By Chris Jackson, Hiraeth in Exile, (Substack) – On February 2, the Society of St. Pius X publicly announced that new episcopal consecrations will take place on July 1. The Superior General, Fr. Davide Pagliarani, says he requested an audience, wrote again to explain the need, received a letter from the Holy See that “in no way” answered the Society’s requests, and judged that “the objective state of grave necessity in which souls find themselves” requires the decision… The next months force the Vatican II machine to show its hand again, in public, with the same familiar pattern: thunder at Tradition, soft voices for schism, smiles for the regime in China, gentle language for Eastern separation, and a permanent allergy to precision whenever Rome’s new ecumenical theology starts contradicting itself.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 5:21-43 – 21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23 and begged him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. …

By Fr. Francesco Giordano, STD, Catholic Exchange – A priest friend recently expressed his concern about the increasing fluidity of human identity and values over the past twenty years. His observation prompted me to reflect on insights drawn from Medieval philosophy—particularly from St. Thomas Aquinas—regarding the notion of tabula rasa, the idea that the human person is born as a “blank slate.”… While modern thinkers such as John Locke emphasized this concept in a radical sense, Aquinas and the classical tradition understood that it must always be held together with a robust account of nature.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – In a significant pro-life victory, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit challenging a key defunding provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that revokes its taxpayer funding… The dismissal, filed quietly on Friday, comes after a federal appeals court ruling that allows the Trump administration to continue withholding Medicaid reimbursements from abortion companies. …

Source: Catholic Apostolate Center – St. Blaise, Patron Saint of Throat Illnesses – St. Blaise was Bishop of Sebaste, modern day Turkey, in the beginning of the 4th century before his martyrdom in 316. He was a physician who was known for his miraculous healings, particularly healings involving the throat. This lead to the tradition of blessing throats on his feast day. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, being invoked against throat illnesses. “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

By Mary Rose, Catholic Vote – A retired University of Notre Dame priest and historian has called the university’s appointment of a pro-abortion advocate to lead a campus institute “untenable,” disputing the advocate’s recent pledge to uphold academic freedom and mutual respect… Father Wilson Miscamble, a Holy Cross priest and professor emeritus of history, made the remarks in a letter published Jan. 30 in The Observer, Notre Dame’s student newspaper. His response came after Susan Ostermann, an associate professor of global affairs, defended her appointment as incoming director of the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Liu Institute of Asia and Asian Studies.

By Bridget Sielicki, Live Action News – The Indiana Senate passed a bill last week that would curtail illegal abortion pill distribution in the state by allowing private lawsuits against those who manufacture, prescribe, or distribute the pill… The Indiana Senate passed a bill that would allow civil lawsuits against those who manufacture, prescribe, or distribute the abortion pill… Indiana law protects nearly all preborn children from abortion… The bill aims to stop the flow of illegal abortion pills into the state.

By Edward Pentin, National Catholic  Register – The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) announced Monday that it plans to consecrate new bishops on July 1 even without authorization from the Holy See, a move that would likely lead to automatic excommunication of all the bishops who take part and harden a decades-old split with Rome. … The SSPX, which exclusively celebrates the traditional Latin Mass and maintains doctrinal differences with certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has not consecrated new bishops since 1988 when the Society’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without Rome’s approval. …

By Randall Smith,  The Catholic Thing – If we are devoted to the truth, as our devotion to God demands, then perhaps we should take more care not to settle on any of these false, illusory “half-truths” or pass them on to others in our conversations and social media posts… Did we imagine truth would be easy?  That it would always make us “feel good,” puff us up with pride, and feed our sense of self-righteousness?  What in Christianity could possibly have led us to think that?  The truth in its fullness is more likely, like God, to humble us and cause us to realize how small our minds and hearts have been.

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – Since we spend a quarter to a third of our lives asleep, one would think that Scriptures would help us understand the mystery of sleep. It does. The beatitudes are virtues brought to perfection by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the crown jewel of discipleship. Among them is: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) The peace of sleep becomes a kind of final beatitude, a daily reminder of God’s desire to give us rest from our toil.

By Rachel Bovard, The Federalist – What if I told you Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has the power and the votes — right now — to save Republicans’ congressional majorities, President Trump’s second-term agenda, and maybe the republic itself, all while poleaxing Democrats on the short side of an 84-15 issue?… It sounds like fantasy. But like the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend, 2026 is offering up to the GOP a political weapon almost as powerful as Excalibur itself: an extended Democrat talking filibuster of national voter ID legislation.

By Kevin Cohen, The American Spectator – ICE is not a substitute for local policing or courts. It is the only authority with the mandate to remove non-citizens once state and local processes conclude. In a fragmented system — where police arrest, courts adjudicate, and legislatures set policy-ICE functions as the final integrating mechanism. When that mechanism is resisted or disabled, risk does not disappear. It circulates… Recent events in Minnesota offer a clear illustration of how this dynamic plays out. Over the winter, federal agents expanded targeted enforcement operations in Minneapolis and the surrounding Twin Cities region, prompting protests, political backlash, and public clashes between local officials and federal authorities. The controversy focused largely on optics and tactics. Far less attention was paid to the profiles of those actually being arrested.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Laura Fernández, a staunch pro-life advocate who has described abortion as nothing more than murder, won Costa Rica’s presidential election on Sunday, securing a first-round victory and becoming the Central American nation’s next leader… Fernández, who previously served as planning minister and chief of staff under outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, triumphed in what outlets described as a landslide, capturing 48.3% of the vote with 94% of polling stations counted, surpassing the threshold to avoid a runoff.

By Jennifer Gregory Miller, Catholic Culture – On February 2, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, forty days after Christmas. In the 1962 calendar the feast is called the “Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and commonly referred to as Candlemas. When this feast falls on a Sunday the General Norms of the Liturgical Year and Calendar specifies that Feasts of Our Lord that fall in the General Roman Calendar take precedence over the Sundays in Ordinary Time, so this feast would be celebrated instead of the Sunday in Ordinary Time.

By Adam Johnston, The Federalist – The unrest surrounding immigration enforcement in Minnesota is a flashpoint for a much deeper struggle over U.S. sovereignty… A sovereign nation, by definition, must be able to enforce its laws within its own territory… When federal immigration law is openly resisted, and elected leaders excuse, rationalize, fail to deter, or even encourage violence against those tasked with exercising constitutional authority, both the federal government and the nation lose their fundamental legitimacy.