013 apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” seem timely and worth pondering: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security...

Getting to Know Ronald Knox

Getting to Know Ronald Knox | The Heights ForumGREVING: In 1989, I was a recently married lieutenant in the Army, stationed in Germany, and found myself—to this day I can’t remember how—in possession of a book entitled A Retreat for Lay People. It was a series of talks by a priest named Ronald Knox that followed the general outline of a retreat. Till then, just about any spiritual reading I had done was reminiscent of the times, with lots of exclamation points and titles...

Beauty Is the Secret Weapon of Evangelization

The Secret Weapon of Evangelization - Beauty - Catholic Missionary Disciples - College Station, TXLEJEUNE: Beauty bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the heart. This is why it is the secret weapon of Catholic evangelization. It entangles you in an invisible net that you don’t even know you are caught in. I first experienced this as a child, while attending one of the most beautiful churches in the USA - St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica in Beaumont, Texas...

The Power and Beauty of Nazaré’s Monster Waves

New%20Advent%3A%20The%20Power%20and%20Beauty%20of%20Nazar%E9%u2019s%20Monster%20Waves: If you don’t have time to watch the entire video, skip to the 11-minute mark for the most awe-inspiring segment...

‘Working as His Hands and Feet’ — Catholic Nurses’ Association Thrives at Saint Mary’s College

%u2018Working%20as%20His%20Hands%20and%20Feet%u2019%3A%20Catholic%20Nurses%u2019%20Association%20Thrives%20at%20Saint%20Mary%u2019s%20College%20-%20Today%27s%20Catholic: When Magdalen France was a child, she was in a serious car accident. During her time in the hospital, after she underwent surgery, France said she remembers praying the Rosary while breathing through a device. She remembers nurses, upon discovering that she was Christian, offering to pray with her. And she remembers her surgeon giving her a rosary from Fatima. Her experiences in the hospital “altered her entire perspective on nursing,” France told Today’s Catholic.

Why Women Cannot Be Deacons

Why Women Cannot Be Deacons - First ThingsJAMESKEATING: Much has recently been written about the possibility of the Church sacramentally ordaining women to the diaconate. Research indicates that in the early Church, especially in the East, women “deaconesses” engaged in service to women in situations where modesty needed protecting, or gender segregation called for women to minister to women. Such ministry might have occurred during the baptism of adult women...

A Closer Look at ‘Conclave’

Film Review: Conclave - Diocese of WestminsterMACKENZIE: Ralph Fiennes is a great actor. At least in last autumn’s film, Conclave, in which he stars as the modest Cardinal Lawrence organising the election of a Pope. It’s an absorbing fast-moving thriller in which the intrigue and politicking among the cardinals (incidentally, in real life forbidden by Pope John Paul II’s ordinance) would make Machiavelli blush...

7 planets are aligning in the night sky this week for a "planetary parade." Here's what to know...

7 planets are aligning in the night sky for a "planetary parade." Here's what to know. - CBS News: Seven planets are aligning in the night sky this week, creating a brief chance to see a "planetary parade." Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus could all be visible with clear skies, but not all can be seen by the naked eye, according to Space.com and other sites that track celestial events.

Vatican’s Wednesday Morning Update: ‘Pope’s Condition Remains Critical But Stable’; After CT Scan ‘Prognosis Remains Cautious’

Pope%u2019s%20condition%20remains%20critical%20but%20stable%20-%20Vatican%20News: The Holy See Press Office’s Tuesday evening update on the Pope’s health says he has not suffered acute respiratory episodes, and his hemodynamic parameters remain stable. The prognosis remains guarded.

Patron Nun of Photographers? Meet Céline Martin, Sister of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Patron Nun of Photographers? Meet Celine Martin, Sister of St. Therese| National Catholic Register: If she were a saint, today would be her feast day. That's because saints are generally remembered on the day they died. And Céline Martin, also known as Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face, died on February 25, 1959, at the age of 89. But there's always hope. Her younger sister is St. Thérèse of Lisieux, her parents, Louis and Zelie, are saints, and her older sister, Leone Martin (Sister Francoise-Thérèse of the Visitation at Caen), is a Servant of God.

Video: Two AI agents on a phone call realize they’re both AI and switch to ‘gibberlink’

New%20Advent%3A%20Two%20AI%20agents%20on%20a%20phone%20call%20realize%20they%u2019re%20both%20AI%20and%20switch%20to%20%u2018gibberlink%u2019: The project "gibberlink" demonstrated how two AI agents started a normal phone call about a hotel booking, then discovered they both are AI, and decided to switch from verbal english to a more efficient "open tandard" data-over-sound protocol ggwave.

St. John Henry Newman shows us how to think about the difficulties of the world and the Church...

Worldwide%20mind%20and%20shattered%20soul%3A%20Ida%20G%F6rres%u2019s%20Newman%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportDEAVEL: The Catholic world can thank Jennifer S. Bryson for her labor of love in bringing into English translation a large selection of the works of Ida Friederike Görres (1901-71). A giant of German Catholic writing from the 1930s until her death in 1971, Görres has been largely eclipsed since then. Her reflections on the nature of the Church, vocation, and the way in which Christ shines through his saints...

The ‘House of the Father’, Baby News, and the ‘America’ Mystery

The%20%u2018House%20of%20the%20Father%u2019%2C%20baby%20news%2C%20and%20the%20%u2018America%u2019%20mysteryJDFLYNN: Twenty years ago this month — for 10 days in February 2005 — the world watched Rome’s Policlinico Gemelli hospital, as Pope John Paul II fought the flu. He was hospitalized on February 1 that year, with breathing problems — spasms in his swollen throat. The pontiff spent the next 10 days in and out of critical condition. By Feb. 10 he was well enough to go home. to the Apostolic Palace at St. Peter’s. But whatever his doctors tried there, he seemed still to fight for every breath.

Vatican Advances Causes of Father Emil Kapaun and ‘Apostle of the Rosary’ Bartolo Longo

Pope Francis paves the way for new saints - Vatican News: Pope Francis authorizes the promulgation of various decrees for the Causes of Saints, advancing the causes of canonization for US military chaplain Fr Emil Kapaun; Italian layman Bartolo Longo, the “Apostle of the Rosary” and five others.

It is now the work of all Catholics, regardless of politics, to be the final defense against the practice of IVF

Catholics: First and Final Defense Against IVF - Crisis MagazineTRASANCOS: As promised, President Donald Trump signed an executive order for a domestic policy review of in vitro fertilization (IVF) access with an aim to reduce the cost of the procedure. Although this is a policy review with no immediate action, it is still an endorsement of IVF as pro-life, pro-family, and pro-society, and it comes from a president who has been called the most pro-life president in the history of the United States...

First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of Jesus

First Luminous Mystery: The Baptism of JesusTSAKANIKAS: This series offers brief meditations on each of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. The third Luminous Mystery is about the “Coming of the Kingdom and the Call to Conversion” which is central to the Lenten season of penance and seeking the Kingdom of God. Penance is not an end in itself, nor are the voluntary sufferings of Lent. The end and goal of Lent is deeper interior union with Christ...

Try to imagine a faith-friendly Saturday Night Live

(3) Try to imagine a faith-friendly Saturday Night LiveMATTINGLY: Recently, I wrote a post addressing President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint a trio of “Special Ambassadors” to Hollywood. Why did the White House do that? In part because the big shots at many entertainment giants are struggling these days to reach, well, Middle America. I noted that the ambassadors chosen...

Q&A: Italian lung doctor who worked in the hospital now treating Pope Francis explains his illness

Q&A: Lung doctor who worked in the hospital now treating Pope Francis explains his illness | National Catholic Reporter: The lung infection that forced Pope Francis into the longest hospital stay of his papacy likely is related to problems he has suffered because of the partial removal of his right lung when he was in his 20s, said a top pulmonary specialist in Rome. The likelihood of success of Francis' treatment is difficult to say because "each patient makes his own story," said Dr. Barbara Moscatelli...

