News

By Matthew A. Tsakanikas, Crisis Magazine – At the request of Pope Francis, the head of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life announced that he was working on a document for the divorced who are living in attempted new marriages. On April 22, Cardinal Farrell promised the text would be for those “having a failed marriage behind them, and living in new unions.”.. A marriage “behind them”? …

By Sarah Merly, MRC TV – Florida’s Moms for Liberty (MFL) stands among the newly–and wrongly–defamed groups (by SPLC). The MFL website states that the organization “is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”… “I think that Moms for Liberty tactics are definitely hateful,” said SPLC research analyst Maya Henson-Carey. “I think their overarching theme of calling for the abolition of the Dept. of Ed., attacking public schools specifically, and attacking public teachers for indoctrinating students with the radical Marxist agenda.

By Jack Devine, Patriot Post – Watch out for the “T” in LGBTQ, which is causing an awful lot of trouble… Transgenderism is madness, at every level: 1.) It’s false. The entire transgender premise — the notion that one’s gender is a matter of personal choice and not biology — is fiction. Redefining the term “gender” as a state of mind rather than an unalterable physical characteristic does not alter the reality that our human species is sexually binary; that male is male, and female is female …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 12:28-34 – And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ …

By Thomas J. Paprocki, First Things – The Catholic Church teaches that pride is the deadliest of the deadly sins, so it is something to be avoided, along with lust, not celebrated… Humility and chastity: These would be more fitting themes to promote during this month of June.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – A common question arising around the time of Trinity Sunday is rooted in this passage from John’s Gospel: If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I (Jn 14:28)… This is somewhat puzzling because we are taught that each Divine Person of the Blessed Trinity fully possesses the nature of God and is equally to be adored and glorified. What, then, did Jesus mean when He said, “the Father is greater than I”? …

By Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV, Catholic Exchange – I have had the great privilege of offering Mass several times in the many convents of the Missionaries of Charity sisters. So, I am used to seeing these words in a prominent place in the sacristy where priests prepare for Holy Mass: “Priest of Jesus Christ, celebrate this Holy Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass… There is a double invitation in these words to all the faithful, particularly to the priest, if we are going to experience the powerful transforming power of each Mass. 

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – Republicans on the House Oversight and Admin. Comms held a joint hearing on Wednesday highlighting foreign interference in Washington, D.C.’s elections… “… This isn’t about who wins or loses elections, but rather ensuring voters have confidence in our elections,” said House Admin Chair and Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis… Steil emphasized numerous problems threatening the integrity of D.C. elections, including the district’s allowance of voters to cast a ballot without an ID and ballot harvesting. Among the most notable issues raised, however, is the city’s recent decision permitting non-citizens to vote in local elections.

By Betsy McCaughey, The Stream – MS-13 gang members commit savage crimes — beheading their targets with machetes, hacking off their hands, burning them to death, dismembering them… Demonic acts. If you think these crimes won’t happen where you live, keep reading… Shepherding Terror Into Our Neighborhoods… The gang’s rule is “kill, rape, control.” Members are required to kill. MS-13 brings terror to neighborhoods and even schoolyards.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – Why are the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group whose stock-in-trade is provoking the outrage of Catholics? Is it because these days nobody is worried about Catholic outrage?… The Dodgers .. deserve special notice, because they had originally withdrawn their invitation to the SPI, after an initial burst of protest from Catholics, and then they renewed it.

By Louis Knuffke, LifeSiteNews – Bishop Joseph Stickland of Tyler, Texas, called out dissident pro-LGBT Jesuit Fr. James Martin for blasphemously claiming that celebrating Pride Month is compatible with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to whom the month of June is traditionally dedicated in Catholic devotion… “This blasphemy must stop, God loves every person even the most sinful, but saying sinful acts are compatible with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ contradicts Christ’s call to go & sin no more…”

By Joshua Madden, Crisis Magazine – Two months ago, in April, His Excellency Bishop John Stowe, O.F.M. Conv., delivered an address at Loyola University addressing, among other things, the Synod on Synodality, the Eucharistic Revival, and a few chosen keys to the program being implemented by Pope Francis in the Church today. An edited version was published just recently at Commonweal under the title “Pope Francis’s Vision for the Church: Seeking a Church in Service to the World.”

Franciscan Media – A disputed election as archbishop of York and a mysterious death. Those are the headlines from the tragic life of today’s saint… Born into a powerful family in 12th-century England, William seemed destined for great things. His uncle was next in line for the English throne…

By Dave Andrusko, LifeNews – (Dr. Patti Giebink) writes… As a former abortionist and having over 30 years of experience delivering babies, I can tell you Huber got this piece all wrong. It is more opinion than reporting. Publications like The New York Times, Washington Post, and Harvard Gazette tout the myth that mothers are no longer protected in a post-Roe world and that states’ trigger laws will not allow doctors to help women with ectopic pregnancies and other life-threatening conditions. This is a blatant lie. ….

By Dom Prosper Guéranger, Posted on LifeSiteNews – We have not, as yet, reached the Feast of the divine Memorial; not until the morrow, shall we have it in all its splendor. But, this evening, at first Vespers, the Church will begin her acclamations to the Eternal Priest; and, although the Sovereign Pontiffs have not ordained that a Vigil, properly so called, shall precede the Feast of Corpus Christi, yet have they granted indulgences (Two hundred days, for the fast, or for any other good work substituted for the same, at the discretion of the Confessor.) to a voluntary fast practiced on this its eve. Let us now resume the history of the Church’s worship of the great mystery.

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano – Whoever loves, loves without expecting anything in return. The one who loves is happy that the Good he enjoys can be shared by the beloved. Whoever loves does not have half measures: he loves totally, without reservation. Whoever loves desires the good of the beloved and thus knows how to say no. This is true to the highest degree when Love is divine, when the Love of the Father for the Son and of the Son for the Father is so perfect and infinite as to be the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit Paraclete.

By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing – How precisely might someone go about showing that he had authority, mastery, and power over substances?   Bear with me: this is an important question… It’s a curious fact about the human imagination that we are slow to extend miraculous power indefinitely.  Someone who, for instance, had the power to cure a leper instantaneously, logically also has the power to restore sight to the blind, instantaneously. 

By Peter Pinedo, Catholic News Agency – Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, filed new theft and defamation charges Friday against Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth… The nuns’ new charges were filed in a district court for Tarrant County, Texas, the day after Olson dismissed the monastery’s prioress, Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, from religious life on the grounds that she had a sexual affair with an unnamed priest.

By Joel B. Pollak, Breitbart – Roma, whose real name is Michael Williams, is a man who dresses in drag as a Catholic nun. The group mocks Catholic beliefs as part of a performance repertoire expressing support for alternative sexual identities… As Breitbart News has reported, the Dodgers invited Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to the team’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride night on June 16, then uninvited them when Catholic groups complained, and re-invited them when activists in the gay community complained.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 12:18-27 – And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children …

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews – Recently released transcripts from a 2019 Vatican conference have highlighted the Vatican’s and Pope Francis’ personal commitment to use religions as a “solid foundation” for the U.N.’s pro-contraception Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The transcripts come as the Vatican is also issuing a fresh push to make the good of the family part of the same pro-abortion SDGs… “The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, approved by more than 190 nations in September 2015, were a great step forward for global dialogue, marking a vitally ‘new and universal solidarity’ (Laudato Si’, 14).”

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – Rectenwald called “pandemic passports” a “death sentence for millions.” He told The Defender: “Despite the studies demonstrating that vaccines to curb pandemics have been deadly and useless, the WHO is doubling down on vaccine mandates… “Pandemic passports equal a death sentence for millions and the abrogation of rights for the non-compliant. The WHO should be stopped before it completes the construction of a global totalitarian system.”

By OSV NEWS – Pope Francis has named U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, to be the next president of the supreme court of Vatican City State… The Vatican announced June 2 that Cardinal Farrell, 75, would become president of the Court of Cassation, as the Vatican’s highest civil court is known, beginning Jan. 1. The position is not a fulltime role.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – In late April, I wrote about the nervousness Moses experienced in accepting God’s appointment as the one to lead the Jews out of Egypt to the Promised Land… On that occasion I pointed out that God punished Moses for choosing his own way to bring water from the rock, the punishment being that Moses would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land after spending forty years guiding his people toward that goal. This is recorded in Numbers 20:10-13—which, by the way, is one of the Mosaic books.

By Kay Smythe, LifeNews – Two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, Harrison Butker, trolled the heck out of President Joe Biden at a White House event Monday… Images shared on Twitter show Butker with a huge, handsome smile on his face as he stands just behind Biden with his teammates… Stitched onto Butker’s tie are the Latin words “Vulnerari Praesidio,” which he probably meant to mean, “For the protection of the vulnerable” …

By Patti Maguire Armstrong, EWTN News – Msgr. John Esseff was silent a moment after I said they were being honored for doing good work in the community… “I seriously doubt that they do good work,” he said. “It’s disgusting but also a cause for sympathy. People who take the time to ridicule and make fun of and to blaspheme — or whatever they think they are doing — are really in some sense recognizing the genuine, the true and the real.

By Msgr. Charles Pope, EWTN News – There are many errors in our time that masquerade as wisdom and balance, but they are no such thing… The following list that I compile is more phenomenological than philosophical… 1. Mercy without reference to repentance – For too many today, “mercy” has come to mean, “God is fine with what I am doing.” But true mercy does not overlook sin, it presupposes it, sees it as a serious problem, and offers a way out of sin. God’s mercy is his way of extending a hand to draw us out of the mire of sin.

By Auguste Meyrat, Crisis Magazine – By strange coincidence, it also seems to respond to the recent stunt of the Los Angeles Dodgers who invited, uninvited, and then reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of drag queens masquerading as nuns. As one person on Twitter pointed out, “isn’t it incredible that almost at the exact same time that the LA Dodgers announced they would host the crossdressing ‘sisters of perpetual indulgence,’ a group of freaks who mock and dress as nuns, that God would have the body of an incorrupt nun be unearthed?”

Franciscan Media – Called to fight for his country as a Nazi solider, Franz eventually refused, and this husband and father of three daughters—Rosalie, Marie and Aloisia—was executed because of it… Born in St. Radegund in Upper Austria, Franz lost his father during World War I and was adopted after Heinrich Jaegerstaetter married Rosalia Huber. …

By Fr. John A. Perricone, Ph.D., Crisis Magazine – Pentecostal fire still burns brightly in San Francisco… It blazes from the episcopal throne of Archbishop Cordileone, most recently in his exceptional editorial in the Wall Street Journal. He trumpets a sanguine defense of the Church, so unusual for his kind. But it is not the first time he has broken ranks with the greater number of his episcopal confreres (the Pelosi affair comes to mind).

By Andreas Wailzer, LifeSiteNews – The WHO and the European Union announced their collaboration on global digital vaccine passports… “In June 2023, WHO will take up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help facilitate global mobility and protect citizens across the world from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics…” … “This is the first building block of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) that will develop a wide range of digital products to deliver better health for all.”

By St Josemaria Escriva, Beauty So Ancient – In his book, The Way, Furrow, The Forge, St Josemaria Escriva lists 17 signs of a lack of humility… If we’re honest, these 17 signs of a lack of humility are not unfamiliar to us at all because we all exhibit some of them… If you want to fight a flaw, it’s good to know what they are.

By Paul Brock III, Church Militant – The Univ. of Notre Dame is, once again, publicly celebrating a sin that cries out to Heaven for vengeance. On June 1, Notre Dame, a self-described Catholic college, endorsed so-called Pride Month… On June 1, the university announced its support for the observance on its official Twitter and Instagram accounts, stating, “Happy #PrideMonth! We celebrate all LGBTQ+ identities and reaffirm our commitment to being a welcoming, safe and supportive place for ALL members of the Notre Dame family.”

By Ken Meekins, MRCTV – Pride Month has begun and many corporations seem to be learning the “Bud Light Lesson” after scaling back some of their celebration of “pride.”… Major League Baseball (MLB) and the U.S. Navy both quietly removed the pride logos from their profiles after the first day of pride month… The MLB updated its official Facebook profile photo on June 1 with a pride flag behind their logo writing, “celebrating community, pride, and love of baseball.” However, just one day later, they switched back to their normal logo.

By Francis X. Maier, The Catholic Thing – The strip of Pennsylvania that meanders along the Delaware River is soaked in American history. Quakers founded our borough of Yardley in 1682. Washington crossed the Delaware just five miles north of our home. Trenton, where the Hessians had such a bad morning after Christmas in 1776, and not just from hangovers, is a 10-minute ride from our driveway. …

By Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik, Catholic Exchange – Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as we now know it, began about the year 1672. On repeated occasions Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, a Visitation nun in France, and during these apparitions He explained to her the devotion to His Sacred Heart as He wanted people to practice it. He asked to be honored in the figure or symbol of His Heart of flesh; He asked for acts of reparation, for frequent Communion, Communion on the first Friday of the month, and the keeping of the Holy Hour.

By Jeff Gardner, The Stream – Lately, stories have been making the rounds featuring angry parents confronting school boards over explicit, sexual material in schools. The material flagged by these parents is often so graphic that school board members refuse to look at it or hear it read aloud… While we should be concerned about the “worst of the worst” of sexualizing material in our schools, a significant body of data indicates that any sex education in school does more harm than good to our children.

By Matt Lamb, LifeSiteNews – “Happy #PrideMonth! We celebrate all LGBTQ+ identities and reaffirm our commitment to being a welcoming, safe and supportive place for ALL members of the Notre Dame family,” the official account of the university tweeted on June 1. “We see you. We’re glad you’re here. You are an important member of our community.”… The support for homosexuality and transgenderism is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

By Simon Hankinson, Daily Signal – I finally can add the title of Senior “Far-Right” Fellow to my resume… Of course, that last part is a joke. So is “The Pyramid of Far-Right Radicalization,” a diagram displayed by college professor… at the University of Dayton in 2021… In the diagram, bedrock conservative institutions including The Heritage Foundation and the Republican Party form the pyramid’s base. (Heritage is The Daily Signal’s parent organization.) Some obscure, far-right organizations, represented by their logos, occupy the top of the pyramid.

By Peter Pinedo, CNA – Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, filed new theft and defamation charges Friday against Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth… The nuns’ new charges were filed in a district court for Tarrant County, Texas, the day after Olson dismissed the monastery’s prioress, Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, from religious life on the grounds that she had a sexual affair with an unnamed priest.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – “What I can speak to, what the president has said, which is that he will continue to call on Congress to restore Roe v. Wade. And so if you know the particulars of Roe v. Wade, you’ll see where the president stands.”… Roe v. Wade allowed abortions up to birth for virtually any reason unless states specifically passed laws protecting babies from late-term abortions. …

By Solène Tadié, EWTN News – In his famous 1884 encyclical Humanum Genus, which denounced the moral and philosophical relativism of Freemasonry, Pope Leo XIII accused it of “publicly and openly planning the destruction of the holy Church,” “with the set purpose of utterly despoiling the nations of Christendom, if it were possible, of the blessings obtained for us through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

By Jean Mondoro, LifeSiteNews – After a chaotic day and a half of suppression and free speech victories, the groundbreaking What Is a Woman? documentary has reached over 165 million views (Sunday 7 p.m.) on Twitter. Numbers will continue to rise as the Daily Wire has left the film free to view on the platform over the weekend… Matt Walsh.. shared on Saturday morning that in addition to 110 million views, the movie had “120 thousand retweets,” figures he described as “incredible.”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 12:1-12 – And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. …

By Joseph D’Hippolito, The Stream – Your Excellency: As the archbishop of Los Angeles, you have an unmatched opportunity to repel the growing influence of “woke” madness in your community… You know of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision to re-invite the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to the team’s Pride Night on June 16. It’s a decision The Stream covered. The “sisters,” as you well know, are a group of homosexual and transgender men who dress as nuns and wear heavy clown makeup in a campy, burlesque version of anti-Catholic blackface. …

By AC Wimmer, Catholic News Agency – According to a German newspaper report, Pope Francis ordered Archbishop Georg Gänswein to leave the Vatican and return to Germany by the end of June… The longtime private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI has been told to return to his home diocese of Freiburg in southwest Germany but has not been given any role or assignment, the Welt newspaper reported on Friday.

By Bridget McCartney Nohara, EWTN News – As a lifelong lover of home design and the essence of “home” itself, stumbling upon “Feels Like Home” by Lauren Liess a few weeks ago at my local library simply made sense… Taking the book from the shelf, I quickly lost myself in the tranquil image on the cover… I flipped through a few pages, discerning if it was worth checking out… much to my surprise, I spotted the Blessed Mother prominently, albeit humbly, on a living room mantle. This was unusual for a secular home-design book.

By Craig Bannister, CNSNews – Across the board, majorities of American adults reject gender ideology, when it comes to the number of genders, school indoctrination without parental consent, and transgender surgery and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for minors, a new Rasmussen survey reveals… Self-identified Democrats are the least likely to oppose gender ideology, according to the survey of 1,116 U.S. adults, conducted May 24-25, 2023. ..

