By S.A. McCarthy, The American Spectator – The USCCB speaks eloquently about migrants’ dignity but too seldom about the safety and dignity of Americans… First of all, as the name suggests, TPS is not exactly the same thing as legal status, properly understood. Instead, TPS is intended to be temporary, which is exactly what the Supreme Court and the Trump administration agreed on. Second of all, returning to Haiti is in no way an unsafe or unreasonable option for Haitian nationals.
The Editors, National Catholic Register – A pair of fevers swept across America a half-century ago. The first was disco, the irrepressible craze that got Americans of all ages into polyester pants and out on the dance floor. The second was the U.S. bicentennial, which triggered a surge of patriotism the nation wouldn’t experience again for another 25 years, following the 9/11 terror attacks.
By Fr. Paul D. Scalia, The Catholic Thing – What is a thing worth? In economics, it’s relative. Prices fluctuate. Markets rise and fall. A thing is worth what someone’s willing to pay for it. Back in the 1980s, my LPs were worth a lot. With the arrival of CDs, they were worth almost nothing. Then, when vinyl became cool again, they had new worth… The problem is that we apply the same economic, relativistic thinking to other areas. We fail to recognize the intrinsic worth of anything. Thus, our leaders don’t treat their offices as worthy of respect. Instead of yielding to an office, they twist it for their own purposes.
NEWS
Dead Fathers, by John M. Grondelski
By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – A father is not just a sperm manufacturer; his body is not just a factory. Fatherhood is a bond of persons, a communion to which both persons—father and child—have a right. The consequences that follow from paternity without the presence of the father are an injustice, whether they stem from parental abandonment or making a child from a corpse.
Climate Researcher Judith Curry Says the Era of ‘Climate Stupidity’ Is Done and Declares Victory, by Kevin Killoug
By Kevin Killough, Just the News – As media outlets shut down their climate desks, corporations retreat from climate targets, and polls of voters show they rate climate change lowest on their priorities, critics of the “climate crisis” narrative are saying it may be time to move on… American climatologist Dr. Judith Curry on Tuesday announced that she would no longer maintain her influential blog, “Climate Etc.”… “It’s time to declare victory against climate stupidity and move on,” said in her final post.
Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky: Opinion: Visualize Christian Subsidiarity
By Father Jerry J. Pokorsky, Catholic World Report – “Visualize World Peace.” It’s a noble sentiment, but Original Sin often gets in the way of our imaginings… Rather, let’s imagine political parties that seek healthy bipartisanship serving the common good. But the troubles in the Middle East, culminating in the War in Iran, have shattered the traditional political divide of the United States, and events promise to redefine the political/religious spectrum.
The United States Was a Miracle, by Bruce Fein
By Bruce Fein, The American Conservative – The American Declaration of Independence was thus a miracle. The 56 signatories celebrated freedom. They signed their death warrants to secure unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness secured by government by the consent of the governed. They denounced taxation without representation. They proclaimed a duty to overthrow tyrannical governments to “institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Forgotten Customs of Saints Peter and Paul, by Matthew Plese
By Matthew Plese, OnePeterFive – Ss. Peter and Paul Are Always Mentioned Together – Ss. Peter and Paul is an interesting feastday as it honors both St. Peter and St. Paul. Interestingly, in the Church’s rubrics, any collect of St. Paul is always followed by one for St. Peter, and vice versa. This custom extends back to the Middle Ages. The Rubrics for the Roman Breviary and Mass, published in 1960, state the following as rubric #110 ….
Jesus, I Trust in You: Five Simple but Powerful Words, by Vic and Judy Sower
By Vic and Judy Sower, Catholic Exchange – (My) confessor assigned me the penance of finding and praying the Litany of Trust, and within a few minutes of arriving home, I found it on The Sisters of Life website… When I prayed the Litany for the first time that evening, two verses spoke to me: “That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me.” Jesus, I trust in You. The next verse was “That Your plan is better than anything else.”
Leo’s Second Consistory Reinforced Synodal Church’s Mission to Serve Man Instead of Christ, by Riaan Van Zyl
By Riaan Van Zyl, Integrity Magazine – The gathering furthered the false Gospel of anthropocentrism while declaring total war on doctrinal stability… The consistory overhelmingly proved that the anthropocentric orientation of the religion of the Second Vatican Council has now reached its most developed expression in synodality and confirmed it is the central organizing principle of Leo’s reign… Leo XIV repeatedly defended the concept against critics who regard it as incompatible with traditional understandings of authority and hierarchy. Addressing the cardinals, he insisted that synodality is not opposed to authority but instead reveals its authentic nature through “listening, participation, and shared responsibility.”