The Spiritual Testaments of the Last 6 Popes

The spiritual testaments of the last 6 popesSEWELL: The 95-year-old retired pontiff died on December 31, 2022, having been the oldest living man to have ever served as Bishop of Rome. That very day, the Vatican Press Office released Benedict XVI’s spiritual testament, which had been written in August of 2006, barely a year after his election to the papacy. St. John Paul the Great, as he ought to become better known...

Vatican’s Tuesday Morning Update: ‘Another Restful Night for Pope Francis’

Another restful night for Pope Francis - Vatican News: In its daily morning update, the Holy See Press Office says Pope Francis rested well throughout the night and continues his therapy.

Man in God’s Image: The Fight to Preserve Christian Anthropology

Avoiding the Perversion of our Christian Anthropology | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: In the suffering servant discourse, the Prophet Isaiah asks, “Who has believed what we have heard?” The question serves as a revelatory precursor of what will transpire with the Son of God Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Isaiah continues by telling us how the Son of God will come to be and how he will be rejected and despised by men, men of sorrow associated with grief. Jesus would be borne from our griefs and carry our sorrows...

Diocesan Priestly Vocations in the United States: A Look at the Numbers...

Diocesan%20Priestly%20Vocations%20in%20the%20United%20States%3A%20A%20Look%20at%20the%20Numbers%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportZIEGLER: 2,980 men are preparing for priestly ordination as diocesan seminarians in the Latin-rite dioceses of the United States, according to data published in the most recent (2024) edition of The Official Catholic Directory. Diocesan chancery offices supply statistics to the Directory, which also offers, as of January 1, 2024, an authoritative list of tax-exempt entities under the umbrella of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops...

Vatican Reports ‘Slight Improvement’ in Pope’s Condition

'Slight improvement' in Pope's condition - Vatican News: The Holy See Press Office provides an update on the Pope’s health: no new episodes of asthma-like respiratory distress; a slight reduction in oxygen flow and levels; and improved test results. His mild kidney insufficiency is not a cause for concern. Pope Francis has resumed work and, in the evening, called the parish in Gaza.

Who Was Melchizedek and Why Does He Matter?

Who%20Was%20Melchizedek%20and%20Why%20Does%20He%20Matter%3F%20%u2013%20St.%20Paul%20CenterHARROLD: Melchizedek is one of the most mysterious figures in the whole Bible. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes him as “a figure of Christ,” while the Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus as being “a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” In the Holy Mass, Melchizedek’s significance is further underscored by the words of the priest following the consecration in the Roman Canon...

From Europe to Peru’s Rainforest: The Epic Journey of a Dominican Nun

From%20Europe%20to%20Peru%u2019s%20Rainforest%3A%20The%20Epic%20Journey%20of%20a%20Dominican%20Nun%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterGRONDELSKI: Because she is in the process of consideration for the altars, Blessed Ascensión Nicol y Goñi — whose full name is Blessed Maria Ascensión of the Heart of Jesus Nicol y Goñi — is not well-known. But she does appear on the Dominican Order’s supplemental calendar of saints and blesseds, so here’s an introduction. One reason St. John Paul II canonized so many saints was his desire to showcase more modern holiness...

Cardinal Parolin to Lead Rosary for Pope’s Health in St. Peter’s Square at 3 p.m. Eastern

Cardinal Parolin to lead Rosary for Pope's health in St. Peters Square - Vatican News: The Vatican announced an evening rosary for the Holy Father's health, starting Monday, in St. Peter's Square. The Holy See Press Office released a statement announcing that "starting this evening, the Cardinals residing in Rome, along with all collaborators of the Roman Curia and the Diocese of Rome, responding to the sentiments of the people of God, will gather in St. Peter's Square at 9:00 PM to recite the Holy Rosary for the health of the Holy Father."

‘Prognosis Remains Guarded’ for Pope Francis; No New Respiratory Crises, Participates in Sunday Mass

Pope in hospital, condition remains critical but no new respiratory crisis - Vatican News: The condition of the Holy Father remains critical, but since yesterday evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises. He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with beneficial effects, and his hemoglobin levels have risen. The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control. High-flow oxygen therapy continues through nasal cannulas...

Jorge Our Brother, ‘Don’t Overthink It’, and ASMRWTF

Jorge%20our%20brother%2C%20%u2018don%u2019t%20overthink%20it%u2019%2C%20and%20ASMRWTFCONDON: Pope Francis’ health continues to be a major concern for everyone in the Church. It’s now been a week since his respiratory affliction took him into hospital. I am certainly encouraged that he seems to be responding well enough to treatment that the noises out of the Vatican have stopped getting more negative, though the reality is an 88-year old who spends much time in a hospital faces a hard road to full recovery.

The Hard Secret to Happiness: 6 Takeaways From the Seventh Sunday

This%20Sunday%2C%20The%20Hard%20Secret%20to%20Happiness%3A%20Six%20Takeaways%20From%20the%20Seventh%20Sunday%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: Jesus continues his “sermon on the plain,” and gives the secret to peace on earth, happiness in your home, harmony in the Church, and eternal life this Sunday, the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. There is just one problem, however: The secret is so repugnant to our fallen human nature that no matter how hard we try, we can’t even force ourselves to even try it.

Pope Francis in ‘Critical’ Condition, Requires Oxygen and Blood Transfusions Amid Respiratory Crisis

Pope at Gemelli Hospital, respiratory crisis in the morning - Vatican News: The Holy See Press Office issued the following medical update on Pope Francis on Saturday evening: The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical. Therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger. This morning, Pope Francis experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen. Today's blood tests also revealed thrombocytopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions. The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he is more uncomfortable than yesterday. At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded.

Vatican Medical Update: Pope Responding to Treatment But Not Yet Out of Danger; Long Hospital Stay Expected

Doctors: Pope responding to treatment but not yet out of danger - Vatican News: Pope Francis is not “in danger of death”, but he’s also not fully “out of danger”, members of his medical team have said. At a press conference in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, Dr Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team taking care of the Pope, and Dr Luigi Carbone, the Vice-Director of the Vatican’s healthcare service, spoke for some forty minutes to a roomful of journalists.

5 Non-Italian Popes You’ve Never Heard About

The non-Italian bishops of RomeCOPPEN: Pope Francis’ hospitalization and illness have led to a lot of reflection in the media about popes future, and popes of the past. Indeed, even as the pope recovers, the Church is likely to be discussing the Francis papacy in the weeks to come, and especially the factors that made it historically unique.

The Mystical Journey of the Pilgrim Nun

The Pilgrim Nun - by Dcn. Thomas L. McDonaldMCDONALD: A story is told in the History of Bernardo de Brito (Monarchia Lusytana in 1602) about a nun in the convent of Lorvao, Portugal who lived some time in the 14th or 15th centuries. Before joining the Dominicans, Sr. Maria Minz had vowed to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but saw no way of fulfilling the vow. This plagued her, and together with a confessor she worked out a way to make the pilgrimage without ever leaving the convent...

Faith and the Future: How Christianity Can Save the West

Faith and the Future: How Christianity Can Save the West| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: The crucial importance of faith — and especially the Christian faith — in saving Western civilization from its widely perceived decay formed a significant part of a major international gathering that has just concluded in London. Even though Christianity, or religion in general, was not clearly advertised in the conference program, many speakers at the Feb. 17-19 Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference underlined its significance in reestablishing and strengthening the foundations of Western civilization...

10 Graces You Receive Every Time You Attend Mass Devoutly

10 Graces You Receive Every Time You Attend Mass Devoutly| National Catholic RegisterKATYAFITZPATRICK: Aside from weekend Masses, I’ve made it a point to take my four kids to daily Mass as often as possible. It’s not always easy but I’m convinced that it’s worth the effort. During the school year, I typically attend daily Mass with my 4-year-old. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom a few years ago, I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to receive the Eucharist regularly. Don’t get me wrong...