By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine – As Pride Month kicks off, the pressing concern of faithful Catholics is the political aspects of LGBTQ+ activism, and understandably so. After all, the Alphabet Mafia is explicitly advocating the corruption and even mutilation of children, as well as the crushing of freedom in our land—you MUST wear the Rainbow! The honoring of the blasphemous anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is just a symptom of the diabolical disease that has infected our culture.

By Evita Duffy-Alfonso, The Federalist – A now-viral clip of a 1957 interview between Margaret Sanger and Mike Wallace is exposing the depravity of Planned Parenthood’s founder… “Do you believe in sin?” asked Wallace… Sanger responds.. “Delinquents, prisoners, all sorts of things just marked when they’re born. That, to me, is the greatest sin that people can commit.”

By John Zmirak, The Stream – The Kings of Comedy.. For that kind of perverse humor you need to turn to our Catholic bishops. As I’ve noted before, the USCCB issues more than 200 policy statements every year — most of them on subjects like “climate change” and immigration policy where they have exactly zero expertise, and Catholic morality offers no clear-cut answers… Rarely do these supposed pastors speak about issues specifically Catholic or even Christian. Instead, they moralize and pontificate on public policy. …

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – When Martin Luther King, Jr. called for emphasizing the “content of our character” over “the color of our skin,” the subtext was “stop judging people as a faceless collective on the basis of their superficial appearance…” It is tragic that King’s plea for an integrated, assimilated society, in which race became incidental, not essential to our personas, has mostly been abandoned by the Left in favor of racial stereotyping, collective guilting, and scapegoating by race and gender.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – There is an old spiritual that says, “My God is so high you can’t get over Him. He’s so low you can’t get under Him. He’s so wide you can’t get around Him. You must come in, by and through the Lamb.”… It’s not a bad way of saying that God is “other.” He is beyond what human words can describe, beyond what human thoughts can conjure. On the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity we do well to remember that we are pondering a mystery that cannot fit in our minds.

By LifeSiteNews staff – On this week’s episode of the Bishop Strickland Show, Bishop Joseph Strickland exhorts his listeners to fearlessly defend truth in the face of woke ideology, reminding Catholics it is not just a winning strategy, but a moral obligation… His Excellency began the show with a brief exposition of the Catholic faith, holding that the faithful should “be anchored” on the truths handed down from Christ and the Apostles in the Deposit of Faith.

By Thaddeus G. McCotter, American Greatness – ..the findings of a study titled, “Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment”… The study published in Current Psychology suggests that left-wing extremism is associated with toxic, psychopathic tendencies and narcissism [and] found a link between higher levels of left-wing authoritarianism and higher levels of narcissism. …

Associated Press – Cardinal Mauro Gambetti performed a special rite several days after a naked man hopped on the main altar at St. Peter’s, the words “Save children of Ukraina” written on his back. The Polish man had entered the basilica on Thursday at closing time, undressed, and jumped up on the marble altar. Italian police issued an expulsion order requiring the man to leave Italy.

Franciscan Media – Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome.

By Wesley Smith, LifeNews – The vaunted international community is determined to impose extremely politically progressive policies on the entire world. Alas, this even includes injecting woke policies into the laudable attempt to draft an “International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.”… An end to racism is earnestly to be desired, of course. All people are inherent equals who should be judged on the content of their character.

By Gayle Somers, Catholic Exchange – Today’s Gospel is different from any we have seen during the long seasons of Lent and Easter.  On Sunday after Sunday, the Gospels have reported actions of Jesus.  They have been passages full of conversations and events that moved His story along, culminating in His Ascension into Heaven and His promise to send the Holy Spirit.  Today, however, St. John gives us a kind of summary of this.  It is simple, but what a sweep it has!  Read the first verse carefully so as not to miss its impact through familiarity:  “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

By Anthony Esolen, The Catholic Thing – Ever quick to embarrass faithful Catholics who do the hard and thankless work of attempting to reintroduce sanity to a society gone mad with sexual sin, and rendered lonely and embittered amidst the madness, Sister Jeannine Gramick – co-founder of the heretical New Ways Ministry, probably the most notorious pro-LGBT+ group that claims to be Catholic – has written a letter to the management of the Los Angeles Dodgers, praising them for honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the club’s forthcoming “Pride Night.”

By Craig Bannister, MRC TV – Across the board, majorities of American adults reject gender ideology, when it comes to the number of genders, school indoctrination without parental consent, and transgender surgery and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for minors, a new Rasmussen survey reveals… Self-identified Democrats are the least likely to oppose gender ideology, according to the survey of 1,116 U.S. adults, conducted May 24-25, 2023.

By George Angelich, The Wanderer – Liberal ideology does not recognize the naturally lived common good needed for the welfare of the community as founded on the nature of a human person dependent on a transcendent God who is Truth and Goodness and who is the source and the purpose for the common good. Human beings are not private individuals seeking their own private welfare as opposed to the family of other human beings …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 11:27-33 – And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. …

If we can now say definitively that the Castro regime did not bring a socialist utopia to Cuba—and we can—what should we say about the whirlwind that hit the Catholic Church at roughly the same time? And the sexual revolution, proclaimed just a few years after that? The Batista government that Castro overthrew was corrupt and authoritarian; but are the Cuban people better off today? The life of the Church may have been dulled by routine in the 1950s, but have we seen the “new spring” that was so confidently promised after Vatican II?

By Jean Mondoro, LifeSiteNews – Twitter executives hid the film from the feeds of Daily Wire followers and removed the ability to simply re-tweet posts in which the movie was embedded. Musk responded to the situation amid the chaos, posting that the move to suppress “What Is A Woman?” was “a mistake.”… all restrictions were lifted, and the documentary was allowed to be shared freely on the platform… Musk.. went a step further by actively promoting the movie on his Twitter profile, an act that Catholic podcast host and documentary creator Matt Walsh celebrated as “a huge win.”

By Timothy Furnish, The Stream – Last week, conservative commentator Steve Deace’s Twitter feed was discussing which The Lord of the Rings character fit Donald Trump. This reminded me I’d done such an analysis of the 2012 Presidential candidates. Thus why not for those of 2024? After all, Tolkien’s writings can and have been applied to geopolitics. And writers, both Left and Right, have been typecasting politicians as Shakespeare characters for years. …

Franciscan Media – One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages, aged 13 to 30, from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands. ..

By Sean Fitzpatrick, Crisis Magazine – Catholics should take a stand, therefore—a vocal yet charitable stand—against the Rainbow Flag. Lodge well-worded complaints. Write petitions. Change your shopping habits, even if just for the month of June. Pray in public. Conscientiously object. Adopt slogans of peaceful defiance. We have the numbers, and we should act in that confidence even if we don’t perceive our army…

By Father Jeffrey Kirby, EWTN News – This month, we honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. We are told by our society, however, that this month is about pride. It’s not a reference to the chief of the seven deadly sins, but rather to the aggressive promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer ways of life. The LGBTQ+ movement has claimed June for itself, as it claims that “love is love.”… It is no small irony that the month claimed by this movement, and its incomplete and loose definition of love, is the very month in which we pause and honor the divine love of the Lord Jesus for every man and woman.

By Francisco Zuniga, Crisis Magazine – Parents can use “movie night” with their kids to teach valuable lessons on how to live as Catholics… Friday night is movie night for my wife, my five daughters, and me. We select a film, bake a pizza, and sit around the dinner table to enjoy some time together after a long week of work and school… A few weeks ago, we were watching the second half of The Sound of Music. Since it is such a long film, we had decided to dedicate two sessions to it.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 11:11-26 – And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ….

By David Warren, The Catholic Thing – That Clericalism is a pejorative I gather. Mostly it is heard from the lips of the most powerful ecclesiastics; the pope, for instance, often mentions it. The word seems to enjoy more repetition than any other sin. What does it mean?… Is it ecclesiolatry? – my first guess. Does the clericalist idolatrously worship the institutional church by which he is employed? Does he attribute her authority to worldly prestige? Is his faith not in God, but in the Church?…

By Peter Breggin MD & Ginger Breggin, America Out Loud – We are all witnesses to a massive crime against humanity on a global scale. Until we face that our national government has been subsumed by globalist predators, I don’t know that we’re going to get very far in receiving apologies (at the least) and actual justice, for this massive crime against all of humanity… There is no single leader or head internationally of the globalist cabal. It is an international net …

By Jarrett Stepman, The Daily Signal – Chick-fil-A Inc. (announces) the hiring of a vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion… Erick McReynolds has been with the company for 16 years in another capacity and has been involved with DEI initiatives since 2021… “Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s commitment to being Better at Together means embedding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in everything we do,” reads the Chick-fil-A page on DEI.

By Margaret Olohan, Daily Signal – The bishop of Pittsburgh is calling for a “Pride Mass” to be canceled, emphasizing that “independent sponsors” promoted the event to coincide with the secular Pride Month… The Mass was scheduled to take place on June 11, at 1 p.m. at Duquesne Holy Spirit Chapel, presided over by a Father Doug Boud (who did not respond to requests for comment). Fliers obtained by The Daily Signal said the event was co-hosted by various groups, including Catholics for Change in Our Church and the LGBTQ Ministry at St. Joseph the Worker.

By Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency – “We are called, like St. Paul, to have courage and to give our life for the Lord in everything that we are given to live, without fearing the cross, but like Jesus, embracing it tenderly, since that cross is the road to eternity, to fullness of God’s glory,” Sarah said… “Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to tend through our lives to an intimate and profound union with the Lord and with one another, to become credible witnesses of the Risen One.”

By Russell Shaw, Catholic Exchange – Shared responsibility—the Synodality Lite of the 1970s you might call it—was all the rage in the heady days right after Vatican Council II. Meetings were held and documents  published promoting the idea, and preliminary steps were taken by setting up pastoral councils of clergy, religious, and laity in dioceses throughout the country… As planners saw it, the capstone of this burgeoning superstructure would be a National  Pastoral Council where bishops, priests, religious, and lay people could hammer out policy for the Church’s socio-political program at the national level.

By Joseph Summers, LifeSiteNews – Bud Light sales are down nearly 30% compared to this time last year, but woke beer brand isn’t backing down on LGBT activism… Bud Light announced this week that it is giving a $200,000 donation to an LGBT activist group while facing an ongoing boycott over its partnership with gender-confused “transgender” activist Dylan Mulvaney.

By Kennedy Hall, Crisis Magazine – In the almost 35 years that have passed since the 1988 episcopal consecrations performed by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer in Écône, Switzerland, the debate surrounding the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has raged on… In this, the 2023rd year of Our Lord, the debate seems to have reached a fever pitch as various Catholic internet personalities have come out swinging in favor of or vehemently against the SSPX.

By Randy Hain, Integrated Catholic – Marriage is in trouble everywhere, especially in our country where over half of marriages end in divorce. Our culture, so influenced by Hollywood and materialism, has set about creating a society which no longer values marriage and the family, but instead favors one which glorifies selfishness, greed and offers false idols for us to worship instead of God. As an author and speaker, I attempt to reach people with Christ-inspired work which will help them lead authentic and integrated Catholic lives.

Franciscan Media – Marcellinus and Peter were prominent enough in the memory of the Church to be included among the saints of the Roman Canon. Mention of their names is optional in our present Eucharistic Prayer I… Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist, that is, someone authorized by the Church to deal with cases of demonic possession.

By Elise Temme, The Federalist – “Look, Mommy! A rainbow flag!”… My 4-year-old daughter excitedly pointed at a suburban front porch as we drove home from a luncheon with friends. I shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat and paused before responding to my precocious preschooler who has a penchant for princesses, unicorns, and rainbows… “Yes, that is,” I replied. “But we don’t support that rainbow flag.” I anticipated her follow-up question: “Why not?”

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – So conservatives often slept through the woke revolution… Yet suddenly they realize their apathy allowed the country to descend into something the nation’s founders never imagined or intended… conservatives are awakening from their slumber. And they are discovering that they too can boycott, agitate—and roar… But the Left does not enjoy majority public support. And now it has managed the impossible—to goad the normally comatose conservative dragon to awaken… And it is just starting to breathe fire.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 10:46-52 – And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” …

By Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – “People are going to feel … so gaslit about all this stuff,” said Robby Soave, host of The Hill’s “Rising,” who commented on the new peer-reviewed study by the Cleveland Clinic… The more doses of COVID-19 vaccines a person receives the higher the risk of getting the virus, according to a peer-reviewed study by the Cleveland Clinic… The researchers stated that the increased risk of COVID-19 associated with higher numbers of vaccine doses was “unexpected.”

By Ashley Sadler, LifeSiteNew – San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone on Friday expressed his gratitude and appreciation for priests who found creative ways to circumvent COVID-19 lockdown orders in order to offer Mass and provide the Holy Eucharist to Catholics during the height of the pandemic response… Cordileone made the remarks during a May 26 ceremony of ordination to the Sacred Priesthood at the North American Martyrs Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing – This month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The love of God made manifest in the crucified Christ has been a focus of devotion and piety since the very beginning of Christianity. But particular devotion to the heart of Christ first appeared in the Middle Ages… Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as we know it today, arose in earnest in 17th-century France through the revelations received by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque with the assistance of her spiritual director, the Jesuit St. Claude de la Colombière.

By Matt Lamb, Assoc. Editor, The College Fix – June represents a “a fundamental contrast between two cities,” Professor C.C. Pecknold wrote on Wednesday in The Postliberal Order. The St. Augustine scholar draws an analogy between June and one of the saint’s famous work titled “The City of God.”… The community formed by the embrace of the alphabet agenda “is vicious and tyrannical” which represents the “city of man.” This is seen in the flying of the rainbow flag outside the U.S. embassy in Vatican City.

By Haika Mrema, MRCTV – As a devout Catholic, I am deeply troubled by the Dodgers’ decision to re-invite and honor the group ‘The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ at their Pride Night this year.[…] To invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion, and the religion of over 4 million people in Los Angeles county alone, undermines the values of respect and inclusivity that should be upheld by any organization. …

By Christopher Jacobs, The Federalist – For all the talk about how conservatives won significant concessions from House Republican leaders during the speakership election in January — and they did — an examination of Section 102 emphasizes how McCarthy used the debt limit agreement to rig the process against conservatives in a way that ensures another omnibus train wreck this December.

By Francesca Pollio Fenton, Catholic News Agency – June is known as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus most simply because the solemnity of the Sacred Heart is celebrated during this month. This year, the solemnity falls on June 16… However, other reasons exist as to why June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart… The feast dates back to 1673, when a French nun who belonged to the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (Visitandines) in eastern France began to receive visions about the Sacred Heart.

By Louis Brown Jr., EWTN News – Living in communion with Jesus Christ and with our fellow Americans is the cure to the throwaway culture of death. We have a moral obligation to give maximum effort to advance the culture of life through civic and political engagement. Yet, it has become blindingly clear that our nation needs revival in Christ before the deeper restoration of our country can begin… Christ is the answer. Through him we find the fullness of hope, healing, love and freedom.

By Regis Martin, Crisis Magazine – Unlike everyone else who witnessed the Holy Father taking a phone call in the middle of a General Audience in St. Peter’s Square the other day, I was not the least bit surprised. And why should I be, since I was the one who made the call?… No sooner had I dialed the number than I was put immediately through to the pope, who seemed quite delighted to hear from me. For about five seconds, that is, no doubt thinking I was the Reverend James Martin, whom I had instructed the switchboard operator at the Vatican to inform the pope was on the other line.

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – Just when you thought there was nothing new under the mortuary sun, the New York Times now reports the latest fad: harvesting tattoos… “Save My Ink Forever” will work with your local undertaker to “recover” a tattoo, which the Ohio firm will then immortalize—usually in a picture frame for your wall—in about three to four months… Where does one start to comment?… The human body, even of a dead person, is a sacramental.

By Franciscan Media – Justin never ended his quest for religious truth even when he converted to Christianity after years of studying various pagan philosophies… As a young man, he was principally attracted to the school of Plato. However, he found that the Christian religion answered the great questions about life and existence better than the philosophers.

Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles – Jesus reveals the devotion to His Sacred Heart in the Gospels. During the Last Supper, St. John the Beloved rested upon the Heart of Jesus (John 13:23). We find in this moment the essence of devotion to the Sacred Heart: to receive Jesus’ Love and to love Him in return. When we go to His Heart, we are filled with Divine Love. It is then that our hearts are moved to share His Love with others and to console His Heart, to make reparation for those who reject Him. Our Lord, Who came down from heaven to be with us, has a human heart and wants to share a deep friendship with you. ….

By Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency – Baltimore police are searching for a man who is accused of attacking and beating two elderly pro-life activists who were praying outside of a Baltimore Planned Parenthood abortion clinic on May 26… According to witnesses cited in the police report, the unidentified suspect attacked a 73-year-old man and an 80-year-old man after engaging in a “debate” with one of the pro-life activists about abortion.