Texas Board Approves Bible Passages as Required Reading for Public Schools, by Mary Rose
By Mary Rose, Zeale News – The Texas State Board of Education voted June 26 to require public school students to read Bible stories as part of a statewide reading list, making Texas one of the first states to require biblical texts as part of its English language arts curriculum… The Republican-controlled board voted 9-5 with one member absent to adopt the reading lists, which were required under a 2023 state law directing the board to specify required vocabulary and at least one literary work for each grade level.
Democrats’ Communist Revolution Will Destroy America If The Right Doesn’t Take It Seriously, by Helen Raleigh
By Helen Raleigh, The Federalist – Backed by New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani and far-left organizations, multiple Democratic Socialists of America candidates scored major victories in this week’s Democratic primaries in NY City. … The most striking upset came in New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan and the Bronx, where 32-year-old Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. ..
Opinion: The U.S. Bishops Missed an Opportunity With Changes to the “Dallas Charter”, by Michael J. Mazza
By Michael J. Mazza, Catholic World Report – The Church in the States has a long way to go before it recovers “the trust of our people”—and the document from the recent USCCB gathering will likely not help in solving those difficulties… Leaders cannot ignore the demands of justice and expect their people to follow (or to donate, for that matter). Neither can they paper over profound violations of the natural law and expect God to hear their prayers. The Lord is certainly merciful, but he is also just—and he cannot be fooled. …
American Apostasy at 250, by Thomas Farr
By Thomas F. Farr, The Public Discourse – Evidence that the consensus is dying lies in plain sight. Recent Democratic administrations have openly, proudly abandoned the transcendent truths claimed in the Declaration, embracing instead radical human autonomy as America’s guiding vision. By so doing they are undercutting the moral ground on which America was established and on which it has flourished. Their flight from our founding principles constitutes an American apostasy, a treacherous betrayal of what has made our nation great. ….
Beach Reading for America’s 250th, by Peter Wolfgang
By Peter Wolfgang, Catholic Culture – What books do you take on vacation? Usually I pack something light for the beach. But this year my vacation ends on the Fourth of July, and this is no ordinary Independence Day. America250 marks the nation’s biggest anniversary in half a century, so I decided to bring Robert R. Reilly’s America on Trial: A Defense of the Founding. It is not light reading. But it may be essential reading. …
America 250 Years Later: A Conversation With Prof. Robert George, by Zelda Caldwell
By Zelda Caldwell, National Catholic Register – As we mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, how do you think the American experiment is going?… Answer: Professor Robert George: “Experiment” is the right word. Our founders knew that the constitutional republic they proposed to establish would be an experiment — and that experiments can fail. Indeed, over the course of history, attempt after attempt to establish systems of self-government had failed. And when republics failed, they often collapsed into the worst forms of tyranny. …
The Missed Opportunity of the Semiquincentennial Minute, by Greg Maresca
By Greg Maresca, The American Spectator – As America marches toward its 250th birthday, a revival of CBS’s Bicentennial Minutes, the nightly Emmy-winning feature that aired from July 4, 1974, through December 31, 1976, would have been a scheduling coup on any and all media platforms… For those old enough to recall, the Bicentennial Minutes was a one-minute historical vignette featured at the end of CBS’s primetime programming during the run-up to America’s 200th birthday. …
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland: The SSPX: A Love Story
By Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop Emeritus, Pillars of Faith – In moments of great tension within the Church, we must remember that every judgment made must ultimately serve the salvation of souls. Truth can never be separated from charity, nor charity from truth… As discussions continue regarding the Society of St. Pius X, I believe we must ask a question that reaches deeper than canonical arguments or historical disputes. What has moved these priests and faithful throughout the past fifty years?… To understand the Society, we must remember its beginnings.
Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations: Say the Word and My Servant Will Be Healed
Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Matthew 8:5-17 – 5 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,’ and he goes, and to another, `Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,’ and he does it.” …
Founder’s Quote
Patriot Post – “Never suppose that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing, however slightly so it may appear to you.” —Thomas Jefferson (1785)
Not Just Another Martyr, by Garrett D. Johnson
By Garrett D. Johnson, Crisis Magazine – St. Charles Lwanga and his companions, whose feast day is June 3rd, are red martyrs. They are patron saints of those served by the Courage apostolate, who are called to white martyrdom by striving to live according to the Church’s teachings regarding same-sex attraction… The inspiration we need to live out white martyrdom comes, in part, from bishops, priests, and deacons speaking clearly about the specific reasons for St. Charles and his companions’ martyrdom ….