These Iranian Christians Fled to the US to Escape Islamic Persecution — Then Were Deported to Panama

Iranian Christians feared death in Iran. Then the US deported them to Panama.: The young woman in the video sounds desperate. Sitting on a bed in a hotel room surrounded by eight other people, including several children, she explains to the camera that they’re all Iranian Christians who journeyed to the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana to seek asylum – then were shackled and flown six hours in a military plane to Panama.

Doctors See ‘Slight Improvement’ as Pope Francis Remains Hospitalized at Gemelli

Pope has restful night, has breakfast in armchair - Vatican News: The Holy See Press Office informs journalists that Pope Francis had a peaceful sixth night in the Rome's Gemelli hospital where he is being treated for double pneumonia and ate breakfast in an armchair.

Vatican Update from Gemelli Hospital: ‘Pope in Stable Condition, Blood Exams Show Slight Improvement’

Pope in stable condition, blood exams show slight improvement - Vatican News: The Holy See Press Office provided the following update on Wednesday evening, 19 February: The Holy Father's clinical condition is stationary. The blood tests, evaluated by the medical staff, show a slight improvement, particularly in the inflammatory indices. After breakfast, the Pope read some newspapers and then went about his work with his closest collaborators...

The beauty of the Catholic faith is like a cathedral — it’s best understood “from inside”

Cathedrals and us | Denver CatholicWEIGEL: The Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the nation’s capital is a magnificent Neo-Gothic structure, based on 14th-century English models, that calls itself “Washington National Cathedral”: a non-sequitur repeated by many others. There is, however, no such thing as a national cathedral. Recently restored Notre-Dame de Paris is the cathedral church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris...

The highly profitable IVF industry is dehumanizing and entirely unregulated — and ends far more unborn lives each year than surgical abortion...

Charlotte was BothWELBORN: So, yesterday President Trump issued an executive order related to IVF. When you read the EO, you see that it is, at this point, vague, and basically says: some guys are going to study this and make policy recommendations, with the goal of the policy recommendations being to make IVF cheaper and more available. Because pro-family, etc. JD Vance gave a wonderful speech at the March for Life, claiming...

Georgia woman says she'll “never fully recover” after IVF mix-up leads to her losing custody of 5-month-old baby

Georgia woman says she'll "never fully recover" after IVF mix-up leads to her losing custody of 5-month-old baby - CBS News: A woman who gave birth to a baby boy that wasn't hers due to an embryo transfer mix-up filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a fertility clinic in Georgia after she was forced to give up the 5-month-old infant. Krystena Murray, a White woman, realized something went wrong at the Coastal Fertility Specialists clinic in May 2023 when she delivered a baby that did not match the appearance of the sperm donor she had chosen who looked similar to her with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.

Reordering Hope: Praying for Patriotic Grace Amid Statements on Religion and Politics [National Review Paywall]

Reordering Hope: Praying for Patriotic Grace amid Statements on Religion and Politics | National ReviewLOPEZ: Donald Trump has gotten the commentariat to speak Latin. It probably wasn’t on your predictions’ list for the second Trump administration. And, yet, comments Vice President JD Vance made on the order of love — ordo amoris — in an interview with Sean Hannity have given life to the “dead” language. But do we have a prayer for bona fide grace to come?

Why did Our Lord, in His divine wisdom, choose bread and wine? There are many reasons...

Why Bread & Wine | Parishable ItemsFELTES: This Sunday, our seven week exploration of the sacraments culminates and concludes with the Most Holy Sacrament, the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Source and Summit of the Christian life. It is called the Breaking of the Bread, the Lord’s Supper, our King’s Heavenly Banquet, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb...

Vatican Update: ‘Pope Francis Had a Restful Night and Ate Breakfast This Morning’

Pope Francis had a restful night and ate breakfast this morning - Vatican News: "The Pope spent a restful night, woke up and had breakfast," the Holy See Press Office shared in a note to journalists on Wednesday morning. It said the Pope got out of bed and sat in an armchair. In a Tuesday evening press release, the Holy See Press Office stated the Pope has double pneumonia, but nevertheless “remains in good spirits."

What other popes have reigned as long as Francis?

(4) What other popes have reigned as long as Francis?SEWELL: Pope Francis has now occupied the Chair of St. Peter for nearly 12 years, and given his fragile health as of the writing of this article, (although we certainly pray for his recovery) his time on earth may well be coming to a close. Either way, a dozen-year papacy is nothing to shake a stick at. The average papal reign has been around 7 years, and that’s with a large handful of pre-Middle Ages pontiffs who were only in office for approximately five minutes.

Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out and Beow’s: What Their Success Says About America

Chick-fil-A%2C%20In-N-Out%20and%20Beow%u2019s%3A%20What%20Their%20Success%20Says%20About%20America%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterSIMONSON: On the afternoon of Dec. 1, 2023, I drove a 90-year-old Secular Franciscan brother to a shopping center in North Raleigh so that he could run some errands. A temporary banner sign caught my eye while we were in the parking lot. The sign read: “Beow’s Books and Brews.” “I do enjoy books,” I’d thought to myself, “and beer.” It took until that very evening for me to finally check the place out...

MSN: Pope Francis Has Privately Warned His Confidants He May Not Survive This Health Scare

Pope Warned Confidants He May Not Survive Health Scare: Pope Francis has privately told confidants he may not survive an ongoing health scare that has seen him hospitalized, according to a report. Citing two sources familiar with the situation, Politico reported late Monday evening that the 88-year-old pontiff—who is being treated for “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract” at a Gemelli Hospital in Rome—“is rushing to tie up loose ends ahead of the battle to succeed him.”

Politico: Pope Francis, Sensing He Is Close to Death, Moves to Protect His Legacy

Pope%20Francis%2C%20sensing%20he%20is%20close%20to%20death%2C%20moves%20to%20protect%20his%20legacy%20%u2013%20POLITICO: Pope Francis is seriously worried about his health after being hospitalized with severe bronchitis, and is rushing to tie up loose ends ahead of the battle to succeed him. The pope was admitted to a special ward earlier this month in Gemelli Hospital in Rome with a respiratory infection, and he has since been forced to cancel a number of public appearances.

The Pro-Life Movement’s Disastrous Post-Roe Pivot

The pro-life movement's post-Roe pivot - Washington ExaminerLAFFIN: President Donald Trump might go down in history as the best thing that ever happened to legal abortion in the United States. That’s because Trump, by muzzling pro-life leaders and championing states’ rights on abortion following his efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade, cultivated a political environment in which the practice of legal abortion has flourished. Two-and-a-half years following the fall of Roe, abortion rights have never been more protected in all but a handful of states, and public support for legal abortion has never been stronger.

Latest Vatican Update: Pope Francis Now Battling Double Pneumonia; Condition Remains ‘Complex’

Pope has double pneumonia; condition remains 'complex' - Vatican News: “Laboratory tests, chest X-rays, and the clinical condition of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture.” In a message to journalists on Tuesday evening, the Holy See Press Office gave the latest update on the Pope’s health since he was hospitalized on Friday to receive treatment for bronchitis. The statement added that “the polymicrobial infection, which has arisen in the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis...”

Vatican Doctrine Chief Warns Against ‘Claim to Omnipotence’ of Gender Ideology

Vatican%20Doctrine%20Chief%20Warns%20Against%20%u2018Claim%20to%20Omnipotence%u2019%20of%20Gender%20Ideology%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: The Vatican’s doctrine chief delivered a pointed critique of gender ideology at a theological conference in Germany on Monday. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, addressed scholars at the Cologne School of Catholic Theology (KHKT) about gender ideology’s “claim to omnipotence.”