By Catholic Exchange – Memorial Day provides an opportunity to reflect on faith, patriotism, and the ultimate sacrifice. Much wisdom can be found in Bp. Sheen’s words of encouragement to soldiers in the Second World War, excerpted from his Wartime Prayer Book: The evil in the world must not make me doubt the existence of God. There could be no evil if there were no God. ….

By Stella Morabito, The Federalist – U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently released an advisory titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” It warns that social isolation is a major public health problem… On the surface, these six directives may look innocuous, but they present a clear and present danger to the autonomy of our private lives and relationships. The project is potentially so massive in scope that it’s not an overstatement to say it threatens to regulate our freedom of association in ways we never could have imagined.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 10:32-45 – And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles ….

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – Pope Francis has launched one effort to bring an end to the warfare in Ukraine, by sending a personal envoy to speak with political leaders in Moscow and Kyiv. As we wait for that initiative to begin, however, it may be worth noticing another effort, by the World Council of Churches (WCC), to unite religious leaders—specifically, the influential prelates of the Orthodox communities in Russia and Ukraine—to work for the cause of peace.

By Edward Pentin – Catholic philosopher Josef Seifert has said he sees a “terrible danger of a complete collapse of the Catholic Church in many countries” unless cardinals speak up about a “tremendous crisis” within the Church, one he says is possibly the greatest she has ever faced… he wrote April 30 calling on all cardinals, bishops and Church leaders to stand up for the truth of Catholic teaching in the face of prevailing relativism and situational ethics, Seifert observed what he described as the cardinals’ “frightening silence” on this unique crisis that runs “from the top of the Church down.”

By Sachin Jose, Shalom Media – Catholics in Florida in the United States have put up several billboards featuring the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus across the state to mark the month of June, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart in the Catholic Church… The billboards also include the image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. “June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” the billboards read. The images of a billboard that was put up in the city of Ocala were posted on social media by Ocala resident Ruby Galatolo. “Praise God, we did it!

By Connor Vasile, The Stream – What these short-sighted armchair activists fail to realize is that their green absolutism actually promotes inequality. Do they know what is being done to satiate their need for all these electric batteries?… Slavery and child labor…. No, I’m not being hyperbolic. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), so-called “artisanal” miners work in extremely dangerous conditions to mine cobalt and nickel-elements crucial in the production of batteries seen in electric cars ….

By Franciscan Media – The Story of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – This is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969, in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord and precede the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.

By John-Henry Westen, LifeSite – Charles told me “[The Masons] wanted to destroy the temporal and then the spiritual power of the papacy. They wanted easy divorce laws across the world. They wanted marriage to be as easy to break or if not easier than a business contract… They wanted completely secularized education. They didn’t want the church or any Christian influence in it whatsoever. They wanted complete and total separation of church and state. They… were animated by a socialistic, communistic sort of agenda… And ultimately it was leading toward a form of sort of pantheistic nature worship.”

By William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine – If you’re looking for a single sign that the world’s going to Hell, my candidate would be the queering of the U.S. military… Are these the end-times?… One might think that defending our country and winning wars would be the chief priorities. But these seem to be lower-order priorities in today’s military. Instead, the chief concerns are climate change, diversity, LGBTQ+ pride, white supremacy, and right-wing extremists. …

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – Several us here have been wondering what Pope Francis was trying to say when he responded to a question about abortion in his recent interview with Telemundo (Pope, in interview, describes unborn child as ‘a living being, I’m not saying a person’). One wag suggested that perhaps Pope Francis did not want to call a pre-born baby a “person” from the moment of conception because he or she is not yet capable of acting “synodally”. In any case, it’s a good thing to wonder about.

By Ashley Sadler, LifeSiteNews – Pharmacist and Louisiana Republican Sen. Fred Mills cast the tie-breaking vote to block a bill that would have outlawed destructive “transgender” surgeries and drugs for children… (Mills) sided with Democrat colleagues in a 5-4 vote on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee May 24 to shoot down the bill, also known as the “Stop Harming Our Kids Act.” If passed, the measure would have prohibited the performance of mutilating surgeries and the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors. …

By Phil Lawler, Catholic World News – But perhaps the greatest weakness of this Vatican document lies in the fact that it does not address a glaring example of the approach against which “Toward True Presence” inveighs. The Vatican warns against the divisions within the Church that can be caused or aggravated by hasty, intemperate, and disrespectful comments. It even notes that such a confrontational approach is “particularly worrying when it comes from Church leadership.” Yet for obvious reasons the Dicastery for Communications that the single man most responsible for causing divisions by that approach is also the man quoted most frequently in this pastoral message.

By Simon Kent, Breitbart – Target is just one corporate entity to have fallen under continued criticism over the past several weeks due to its overt promotion of woke gender ideology and the LGBTQ agenda, despite the fact those who identify as such make up a small percentage of the U.S. population… Customers voted with their feet – and their wallets – and simply ignored the Target outlets across the country… (hence) Target’s shareholders subsequently lost $9 billion in stock market value …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 10:28-31 – Peter began to say to him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life…

By Fr. Paul D. Scalia, The Catholic Thing – A further paradox of this sober inebriation is that it is purchased for us by our Lord’s sorrowful passion. In his own hour of sober inebriation, Christ gains the Spirit for us by shedding his Blood on the Cross. Thus this gift of the Spirit is associated with the Precious Blood of Jesus. “Blood of Christ, inebriate me,” we pray in the Anima Christi… In the Votive Mass of the Precious Blood the priest prays after Communion, “that we may always be bathed in the Blood of our Savior, so that it may become for us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

By Justin McLellan, Catholic News Service – Pope Francis called the migration crisis between Mexico and the U>S. a “serious problem” and praised a U.S. bishop, Bishop Seitz, working along the border during an interview with Telemundo journalist Julio Vaqueiro… In the interview, broadcast May 25, the pope was shown photos of a baby wrapped in a blanket and placed inside a suitcase to be taken across the Rio Grande into the U.S. …

By Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews – “Let us heed our call to stand with the victims of environmental and climate injustice, and to put an end to the senseless war against creation,” Pope Francis said in his message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation, released in a press conference today. The day of prayer for creation occurs on September 1, and marks the start of the month-long “ecumenical Season of Creation” which is now annually marked by the Vatican.

By Casey Chalk, Catholic World Report – Consider the extreme emotivist argumentation from the secular, feminist left when it comes to abortion and transgenderism. Since last year’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the pro-choice camp has sounded the alarm regarding the threat posed by the pro-life movement to female autonomy. Implicit in those warnings is a presumption that a woman’s body is unique in its capacity to conceive and bear children… those same pro-choice voices also assert that biological men have the right to claim the identity of womanhood, even though such men have absolutely no ability to conceive or bear children.

By Martina Moyski, Church Militant – … “people with sexual attractions like pedophilia and nepiophilia would be protected from discrimination.”… Dr. Jennifer Morse, “Citizens, churches and businesses in Connecticut cannot prevent individuals with these sexual attractions from working or volunteering in schools, hospitals or businesses. So much for ‘safe environment’ training and background checks!”… “Discriminating against a known pedophile would be illegal under Connecticut’s new definitions.” …

By John Zmirak, The Stream – This weekend, too few of us are likely to spend sufficient time remembering why we have a holiday: To commemorate with gratitude and grief the many thousands of Americans who gave their lives for their country… We might think back to wars that even preceded America’s founding, like the French and Indian War where George Washington fought alongside the British. Had the English speakers lost, we’d live on a very different continent.

By Joseph Pearce, Crisis Magazine – As a young man, I was full of anger, an anger which turned into the bitterness of hatred. I believed that the world was in a mess and was getting worse. I hated those whom I thought were responsible. I attacked them with the violence of my words. As I did so, I shriveled and shrank into the grim and ghastly ghetto that I had made of myself. I had gollumized my heart until it could no longer love. I had ghettoized my mind until it could no longer think outside the box, the psychological ghetto, into which it had retreated. …

By P. Gardner Goldsmith, CNSNews – According to Thomas Catenacci, writing for Fox News, Kerry is following the drum-pounders like Rutte in demonizing both farmers and their customers, who might like to buy food without Kerry getting in the way. He appeared Wednesday at the Department of Agriculture’s AIM (Agriculture Innovation Mission) for Climate Summit, and offered a bunch of baseless nonsense that not only assumes his bogeyman of “anthropogenic climate catastrophe” is happening, but that man-made “climate change emissions” are a driver of his apocalyptic unicorn.

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – The much-heralded “new evangelization” anticipates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “Know thyself” is an ancient Greek proverb. Knowing our emotional temperaments helps us proclaim and receive the Gospel as we understand personality strengths and bear with weaknesses. For example, the witness of St. Paul reflects his volatile choleric personality… We also have spiritual dispositions rooted in faith and love that help us understand our receptivity to the Holy Spirit and the truths of the Gospel.

By Patty Knap, LifeNews – The Biden administration is certainly keeping its commitment to do everything possible, bending over backwards to ensure abortion is available anytime, anywhere.
The Department of Health and Human Services has announced a plan to launch a 24-hour hotline for abortion referrals and information… Congress enacted Title X of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, a program that promotes abortion, contraception, and sterilization, in 1970. …

By Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency – Attention #CatholicTwitter and keyboard warriors: The Vatican has released recommendations for how to better “love your neighbor” on social media… The 20-page text, “Towards Full Presence: A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media,” published on May 29, addresses the challenges Christians face in using social media… “One significant cognitive challenge of digital culture is the loss of our ability to think deeply and purposefully,” it warns. “We scan the surface and remain in the shallows, instead of deeply pondering realities.”

By Franciscan Media – During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison. In the end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes.

By Michael Reagan, Patriot Post – I was brought up by my parents to love America, the Founding Fathers and our sacred political foundations — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the ideals of freedom and equality under law… Kids today are being brought up to hate America and everything about its past and present… For one big example, they’re being taught in schools from an early age that this is a country built for and by slave owners and that it is still racist in its bones, its justice system and its government policies. …

By Msgr. Charles Pope – What a wondrous and challenging feast we celebrate at Pentecost! A feast like this challenges us because it puts to the lie a lazy, sleepy, hidden, and tepid Christian life. The Lord Jesus said to the apostles, I have come to cast a fire on the earth (Luke 12:49). This is a feast about fire, a transformative, refining, purifying fire that the Lord wants to kindle in us. It is a necessary fire, for as the Lord first judged the world by fire, the present heavens and the earth are reserved for fire. …

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – Last year, the US bishops’ conference launched a four-year program aimed at a National Eucharistic Revival, designed to “restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States” with a budget of $28 million… Catholic commentator Phil Lawler has recently suggested 14 practical steps the bishops could take to accomplish this objective for little or not cost… Encourage the practice of receiving Communion kneeling—a traditional posture of reverence—and on the tongue. If the bishop favors this practice, he might announce that it will be normative whenever he celebrates Mass.

The Editors, EWTN News – Our sexual culture is broken and bruised and deeply ill. Physical intimacy and relationships have been reduced to vehicles of self-gratification, our bodies are treated as malleable raw material, and God is, for many, at best an afterthought in the background of it all… Faced with such confusion and disorder, it can be tempting to choose one of two false options: Batten down the hatches and hermetically seal ourselves off from the world (and our neighbors in it) as things continue to go to hell in a handbasket ….

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – Few things provoke more righteous anger in me than the increasingly common sight of ideologically minded adults hyper-sexualizing children, whether for their own gratification, or in the cause of spreading the doctrines of the sexual revolution… One sees this perhaps most overtly in the growing “drag queen” movement, which has gone from being a phenomenon confined to seedy adult bars, to something that children are invited to participate and compete in.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 21:20-25 – Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” ….

By Andreas Wailzer, LifeSiteNews – Elon Musk’s brain chip company Neuralink announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its product for human trials… “This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” Musk’s company wrote in a tweet.

By Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Catholic World Report – We find ourselves at the conclusion of the novena to the Holy Spirit, in preparation for the great feast of Pentecost. What I would like to do today is to say a few words about what the Holy Spirit did for one particular woman, for it was the Holy Spirit Who made Mary both Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church… All of Mary’s greatness as a Christian can be traced to the fact that the Holy Spirit came upon her, and that she lived in the presence of God, continuously aware of His presence in her life.

Franciscan Media – In the year 596, some 40 monks set out from Rome to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons in England. Leading the group was Augustine, the prior of their monastery. Hardly had he and his men reached Gaul when they heard stories of the ferocity of the Anglo-Saxons and of the treacherous waters of the English Channel. ..

Fr. Matthew MacDonald, Spiritual Direction – Pentecost is one of the three major feasts of the Church’s liturgical calendar in that it is next to Easter and before Christmas in prominence. Fifty days after Easter and ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, now the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit, who descends in tongues of fire (Acts 2) and give birth to the Church, giving all her members life “in the fulness of God.” (Eph 3:19) There are many themes that intersect with the Holy Spirit’s Coming.

By Amanda Prestigiacomo, DailyWire – “Our primary purpose in doing this is not to make them hurt financially, but to not participate in evil.”… Conservative consumers have finally figured out how to make their money talk when it comes to companies that peddle LGBT ideology including transgenderism, and Wall Street is taking notice.

By Nicholas Wylie, Church Militant – Another popular clothing brand is promoting the homosexual grooming of children and transgender ideology just in time for so-called Pride Month… On Wednesday, the apparel brand The North Face released a new ad featuring a gay drag queen named Pattie Gonia, who invites listeners to “come out.”… Conservative political activist Robby Starbuck tweeted, “Can anyone explain how the heck this ad helps @thenorthface sell outdoor clothes? They’re screaming at you to not buy their products if this violates your values. Accept their challenge.”

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – For the past several years, Democrats have routinely slandered anyone with legitimate questions about the conduction of the 2020 election… During a House subcommittee hearing on “American Confidence in Elections,” Republicans demolished Democrats’ phony narratives regarding nonexistent “voter suppression.”… “Our hearing today will highlight how voters across the country are demanding reforms to ensure that every eligible American voter can be confident ….”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 21:15-19 – When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ….

By Catholic World News – Pope Francis called upon world leaders and Christians to “put an end to the senseless war against creation,” in his message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation… (Francis) calls upon the faithful to transform their hearts, their lifestyles, and the public policies of their nations, in order to avoid what he portrays as a calamitous destruction of natural resources. …

By MRCTV Staff – The Biden administration is weaponizing a government-funded anti-terrorism grant program in an effort to destroy conservatives, Christians and the Republican Party… Instead of focusing on preventing actual violence and terrorism, the program is now being used to target the entire spectrum of the political right and Christians as part of a coordinated effort to make America into a one-party system.

By Michael R. Gonzalez, The Catholic Thing – When the General Secretariat for the Synod announced that laypeople will have full voting rights at this October’s assembly, it self-consciously added that this does not reduce synodality to representative government. In January, Cardinals Grech and Hollerich felt compelled to reassure the bishops that synodality does not replace episcopal authority with popular sovereignty. Their insistence itself raises serious doubts

By Michael O’Shea, EWTN News – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they would disinvite, then re-invite, the activist group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from the team’s planned “LGBTQ+ Pride Night” after certain Catholic figures, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., objected to the team’s plans to honor the group with a “Community Hero Award.” Non-Catholic figures inevitably objected to the objection.

By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine – Buy a Sacred Heart flag and put it up in place of your American flag… The rainbow nonsense is not a grassroots thing. It is purely top-down, forced on us by the rich and powerful. Remember Chick-fil-A Day, when millions turned out to buy a sandwich in solidarity with the owner’s support of man-woman marriage? That was grassroots, and that is us. And it scared the rainbows half to death to know so many do not go along with their propaganda.

By Michael Brown, The Stream – I can’t wait to go a week or a month or — who could imagine? — a year without writing a single article on LGBTQ+ activism. I imagine you can’t wait to go a week or month or year without reading another article on the subject either. But here we are in 2023 in the midst of a cultural implosion, and common sense, decency, the fear of God, and a deep love for people cause me to cry out. Again.

Franciscan Media – Philip Neri was a sign of contradiction, combining popularity with piety against the background of a corrupt Rome and a disinterested clergy: the whole post-Renaissance malaise… At an early age, Philip abandoned the chance to become a businessman, moved to Rome …

By LifeSiteNews – Radio host Mike Church is calling on Christians to reclaim June as a reverent month focused on the Sacred Heart of Jesus by celebrating it as “Humility Month.”… Traditionally during June, Catholics have honored the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose feast day is during that month. June is also the occasion of the feasts of Corpus Christi, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint John the Baptist – a martyr for the sanctity of marriage… June is supposed to be a “joyful, reverent” month full of increased Eucharistic Adoration and processions to honor Our Lord, Church told LifeSiteNews.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 17:20-26 – “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one …

By Julian Kwasniewski, The Catholic Thing – What does a man need? Solar panels and plastic-looking rows of identical apartments? Sustainable electricity to power humanity’s pocket palantirs (AKA “smart” phones)?… Or mountains with golden sunsets, and Venetian music with brass ensembles? On the one hand, we have artificiality, made by man and for man; on the other, creation and sub-creation made by God and for God, but for this reason uplifting and bringing a sense of completion to man as man.

By Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency – “Bishop Olson denied Mother Superior’s right to independent canonical (Church law) representation with three different canon lawyers (advocates) and one procurator,” Bobo said in a statement. “Mother Superior rejects any and all representation by her current canon lawyer, appointed by the bishop without her consent, who is not independent nor representing her canonical or natural law rights.”

By Peter Pinedo, Catholic News Agency – Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch blasted the COVID-19 emergency orders and lockdowns, calling them possibly “the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country,” in a rare personal statement issued May 18… Gorsuch… his statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. Mayorkas to deny certain states’ appeal to continue Title 42 restrictions on immigration, a decision with which he agreed.

By Jules Gomes, Church Militant – Three former Catholic students are suing Cdl. Seán O’Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, for covering up alleged sex abuse by a former principal of the Arlington Catholic School… “Cardinal O’Malley has failed woefully in protecting children within the archdiocese of Boston, never mind worldwide,” attorney Mitchell Garabedian told reporters Monday.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – Trump said in an interview.. with political commentator John Solomon.. that he supports exceptions for instances of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother, the latter of which virtually all pro-life Americans support… “I’m a person that feels that the exceptions are very important for a lot of reasons,” he said… “If you don’t have the exceptions, it’s very, very hard — and I think that’s been proven — it’s very, very hard to win an election,” Trump argued.

By Ken Meekins, MRCTV – Target held an “emergency” meeting this week regarding the June Pride Month displays that have caused much customer outrage in the recent weeks… A Target insider told Fox News, “We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage.”

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – Minutes after oral arguments began today in a New York State appeals court hearing on a lawsuit challenging the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, an attorney representing New York announced the state’s intention to repeal the mandate… The state also requested the court overturn a previous ruling striking down the mandate …”

By Matthew McDonald, EWTN News – Rachel Copeland-Nunn had no health insurance during her last two pregnancies, but she was the recipient of free prenatal medical care and baby supplies at a pro-life pregnancy-resource center in St. Paul that receives public funds from the Minnesota state government… “Today, I have three beautiful, healthy children whom I raise as a single parent, and the two youngest boys are here because of the medical team at Options for Women East” …

By Anthony Esolen, Crisis Magazine – Meanwhile, while the Mass was being revised, there really was difficult and urgent work for the Church to do. And that work was neglected—not necessarily by the documents produced by the second Vatican council, but certainly by almost all of what was done later on, invoking the ethereal and indefinite specter of the council, as if cloak-room whisperings and discussions over a bottle of wine had the character of the Holy Spirit… The most obvious work to be done was to rouse up the faithful against the ubiquitous propaganda of the sexual revolution, the Lonely Revolution. Ages of sexual license are not new in human affairs. But for the first time ever, the license was fueled with contraceptive pills …

By Robert G. Marshall, Catholic Culture – President Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claims (10/20/22) that failure to adequately fund expanded “reproductive health care,” (i.e. abortion or child homicide before birth) “will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force.” Secretary Austin wants abortions funded beyond current law which is limited to circumstances of life of the mother, rape, and incest.

By Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV, Catholic Exchange – We learn two important things about Jesus from the episode of the multiplication of the loaves… First, we see the kindness and generosity of Jesus towards the needs of the crowds. He is not overwhelmed by their number and their needs. He also does not wait for them to beg Him, but He takes the initiative to feed them, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat? He said this to test him because He Himself knew what He was going to do.”… Secondly, Jesus is not wasteful.

By Franciscan Media – Bede is one of the few saints honored as such even during his lifetime. His writings were filled with such faith and learning that even while he was still alive, a Church council ordered them to be read publicly in the churches…

By Stephen Kokx, LifeSiteNews – During an explosive interview with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon last week, Christian actor Jim Caviezel accused the global Deep State of colluding with the mainstream media to cover up its complicity in child trafficking… “Epstein Island isn’t the only island out there where they have … children,” he remarked on the War Room podcast last week. “I just started noticing that any time a story came out on trafficking – anything – it was gone the next day.”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 17:11-19 – And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. …

By Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, May 22, 2023 – How can we conquer the Dragon? Thanks to the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness (Rev 12:11): thanks to the Mass, which still pours out the Most Precious Blood abundantly today for the salvation of souls; thanks to the Priesthood, which makes the Mass possible and spreads the word of witness by preaching; thanks to the Most Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the Lamb. And thanks to the Woman, the image of Mary Most Holy and of the Church, in whose interior Our Lord was formed and from whose womb the children of God are spiritually born.

By Brenda Baletti, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – “Is modern medicine helping us live longer and healthier?” Or is a “darker, more sinister agenda” creating “a longer but sicker life?”… Journalist James Li explored this question on a recent episode of “Breaking Points”… Li showed a “60 Minutes” clip about the obesity epidemic ravaging the U.S… “So the message from the mainstream media is pretty simple,” Li said. “Obesity is a disease, take a drug.” But that’s not the whole story, he said.

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – Jesus draws all of us to Himself through the Cross and Resurrection. He returns to the Father in His glorious Ascension and brings our humanity with Him. He completes His sacred mission of the Word as prophesized by Isaiah (cf. Is. 55:11). Heaven is the destiny of those who follow Him. We believe in heaven (but without daring to judge any soul) we also believe in hell for those who live evil lives and reject the commandments of Jesus.

By Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, The Ruth Institute – Ruth Institute President Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., blasted the Los Angeles Dodgers for announcing plans to present an award to an anti-Catholic group… The L.A. chapter of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will receive a “Community Hero Award” from the baseball team at its annual L.A. Pride Night on June 16. “This is outrageous,” Morse said. “Members of this group dress in grotesque drag costumes meant to mock nuns and the Catholic Church.” …

By Sheryl Collmer, Crisis Magazine – Abductors may promise they’ll let you go if you cooperate nicely; just get in the van and you won’t get hurt. Never believe that. You must fight for your life at the first location because the second location is always going to be worse, and likely fatal… That’s where we are in America. Our so-called leaders promise everything will be okay if we just cooperate nicely. It’s all daisies and cupcakes…up to a point. If you watch closely, you’ll notice a pattern.

Franciscan Media – Mystical ecstasy is the elevation of the spirit to God in such a way that the person is aware of this union with God while both internal and external senses are detached from the sensible world. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was so generously given this special gift of God that she is called the “ecstatic saint.”

By Gigi De La Torre, Daily Signal – A new database shows that some of Americans’ favorite companies—such as Airbnb, Amazon, and Disney—disregard religious freedom and free speech… Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization devoted to protecting religious freedom and other First Amendment rights, joined with Inspire Insight, an investment tool that provides data on the religious values of companies, to produce the second annual Business Index ranking companies by Viewpoint Diversity Score.

By Joseph M. Eble, MD, Catholic World Report – Following the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a legal chasm opened that state legislators rushed to fill. Pro-life forces swiftly mobilized to introduce state legislation restricting abortion. If these efforts are to produce lasting success, they must be simultaneously paired with making adoption affordable and widely available… When a (usually single) woman becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she has three primary options: 1) parent the child herself; 2) have an abortion; or 3) make an adoption plan and give her child the gift of a family through adoption.

By Michael Voris, Church Militant – Ever notice how the commie bastards take something from history, distort it or lie about it, manufacture some altered version of it, create a new vocabulary about it, fabricate an entire narrative about it, produce a list of erroneous and incomplete talking points, push that through the media and educational institutions, and, when it’s all said and done, they have rewritten history?

By Simon Kent, Breitbart – Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)) told the World Health Assembly forum in Geneva, Switzerland, the possibility of another public health crisis must be addressed and not kicked “down the road.”… The threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains. And the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential remains…

By Jacqueline St. Clare, Catholic Stand – God does not just call us “beloved.” In the Song of Songs, He calls us His “love, my dove, my fair one.” How endearing of our Lord, to be called His love! And His dove. God sees us as a pure white dove that is also a sign of the Holy Spirit. And He calls us His “fair one.” In many other bible translations, we are His “beautiful one.” How can we resist going to God as He calls us with such endearments?

By Monica Showalter, American Thinker – Despite its wealth, NY City’s leaders seem to recognize that their own money is not bottomless. As migrants keep pouring into the city and Joe Biden fails to deliver any money to pay for them, they’re quietly pulling back the city’s welcome mat… The pattern is obvious — NY City is full and the city is running out of money and hotel space and even income from tourists to take any more. Each migrant displaces a tourist who might have rented that hotel space and brought in income for the city… Some 700-plus of them are arriving daily,

By John-Henry Westen, LifeSiteNews – Jason Jones believes America is still a “shining city on a hill” but that “the lights are off” thanks to its radically pro-LGBT Biden administration… “And … what makes matters even more sorrowful is that the rainbow flag has become really a flag of imperialism, of colonialism, of disrupting and undermining traditional cultures around the world, cultures that are already falling apart, countries that are already suffering famine and violence than the United States shows up flying this rainbow flag…”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 17:1-11 – When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. …

By Francis X. Maier, The Catholic Thing – History never repeats itself.  But patterns of human thought and behavior repeat themselves all the time.  That’s why the past has so many lessons for the present.  One of them is this:  Every society has an elite leadership class, no matter how well disguised.  That includes democracies.  It thus includes our own… That needn’t be a negative, as Patrick Deneen observes in his compelling new book, Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future.  When elites exercise their advantages for the common good; when they’re willing to listen to, and “blend” with, the people they lead in a mutually supportive way; a culture thrives.

By Joshua Krook, Children’s Health Defense – For the first time, mind-reading technology looks viable by combining two technologies that are readily available — could we be headed toward George Orwell’s world of “thoughtcrime,” where the state makes it a crime to merely think rebellious thoughts about an authoritarian regime?… For the first time, researchers have managed to use GPT1, a precursor to the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, to translate MRI imagery into text in an effort to understand what someone is thinking.

By William Benson, Crisis Magazine – Is there, as J.D. Vance posited, “no meaningful distinction between the public and the private sector in the United States of America?”… Pope Leo XIII, in his Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus, wrote that “The world has heard enough of the so-called ‘rights of man.’ Let it hear something of the rights of God.”

By Al Perrotta, The Stream – Don’t need to look to the DeSantis camp for confirmation he’s announcing he’s running this week. Just look at what has been thrown at him in recent days. A grotesque cover/hit piece in Time magazine, a hit piece by Politico on his wife Casey (his wife?!?!) and now the NAACP… The NAACP sent out a “travel advisory” over the weekend warning that Florida is “openly hostile toward African-Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – …one friendly reader pointed… (Your pastor needs) encouragement, to balance off that negative feedback. So, rather than complain about the steps that he has not taken, thank him for what he has done. Then, after the encouragement, you might suggest another step.

By Kelsey Wicks, CNA/ACI Prensa – Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster founded the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles — best known for their chart-topping Gregorian chant and classic Catholic hymn albums — in 1995 at the age of 70, leaving the Oblate Sisters of Providence, her community of more than 50 years, to do so… Known for her devotion to the traditional Latin Mass and her faithfulness to Benedictine contemplation and the Liturgy of the Hours, she died at age 95 on May 29, 2019, on the Solemnity of the Ascension.

By Paul Brock III, Church Militant – In an ideal society, anyone who identifies as LGBT would be banned from high positions of power. But this is far from the case in the third millennium. Just about 50 years ago, homosexuals and transsexuals were deemed mentally ill and in need of help. But today, they’re a protected class who, according to the modern world, ought to be the leaders of society. As LGBT propagandists continue to gain a footing in the political world, men of goodwill need to stop assenting to the power they claim to have.

By Franciscan Media – The 10th century and the first half of the 11th were dark days for the Church, partly because the papacy was the pawn of various Roman families. In 1049, things began to change when Pope Leo IX, a reformer, was elected. He brought a young monk named Hildebrand to Rome as his counselor and special representative on important missions. Hildebrand was to become Gregory VII.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – In more dioceses than not, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated this Sunday. The liturgist in me regrets the move from Thursday, but here we are any way. Let’s ascend with the Lord, three days late!… This marvelous feast is not merely about something that took place two thousand years ago, for though Christ our head has ascended, we the members of His body are ascending with Him. Because He was ascended, we, too, have ascended. …

By John Zmirak, The Stream – The fantasy situation we’re dealing with today is this one: Let’s say you’re a Christian, specifically a Catholic. You’re troubled by the division, lack of leadership, and even heretical leadership that afflicts too many inside your church. Furthermore, you see that the political situation for Christians of every kind is becoming toxic and ugly. You worry that too many people inside your church are losing hope, drifting away, or isolating themselves and abandoning any effort to evangelize the culture. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 16:29-33 – His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me…

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday recommended, by a vote of 10 to 4, that the agency approve Pfizer’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant women, despite questions about the vaccine’s safety… During Thursday’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting, committee members and medical experts raised concerns about premature births identified during Pfizer’s clinical trials. …

By Dr. Alex Lessard, Catholic Exchange – Back in the mid-1800s, America’s bishops met three times in plenary council in Baltimore, America’s primatial see, to confront head-on the danger that Catholics, unsupported by the kind of Catholic culture they had known in Europe, would blend into American culture so thoroughly that they would lose their distinctive Catholic faith, and possibly their souls… What the bishops who met in Baltimore did was to put in practice the perennial teaching of the church on the education of children. …

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – Yet in every way, the deliberate sacrifice of children to the gods of atheism seems ever more increasingly to dominate our society. The problem is expressed both specifically and generally in Leviticus. Thus: You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God…. Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death…. I myself will set my face against that man…. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man…then I will set my face against that man and against his clan…. [Lev 18:21; 20:1-5]

By Fr. Gerald E. Murray, The Catholic Thing – The October Synod will be a meeting of bishops and non-bishops as equals. It is no longer an expression of the “union of the Bishop of Rome with the Bishops whom the Holy Spirit had constituted to govern the Church of God.” As such it poses a grave threat to the proper understanding of the nature of the Church as a hierarchical society composed of the ordained shepherds and the lay faithful they are called to lead… The appointment of non-bishop members to a synod of bishops is like having non-cardinal members in the College of Cardinals.

By Joshua Mercer, LifeNews – By Joshua Mercer, LifeNews – The House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on Thursday heard testimony from three former FBI agents … “If you’re a parent attending a school board meeting; if you’re a pro-lifer praying at a clinic, or you’re a Catholic simply going to Mass, you are a target of the government, a target of the FBI,” said House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-OH, ahead of the hearing.

By David Ayers, Ph.D., Crisis Magazine – The pope’s story about his tragicomic encounter with a fiftyish woman who wanted him to bless her “baby”—a dog—certainly colorfully drove home his warnings about the misplaced, upside-down personal priorities among many modern Italians that are contributing to their looming “demographic winter.” Francis has made similar remarks about prioritizing “pets over children” in the past… There were lots of people, lights, and cameras at this remarkable joint presentation—journalists, policy wonks, activists, clerics, and politicians aplenty. So, how did they miss that humongous elephant in the room? That elephant being “the decline of natural marriage.”

By Charles J. Russ, Catholic World Report – Governmental officials must tread lightly in balancing the need to maintain public welfare by attempting to implement vaccine mandates during health emergencies and protecting the constitutional rights of Americans. Consequently, any restrictions governmental officials seek to impose on the rights of Americans must be drawn as narrowly as possible, meaning they must use the least restrictive means possible in achieving their ends.

By Margot Cleveland, The Federalist – While Durham failed to convict Danchenko of lying to the FBI, the October 2022 trial of the man who served as Christopher Steele’s primary sub-source exposed extensive malfeasance by both the Crossfire Hurricane team and later Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s staff. Among other things, the evidence and court filings revealed that agents opened Danchenko as a CHS even though the FBI had previously launched an espionage investigation into the Russian. However, the special counsel’s report added more details, greatly expanding the scandal.

Franciscan Media – Like Elizabeth Ann Seton, Rita of Cascia was a wife, mother, widow, and member of a religious community. Her holiness was reflected in each phase of her life… Born at Roccaporena in central Italy, Rita wanted to become a nun but was pressured at a young age into marrying a harsh and cruel man. During her 18-year marriage, she bore and raised two sons.

By Tina Dennelly, Catholic News Agency – Thursday is the Ascension, the day the Church marks 40 days since Jesus’ resurrection and the day he ascended into heaven (see Acts 1:1–11). But depending on where you live, you may or may not be obligated to attend Mass on that day… If you live in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia, tomorrow is a holy day of obligation for you. That means if you live in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Nebraska, or Pennsylvania, you have to go to Mass!

