By Matt Lamb, LifeSiteNews – Bishop Joseph Strickland has apologized for church closures during COVID lockdowns, saying he was “duped.”… Strickland made the comments in response to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Crisis Editor-in-Chief Eric Sammons… “I wish our bishops knew the spiritual blessings that would be unleashed on the Church by a simple and sincere public apology for shutting down public Masses during COVID,” Sammons wrote… “Eric, I offer my apology as you have requested, I was duped by the media hype and should have been stronger” (responded Bishop Strickland) …

By James Day, National Catholic Register – The first episode of this two-part ‘Saints vs. Scoundrels’ (aired) Sunday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern… One wrote a manifesto called Rules for Radicals. The other wrote titles such as Seven Pillars of Peace, The Divine Romance and Freedom Under God. Both were natives of Illinois. Both shaped generations with their diverging philosophies.

By Robert Marco, Catholic Exchange – Leila Marie Lawler: “I started writing because I saw a need for women experiencing ‘feminism-induced anxiety syndrome’ to get some relief. Feminism is an ideology that can only succeed by means of a great, unrelenting effort to overcome the natural tendency of a woman to wish to be home, to make a home, to be a helpmate to her husband, and to nurture her children… “One of the ways feminism keeps a stranglehold on women—not just their actions but their psyches—is by insisting that managing a home is difficult drudgery …..

By Joy Pullmann, Ex. Dir, The Federalist – A classical charter school that was preserved after Republican-backed candidates took over the local school board just posted the top state test scores in the district. Students at Merit Academy, a 3-year-old K-11 public school that opens its 12th grade in 2025, also posted the best scores among the four districts that families in the Woodland Park exurb of Colorado Springs can choose from under open enrollment. …

By Joseph Pronechen, National Catholic Register – “My wife came to Fatima and took away some earth to make an infusion to wash my wound with. I did not want her to do this because the wound needed cleanliness and the mud would certainly make it worse. But my wife, who had great faith, said that many people had been cured with the earth, and although I had no faith at all in God nor any religion, she insisted so much, that at last I let her have her way. Every day for nine days she washed the wound with that mud and each day it healed a little more, until at the end of the novena it was perfectly cured. I burst into tears, took off the bandages and came here on foot although I couldn’t move before!”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 6:12-19 – In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot ….

By Dina Fathi, Catholic Exchange – And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. (Luke 1:47)… Let us reflect in this second article of the Magnificat series on the words “My Savior”—on how the Blessed Virgin Mary is saved by Jesus, Her Son… And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)… When the angel Gabriel announces to the Blessed Virgin Mary that She is to be the Mother of God, and She says, “may it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), the Word, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity becomes incarnate in Her womb. This event, the Incarnation, is the greatest event of all time. God becomes man. ..

By John Zmirak, The Stream – Given the spread of violence across America, and the unfortunate politicization of these events, I’ve written a statement that virtually any Protestant or Catholic pastor could release, or deliver from the pulpit, in the wake of the next outrageous attack on innocent life using guns. As a public service to Christians in America, I’ve written it to avoid a dehumanizing and amoral fixation on public policy proposals that usually follow these tragedies, and I’ve refrained from recommending government as the messianic force to which we look when faced by radical evil. …

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Over the weekend, social media was abuzz with news about a new major poll that show Donald Trump ahead of pro-abortion radical Kamala Harris… For the first time in weeks, former President Donald Trump pulled ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in one of the most-watched national polls — raising the prospect that her momentum has fizzled out just ahead of their debate… Trump edged out Harris 48% to 47% among likely voters nationally ….

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – If there’s one thing most Americans can agree on, it’s that the government isn’t efficient and wastes taxpayer dollars. It’s a seemingly intractable and constitutionally detrimental problem. The government spends like there’s no tomorrow and continues to feed the beast that is our country’s $35 trillion-and-counting national debt. There are also a plethora of departments dedicated to producing regulations and barriers. …

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – A remarkable drama is unfolding in the United Kingdom over an issue of utmost urgency: the question of whether doctors should be able to prescribe powerful “puberty blocker” drugs to children suffering from gender dysphoria… According to news reports, the British Medical Association, the largest professional organization of doctors in the UK, is in an uproar. Numerous doctors have reportedly quit the union after its governing council voted to reject a government report calling for a ban on prescribing puberty blockers to children and teens.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – The Gospels do not simply tell us stories of people who lived thousands of years ago; they tell us our story, and this Sunday’s Gospel is no different. We encounter a deaf man with a speech impediment living in a pagan land; this man represents each of us. If you are prepared to accept it, you are also Jesus, for His story and His work are largely yours as well… Let’s look at today’s Gospel, remembering that it is our story.

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – In sum, there really is no President Biden or Vice President Harris. The former is non compos mentis and failing ever more rapidly. The latter has no clue who she is or what she should do. … The cabal that engineered their respective exits and entrances cares more about retaining power than using it for American interests… So, we are in perilous times… All of our enemies and even former neutrals are coming out of the woodwork.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 6:6-11 – On another Sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” …

By Stephen Kokx, LifeSiteNew – Arizona is one of 11 U.S. states with abortion measures on the ballot in November… The Catholic bishops of Arizona have come out in “strong opposition” to a ballot proposal they say will permit “virtually unrestricted abortion” in the state if approved… In a press release issued August 30, the bishops of the state’s three dioceses condemned Proposition 139, which has been spearheaded by the pro-abortion coalition “Arizona for Abortion Access.”