Did a woman attempt to ‘concelebrate’ at an archbishop’s installation Mass in Brazil?

Did%20a%20woman%20%u2018concelebrate%u2019%20at%20an%20archbishop%u2019s%20Mass%20in%20Brazil%3F: Becoming embroiled in a Church scandal over the inaugural Mass in his new archdiocese is likely not what Archbishop Odelir José Magri had in mind last week. But that is exactly what happened on Feb. 13, when images and video surfaced of a Mass in the Archdiocese of Chapecó, Brazil, in which a woman dressed in an alb and stole participated in the opening procession...

Notre Dame Criticized for Calling Diversity and Catholicism ‘Equally Important’ in Hiring

Notre%20Dame%20Criticized%20for%20Calling%20Diversity%20and%20Catholicism%20%u2018Equally%20Important%u2019%20in%20Hiring%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterLIEDL: The University of Notre Dame is facing a fresh round of criticism after the institute’s chief academic officer told faculty that hiring women and minorities is “equally important” to its mission as is hiring Catholics. John McGreevy, Notre Dame’s provost, shared the hiring priorities at the start of the spring semester in a Jan. 17 faculty-wide email, which has since been obtained by the Register.

What’s behind the tumult in the Diocese of Rome?

What%u2019s%20behind%20tumult%20in%20the%20Diocese%20of%20Rome%3FBELTRAN: After a whirlwind of structural changes in the Diocese of Rome, and the departure of six auxiliary bishops in the span of a year, several signs point to morale problems among Rome’s clergy. Coupled with with the diocese’s serious economic challenges, clerical dissension make for complicated situation in the diocese at the heart of the Church.

What Does the Bible Teach About Forgiveness?

What%20Does%20the%20Bible%20Teach%20About%20Forgiveness%3F%20%u2013%20St.%20Paul%20CenterHARROLD: “To err is human, to forgive divine,” wrote the English poet Alexander Pope. While the Christian religion certainly agrees with this assessment, it also takes it a step further: forgiveness is a grace which comes from God, but it’s a grace in which He invites us to share. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes forgiveness as “a high point of Christian prayer,” before noting that...

Pope Francis Battles ‘Complex’ Lung Infection at Gemelli Hospital as Vatican Cancels Wednesday Audience

Pope's complex clinical picture requires longer hospitalization - Vatican News: "The results of the medical tests carried out over the past few days and today have shown a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract, which has led to a further change in therapy. "All tests carried out to date are indicative of a complex clinical picture that will require appropriate hospitalization." This was the communique of the Holy See Press on Monday updating journalists on the health of Pope Francis who was hospitalized with bronchitis on 14 February at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.

7 Men, 2 Miraculous Apparitions: The Story of the Servite Founders

7 Men, 2 Miraculous Apparitions: The Story of the Servite Founders| National Catholic RegisterGRONDELSKI: Feb. 17 is the Optional Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order. My guess is that, compared to the average saint’s day on the calendar, this one is a bit exotic. For one, it’s anonymous: “seven founders.” For another, I’ll guess lots of Catholics don’t know who the Servites are. Let us help. First, let’s give them names. The “seven founders” were...

Lightning Strike Destroys the Home of the Legionaries of Christ Near Atlanta

Lightning Strike Destroys the Home of the Legionaries of Christ in Cumming, Georgia - Regnum Christi: The home of the Legionaries of Christ’s community on Woodsong Trail in Cumming, Georgia, sustained a direct hit by a lightning strike during severe storms this morning at about 4:45am. The house was quickly engulfed in flames and burned down completely. Most of the community’s 12 priests and RC Mission Corps missionaries were away working apostolically in different locations and not home when the fire broke out...

Cardinal Dolan grounded for several days in Newfoundland after medical/weather diversion of flight to Dublin

Cardinal Dolan gives homily in Canada parish after flight to Ireland ground during high winds - CBS News: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, presided over Mass in an unlikely place on Sunday after his flight was grounded in Canada for days due to high winds. Dolan, 75, was on United Flight 23 from Newark Liberty Airport on Thursday when it was diverted about 3 hours into the 6.5-hour flight to Dublin, Ireland after a passenger suffered a medical emergency, the airline told CBS News.

St. John Chrysostom’s Letter to a Young Widow

Letter to a Young Widow from a Saint - by Stuart WeissWEISS: The following is a letter written by Saint John Chrysostom to a young widow, still grieving the loss of her husband, Therasius. Therasius was a virtuous, godly, and apparently gifted Christian with a promising political career in the Roman Empire. He and his young wife were in the prime of their lives when he died. The loss of Therasius was a particularly devastating blow to this woman because of her youth...

Pope Francis Spends Peaceful Second Night at Hospital, Prays for Peace at Angelus

Pope Francis continues treatment at Gemelli hospital, sends Angelus message | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis spent a peaceful second night at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he remains under medical care for a respiratory infection, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists Sunday. Bruni said the 88-year-old pontiff had breakfast and read several newspapers Sunday morning while continuing his prescribed medical treatments.

Bad News for Culture of Life: Trump’s Promise to Cover IVF Costs Is Quietly Moving Forward, Says White House Official

Trump%u2019s%20Promise%20to%20Cover%20IVF%20Costs%20Is%20%u2018Being%20Worked%20Through%2C%u2019%20a%20White%20House%20Official%20Says%20-%20NOTUS%20%28Allbritton%20Journalism%20Institute%29: The White House is now determining how best to fulfill President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to ensure in vitro fertilization treatments would be paid for, after Trump repeatedly branded himself the “father of IVF” over the last year, NOTUS has learned.

Meet Judge Frank Caprio, ‘the Kindest Judge in America’ — Who Now Needs Your Prayers

Meet the Kindest Judge in America: The Judge Who Brought Compassion in the Courtroom Now Needs Your Prayers| National Catholic Register: When Judge Frank Caprio peered over his courtroom bench, he saw before him an immigrant who earned his living delivering pizzas. The defendant’s English was not strong, and he struggled to understand the judge’s words. “So let me get this straight, sometimes when you’re delivering pizzas, you drive fast so they’ll get there hot?” the judge asked.

Planned Parenthood in Crisis as Patients Report Botched Care and Tired Staff [The New York Times - Paywall]

Planned Parenthood in Crisis as Patients Report Botched Care and Tired Staff - The New York Times: Nakara Alston was leaving her boyfriend when she learned she was eight weeks pregnant. In desperation, she got an abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Albany, N.Y., and moved with her two daughters into a homeless shelter.

Pope Francis Remains Hospitalized at Gemelli — ‘Assessments and Treatment Are Continuing’

Pope Francis hospitalized: Live updates | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis had a “peaceful night” and read several newspapers Saturday morning following his admission to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for bronchitis, according to the Vatican. “The Holy Father had a good night’s sleep. This morning he had breakfast and read several newspapers,” Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told journalists Feb. 15.

7 Takeaways from the ‘Plain’ Beatitudes of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel This Sunday

This%20Sunday%2C%20Seven%20Takeaways%20from%20the%20%u2018Plain%u2019%20Beatitudes%20of%20Jesus%20in%20Luke%u2019s%20Gospel%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: We hear the Beatitudes from Jesus’s “Sermon on the Plain” in the Gospel of Luke Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C, and they are different in important ways from the more familiar Beatitudes we hear in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out, we needn’t worry that there are differences in the two. Of course Jesus shared the Beatitudes...

The Valentine’s Gambit, Hot Takes, and American Mythology

The%20Valentine%u2019s%20gambit%2C%20hot%20takes%2C%20and%20American%20mythologyCONDON: It is the feast of St. Valentine, of course — widely marked throughout the world as just “Valentine’s Day.” Out of all of the roided-out global consumer holidays with an historic toehold in Christianity that pockmark our calendars and bank accounts, I have to say I find this one the most curious. In this country, the day is, depending on what building you’re standing in, either a twee bonanza of affection or a carnival of raunch. The juxtaposition gives me constant whiplash.