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Matthew 28:16-20 – Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. …

By Fr. Alex Zenthoefer, “The Message”, The Catholic Diocese of Evansville, Indiana – Many active, faithful Catholics are not aware of the history of the conflict between masons and the Catholic Church or the current stance we hold as Catholics. Many have been unknowingly participating in masonic rites, unaware of the context of those rituals. It is important for us to understand what is at the heart of this division and why the Catholic Church has reaffirmed that “Catholics enrolled in Masonic associations are involved in serious sin and may not approach Holy Communion”

By Suzanne Bowdey, Daily Signal – Who in their right mind would follow Bud Light down this fatal road? A single can with the wrong partner sent Anheuser-Busch into a nationwide tailspin—with no relief in sight. As other brands watch that five-alarm fire destroy the brand’s reputation, others are reaching for the same hot stove… Why?.. Family Research Council’s Joseph Backholm believes it’s because “progressives are true believers.”

The Ruth Institute, The Stream – Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse… “Something has gone badly wrong in America and in other countries across the west. I am locating its roots in the adoption of contraception from the 1960s onward.”… “A lot of people thought contraception would be a net win for humanity. People thought it would give women control over their fertility, that it would strengthen marriage, that it would reduce abortion. Instead, the exact opposite happened.”

By Betsy McCaughey, Patriot Post – Over the last two weeks, (Mayor) Adams has rolled out a scheme to bus hundreds of migrants to upscale motels in Newburgh, Orangetown and Yonkers, pleading that New York City is out of space. It didn’t matter that many of the motel rooms were already occupied or booked. Money talks. New York City pays above-market rates to house migrants, averaging $8,000 per room, per month, taxpayers be damned. The motels acted fast to clear their rooms.

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – Biden’s family is corrupt from top to bottom… Its influence peddling schemes increasingly are targets of congressional investigations… Biden promised “unity.” Instead, he habitually smears half the country as “semi-fascists” and “ultra-MAGA” extremists… Biden is cognitively challenged.. incoherent.. and losing support in the polls from African Americans… In response, Biden does what he always had done for some 40 years: mouth wild racist demagoguery.

By Cerith Gardiner, Aleteia – At birth, doctors believed there was no hope, but Derick Hall has now been signed up to join the Seattle Seahawks… Standing tall at 6ft 3in, and weighing an impressive 256 pounds, Derick Hall has come a long way in his 22 years… The outside linebacker was born four months prematurely without a heartbeat, weighing a tiny two pounds and one ounce, with a bleed on the brain. …

By Jack Devine, Patriot Post – But what about news and commentary on important matters that is missing altogether? Isn’t that the kind of media bias that can really get us into trouble?.. recent examples: 1.) Last Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-KY) issued a 38-page report revealing what appears to be a sophisticated, high-dollar foreign influence-peddling scheme involving Joe Biden’s family… Last week’s news reporting by MSM.. (ignored) Comer bombshell.. almost completely. Radio silence. Crickets.

By Janet E. Smith, Crisis Magazine – A while back I was invited to give a talk for Patrick Coffin’s course Hope is the Fuel, which has generated much controversy based on the host and one of the other invited speakers, E. Michael Jones. After much reflection I have decided to withdraw and have asked Patrick Coffin not to include the talk I have recorded… Many of you are thinking, “why did it take so long?” Others are thinking, “why have you caved?” I am pretty much in a lose/lose situation here so I will lay out my thinking (perhaps too extensively!)

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing – Pentecost is almost upon us. This Easter Season, so overflowing with grace for our family and our parish, and our diocese will culminate in the great feast of the Holy Spirit. Our world is a broken one. Our Church is wounded, too. Sin and suffering abound. But it’s not a different world – that “real world” out there – than the world shot through with the Church’s rhythms of liturgy and sacrament and grace… The Holy Spirit is moving in the world, make no mistake. And amidst all the seeming chaos he breathes richness and goodness and order: he makes all things new. It is wondrous to behold.

By Jonathan Liedl, EWTN News – Jose Galvan wasn’t necessarily eager to move away from the Golden State… But his sense of belonging began to fragment in recent years. Pandemic restrictions limited access to the sacraments at his local parish for more than a year… This coincided with the imposition of a political agenda by the state government that he said ran “counter to our Catholic faith,” including taking steps to make California an “abortion sanctuary” and mandating instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity ….

By Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews – A Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge called out the ridiculousness of the FDA classifying pregnancy as a serious illness to expedite approval of abortion drugs during a hearing Wednesday, asking, “When we celebrated Mother’s Day, were we celebrating illness?”… The Washington Post reported about the judge’s comment Wednesday but did not identify which judge said it during the highly anticipated hearing. The Hill later attributed the comment to Judge James Ho.

Franciscan Media – Pope John I inherited the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Italy had been ruled for 30 years by an emperor who espoused the heresy, though he treated the empire’s Catholics with toleration. His policy changed at about the time the young John was elected pope.

By John-Henry Westen, LifeSiteNews – The courageous Bishop Athanasius Schneider is calling out “neo-Marxist” LGBT ideology and its proponents, even among the Catholic hierarchy, on today’s episode of The John-Henry Westen Show… I had a chance to sit down for an interview with His Excellency in Washington, D.C. Bp. Schneider talked about how LGBT ideology seeks to destroy the family, mentioning that there are proponents of these heterodox ideas even among the Catholic episcopate. However, he also stressed that we must stay joyful as Catholics and not fall into despair, as we can be sure that our Lord Jesus Christ is with us.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 16:12-15 – “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – Fr. Jerry Pokorsky’s wonderfully satirical new post, The Spirit is A-Movin in the pre-Synod Process, reminded me that I wanted to say something more about this process, which seems designed to strain gnats while swallowing camels. I am referring here to the faulty concept of governance which appears to underlie the entire experiment.

By Samantha Aschieris, Daily Signal – The chief executive officer of the State Financial Officers Foundation says “we never really saw the [environmental, social, and governance] movement weaponized in a way that this White House and administration [have] weaponized it.”… “Certainly, fund managers like BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard have weaponized it, and so it’s really just been in the last two years that we’ve seen them use funds, like pension retirement funds, in a way that leverages those dollars to push these social agendas” ….

By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing – Throughout Eastertide, the Church celebrates that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven in His human body.  The joy of the Resurrection so renews the whole world that the Church needs all fifty days of Paschaltide – days of, not after Easter – to celebrate it… Jesus was a true man with a real body.  That’s why Good Friday’s Gospel made such a big deal about John (19:34-35) testifying that blood and water flowed from His Pierced Side: His Death was no game, no illusion.

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – During his stay, Marxen, who had not received a COVID-19 vaccine, was administered more than 50 medications, including remdesivir, vancomycin, fentanyl and midazolam, and in the days prior to his death, he was placed on a ventilator… At the time of his death, Marxen had “multiple organ system failure including renal failure, endocarditis, hyperkalemia, MRSA [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus] pneumonia, MRSA bacteremia and sepsis,” Riggs said.

By Betsy McCaughey, The Stream – Over the last two weeks, Adams has rolled out a scheme to bus hundreds of migrants to upscale motels in Newburgh, Orangetown and Yonkers, pleading that New York City is out of space. It didn’t matter that many of the motel rooms were already occupied or booked. Money talks. New York City pays above-market rates to house migrants, averaging $8,000 per room, per month, taxpayers be d***ed.

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist – Imagine someone told you that in the run-up to a U.S. presidential election, the FBI tried to undermine a candidate at the behest of the opposing campaign by cooking up a false narrative of collusion with Moscow… And let’s say this conspiracy implicated not just the FBI but also the White House, Justice Department, and CIA — and that nearly the entire corporate press went along with it, gleefully spreading the false narrative that this candidate was a Russian agent …

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The Care for Women, Children and Families Act protecting unborn children at 12 weeks is now law in North Carolina following supermajority votes to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto… North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of a common sense bill to protect babies from abortions has lost its first of two battles. Both chambers of the state legislature voted to override his veto of a modest bill to protect babies from abortions starting at 12 weeks.

By Msgr. Richard C. Antall, Crisis Magazine – Archbishop Timothy Broglio and Bishop Michael Burbidge recently wrote to the senators and congressmen to protest a Department of Defense directive on “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care,” a euphemism hiding the ambition to turn VA hospitals into abortion abattoirs… The directive “inserts elective abortion into the health benefits package for veterans and dependents,” the bishops reminded the legislators, “despite Congress’s express command that VA health programs not include the taking of preborn human life.”

By Franciscan Media – In Paschal’s lifetime the Spanish empire in the New World was at the height of its power, though France and England were soon to reduce its influence. The 16th century has been called the Golden Age of the Church in Spain, for it gave birth to Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Peter of Alcantara, Francis Solano, and Salvator of Horta.

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – With a TikTok ban potentially in the works, lawmakers are working hard to address the bigger issue at hand… U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced the Kids Online Safety Act. The senators teamed up because they saw a great need with our children’s mental health. …

By Alyssa Murphy, EWTN News – Many know Lisa Wheeler for her public-relations prowess, bringing Catholic journalists and radio hosts into close proximity with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry who are working steadfastly to shed light on stories that inspire and uplift, all while embracing their Catholic faith and identity… Chances are, if you’ve read any interview with Mark Wahlberg, Jonathan Roumie, or are looking to talk to Jim Caviezel about his new film on human trafficking, The Sound of Freedom, Wheeler’s PR company, Carmel Communications, is the conduit.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 16:5-11 – But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ….

By Maurice Williams, Catholic Stand – In previous articles, I pointed out two occurrences that have greatly impacted our world.  In this article I look at another occurrence – Fatima… The two occurrences I wrote about previously were: 1) the ancient Israelites losing their position as God’s chosen people when they encouraged Rome to crucify Christ, and 2) how those who formed their own churches unconnected to the Church Jesus established fairly quickly caused the spread of hundreds of conflicting creeds.

By Tony Kinnett, Daily Signal – Warning: This report contains sexually graphic images from commonly available books in school libraries, which The Daily Signal has obscured in part… A bill that has passed the Texas House with bipartisan support could become the model for ensuring public school libraries don’t provide sexual content to children… HB 900, sponsored by four Republicans and a Democrat, specifies what “sexual content” is and prescribes actions by Texas public schools to ensure children aren’t given access ….

By Steven Ertelt. LifeNews – “President Trump’s assertion that the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion solely to the states is a completely inaccurate reading of the Dobbs decision and is a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to hold,” she said… Dannenfelser continued, “Life is a matter of human rights, not states’ rights. Saying that the issue should only be decided at the states is an endorsement of abortion up until the moment of birth, even brutal late-term abortions ….

By Joseph D’Hippolito, The Stream – A recent comment from the president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life reflects the Catholic Church’s increasing willingness to relinquish defending the most vulnerable in the earliest and latest stages of life… Cardinal Vincenzo Paglia said at an Italian journalism conference April 21 that to promote the common good, the church would accept laws permitting assisted suicide.

By Jennifer Roback Morse, EWTN News – The Catholic Church must abandon her ancient teaching that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” in order to keep up with the most modern findings of science. But what if “science” says no such thing?… Before addressing this, let me point out an objective historical fact: The Catholic Church’s disapproval of homosexual acts was at one time the consensus of the entire Judeo-Christian tradition. The Church’s specific language that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” flows in part from her long dialogue with Greek philosophy and has a specific philosophical meaning. Homosexual acts are not “ordered” toward the proper end of sexual acts, namely reproduction.

By Eric Banecker, First Things – Looking back, though, these five years have been quite memorable in the life of the Church, and not always for happy reasons. Just weeks after my classmates and I were ordained, the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report came out. Then there was the McCarrick scandal. Then the Amazon synod. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first time I presided at an Easter Vigil, I was alone with just three other priests. In the midst of that shutdown and the riots in American cities, I was sent as an administrator, then pastor, into the heart of one of those cities. I arrived in a parish where, just weeks before, the smell of tear gas had wafted over families as they sat huddled in their backyards.

By David Gordon interviews Joshua Charles, editor of The War of the Antichrist with the Church and Christian Civilization, Church Militant – Description: Catholics have always known that Satan wages a constant war against the Church. But the past three centuries have witnessed a far more radical onslaught than ever before, leading to a rapid and universal apostasy among formerly Christian nations. Who or what is behind this greatest of all apostasies from the Catholic Church? According to this prophetic book, it is Freemasonry.

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Catholic World Report – American poet Carl Sandburg once wrote, “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.”… this view is not shared by doomsayers in the United States and Western countries who push “depopulation,” believing the world is overpopulated. Their response to this “crisis” is to advocate for unhindered access to birth control and abortion. But some people, like business leader and billionaire Elon Musk, are raising the alarm about population collapse ….

By Randall Smith, The Catholic Thing – Since we are in the period between Easter and Pentecost, many of the readings at Mass are from the Acts of the Apostles and deal with the early Church. These readings express how the apostles powerfully carried on the work with which they were entrusted by Christ, faithfully fulfilling it by handing on what they themselves had received “from the lips of Christ, from living with Him, and from what He did, or what they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.”

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – The Obama administration possessed no real evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump colluded with Russian government officials… On Monday, Special Counsel John Durham released the findings of his years-long investigation into the origins of the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign in the months before, during, and after the 2016 presidential contest. Despite the agency’s claims that the inquiry… was predicated on the belief that Trump’s campaign was colluding with Russian officials leading up to the election, Durham’s report found the FBI had no evidence to warrant such an investigation.

By Andreas Wailzer, LifeSiteNews – “I’ve worked for several months now on gathering evidence that shows undeniably, conclusively that the United Nations and United Nations and the World Health Organization and other organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation […] are working all over the world […] to completely take over the education in kindergartens and elementary schools,” Sorenson said on the Truth for Health podcast, hosted by Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet.  

By William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine – Indeed, trans people are so beautiful and special in the eyes of Fr. Martin that almost none of the usual rules apply to them. When discussing the adage “hate the sin but love the sinner,” he puts the word “sin” in quotes because, he maintains, the saying is only being applied to those who identify as LGBTQ+. “Even worse,” he writes, “the ‘sin’ that people focus on is the way that they [persons who identify as LGBTQ+] love one another…Saying ‘your love is a sin’ is an attack on part of a person’s deepest self.”

By Franciscan Media – Margaret was born of farming parents in Laviano, Tuscany. Her mother died when Margaret was seven; life with her stepmother was so difficult that Margaret moved out. For nine years she lived with Arsenio, though they were not married, and she bore him a son. In those years, she had doubts about her situation. Somewhat like Saint Augustine, she prayed for purity—but not just yet.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – In the Gospel for today’s Mass, Jesus gives us three lessons on love meant to prepare us for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They also go a long way in describing the normal Christian life… Too many Christians see the Faith more as a set of rules to keep than as a love that transforms—if we accept it. Let’s take a look at the revolutionary life of love and grace that the Lord is offering us in three stages: the power of love, the person of love, and the proof of love.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:26-16:4 – But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. …

By Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews – The Purvis, Mississippi mother has her hands full, but she told Good Morning America that she treasures every moment with her quintuplets after praying for a baby for years… “I know that a lot of people are probably like, ‘How are you doing this? How are you not going crazy?’ It’s because I’ve wanted to have a baby my entire life… “… They’re my biggest blessing that I have and so I don’t mind it. I don’t mind the chaos.”

By Rachel Watkins, Catholic Exchange – GRAVISSIMUM EDUCATIONIS, Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Christian Education, promulgated by Pope Paul VI and signed on Oct. 28, 1965, tells us parents are “bound by the most serious obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognized as the primary and principal educators.”… “Parents are the ones who must create a family atmosphere animated by love and respect for God and man, in which the well-rounded personal and social education of children is fostered. Hence the family is the first school of the social virtues that every society needs.”

By Raymond Wolfe, LifeSiteNews – Minnesota residents may soon end up on a government database if they discuss the origins of COVID-19 or quote Bible verses that criticize homosexuality… Minnesota’s Democrat-controlled legislature last month approved a bill that requires the state Department of Human Rights to collect allegations of perceived “discrimination” or microaggressions in a new “bias” registry.

By Tyler O’Neil, The Daily Signal – The FBI appears, at least briefly, to have joined the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attempt to demonize Roman Catholics who follow the church’s teachings on marriage and who celebrate the Latin Mass, in a move one traditional Catholic leader calls both embarrassing and foreboding… Michael J. Matt, editor of The Remnant newspaper and producer of Remnant TV in Forest Lake, Minnesota, said he was surprised to see his organization on a leaked FBI memo in February, alongside other groups he described as “defunct.”

By Mary Margaret Olohan, The Stream – Republican lawmakers will hold a hearing next week focusing on the Department of Justice’s targeting of pro-life activists like Mark Houck through the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, The Daily Signal has learned… On Tuesday morning, the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government will revisit the “Implications of the FACE Act,” examining the shockingly high numbers of attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers around the nation as well as President Joe Biden’s administration’s use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

By Jerome German, Crisis Magazine – In a recent article, Philip Primeau wrote about the controversy surrounding comments made by Jewish commentator Dennis Prager concerning sexual sin. Prager’s view of sin is not the Christian view; that is to say that it tends toward a silo approach rather than a wholesome, integrated view of the human person. In Prager’s mind, the physical act, and only the physical act, is a sin, and thinking is not an act. Primeau deftly demonstrates that such a view is simply not supported by the Hebrew Scriptures.

By Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing – When things look very bad, there’s a natural human temptation to call the situation unprecedented. The present age really does seem so. But it’s worth recalling one of Jesus’ sayings that may seem to refer to the past, but like everything about him speaks to us as well: “To what shall we compare the present generation?” (Mt. 11:16) In his time, he says, people neither rejoiced properly at good news nor mourned bad news. Their view of things – and therefore their reactions to them – were distorted.

By Brian Mershon, LifeSiteNews – Bishop Luis Zarama, JCL, of the Diocese of Raleigh has restricted the Traditional Latin Mass in his diocese, leaving only one parish to offer the traditional liturgy every Sunday… (he) has moved two priests who offered the TLM and canceled its celebration at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (which) consistently drew around 150 to 175 people.

The Pillar, The Staff – According to sources close to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, Pope Francis decided last month to request Stika’s resignation, after reviewing the results of a Vatican-ordered investigation into the bishop’s management… Stika is accused of protecting Wojciech Sobczuk, a seminarian accused multiple times of sexual assault. Stika last year admitted to The Pillar that he interfered with a diocesan review board investigation ….

Saint Isidore the Farmer’s Story – Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular, he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference… When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his …

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – Honoring “Mother’s Day” means saying motherhood in and of itself is something good and valuable… That has not been the message of the past half century… Roe v. Wade taught Americans that the value and even acknowledgment of the fact of motherhood lies not in motherhood but in one’s attitude toward it. If one wants to be a mother, fine. But if one doesn’t, then babies become “blobs of tissue.”

By Catholic Culture, Catholic World News – The chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development has joined the chairman of the California Catholic Conference’s Environmental Stewardship Committee in lending support to the Save Our Sequoias Act, sponsored by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)…. “Giant sequoia trees, an endangered species endemic to the Sierra Nevada range in California, are under threat,”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:18-21 – “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. …

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – A prestigious medical clinic is denying a 9-year-old boy the lifesaving kidney transplant he needs just because he doesn’t have the COVID vaccination… Most Americans understand the COVID crisis is over and a sizable percentage of Americans were never vaccinated for what they considered a flu-like virus that presented little in the way of medica issue for 99% of the people who got it.

Patriot Post – “Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, (I conjure you to believe me fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government.” —George Washington (1796)

By Patti Maguire Armstrong, EWTN News – Being in Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, is a taste of heaven. Song and prayer fill the air as groups walk down the main street throughout the days and nights leading up to the feast day… Fatima is the glory of heaven — brought down by our Blessed Mother through three humble shepherd children tending sheep — that is felt even today. It is faith and the love of God and our Blessed Mother through people living the Fatima message, creating a peace and joy that is palpable among the estimated 200,000 here today ….

By James Matthew Wilson, The Catholic Thing – One of the most frequently quoted passages from Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s many writings is his famous assertion that the “only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb.” The beauty of holiness and the beauty of art are not mere ornaments but the strongest argument for what the Church teaches… Does beauty move human beings in a way that truth alone cannot?

By Beata Zajączkowska, Aleteia – Before the assassination attempt on John Paul II on May 13, 1981, there wasn’t a single image of Mary in St. Peter’s Square. The first — and so far, only — one was placed there as a votive offering of thanksgiving for the Polish Pope’s miraculous survival.

Franciscan Media – Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children–Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia dos Santos–received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia.

By Tyler O’Neil, Daily Signal – Reps. John Rutherford, R-Fla., and Tom McClintock, R-Calif., celebrated the passage of a Republican bill to secure the U.S.-Mexico border as Title 42 was set to expire on Thursday, explaining how the bill addresses the border crisis and warning that if the crisis isn’t solved, “This is going to get more people murdered.”… The bill passed, 219-213, with every single Democrat voting against it, and all but two Republicans—Reps. John Duarte of California and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—supporting it.

By Tyler Arnold, CNA – The first baby born in the United Kingdom with DNA from three parents was born after doctors performed a revolutionary IVF procedure designed to prevent rare but dangerous mitochondrial diseases… The news that “less than five” children have been born in the U.K. through this process as of late April was first reported by The Guardian. This is the first time the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has confirmed any children in the country being born through this process. The HFEA avoided disclosing the exact number of babies to protect privacy.

By Dr. Donald DeMarco, Catholic Exchange – “Life is Worth Living” was the title of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen’s immensely successful television program that debuted on February 12, 1952… No doubt he thought that the worthiness of living should not be a question, but a firm answer… Today, whether life is worth living has once again become a question. When we consider the rise of suicides, the prevalence of abortion, and the increasing acceptance of euthanasia, Bishop Sheen’s original title is now very much in focus.

By Margot Cleveland, The Federalist – The interim report of the House Intelligence Committee and Weaponization Subcommittee released Wednesday established extensive coordination between the Biden campaign and those behind the statement signed by 51 former intelligence officials that painted the Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation. More explosive, however, is the fact, first reported on Tuesday by The Federalist, that a Central Intelligence Agency employee solicited a former CIA officer to sign the statement.

By Brian Mark Weber, Patriot Post – The media have successfully convinced millions of Americans that protecting kids from being “gender-affirmed” is a threat to their health and well-being. Even worse, many states have enacted legislation to keep parents out of the discussion to media accolades… That’s how we know conservatives have completely lost the narrative to the gender-confusion cultists… as long as the Leftmedia control the flow of information, they’ll always have the upper hand.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:12-17 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ….

By David Carlin, The Catholic Thing – The sexual revolution… commenced in the early 1960s. At first, it seemed a naughty but relatively harmless thing. It was college boys and girls choosing to go to bed with one another while at the same time demanding that their elders, i.e., parents and college authorities, either approve or at least tolerate this breach of the rules of conventional (and Christian) morality… “What harm does it do society” ….

By Maura Roan McKeegan, EWTN News – Padre Pio called Don Dolindo a “saint” and said the “whole of Paradise” was in his soul. From what I have seen over these last three years, I believe he is a powerful intercessor for our time. Jesus chose to give the world the Surrender Novena through Don Dolindo, and its graces are changing the world. Miracles are happening. And I believe there are more to come.

By W. Aaron Vandiver, Children’s Health Defense – Polls consistently show that the American people, and people around the world, are deeply divided on the biggest issues of the day: COVID-19, climate change and more… Backlash against the COVID-19 fiasco of the last three years is building among a public that is slowly waking up to the unprecedented power grab and wealth transfer that took place under cover of a pandemic… The environmental left is deeply worried about climate change, but the backlash against climate policy also is building.

By John-Henry Westen, LifeSiteNews – If there’s anyone who knows about the globalist agenda and how disastrous it is for humanity, it’s Frank Wright. Nevertheless, I want you to hear Frank’s reflections on why, despite all of Charles’ imperfections, there are many reasons to be hopeful that Charles might still reject his globalist alliances and why we should never lose hope in our fervent prayers for the conversion of our leaders.

Franciscan Media – Western Christians who are working for greater dialogue with Orthodox Christians may be reaping the fruits of Father Leopold’s prayers… A native of Croatia, Leopold joined the Capuchin Franciscans and was ordained several years later in spite of several health problems.

By Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews – New documents uncovered by America First Legal suggest the Biden administration considers middle-age pro-life mothers to be potential domestic terrorists because they oppose killing unborn babies in abortions… The documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security include information about a proposed “Choose Your Own Adventure” training program that portrays a “middle-aged pro-life” mother as a “radicalization suspect” who should be watched out for.

By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine – A female friend of mine lives by the maxim, “Never be the slow gazelle in the herd.” This maxim reflects a few home truths. There are aggressive men out there, and even a mild-mannered guy with a few shots in his belly can get handsy and even worse. My friend also recognizes that men and women are different. Men are bigger, stronger, and faster than women. Women must protect themselves… In the middle of the night last January 15, LSU sophomore Madison Brooks allowed herself to be the slow gazelle.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – Last year, on the feast of Corpus Christi, the US bishops’ conference launched a four-year program aimed at a National Eucharistic Revival, designed to “restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States.” The goal of the program is commendable; every faithful Catholic recognizes the urgent need for a recovery of reverence for the Eucharist. But I suggest that our bishops are missing the most obvious means toward that end—the quickest, most direct route to the desired goal. …

The John-Henry Westen Show, LifeSiteNews – In times of great confusion and uncertainty, the spiritual practice of discernment of spirits is essential in the fight against Satan’s most dangerous threats: gender confusion, the New World Order, the Great Reset, and worst of all — a coming One World Religion. Fr. Chris Alar explains the important discipline of discernment of spirits, involving the discernment of good and evil, God’s will and ours, and what is true or fake prophecy. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:9-11 – As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

By Rafi Eis, First Things – Marriage is therefore a covenant, which emphasizes how the new unit grows together, not what each individual gets out of it. Spouses may have different sexual expectations, and sometimes circumstances interfere with intimacy, but the covenant of marriage requires loyalty and commitment regardless. Pornography destroys that covenantal commitment and feeds existing dissatisfaction with fantasies about what could or should have been. Ultimately, it ruins marriage. Purity of mind, in contrast, increases dedication and builds marriage.

By G.K. Chesterton, The Catholic Thing – The holy man always conceals his holiness; that is the one invariable rule. And the hagiographer sometimes seems like a persecutor trying to frustrate the holy man; a spy or eavesdropper hardly more respectful than an American interviewer. I admit that these sentiments are fastidious and one-sided, and I will now proceed to prove my penitence by mentioning one or two of the incidents that could only have come to common knowledge in this deplorable way.

By Betsy McCaughey, The Stream – Americans must not surrender to the new normal of squalor and urban chaos — of tent encampments, public defecation, panhandling and shouting schizophrenics… In the aftermath of Jordan Neely’s tragic death on a New York subway, advocates for the homeless and most Democratic politicians are demanding unfettered freedom for the homeless to live on the streets, even with mental illness.

By Virginia Allen, Daily Signal – (Tucker Carlson) “You can’t have a free society if people aren’t allowed to say what they think is true… Speech is the fundamental prerequisite for democracy,” he said, adding, that is “why it’s enshrined in the first of our constitutional amendments.”… “Amazingly, as of tonight, there aren’t many platforms left that allow free speech. The last big one remaining in the world, the only one, is Twitter—where we are now.”

By Craig Bannister, MRCTV – “BANK RECORDS DON’T LIE,” the House Oversight Committee Chairman tweeted Wednesday, after the committee released a memorandum outlining its findings that millions of dollars were circuitously funneled from foreign entities to members of Pres. Joe Biden’s family… “The Biden family used their web of LLCs & associates to receive millions of dollars from foreign nationals,” the committee tweeted, introducing a video clip of committee Chair Rep. James Comer’s (R-KY) press event announcing release of the 36-page (memorandum) …

By Larry Chapp, EWTN News – Father Martin says he does not want to “challenge” Church teaching on “LGBTQ” issues. But he then goes on to say that he wants the language of the Catechism to change. He wants the phrase “intrinsically disordered” changed to something else since these words are hurtful. But change it to what? In the past, Father Martin has suggested we change it to “differently ordered.” But this is just one more indication that Father Martin does not think homosexual sex acts are sinful.

By David G Bonagura, Jr., The Catholic Thing – A promise of universality, charity, and transformation exceeds that of diversity, equity, and inclusion in every way. Why would Catholics want to imitate the minimum standards of the world when they can instead offer those in the world what they truly need: a place in God’s Kingdom, a touch of God’s love, an encounter with God’s salvation. It’s time to update the websites and the slogans: Catholic schools offer UCT to all their students and employees so they can live forever. Done right, it just might lead to secular institutions copying Catholic ones.

By Karen Ingle, LifeNews – Over 4,000 lives have been saved through abortion pill reversal, according to statistics presented at the 2023 Heartbeat International pre-conference seminar, “DIY Abortion and the Hope of the APR Network.”… Abortion pill increases risks for women… “We used to know where abortion centers were located and what services they provided,” she said. “Now her own home is an abortion facility.”… “Women may not even understand what they’ve started.”

By Dr. Jeff Mirus , Catholic Culture – A fascinating new book from Ignatius Press invites both comment and praise: Confession of a Catholic Worker. Larry S. Chapp, a former professor of Catholic theology who came to the fulness of faith in the Catholic Worker movement, offers a unique perspective on the spiritual landscape today, with plenty of good ideas about what it means to be a truly cruciform Catholic. After all, there shouldn’t be any other kind.

By Franciscan Media – He was the second of seven children of peasant parents in Sardinia. His path to the Franciscans was unusual. During a serious illness, Ignatius vowed to become a Capuchin if he recovered. He regained his health but ignored the promise. …

By Msgr. Charles Pope – If you saw some or all of the coronation rituals for King Charles in England, you were certainly treated to an exceedingly beautiful event but also a “blast from the past.” It is highly significant that this is the first coronation in England in seventy years. Seventy years reaches back, prior to the wreckovation, iconoclasm and rude casting aside of all tradition and formality which occurred in the West  in the period of the 1960s and after. Today we are relentlessly casual; we almost never dress up and, practically,  nothing is sacred. ….

By The Ruth Institute, The Stream – “The cultural narrative has kept this a quiet issue, a silent, very shameful issue,” (therapist Lisa Rowe, co-author of Unraveled Roots: Exposing the Hidden Causes of Damaging Behaviors, and CEO of Support After Abortion ) says. “What we’re hoping to do at Support After Abortion is break that. If we don’t begin to have this conversation with more compassion, people are going to stay silent. They’re going to stay suffering.”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:1-8 – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. ….

By Douglas Andrews, Patriot Post – Somewhere around June 1 — no one knows exactly when — the Treasury Department will run out of accounting gimmicks and our nation will exceed its $31.4 trillion debt limit. At that point, we’ll be unable to pay our bills, and we’ll be at risk of defaulting… Unless Congress can come to an agreement with Joe Biden on once again raising that debt ceiling. As we’ve noted previously, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been engaged in debt ceiling non-negotiations with our woefully unpopular president ….

By Auguste Meyrat, Crisis Magazine – Of course, even conceding all this to the WGA, they themselves are not entirely blameless. When it comes to writing in Hollywood, one massive elephant in the room is the noticeable drop in quality and rise in wokeness in films of the past few years… Terrible writing has successfully sunk even the most popular franchises, costing billions for entertainment behemoths like Disney and Warner Bros. and proving the conservative adage, “Go woke, go broke.”

By Jonathon Van Maren, First Things – In the past decade, the American public has been subjected to a relentless series of documentaries and films pushing transgenderism and focusing on the stories of “transgender children.”… a few dissident filmmakers have begun countering that narrative, with projects… “The Detransition Diaries: Saving Our Sisters”, produced by the Center for Bioethics and Culture and directed by documentarian and former nurse Jennifer Lahl, is a powerful and desperately needed addition to this growing genre.

By Complicit Clergy – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland became the 29th U.S. dioceses to file for bankruptcy Monday due to hundreds of new child sex abuse claims, becoming the second diocese in California to do so… The San Francisco Bay Area diocese faces more than 330 lawsuits brought under a California law allowing claims that would have otherwise expired, Bishop Michael C. Barber said in a letter posted to the diocese’s website.

By Kristina Wong, Breitbart – The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a new military aid package of $1.2 billion for Ukraine, bringing the total since its war with Russia began to $36.9 billion… “Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new security assistance package to reaffirm the steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine, including to bolster its air defenses and sustain its artillery ammunition needs,” the Pentagon said in an announcement.

By Edward Ring, American Greatness – The war on fossil fuel is a war on freedom, prosperity, pluralism, independence, national sovereignty, world peace, domestic tranquility, and, most ironically, the environment itself. It is a war of rich against poor, the privileged against the disadvantaged, corporate monopolies against competitive upstarts, Malthusians against optimists, regulators against innovators, and authoritarians against freedom-loving people everywhere.

Patriot Post – “We are, heart and soul, friends to the freedom of the press. It is however, the prostituted companion of liberty, and somehow or other, we know not how, its efficient auxiliary.” —Fisher Ames (1807)

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – (Donald Trump) met with (SBA Pro-Life America Pres. Marjorie Dannenfelser and Tony Perkins, Pres. Family Research Council) both of whom said Trump reassured them that he would strongly support pro-life legislation to protect babies from abortions… In comments to LifeNews, Dannenfelser described it as a “terrific meeting.”

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist – The more obvious it becomes that our domestic political struggles are actually part of a much larger spiritual war over the fate of western civilization, that we are today engaged not so much in a political fight as a religious battle between good and evil, the stronger the urge seems to be among Republican politicians to deny this reality and take refuge in the comforting political narratives of the past… Keep this in mind as we march toward the 2024 election cycle. The cast of buffoons and egomaniacs on the Republican side will feature mostly candidates who don’t understand or don’t want to admit what’s happening.

By Patrick Delaney, LifeSiteNews – ‘Multiple obvious toxicities were deliberately built into [the alleged vaccines’] designs, with the result that there would be high expectations of blood clots, autoimmune attacks and cytokine storms all over the body, depending on where it went in a given individual,’ Dr. Michael Yeadon… “When you inject this into a person and it spreads around their body and gets absorbed into a cell, that message gets converted into a protein.”….

