By Casey Chalk, Crisis Magazine – Surely one of the most provocative conversations this year has been that sparked by conservative essayist Helen Andrews, whose October essay “The Great Feminization”—which censured what she describes as the feminization of Western institutions—went so viral that even liberal corporate media couldn’t ignore it. The New York Times welcomed her to write an op-ed on her thesis, and conservative Catholic columnist Ross Douthat brought Andrews onto The New York Times podcast to discuss it with conservative Catholic feminist Leah Libresco Sargeant. …

By Carole Novielli, Live Action News – The State of Louisiana and coerced abortion victim Rosalie Markezich have filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) enforcement of the 2023 REMS safety protocols, which removed in-person dispensing requirements for the abortion pill mifepristone (200mg)… The lawsuit contends that the 2023 REMS “unlawfully remov[ed] the in-person dispensing requirement for the sole purpose of allowing out-of-state doctors to facilitate illegal mail order abortions in pro-life states like Louisiana.”…

By  M.D. Kittle, The Federalist – A jury late Thursday found Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of felony obstruction but determined there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her on a misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual from arrest… But the jury determined Dugan, who previously served as executive director of illegal immigrant advocate Catholic Charities, broke the law. … Dugan faces up to five years in prison on the obstruction conviction, but she is unlikely to be given that maximum penalty. Adelman, a leftist judge who has himself been publicly censured, will ultimately decide the judge’s sentence.

By Dr. Donald DeMarco, Catholic Exchange -Two colleagues of mine from the university, though brought up as Catholics, decided to leave the Church because of the scandalous behavior of certain members of the clergy.  This pains me because I believe that there is nothing outside the Church that could provide them with a more comprehensive way of living their lives in a Godly fashion.  On a lesser significant level, it is as if they are telling me that I must be foolish to remain in such a scandal-ridden institution.

By Susan Klemond, The American Spectator – Amy Grant’s 2008 song, “I Need a Silent Night,” resonates with those of us who feel frazzled at this time of year. Unlike many of her soft Christmas ballads, this song is an anthem of the tired and overextended at holiday time: I’ve made the same mistake before: Too many malls, too many stores December traffic, Christmas rush It breaks me till I push and shove…

By David Catron, The American Spectator – If you have struggled to find any reason to support the Democratic Party, you are by no means alone. A new Quinnipiac poll revealed last week that 73 percent of voters disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job. Yet, somehow, the party’s candidates managed to overperform its 2024 margins in all five House special elections this year. How did they work this miracle? One clue can perhaps be found in the recent revelations about election “irregularities” in Fulton County, Georgia.

By Nathanael Blake, The Federalist – Parents have good reasons to want to keep their kids out of government-run schools. Here in Virginia, the Loudoun County school district notoriously covered up a rape that was ideologically inconvenient. Just before the start of this school year, a Loudoun elementary school teacher was arrested for soliciting a minor. And the school board is being sued over their policy allowing students to use wrong-sex facilities like locker rooms and for punishing kids who object.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 1:26-38 – 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. …

By Caroline Manno, Crisis Magazine – If you want the main course and dessert, you really need to read Maria von Trapp’s own writings on her family’s life and deep spirituality. The best place to start is The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (1949), on which The Sound of Music is based. The film portrays well Maria’s conflict between her desire to be a nun and God’s upending of her plans to fulfill His own—that she marry Georg and raise a family with him. You can see Maria speak briefly about her decision in this interview.

By Susan Ciancio, Catholic World Report – They arrive in the dark of night to give Christmas joy to grieving families who have suffered unimaginable losses. Quietly, they leave gifts, decorate trees and walkways, and then depart, hopefully undetected… The Christmas Commandos, as they are called, have been providing love and comfort to families grieving out-of-order losses—the loss of a child or the loss of a young spouse—for over 25 years. ….

By Paul Suski, Catholic Exchange – “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”… With these famous opening words of the Confessions, St. Augustine frames any genuine inquiry into the nature of inner peace… The desire for inner peace is written upon our very nature. Although many individuals make choices that result in internal disorder and even chaos, these decisions are often driven by a misguided understanding of what truly brings fulfillment.

By Rep. Paul Gosar, Chronicles – When insurers deny care, manipulate rules, extract taxpayer subsidies, and reward executives handsomely for it, Congress cannot look away. Healthcare CEOs should not be shielded from scrutiny simply because their industry is powerful. Instead, they should be required to appear before Congress, answer hard questions, and explain—under oath—why an industry built on public support has completely failed the public it is meant to serve.

By Matthew McDonald, National Catholic Register – A retired NY bishop (Bishop Edward Scharfenberger) has filed for personal bankruptcy protection in federal court after a state jury verdict found him, along with other officials, personally liable for the collapse of a Catholic hospital pension fund that left about 1,100 retirees without the lifetime monthly payments they were expecting… Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, 77, who served as bishop of Albany from April 2014 until his retirement in October, is seeking protection from creditors for his assets valued at between $100,001 and $500,000, according to a filing Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York… he has between 100 and 199 creditors and debts totaling between $1,000,001 and $10 million.

By Franciscan Media – It’s not the founder of the Dominicans we honor today, but there’s a poignant story that connects both Dominics… Our saint today, Dominic of Silos, was born in Spain around the year 1000 into a peasant family. As a young boy he spent time in the fields, where he welcomed the solitude. …

By Rob Sexton, Catholic Exchange – We speak often of Mary’s Fiat, and rightly so. Her yes stands at the center of salvation history. But Scripture gives us another yes, one that is quieter and almost hidden in the background. It is the yes of a man who receives no annunciation from an angel in broad daylight, who hears God not through a message addressed to him by name but through a dream. Joseph wakes from that dream and obeys.