1.3 Million Pilgrims Pass Through Basilica of St. Peter’s Holy Door in Jubilee’s First Month

1.3%20million%20pilgrims%20pass%20through%20St.%20Peter%u2019s%20Holy%20Door%20in%20jubilee%u2019s%20first%20month%20%7C%20Catholic%20News%20Agency: Since Pope Francis marked the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee Year, 1.3 million people have passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, according to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect for the New Evangelization section of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Why are churches being bombed in Myanmar?

Why are churches being bombed in Myanmar?COPPEN: When Pope Francis established the Diocese of Mindat in Myanmar at the end of January, the local Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was raised to the status of a cathedral. Just 12 days later, bombs struck the building, leaving it unusable. The bombing in Myanmar’s impoverished Chin State was reported Feb. 10 by Agenzia Fides, the Pontifical Mission Societies’ information service...

‘Fraternally Francis’: Does a papal ‘hot take’ on immigration help?

%u2018Fraternally%20Francis%u2019%3A%20Does%20a%20papal%20%u2018hot%20take%u2019%20on%20immigration%20help%3FCONDON: Pope Francis waded yesterday more directly, and more pointedly, into the U.S. political debate than any of his predecessors ever have. In a thousand-word “fraternal letter” to the American episcopate, the pope confronted head-on the “major crisis” of the Trump administration’s policy of mass deportation for illegal immigrants, and appeared to respond directly to a recent tweet from Vice President JD Vance about the ordo amoris and a hierarchy of who owes what to whom in American politics and policy.

JD Vance takes to ‘Catholic Twitter,’ and responds to a National Catholic Register journalist, to defend his position on AI deregulations

Vance%20Takes%20to%20%u2018Catholic%20Twitter%u2019%20to%20Defend%20Position%20on%20AI%20Deregulations%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterLIEDL: Vice President JD Vance is known as a tech-savvy millennial. And the 40-year-old Catholic convert played the part Wednesday when he took to social media to directly respond to skeptical comments from a Register journalist about how his policy views align with his deeper commitments. The subject was not immigration, a topic on which Vance’s use of Catholic theology to justify the Trump administration’s “America First” approach...

Dresden’s Moral Fallout Continues to Affect Us 80 Years Later

Dresden%u2019s%20Moral%20Fallout%20Continues%20to%20Affect%20Us%2080%20Years%20Later%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCHAPP: Feb. 13 marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the allied bombing of the eastern German city of Dresden. In a series of aerial bombardments lasting until Feb. 15, 1945, the Allies dropped around 3,900 tons of conventional and incendiary bombs on the city, setting off a massive city-wide firestorm and leveling hundreds of buildings, leaving 25,000 dead citizens of Dresden in its wake.

UK police officer orders Catholic woman to leave public area because her pro-life views are ‘offensive’

Police%20officer%20orders%20Catholic%20woman%20to%20leave%20public%20area%20because%20her%20views%20are%20%u2018offensive%u2019%20-%20Catholic%20HeraldCALDWELL: New video footage shows a police officer demanding a Catholic woman walk away from an abortion clinic simply because of what she is known to believe. The officer of West Midlands Police is seen demanding that charitable volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce leaves a public area where she was standing alone and praying silently. In the footage, obtained by ADF UK, a Christian legal organisation, the police officer explained that he believes...

England’s Decline: As ‘Our Lady’s Dowry’ Wanes, Is the Catholic Faith Set for a Revival?

England%u2019s%20Decline%3A%20As%20%u2018Our%20Lady%u2019s%20Dowry%u2019%20Wanes%2C%20Is%20the%20Catholic%20Faith%20Set%20for%20a%20Revival%3F%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPENTIN: Britain’s former Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently caused a mini-uproar by saying the Church of England’s failure to fill “an aching spiritual void” had led to large numbers of British citizens “gorging themselves” and becoming obese instead. While he was being deliberately provocative about a widespread disorder to which Johnson, by his own admission, is not immune, the connection between spiritual need and societal ills is one that others have also noticed as the country suffers from a well-publicized and growing socio-political malaise that extends well beyond obesity.

Pope’s Wednesday Audience: ‘Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivu, South Sudan — Pray and Do Penance for Peace’

Pope asks Catholics to pray every day for peace - Vatican News: Towards the end of his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis laid aside his prepared greetings to Italian speakers and made an off-the-cuff appeal for peace. “I think of all those countries that are at war,” the Pope said. “Sisters, brothers, let us pray for peace. Let us all do our part.” “We are not born to kill”, he stressed, “but to help people grow. May we find pathways of peace.” The Pope also urged all those present to “ask for peace” in their “daily prayers”.

Russia’s Sacrilegious War on Ukraine

Russia%u2019s%20sacrilegious%20war%20on%20Ukraine%20%7C%20Denver%20CatholicWEIGEL: Today’s Russian Orthodox leadership is a theological, moral, and pastoral train wreck. U.S. foreign policy can’t fix that. Nonetheless, those responsible for devising U.S. foreign policy should recognize how that train wreck helps define Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine, even as it conditions any resolution of the war worthy of the name “peace.”

AI and Chatting with Your Future Self

AI and Chatting with Your Future Self - The Catholic ThingMAIER: Earlier this month, in its regular Artificial Intelligence section, the Wall Street Journal ran a 2,000-word feature – for a newspaper, that’s serious ink – on the AI program “FutureYou.” Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), FutureYou allows you to talk with your 80-year-old self. It also (regrettably) projects what you’ll look like. The idea, according to the WSJ author, “is that if people can see and talk to their older selves, they will be able to think about them more concretely, and make changes now that will help them achieve the future they hope for.”

The Antidote to News: Real Life Here and Now

The Antidote to News: Real Life Here and Now - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Wise men and the purveyors of contemporary culture recognize the same dramatic truth. We are addicted to news. Probably unlike the purveyors, the wise perceive the root of the addiction and so can offer something the purveyors don’t want—a path to freedom. Over fourscore years ago in the opening days of the Second World War, Friedrich Juenger penned the following remarkable lines...

The body of St. Bernadette, who died 145 years ago, is incorrupt. Why do the remains of some saints not decay?

(3) The Miraculous Preservation of St. BernadetteTOMMCDONALD: Incorruptibility is a tricky subject. The preservation or decay of human remains can be affected by numerous factors ranging from preparation of the body to environmental conditions and beyond. St. Margaret of Cortona, once counted among the incorruptibles, was subsequently shown to be mummified at the time of interment. Others are not so easy to explain...

John Allen’s conspicuous absence explained — with a request for your prayers

John%20Allen%u2019s%20conspicuous%20absence%20explained%20%7C%20CruxALLEN: Regular readers of Crux, or regular consumers of my weekly video or podcast, will have noticed my rather conspicuous absence these past three weeks or so. Proving once more that Crux types are an observant lot, many of you have wondered if my disppearance had something to do with my health. In a word, yes. On Jan. 14, I was rushed in for emergency surgery to correct an occlusion of my abdomen. I’m happy to report the surgery was a success, and I’m now home and more or less recovered.

Catholic Church gets its ‘28 Days Later’ after Pope’s letter to U.S. bishops

Catholic%20Church%20gets%20its%20%u201922%20Days%20Later%u2019%20after%20Pope%u2019s%20letter%20to%20U.S.%20bishops%20%7C%20CruxCOLLINS: I felt the urge to watch 28 Days Later on Tuesday. In case you don’t recognize the title, it’s a 2002 movie about a man – Jim, played by Cillian Murphy – who awakes from a coma to find the world changed utterly. In 28 Days Later, a cataclysmic virus has swept away the world that was when the protagonist fell into his torpor.