Franciscan Media – When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy, Hansen’s disease. By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease.

By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing – It was most likely on December 6, 1273, one might surmise from the best accounts, that a brother in the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) named Dominic of Caserta, who was serving as sacristan at the priory at Naples, snuck into the chapel of St. Nicholas, to see if he was there once more — that is to say, Thomas Aquinas, who, as this brother had many times observed before, liked to leave his room secretly before Matins, and quietly descend the stairs to the church, in order to pray before the others arrived.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – A federal appeals court appears likely to either block the abortion pill nationwide or at least ban mail-order abortions… That’s because the makeup of the three-judge panel that will consider the major case doctors filed against the FDA’s approval process of the dangerous abortion drug are conservative appointees who understand there is not a right to abortion… Last month, the Supreme Court allowed continued sales of the abortion pill while the case continued at the lower court level. The vote was 7-2, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting.

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – The world is starving for lack of love. Not for a lack of office workers, or lawyers, or doctors. But for love. And yet, for some reason, we have dismissed the fundamental role that mothers play, and have always played, in bringing more love into the world: loving a person from the very first moments of his or her existence. If she feels called to, and if circumstances allow for it, a mother should feel zero guilt in seceding from the marketplace in order to devote her full attention to her children. She is, after all, doing the most important work in the world: shaping human souls.

By Church Militant – There are fewer things in the Church more revolting to listen to or see than woke bishops. They are just the latest evolution in the class of men who began as social justice warriors and simply morphed into the next phase…. Take, for example, the archbishop of San Antonio, Texas, Gustavo García-Siller… And before we get into specifics about him, consider that all of these terms are nothing other than dog whistles for communism: woke, social justice, socialism, equity and any other substitute word that comes to mind. It’s communism, plain and simple.

By William Mahoney, Ph.D., Church Militant – Two of five pro-life advocates are free from jail after witnessing behind bars to inmates. Dr. Monica Miller and John Hinshaw of Red Rose Rescue were released from jail on Friday while Laura Gies, Matthew Connolly and Fr. Fidelis Moscinski will remain behind bars with varying release dates… “Indeed, when our fellow inmates know why we are in jail, we receive much respect and support!” she stated.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:27-31 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. …

By Nolan Lewallen, The Stream – Article 4 Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution states: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion.” The powers that be on the Left can quote that, and yet we’ve witnessed an all-out invasion at our southern border for nearly two and a half years. They have invaded from more than 160 countries, and a recent Pew Research poll found that 63% of them are coming from countries other than Mexico and the Northern Triangle.

By Derek Rotty, Catholic Exchange – Christ Pantocrator is a window into the deep, eternal Mystery that is intended for all humanity to know and ponder. By pondering this icon, we are able to dive more deeply into that Mystery and grow in our relationship with the God-Man, Jesus Christ. In deepening our relationship with Our Blessed Lord, we are taught to turn our mind

By Larry Celona, Kyle Schnitzer, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, NY Post – The “God is Trans: A Queer Spiritual Journey” display at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle has some parishioners scratching their heads — and seems to run counter to the Catholic Church’s stance on the transgender community… “The church should not be promoting this,” one irate parishioner told The Post. “I understand there are transgender people. I pray for all people but enough is enough.

By Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, The Catholic Thing – St. John Henry Cardinal Newman was once asked by his Bishop what he thought might be the place of the laity in the Church. He retorted:  “The Church would look foolish without them.”  An uncharacteristically laconic response for Newman.  Which leads to the next question: If the Church would look foolish without the laity, what kind of laity would redound to her edification and effectiveness?  Newman tells us clearly: “I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand ….

By Kevin J. Jones, CNA – A leading artificial intelligence researcher some call the “godfather” of AI says the technology is developing at a “scary” rate and warns that it should not expand beyond our ability to control it. He joins the voice of many leaders, including Pope Francis, who want to ensure ethical concerns are “built in” at the technology’s foundation… Geoffrey Hinton, a longtime researcher at Google newly retired at age 75, has added his voice to those saying that the potential dangers of the new technology deserve scrutiny.

By Ian Hanchett, Breitbart – On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart” John Martin, who is the Director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso, TX stated that there is “a humanitarian crisis” in the city, “we’ve never seen the situation as critical” as it is now, and “we’re overwhelmed.” Martin also stated that they’re “expecting the worst” as Title 42 is lifted.

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – Two writers have flagged something much of the political class dances around with pirouettes that would make the Juilliard School jealous: the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is pro-abortion. They quote Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who, in remarks on the Senate floor April 27, made the pro-abortion nexus of the ERA clear… The Senate was taking up a resolution purportedly to declare the ERA part of the Constitution and retroactively to remove the seven-year ratification deadline Congress set when it proposed the amendment in 1972, which expired in 1979.

By Andreas Wailzer, LifeSiteNews – Josef Seifert, published an open letter addressed to the cardinals of the Catholic Church, in which he called the bishops of the Church to resist Pope Francis’ his heterodox actions, like the signing of the Abu Dhabi document… “Pope Francis – I say this with a bleeding heart – is not the ‘guarantor of the faith’, but is constantly increasingly destroying the foundations of faith and morals with this and many other statements and pronouncements,” Seifert wrote.

By Randy Hain, Integrated Catholic – Blessed Mother, I come to you now seeking your intercession for my family and the Church.  I seek your powerful prayers for Pope Francis and our Bishops and priests that they be holy men of God.  I ask that our government leaders gain wisdom and have their hearts converted by a powerful love for your son.  Also, I humbly seek your prayers for my own prayer life, which has been dry of late, that once again it will become the source of peace and strength it has been so often in my life as a Catholic. ….

By Franciscan Media – Born in the Castile region of Spain, John was sent at the age of 14 to the University of Salamanca to study law. He later moved to Alcala, where he studied philosophy and theology before his ordination as a diocesan priest… After John’s parents died and left him as their sole heir to a considerable fortune, he distributed his money to the poor…

By Msgr. Charles Pope – By His resurrection, Jesus has brought us from death to life. He has snatched us from this present evil age (Gal 1:4) and from the death-directed desires of our body (Rom 6:12), and made us into a new and living creation (2 Cor 5:17). As such, we have exchanged the tombstones that once indicated we were dead in our sins and have become living stones in the spiritual edifice that is the Body of Christ and also the Church.

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – The decade-long French Revolution that broke out in 1789 soon devolved into far more than removing the monarchy, as it became antithetical to the earlier American precedent. American notions of liberty and freedom were seen as far too narrow, given the state, if only all-powerful and all-wise, could mandate “equality” and force “fraternity” among its subjects… Each cycle of French revolutionary fervor soon became more radicalized and cannibalistic—until it reached its logical ends of violent absurdity.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:21-26 – He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word ….

By John Zmirak, The Wanderer – I hope that Tucker Carlson teams up with Steve Bannon, and they bring along the other talented people whom Fox News threw to the crocodiles, to create a genuine guerrilla “resistance” media platform. If that happens, my hope for this country and its future will be restored. I hope that Americans are too spunky, too Christian, and just plain too stubborn to let themselves be neutered and herded like so many veal calves, awaiting the slaughter.

By Dr. Peter Kreeft, Integrated Catholic – Ideas are more precious than diamonds. The three most precious ideas I have ever discovered all concern the love of God… None of them is original. But every one is revolutionary. None of them came from me. But all of them came to me with sudden force and fire: the “aha!” experience, the “eureka!” experience. They were all realizations, not just beliefs.

Church Militant – Vatican-Hindu dialogue promotes a ‘new Humanism.’… Church Militant’s Rome Corespondent, Dr. Jules Gomes, discusses how the Vatican’s trend of false inculturation is gaining steam.

By John Grondelski, EWTN News – Writing an essay on the weekly Scripture readings in art grows more challenging in the second half of the Easter season, because the Gospels transition from Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances and the message of the Good Shepherd — themes either concrete or well-documented in art — to more abstract theology, usually taken from Jesus’ Last Supper Discourse in John’s Gospel, as he prepares to take leave of the Apostles at the Ascension.

By Raymond Wolfe, LifeSiteNews – Republican-led states are pushing back against the radical LGBT movement with a wave of new laws restricting devastating transgender surgeries and drugs for children… 2023 has been a breakthrough year in the fight against LGBT ideology and the grave danger it poses to children. Since January, 14 states have approved laws to ban or limit “gender transitions” for minors, which have exploded in popularity in recent years as gender confusion has surged among youth.

By Joe Bukuras, Catholic News Agency – As Franciscan University of Steubenville students wrap up their spring semester, a large group of its undergraduates will be heading into summer significantly changed after participating in the school’s invitation to drop their smartphones… “It had way more of an effect on me than I thought it would,” Grace Pollock, a sophomore nursing major at the private university in Steubenville, Ohio, told CNA May 3.

By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine – Recently the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrated a new church in the small town of St. Mary’s, Kansas. At first glance, this seems to be non-news. However, consider that the consecration was attended by more than 3,000 people (the town’s entire population is less than that!); the church is now the SSPX’s largest church in America; the new church is a sign of the SSPX’s growth in recent years; and many Catholic dioceses are in the midst of closing churches. That makes it newsworthy.

By Robert Royal,  The Catholic Thing – When the history of our times comes to be written, scholars won’t be able to ignore how much recent years have been marked by widespread feelings of apocalypse. That’s, of course, assuming that there are any historians who survive. Because from threats of nuclear war to climate change, from AI (artificial intelligence) to the digital technologies damaging our very bodies and brains, from the virtual erasure of the sex “binary” (i.e., women and men) to a media hell-bent on encouraging social division, it at least feels like the radical end – of something.

Franciscan Media – There are two men named Saint Peter of Tarentaise who lived one century apart. The man we honor today is the younger Peter, born in France in the early part of the 12th century. The other man with the same name became Pope Innocent the Fifth.

By Virginia Allen, Daily Signal – “It’s a welcome wagon,” a retired Border Patrol agent says of the 1,500 active-duty troops the Biden administration is sending to the southern border ahead of the expiration of Title 42 on May 11… The troops will be helping with “non-law enforcement duties,” according to the Homeland Security Department, but Frank Lopez says that likely means they will be assigned tasks like “feeding [illegal aliens], to providing water, [and] blankets for little kids.”

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – (What) has become a fairly standard practice among liberal polemicists: accusing their opponents of doing exactly what they themselves are doing… Hypocrisy is not an occasional failing of the liberal ideologue; it is an inherent characteristic: not a bug but a feature… when a liberal critic complains that your attitude is unacceptable or your argument is unfair, step back and reconsider. Chances are, he’s doing exactly what he charges you with doing.

By Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky, The Catholic Thing – There is an instructive story about an American hostage who asks his Iranian captors to listen to reason. They agree, but add, “Then we kill you.” Ideologues are not open to dialog… The diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), now everywhere in our society, is an ideology that repackages René Descartes’ dictum. “I think, therefore I am.” We are “ghosts in a machine.” Our thinking – actually fantasies – determine our reality. But this projection of delusions, disconnected from empirical reality, requires us to deny or distort human and historical experience.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:7-14 – If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father’? ….

By Thomas Shaffern, Crisis Magazine – Therefore, though Catholic monarchy produced much good for Europe over many centuries, it is not the only form of good government. Catholic monarchy was also not always perfect, though no system created by man alone can ever attain perfection. One must consider the history and tradition of a nation to determine what government works best. Rather than trying to overhaul our system in the United States, American Catholics ought to work within the system and get our people into positions of power to forward the changes we want to see in our nation.

By Fred Lucas, Daily Signal – Impeachment is the only recourse if a government whistleblower’s allegation that President Joe Biden was part of a bribery scheme is true, said Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., chairman of the Republican Policy Committee… “You can’t prosecute a sitting president for crimes, so the only recourse—if this document exists, and we believe it does—is for the House to bring articles of impeachment”

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – There is a terrifying logic to the leftist infiltration of our public schools. If they control the minds of children, they have their hooks in the future of the country. Aside from the multitude of evils that this is already producing (transgenderism, critical race theory, environmental cultists), kids are failing academically. This is particularly true in the arenas of history and civics… History and civics actually got the lowest scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — i.e. the Nation’s Report Card …

By American Life League – Planned Parenthood has trumpeted its huge profits and boasted of aborting 1,025 babies each day in its 2021-2022 Annual Report. American Life League and its Planned Parenthood watchdog STOPP International state that the abortion vendor should be ashamed of its self-proclaimed “relentless” pursuit of unrestricted abortion. …

By Elle Purnell, The Federalist – By describing woke ideologies and their fruits at face value, conservatives felled the left’s self-conferred monopoly on how, when, and where the term could be used. But the same people policing the word “woke” are appointing themselves the arbiters of the rest of the English language, too… For those of us who prefer our words to reflect reality, there is nothing to be gained by good-naturedly going along with linguistic charades. On the other hand, there is the entire discourse to be lost.

By Jules Gomes, ChurchMilitant – Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti has also come under fire for promoting an understanding of “universal fraternity,” that goes beyond the traditional understanding of “Christian brotherhood.”… The Grand Orient of Italy, a Masonic lodge, earlier eulogized Fratelli Tutti as “close to the ideals that have constituted the very foundations of Freemasonry from the very beginning,” Church Militant reported.

By Patti Maguire Armstrong, EWTN News – The cultural landscape is troubling, aptly observes Father of Mercy William Casey in You Shall Stand Firm: Preserving the Faith in an Age of Apostacy. As Father Casey, a well-known speaker and frequent EWTN guest, writes: “Most of us have the good sense to realize we are now living in a dangerous time of spiritual and moral decay.”… “I say ‘dangerous,’ not just because of the dangers it presents to the salvation of souls and eternity,” he continues, “but if history is a sure guide, these are very dangerous times for the very life and future of the United States.

Patriot Post – “It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.” —Thomas Jefferson (1781)

Franciscan Media – Saints Marian, an ordained lector, and James, a deacon, were martyred during the persecution of Valerian around the year 259. Few other facts are known about them… It seems that while they were in prison, each had a vision regarding his martyrdom. They drew courage from these apparitions and were able to courageously face death. ..

By Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, The Western Journal – Have we lost America to a Marxist-communist movement? Are we in an unrecoverable tailspin toward our nation’s demise? Why have I asked these questions, you ask? It is because the Marxist left has so corrupted America and its election system that it appears no Republican candidate can win in 2024. There, I said it. It won’t happen. Instead, these next two years will not simply be the same as the past two — they will be far worse.

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – But don’t worry — Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says that illegal migration is down 90%… The Defense Dept. therefore is preparing to send 1,500 more personnel to the border… Under Pres.Biden’s watch, however, these 1,500 troops would be helping only with administrative tasks and transportation, not actually stopping illegals from entering the country. In other words, this show of force is really a Babylon Bee quip: “Biden Deploys 1,500 Troops At Border To Help Register New Voters.” He’s turning satire into accurate accounting.

By John Grondelski, EWTN News – The Italian website La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana (LNBQ) ran an insightful piece Sept. 6 on what it called “walls of sound” and “analgesic noise.” Aurelio Porfiri was reacting to a growing phenomenon in Europe, where churches cannot seem to decide if they are places of worship or tourist sites. He complained about the piping of canned music — usually organ pieces or Gregorian chant — into otherwise empty churches to give visitors a churchy ambience, what we might call ecclesiastical elevator music. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:1-6 – “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ….

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., Children’s Health Defense – “The Big Catch-up” initiative, described by the World Health Organization as a “targeted global effort to boost vaccination among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic,” will last 18 months… Chelsea Clinton — via the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) — along with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched an initiative called “The Big Catch-up.”

By Fred Lucas, Daily Signal – The White House dismisses the revelation that a government whistleblower implicates President Joe Biden in a bribery scheme, calling the accusation no different than other investigations of the president’s family “going on five years.”… But this allegation is quite different, noted one member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
“This is the first time there has been a direct link to President Biden and influence peddling,” Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., told The Daily Signal in a phone interview….

By Church Militant – In this episode of The Download, Brad Eli, Simon Rafe, Christine Niles and David Gordon discuss the slew of problems related to illegal immigration. They are joined by senior producer Joe Enders, who explains House Republicans’ plan to get ahead of the end of Title 42 — a pandemic-related measure that makes it easier to stop immigrants from entering the United States. When that policy ends, many expect the migration crisis to worsen.

By Joe Bukuras, CNA – A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that The Satanic Temple must be allowed to hold its “After School Satan Club” in a public middle school in Pennsylvania’s Saucon Valley School District… U.S. District Court Judge John Gallagher, sitting in Allentown, issued the preliminary injunction just days after The Satanic Temple held its second annual conference called “SatanCon” in Boston, which was heavily protested by Catholics.

By Lora Ries, Daily Signal – What started out decades ago as faith-based organizations (NGO’s) supporting the State Department to resettle genuine refugees in the U.S. after a legitimate application process has evolved into mass illegal immigration and downstream activities, creating an immigration industrial complex (for NGO’s) worth billions of dollars.