Benedict XVI’s ‘Renuntiare,’ Detroit Gets a New Archbishop, and Some News

%u2018Renuntiare%u2019%2C%20first%20penance%2C%20and%20some%20newsJDFLYNN: Today is the fifth Tuesday in Ordinary Time, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post. Twelve years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at the Sala del Concistoro in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, for a meeting at which numerous curial cardinals were present, held ostensibly to announce the date of an upcoming canonization.

Letter to U.S. Bishops on Immigration

Letter of the Holy Father to the Bishops of the United States of America (10 February 2025) | FrancisCOATOFARMS: I am writing today to address a few words to you in these delicate moments that you are living as Pastors of the People of God who walk together in the United States of America. The journey from slavery to freedom that the People of Israel traveled, as narrated in the Book of Exodus, invites us to look at the reality of our time, so clearly marked by the phenomenon of migration...

The Persecuted Must Survive the Wrecking Ball

Vance Suggests Religious Freedom Worldwide a Priority for Trump Administration | National ReviewLOPEZ: “You shouldn’t have to leave your faith at the door of your people’s government, and under President Trump’s leadership, you won’t have to.” That was the money quote from Vice President JD Vance’s speech to the fifth annual International Religious Freedom Summit. “In recent years, too often, our nation’s international engagement on religious liberty issues has been corrupted and distorted to the point of absurdity,” Vance continued...

How the Church is the ‘Israel of God’

Biblical%20Catechesis%3A%20The%20Church%20is%20the%20%u201CIsrael%20of%20God%u201D%20%28Galatians%206%3A16%29TSAKANIKAS: The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ does not accept Millennialism which teaches that before the final judgment, Christ will establish a thousand-year [millennium] reign on earth and reign from the earthly city of Jerusalem. It is a misappropriation of Revelation 20:4-6. Christ’s kingdom “is not of this world.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church condemns Millennialism and its various forms...

The Tenderness of Pier Giorgio Frassati’s Second Miracle

The%20Tenderness%20of%20Pier%20Giorgio%20Frassati%u2019s%20Second%20Miracle%20-%20Word%20on%20FireLIBRESCO: Pier Giorgio Frassati lived a quietly holy life, and the miracle that clinched his canonization is a perfect mirror of his life of ordinary virtue. Frassati was born in Turin, Italy, in 1901, and he lived a life animated by the love of Christ, but not in the startling manner of St. Teresa of Avila’s levitations or St. Padre Pio’s bilocation.

Q&A and 5 Facts on St. Josephine Bakhita

St. Josephine Bakhita's Feast Day | Catholic Answers | Catholic Answers Tract: St. Josephine Bakhita is known for her incredible life, beginning with her being kidnapped as a child, sold into slavery, and brutally abused. In time, an Italian counsel in Sudan purchased her, treated her better, and took her to his homeland when she begged to go with him. In Italy, she became a Catholic, a nun, and, improbably, a great saint, one who continues to inspire many by her love and forgiveness in Christ, despite the terrible suffering she experienced in her life.

A remarkable resurgence of Catholic education and formation

A remarkable resurgence of Catholic education and formation | Catholic CultureMIRUS: Have you noticed the more recent developments in post-secondary Catholic education in the United States? This is no longer a matter of looking back to the 1970s when Thomas Aquinas College in California, Magdalen College and Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts in New Hampshire, and Christendom College in Virginia were established—and when Fr. Michael Scanlan spearheaded the renewal of Franciscan University of Steubenville...

Your parish doesn’t need more ‘ministries.’ It needs more concerts, lectures and social events...

The Conundrum of Parish Involvement | Catholic CultureBONAGURA: After weeks of build up and advertising, my parish recently held a “ministry fair.” Parishioners were urged to “get involved” by joining one (or more) of over twenty ministries, which span five areas of Catholic life: liturgical facilitation, sacramental preparation, prayer, charitable works, and fraternal organizations. Following all the Masses of the weekend, parishioners could survey the offerings and sign up for any that beckoned them...

Nicaragua’s Communist Regime Calls Vatican ‘Depraved’ After EWTN Interviews Exiled Bishop Álvarez

Nicaragua blasts Vatican after exiled bishop's TV appearance | Reuters: Nicaragua's government described the Vatican as "depraved" and "pedophile" on Sunday, two days after an interview on Catholic television channel EWTN with exiled Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez, one of the fiercest critics of President Daniel Ortega.

This Deathless Death

This Deathless Death - by Dcn. Thomas L. McDonaldTOMMCDONALD: Midway through her life, my mother became fascinated with genealogy. Since I've always been adept at research, I helped her search for connections, and along the way developed an interest in it as well. As computers and online newspaper archives and Ancestry.com entered the picture, the family tree exploded. We made new connections. Found records that were previously inaccessible...

Family Life In America: Partisan Divide Widens Over Marriage And Faith

Family Life In America: Partisan Divide Widens Over Marriage And FaithLISI: The partisan divide between how Americans view family and the importance of marriage is growing – although most agree that economic challenges continue to be a major concern, a new survey reveals. The American Family Survey — an annual collaboration between the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, the Deseret News and BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy...

Losing Isn’t Everything: 4 Lessons from the Chiefs’ Loss in the Super Bowl

Losing%20Isn%u2019t%20Everything%3A%20Four%20Lessons%20from%20the%20Chiefs%u2019%20Loss%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: It’s the day after the Super Bowl in the Kansas City metro area. At daily Mass last Friday, everyone wore red. This morning, my wife wore black. In America, football has become the national pastime and the Super Bowl has become the one event that unites more people than any other. Nearly 114 million Americans — more than a third of the population— watched the Kansas City Chiefs lose by 18 points (40-22) to the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday.

After Latest Vandalism in St. Peter’s Basilica, Can the Roman Curia Afford to Fix Vatican Security Problems?

Can the curia afford to fix Vatican security problems?BELTRAN: In fact, the security team which stopped him may have already had some practice at that altar — In June 2023, another man also stood up over the basilica’s main altar — called formally the Altar of the Confession — completely naked, to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And in the same month, a man forced his way through the Porto Sant’Anna in a car, and the Vatican had been the target of numerous cyberattacks in recent years.

Is ‘This Too Shall Pass’ in the Bible?

Is%20%u201CThis%20Too%20Shall%20Pass%u201D%20in%20the%20Bible%3F%20%u2013%20St.%20Paul%20CenterHARROLD: The phrase “this too shall pass” is often used to describe the impermanence of life and the need for longanimity in the face of suffering. Many people simply assume that the phrase comes from Sacred Scripture, but in fact it appears nowhere in the Bible. So where does it come from? At first glance, the phrase sounds like it could be an aphorism from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus...

The Pope Who Confirmed the Date of Christmas

(3) The pope who confirmed the date of ChristmasSEWELL: As is the case with most of the ancient pontiffs, we only know of Pope St. Julius I’s early life that he was a Roman by birth, born somewhere around 300 A.D., and that his dad’s name was Rusticus. Aside from that, all we know is that Julius came of age at a key turning point in the life of the Church – that of course being the reign of the emperor Constantine the Great and the legalization of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Pope Francis Celebrates Armed Forces Jubilee Mass in St. Peter's Square With 30,000 Police and Military

Pope Francis celebrates Armed Forces jubilee Mass in St. Peter's Square | Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis presided over the Jubilee Mass for Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel on Sunday, with Archbishop Diego Ravelli reading his prepared homily as the pontiff recovers from bronchitis. Over the Feb. 8-9 weekend, approximately 30,000 men and women from more than 100 countries participated in various jubilee festivities in Rome, including a pilgrimage to the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.

5 Takeaways for This Sunday, When Almighty God Shows Up Unexpected

This%20Sunday%2C%20When%20Almighty%20God%20Shows%20Up%20Unexpected%3A%205%20Fifth-Sunday%20Takeaways%20%u2013%20Benedictine%20College%20Media%20%26%20CultureHOOPES: Jesus shows up in Peter’s life at an unexpected time in the readings this Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C. As it turns out, this is the same approach Jesus took with the Old Testament prophets, St. Paul, and, crucially, with every single one of us. Here are five takeaways from previous This Sunday columns at this site and The Extraordinary Story.

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family — a reminder that holiness begins in the home

New%20Advent%3A%20February%20is%20the%20month%20dedicated%20to%20the%20Holy%20Family%20%u2014%20a%20reminder%20that%20holiness%20begins%20in%20the%20homeCARDINALBURKE: February marks the month of the Holy Family. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, faithful to the message of the Blessed Virgin Mary through her appearances on the American continent in 1531, serves the spiritual needs of those who suffer poverty in body and soul. It is a place of ceaseless prayer for the corporal and spiritual welfare of God’s children, especially those in most need.

6 Reasons Why Trump’s Gaza Proposal Is Gravely Immoral

Trump%u2019s%20Gaza%20Proposal%20Is%20Gravely%20Immoral%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterFESER: President Donald Trump’s proposal to take ownership of Gaza, relocate its population, and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” is not only wildly impracticable on its face, but gravely immoral. First, the United States simply has no right to this land. Trump’s plan would amount to theft on a massive scale. And it only adds insult to this injury to pretend that, once their land is taken from them, the people of Gaza would leave it peacefully so that it can be turned into a real estate development...

How a Friend Taught Me the Theology of Forgiveness

How a Friend Taught Me the Theology of Forgiveness| National Catholic RegisterCLARK: Last week, I was struggling mightily with forgiving others. On Friday morning, I posted something online regarding the unfair characterization of immigrants. I’m not going to quote it; this is not the proper avenue to rehash that discussion. When I posted it, I thought it was relatively innocuous. But it drew significant criticism, and I was hurt by some of these remarks.

Desiring the salvation of everyone — including my son’s murderer

Desiring%20the%20salvation%20of%20everyone%u2014including%20my%20son%u2019s%20murderer%20%u2013%20Catholic%20World%20ReportECHANIZ: What is it about the comment sections of websites that attract the outrageous? I suppose that there’s something intoxicating about sharing one’s thoughts in print, utterly democratized by the internet, unfiltered and raw. Add anonymity to this cocktail and people summon the courage to say almost anything. I usually avoid such corners of the internet...

USCCB Lays Off 50 Migration Staffers on Friday

USCCB lays off 50 migration staffers: The U.S. bishops’ conference laid off 50 people on Friday, roughly one-third of staff members in its migration and refugee services office, after a halt to federal reimbursements for contracted refugee and migrant resettlement programs.

Catholic Relief Services lays off staff, cuts programs after USAID shakeup

Exclusive: Catholic Relief Services lays off staff, cuts programs after USAID shakeup | National Catholic Reporter: Catholic Relief Services is bracing for massive cuts — as much as 50% this year — because of draconian reductions in U.S. foreign assistance ordered by the Trump administration, according to an internal email from the chief executive of the international relief organization.

Padre Pio, Purgatory and Prayer: Are Some Ghostly Encounters a Cry for Help?

Padre Pio, Purgatory and Prayer: Are Some Ghostly Encounters a Cry for Help?| National Catholic RegisterBARRICK: In 1873, near the lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida, the Pittee sisters were riding in a construction cart down to the water. In a tragic turn of events, the cart flipped, trapping the poor girls underwater and causing their deaths. Since then, tourists claim to see apparitions of little girls playing hide-and-seek or wandering the property.

Walk Humbly, College Politics, and the Value of Sledging

Walk humbly, college politics, and the value of sledgingCONDON: Humility, they say, comes with age. And, I would add, when it comes it’s wearing rubber gloves. This truth was borne upon me this week as I went for my more-or-less triennial physical exam, which yielded mixed results. It involved meeting my new doctor, my third in as many recent visits — the local practice can’t seem to hold on to them...

Doctor Angelicus: St. Thomas Aquinas’ Appearance Revealed After 750 Years

Face%20of%20a%20Saint%3A%20Thomas%20Aquinas%u2019%20Appearance%20Revealed%20After%20750%20Years%7C%20National%20Catholic%20Register: On the heels of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas touring the nation, a new study released this week gives Catholics a glimpse at what the “Angelic Doctor” may have looked like. The image of the doctor of the Church who contributed a wealth of wisdom in the areas of theology and philosophy was reconstructed using the saint’s skull. The lead author of the new study, Brazilian 3D designer Cicero Moraes...

Pope's Mission Day Message: ‘Prayer Keeps Our Spark of Hope Alive’

Pope's Mission Day Message: Prayer keeps our 'spark of hope' alive - Vatican News: In his 2025 World Mission Day Message, Pope Francis reminds missionaries that turning to the Lord in prayer is the key "to keeping the spark of hope alive, so that it can become a great fire, which enlightens and warms everyone around us..."

7 More Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know

New Advent: 7 More Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know: Dr. John Bergsma is back with 7 More Bible Verses every Catholic should know! In these seven new verses, Dr. Bergsma addresses the topics of “Faith Alone,” the Papacy, Church Authority, Mary, and the Eucharist.

The power of reading aloud in the home is an astounding gift we can rediscover

The Best Reason to Read Aloud Together - LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: Is it really worth the effort to do this as opposed to watching a film together? I do not question the merits of a good movie-watching. I do suggest that there is something unique, prior, and indeed irreplaceable in shared listening. Consider again the image with which I opened: the moment the last sentence is read, or heard. My own experience of this has been uniform and clear though hard to capture in words...

‘Sanctified Sound’: The Return of Bell-Tower Bells Ringing at Eucharistic Consecration

%u2018Sanctified%20Sound%u2019%3A%20The%20Return%20of%20Bell-Tower%20Bells%20Ringing%20at%20Eucharistic%20Consecration%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPRONECHEN: Ringing the handheld Sanctus bells during the consecration and elevation of the Host and chalice at Mass is a familiar sound in many churches. Yet another centuries-old practice has remained in some places and has returned in others: ringing the bells in the church’s bell tower at the Consecration. At St. Peter Catholic Church in Volo, Illinois, shortly after its unstable bell tower was restored in 2018, the ringing tradition was revived...

Manners, Methods and Greatness

Manners, Methods and Greatness| National Catholic RegisterWEIGEL: Browsing Footprints in Time, the memoirs of Winston Churchill’s longtime private secretary, John Colville, I found a tale from 80 years ago with a lesson for American public life today. The idiosyncrasies of the British government being what they were in 1945, Colville, who had served Churchill as a private secretary throughout the Second World War, became one of Clement Attlee’s private secretaries when the Labor Party leader displaced Churchill as prime minister...

Henri de Lubac: Pilgrim of Hope, Witness to Jesus Christ

(3) Henri de Lubac: Pilgrim of Hope, Witness to Jesus ChristIMBELLI: I first read Henri de Lubac, SJ, as a college student in the late 1950s, when Vatican II was still but a twinkle in Angelo Roncalli’s eye. Among my first discoveries were The Drama of Atheist Humanism and The Splendor of the Church (though the original bore the more modest title Méditation sur l’église). Through my years of theological study in Rome and long years of teaching, Henri de Lubac has been a cherished theological mentor and companion...

What If Depression and Anxiety Are the Only Logical Response to a World Without God?

New Advent: What If Depression and Anxiety Are the Only Logical Response to a World Without God?STEFANICK: What’s wrong with young people today? The mental health crisis is skyrocketing—depression, anxiety, confusion about identity. But maybe, just maybe, nothing’s wrong with them at all. Maybe they’re just the canary in the coal mine, revealing something toxic in our entire culture. Could it be that young people are simply more sensitive to the emptiness of a worldview stripped of God, objective truth, and the transcendent? What if the real problem is a spiritual one? On this episode of The Chris Stefanick Show, I sit down with one of my absolute favorite speakers, Monsignor James Shea...