By Andrea M. Picciotti-Bayer, EWTN News – If your teenage children are curious about how the Constitution and federal laws protect religious believers, then they should steer clear of Teen Vogue… Surprisingly, the publication has just published a long article on a case before the Supreme Court, involving Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian website designer in Colorado who doesn’t want to be forced to use her creative talents to design websites for same-sex weddings. Less surprisingly, given Teen Vogue’s progressive worldview, the article is relentlessly biased against her.

By Kennedy Hall, Crisis Magazine – Recently, there was a vote at my local “Catholic” school board pertaining to what types of flags will be flown on board property. The vote was not technically about flying the rainbow flag, but it was, of course, all about flying that flag. On paper, the issue at hand was whether the board would allow flags other than the Canadian flag to be flown…right before “pride” season begins.

By John Binder, Breitbart – As many as 700,000 migrants, a foreign population larger than Boston, Massachusetts, are currently in Mexico waiting to rush the United States-Mexico border when President Joe Biden ends the public health authority known as Title 42 on May 11… In 2020, in the midst of the Chinese coronavirus crisis, former President Donald Trump invoked the public health authority known as Title 42 at the border, ensuring that federal immigration officials have been able to quickly return millions of illegal aliens to Mexico over the last three years.

By Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews – Doctors celebrated the success of a pioneer surgery this week that saved an unborn baby girl’s life – and potentially could save thousands more… baby Denver underwent the first successful fetal brain surgery in March at Boston Children’s Hospital, and now is thriving at home with her Louisiana family… “We are pleased to report that at six weeks, the infant is progressing remarkably well…”

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – The very ineptitude of her human leaders for now more than 2,000 years is a kind of negative proof of the Divine character of the one Church that still teaches, in the twenty-first century after Christ, what she taught in the eleventh century and indeed in the first century. The world has been insisting that she change through all these centuries, attempting to reshape her in some new way with each passing one of them. And amid all these pressures, the world might well complain that the more the Catholic Church changes, the more she remains the same.

By David Warren, The Catholic Thing – I would not call myself a “good Catholic,” and if Pope Francis were to look into my case, he would find many flaws. I  guess this because I’ve heard what he has to say about similar people. Nor am I sure of my judgment about him. He has spoken many novelties, and given many “surprises.” Yet for all I know, there is within him the most unchallengeable faith, though it may outwardly appear as heterodoxy.

Franciscan Media – It’s been said that youth is wasted on the young. In some ways, that was true for today’s saint… Born in France in the early fifth century, Hilary came from an aristocratic family. In the course of his education he encountered his relative, Honoratus, who encouraged the young man to join him in the monastic life…

By Fr. Roger Landry, EWTN News – But the larger picture must similarly be addressed: The staggering number of young people — 42% — who say they are persistently hopeless and unhappy and the 22% who have seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. Forty percent of high school students said that they felt so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in regular activities for at least two weeks during the previous year.

By Truth For Health Team, America Out Loud – The DOT, DOJ, FAA, the major US airline carriers (United, American, Delta, Southwest, Alaska Airlines), and the AIG Insurance Group are, at this point in 2023, guilty of at least criminally negligent homicide under U.S. laws that were derived from the Nuremberg Code… These federal agencies and industry groups have been duly notified in sworn affidavits from legal and medical experts of the irrefutable evidence of the widespread damage and deaths from the COVID shots.

By Melissa Ohden & Marjorie Dannenfelser, Real Clear Politics – Every day across the country, scenes of stark disparity in who receives health care play out in a way that would shock most Americans. In one reality, in the neonatal intensive care unit, doctors are heroically working to save the tiniest, most fragile patients – premature babies – and their coworkers are striving to keep the new mothers stable. Meanwhile, in another room, possibly down the hall in the same hospital, or maybe down the road in the same city, a baby identical in age is left on a cold metal tray to die, struggling to live.

By Jack Devine, Patriot Post – Due to the embarrassing embrace of transgender ‘influencer’ Dylan Mulvaney.. (Anheuser-Busch stockholders) lost $6 billion in market cap in one day… Mulvaney is a 26-year-old man-turned-woman, a self-promoting and very successful TikTok and Instagram “transgender” personality… the (response to the) advertising blitz that featured Mulvaney in a bathtub drinking a Bud Light and nationwide distribution of commemorative cans of Bud Light with Mulvaney’s smiling picture on the front.. did not go well.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 13:16-20 – Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be fulfilled, `He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’

By Craig Bannister, MRCTV – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has done for Floridians what Pres. Joe Biden’s (D) veto prevented Congress from doing for all Americans: save citizens being victimized by woke Wall Street banks and giant investment managers who put politics over profits… On Tuesday, DeSantis signed legislation “to combat government- and corporate-sanctioned activism and the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) movement,” the governor’s office announced in a statement ….

By Children’s Health Defense – Edipeel is described as a colorless, odorless, tasteless coating for fruit and vegetables that’s composed entirely of a mixture of food-grade glycerolipids, derived from edible plant oils… Is it safe? An extremely good question… At the end of the day, Edipeel is going to be rolled out whether we like it or not… (we are reminded) of the many reasons to prioritize our purchase and consumption of local, traditionally produced, organic.. biodynamic and chemical-free foods wherever possible.

By Church Militant – WATCH! Scroll down Church Militant website to find this incredible video: “Mic’d Up Report: Spiritual Warfare” 12 minutes

By Fr Paul John Kalchik, Church Militant – After class that night, when everyone had gone, Fr. Wayne prepared my classmate and me to be ready for unexpected situations (i.e. demonic) like this. His words are still ingrained in my brain: When you get an inkling of the presence of an evil spirit, just bind it. Forbid it to talk, and command it to leave. Both of you have all the power necessary to send any of these demons packing. …

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing – Earlier this week, on the first of May, the Church celebrated the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. The feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 as a counterpoint to the Communist celebration of May Day. What better counterpoint to an ideology of power and conflict than humble Joseph? What better antidote to individualism than the solidarity of the Holy Family? What better example of the dignity and goodness of human labor than the man into whose care God entrusted both Jesus and Mary?

By Eric Scheiner, MRCTV – The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed the FBI for a file that a whistleblower claims links Joe Biden to a “criminal scheme” featuring “money for policy decisions.”… Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Senate Budget Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday.

By Ryan Colby, LifeNews – The federal government recently told a Catholic hospital in Oklahoma to either blow out a small candle or stop serving elderly, disabled, and low-income patients. Saint Francis Health System, the twelfth largest hospital in the nation, keeps, with many prudent safeguards, a sacred candle always lit inside its hospital chapels, in accordance with its Catholic faith.

By Greg Cook, Crisis Magazine – Many of us who live in rural parts of the U.S. have witnessed discouraging trends in recent decades: the increase in the size of farming and ranching operations; the destruction of small-town life; depopulation; a growing disregard for natural beauty; and the erosion of the work ethic. Those corrosive trends add up to the dissolution of a cohesive society. Human connection, human scale, and human aspirations are all snatched away by inhuman forces.

By Msgr. Charles Pope – Many groups have a tendency to use words that make sense to their members but are unintelligible to outsiders. I have sometimes had to decode “Church-speak” for recent converts… Here in the aftermath of Easter with all our fancy words like catechumen, mystogogia, neophyte, regeneration, etc, I muse on our overall tendency to “church-speak. …

By Franciscan Media – A life of physical pain and mental torment didn’t prevent Michael Giedroyc from achieving holiness… Born near Vilnius, Lithuania, Michael suffered from physical and permanent handicaps from birth. He was a dwarf who had the use of only one foot.

By Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews – USCCB President, Abp. Timothy Broglio urged Catholics to stand firm in opposition to two new Biden administration actions that force taxpayers to fund the killing of unborn babies in abortions through the military… “The policy and rule, now in effect, are morally repugnant and incongruent with the Gospel which the faithful are commissioned to share throughout the world,” the archbishop wrote. “Moreover, the new DOD policy and VA rule fail to incorporate basic conscience protections, thus creating First Amendment pitfalls for military commanders and VA employees.”

By Douglas Andrews, Patriot Post – Joe Biden’s latest energy regulations are shaping up to be his costliest yet… we Americans get 60% of our electricity from the aforementioned coal and gas-fired power plants. The idea that we could, at any time in the foreseeable future, replace three-fifths of our energy supply with the Left’s twin fantasies of wind and solar is lunacy. But with nuclear, it’s entirely doable — if only we can summon up the collective will.

By Gary Bauer, Patriot Post – There is no doubt that we live in difficult and challenging times. Bizarre things — insane things — are happening almost every day. All of us are being tested these days… Some react with great courage. Some are hesitant. Many of us are somewhere in between… We are in a battle for the heart and soul of America. And in this battle to define our country, we all need courage.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 12:44-50 – And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. …

The Ruth Institute, The Stream – Faith Hakesley writes at “Ask a Survivor”: When people ask me why I think the clerical abuse scandal has gone on as long as it has and continues to unfold, I respond by saying that there are many reasons… I believe that pride is at the root of it… “There are negotiations going on every working day at the U.N. in which the sexual left is trying to impose the sexual revolution on the whole world”

By Brittany M. Hughes, CNSNews – In the week ending April 22, Bud Light sales are down more than 21% across the country, signaling a major blow to a beer brand whose base audience is rooted in blue-collar men. Meanwhile, beer volumes – meaning the actual amount of product sold – fell 26%… this downward spiral has continued at a rapid pace for weeks. In the first week following Dylan Mulvaney’s pearl-spangled announcement that he was the newest face of the beer brand, Bud Light sales plummeted 6%.

By Simone M. Sepe, First Things – I have noticed a new “culture of fragility” among my fellow academics in recent years. There is an aversion to confrontation and divisive discussions… professors avoid any situations that could lead to disagreement, and everyone is expected to praise one another, even when faced with an objective failure. This culture of fragility stifles open dialogue and hinders collective decision-making. Collegiality has been reinterpreted as “avoiding causing discomfort to others,” rather than as a norm of respect governing genuine debate and intellectual disagreement.

By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing – May and October are the special months when Catholics traditionally honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. In recent years, Marian piety has seen a recovery from decline during the first decades after Vatican II… A theme that I believe remains undeveloped in Marian theology, however, is her role – along with Jesus Himself – as an exemplar of what it means to be human.

Patriot Post – “We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” —Thomas Jefferson (1816)

By Dr. Steve LaTulippe, America Out Loud – Recent voter polls show that many Americans are siding with Donald Trump as the 2024 presidential race slowly gains momentum. Despite his strong and proven track record in his last term, some good conservatives say they aren’t voting for Trump based on one issue: he has never apologized for Operation Warp Speed. Is this really the main issue?… I get it. Nobody of sound intelligence and knowledge of scientific truth can deny that the so-called mRNA vaccines have caused countless injuries and deaths.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – One of our major political parties is now slavishly committed to the promotion of abortion. The other party, unfortunately, is divided. “Moderate” Republicans warn that abortion is a winning issue for Democrats, and therefore Republicans should avoid it. Even Donald Trump, whose record in the Oval Office was solidly pro-life, has suggested that pro-life support may be a burden rather than a benefit for Republican candidates.

By Franciscan Media – Saints Philip and James’ Story – James, Son of Alphaeus: We know nothing of this man except his name, and, of course, the fact that Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 pillars of the New Israel, his Church. He is not the James of Acts, son of Clopas, “brother” of Jesus and later bishop of Jerusalem and the traditional author of the Letter of James. James, son of Alphaeus, is also known as James the Lesser to avoid confusing him with James the son of Zebedee, also an apostle and known as James the Greater.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – After national controversy surrounding the Planned Parenthood abortion businesses’ sale of aborted babies and aborted baby body parts, then Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law a new measure providing that aborted babies may be buried or cremated… But Planned Parenthood sued to stop the law from being enforced and the lawsuit eventually made its way to the Supreme Court… Today, in an unsigned order, the Supreme Court allowed Indiana to enforce the law.

By Todd Bensman, The Federalist – An estimated 15,000 mostly Haitian immigrants have packed into every crevice of this northern Mexican city on the Rio Grande across from McAllen, Texas, and won’t leave. At least not until after 11:59 p.m. on May 11… the moment when the pandemic-era “Title 42” rapid expulsion policy finally expires and is replaced by a new, untested Biden administration plan for keeping them in Reynosa as well as the “volatile logjam,” as The New York Times recently termed them, of tens of thousands of other immigrants now waiting for the policy change all over Mexico.

By Carl R. Trueman, First Things – Many aspects of Prager’s comment are disturbing, not least his failure to address the dark nature of the pornography industry itself. But it is also instructive, because it exposes the superficiality of some of what passes for conservative thought today. Prager’s statement reveals that he lacks a real grasp of what is causing the social and political problems that he claims to abhor: We live in a time of anthropological chaos, where the very notion of what it means to be human is no longer a matter of broad social and political consensus.

By Emily Mangiaracina, LifeSite News – The bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City, W. Shawn McKnight, has nevertheless issued a statement declaring, “The Church not only gives us permission to receive these vaccines, but she informs us that we have a moral responsibility to receive the vaccines when we are able to do so.”… (citing) … a statement from the CDF… “[W]hen ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available … it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.”

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 10:22-30 – It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me…

By Erin Alberty, Axios – The adult content website Pornhub blocked access in Utah on Monday due to new state laws requiring websites with adult content to verify users’ ages before allowing them to access the platforms… The big picture: Mississippi and Virginia have passed age-verification laws similar to Louisiana’s… “It’s looking more and more like adult sites are going to block off a significant section of the country,” Stabile said.

By William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine – Many in the trans movement would likely object to an insanity defense even if it saved transgender defendants from prison because it would expose the basic insanity that lies at the heart of transgender ideology… The case of Audrey Hale, the transgender woman who murdered three children and three adults at a Nashville Christian school, raises some important moral and legal questions.

By Nate Jackson, Patriot Post – Open borders have sometimes deadly consequences… An intentional invasion of our southern border has been welcomed and enabled by Joe Biden’s administration. Democrats are politically invested in the results of millions of migrants making their way to the U.S., and they are increasingly ideologically committed to the idea that a national border is fundamentally unfair and wrong… How many more innocent people have to die before that choice becomes a bit easier?

By William Mahoney, Ph.D., Church Militant – Under the “about this item” section on Amazon, the game makers teasingly write, “Unlike other spirit boards, this one will NEVER contact evil ghosts or demons, so you can ask your questions with an assured sense of safety.”… (however) exorcists warn that playing with such a board is in fact spiritually dangerous.

By Tyler O’Neil, The Daily Signal – Two parishioners at a Latin Mass Catholic church in rural Northern Virginia say they witnessed suspicious activity from what looked like FBI vehicles in February, a month after the FBI’s Richmond office published a now-rescinded internal memo focused on “radical-traditional Catholics.”… The two witnesses told The Daily Signal that they saw two cars approach the church, drive through the parking lot as if they were writing down license plate numbers, and then leave, on two separate instances …

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – The people assembled in the funeral parlor pews. The inebriated men stumbled in and sat down next to their women. As they gazed in my direction, they laughed at me with contempt. Despite my tender years, I was used to people yawning during my pulpit remarks. So, I usually took the insults in stride. But every so often, there comes a time when the insults are so grave, a man needs to punch back.

By Matt Lamb, LifeSiteNews – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is offering a $1.5 million grant to a provider of a planned abortion hotline, reflecting President Joe Biden’s priority of expanding abortion through all nine months of pregnancy at taxpayer expense without any limits… The Office of Population Affairs wants to establish a “hotline” to provide information to “pregnant clients” on “pregnancy termination” as well as adoption and prenatal care.

By Edward Pentin, EWTN News – As part of a series highlighting these pertinent texts, below is a passage from The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Ávila in which the 16th-century saint recounts how she resolved to do all she could to protect the Church and save souls in the face of internal attacks during the Protestant revolt… This realization led her to restore Carmelite life to its original observance of austerity, and to introduce a prayerful life of penance at the Carmelite convents she founded — what she termed “our vocation of reparation” for the sins of humankind.

By Franciscan Media – Athanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church….

Msgr. Charles Pope – The Lord says, “My sheep hear my voice.” That’s right, He called us sheep. Get a little indignant with me here! The Lord is comparing us not to majestic eagles, beautiful gazelles, swift horses, mighty lions, or clever doges, but to sheep. While reality may hurt, the truth can liberate. Although sheep are considered somewhat lowly animals, they are valuable as well. Let’s consider some qualities of sheep that may help illustrate what He is teaching. Two are more negative, two are positive.

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – This man has spent his entire adulthood in the trenches; his latest venture is redeeming Library Story Hour… When one thinks of Kirk Cameron, one might picture the oldest son from the TV sitcom “Growing Pains.” That young man has acted in plenty of films since then. Cameron is also one of the most famous unapologetic Christian actors in Hollywood. He has been on the front lines of the culture war for years now. His latest mission has been redeeming Library Story Hour.