France’s St. Joan Valois, NHL Star Alex Ovechkin’s (Beautiful) Chaos on the Ice, and the News

France's Joan, Ovi's (beautiful) chaos, and the newsJDFLYNN: French royal history is terrifically complex, and for me it’s difficult to keep straight. This is mostly because every important king in French history, good or bad, seems to be named Louis. I realize that you and I are part of a church in which almost exactly 20% of the popes have been named John, Gregory, or Benedict. But still, I find those guys much easier to track than all the various Louises who have either honored or disgraced France.

Do You Feel Like an Atheist?

Do You Feel Like an Atheist? - Word on FireKACZOR: Emma Camp said, “I only believe in God about 30 percent of the time on a good day.” The historian Tom Holland put the point this way, “Sometimes I can feel—I can believe—that the Spirit is real. I can believe that the story of the Passion and the Resurrection is so strange that it is not a cultural accident, that it is expressive of something that is true. And there are other times when I think...

Our Lady of the Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, New York, Offers Solace, Courage, and Inspiration [National Review Paywall]

Our Lady of the Martyrs Shrine Offers Solace, Courage, and Inspiration | National ReviewLOPEZ: ‘When shall I begin to give myself entirely to Him, who has given Himself unreservedly to me?” New York may not be your idea of a hotbed of holiness. But the prayer quoted above comes from Father Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit missionary who risked his life for love of God and neighbor — a neighbor who was nowhere near his native France and who tried to kill him. But for Jogues that wasn’t enough of a sacrifice...

Are churches sanctuaries in the law? Here’s an explainer from The Pillar...

Are churches sanctuaries?: As the Trump administration aims at a deportation push across the U.S., the federal Department of Homeland Security rolled back this month guidelines that had previously aimed to prevent the apprehension of immigrants in several federally-defined “sensitive areas” — including churches.

Revealed: What China’s DeepSeek AI Says (and Won’t Say) About Christianity

What%20China%u2019s%20DeepSeek%20AI%20Says%20%28and%20Won%u2019t%20Say%29%20About%20Christianity%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterMARES: DeepSeek-R1, China’s new artificial-intelligence chatbot, has been making waves. Last week, it surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most downloaded smartphone app, rattled Wall Street by sparking a massive sell-off of AI-related stocks, and raised eyebrows over its strict self-censorship policies. Like other large-language models (LLMs), DeepSeek-R1 can answer general knowledge questions, generate text, and solve complex math problems...

NFL emails reveal extent of Saints' damage control for clergy sex abuse crisis in Archdiocese of New Orleans

NFL emails reveal extent of Saints' damage control for clergy sex abuse crisis | AP News: As New Orleans church leaders braced for the fallout from publishing a list of predatory Catholic priests, they turned to an unlikely ally: the front office of the city’s NFL franchise. What followed was a monthslong, crisis-communications blitz orchestrated by the New Orleans Saints’ president and other top team officials, according to hundreds of internal emails obtained by The Associated Press.

Pope Francis Announces Plan to Write Papal Document on Theme of Children

Pope Francis to write papal document on theme of children | Catholic News AgencyBROCKHAUS: Pope Francis received a long round of applause at a Vatican summit on Monday after announcing he intends to make children the theme of a new papal document. Titled “Love Them and Protect Them,” the Feb. 3–4 summit with public- and private-sector leaders from around the world includes panels on the child’s right to resources, to education, to food and health care, to family, to free time, and to live free from violence...

Few seem to have noticed this recent decision, but it’s an epic victory in the pro-life cause

A Little Noticed Major Victory For Life - arcoftheuniversePHILPOTT: A Roe v. Wade for Latin America was averted and the right to life upheld. This is what took place late last month in the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in Beatriz vs. El Salvador. But headlines obscured this victory for life and portrayed the ruling as a milestone in the quest for abortion rights in Latin America and around the world. Why was Beatriz a victory for life?

Bishop Michael Burbidge is hiding a Philadelphia Eagles-related secret in his Arlington, Virginia, cathedral...

Delco-bred Catholic bishop has Eagles-related secret at Washington, D.C.-area cathedral - CBS Philadelphia: For Philadelphia Eagles fans who move away from the area, keeping that Philly pride is important. One Delaware County native — and Catholic bishop — has taken his love for the Birds to new heights. Bishop Michael Burbidge leads the Arlington, Virginia, diocese. The Cardinal O'Hara alum, who returned many years ago to teach at the school after becoming a priest, is a top-tier Eagles fan.

A Tale of Fire, Wind, and Healing: The Fascinating Legacy of St. Blaise

A Tale of Fire, Wind, and Healing: The Fascinating Legacy of St. Blaise| National Catholic RegisterTOMMCDONALD: The Feast of St. Blaise is one of the most widespread pieces of popular saintly devotion to survive in contemporary liturgy. From small suburban parishes to basilicas, the practice of blessing throats with a pair of crossed candles bound with a red ribbon remains much as it was 400 years ago. Although the candles are rarely lit today, the priest or deacon places them upon each parishioner’s throat and prays, “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness.”

Dreamt of learning Latin? Here’s how you’ll finally do it

Dreamt%20of%20learning%20Latin%3F%20Here%u2019s%20how%20you%u2019ll%20finally%20do%20it%20%7C%20Catholic%20CultureTHOMASMIRUS: Like many Catholics, I’ve wanted to learn Latin for years. I had two-and-a-half years of Latin classes in my teens, but that never brought me to the point of reading the language independently, nor was I motivated enough to persevere. In my twenties, I made the occasional false start in picking up Latin again, but gave up quickly...

The Catholic Church’s Copes of Many Colors

The%20Catholic%20Church%u2019s%20Copes%20of%20Many%20Colors%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterDESOUZA: The Feast of the Presentation is celebrated on Feb. 2, 40 days after Christmas, even when it falls on a Sunday, as it does this year. And the feast has an unusual sartorial twist — at the beginning of Mass, you may see the priest wearing a cope. The cope is a cape-like vestment that priests and deacons can wear...

Cause for Beatification of Antonino Baglieri, Quadriplegic Layman Who Brought Many Sick People to Christ, Advances

Cause for beatification of quadriplegic Antonino Baglieri, who brought many sick people to Christ, advances | Catholic News Agency: The Salesians received the news that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has validated the diocesan investigation for the beatification cause of the Servant of God Antonino Baglieri, a quadriplegic layman who, in the midst of suffering, decided to bring Jesus to other people who are ill.

A Choral Bridge: Serbian Orthodox Choir Sings With Sistine Chapel Choir in Rome

A Choral Bridge: Serbian Orthodox Sing With Sistine Chapel Choir in Rome| National Catholic RegisterGAGLIARDUCCI: The past week featured an event with significant ecumenical meaning: a joint performance of the Sistine Chapel Choir and the Choir of the Cathedral of Niš (Serbia) on Jan. 25 at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The performance — a joint initiative of the Serbian Embassy to the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta...

Faith, Family, Football: The Catholic Legacy of Soccer Legend Tommy Burns

Faith, Family, Football: The Catholic Legacy of Soccer Legend Tommy Burns| National Catholic RegisterTURLEY: Glasgow, Scotland, is a city famous for many things, but it’s also infamous for a sectarianism that has marred its history for many decades. Nowhere is this more evident than in the city’s footballing divide — those of a Protestant background traditionally support Rangers, while Catholics align with their bitter rivals, Celtic. Yet, from this intense soccer rivalry, something even more surprising has emerged.

Pope’s 2nd Jubilee Audience: Like St. Mary Magdalene, Turn ‘Toward Life’ and Away From ‘Darkness of the Past’

Pope at Jubilee Audience: 'To hope is to turn around to God' - Vatican News: In his second Jubilee Audience on hope Pope Francis invites us to embrace conversion as a lifelong journey, highlighting the figure of Mary Magdalene, the “Apostle of the Apostles” who in Jesus found a new direction and meaning in her life.