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Supreme Court to hear case of designer who won’t create websites for same-sex weddings

October 6, 2022

CNA/ADF—The Supreme Court’s fall term features a major case that will push the question of religious liberty back into the national spotlight as the court determines whether or not a Colorado woman can be forced to violate her religious beliefs about marriage. Lorie Smith, an artist and small business owner, is challenging a Colorado state law for her right to refuse creative services when they conflict with her religious beliefs. Smith, the plaintiff in the case, 303 Creative vs. Elenis, is suing members of the state’s government — including the director of the state’s civil rights division, Aubrey Elenis — in a challenge to a Colorado law that would require her to design websites celebrating same-sex marriages, something she opposes as a Christian. Smith is being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the same conservative legal nonprofit that represented fellow Coloradan Jack Phillips in the well-known Masterpiece Cakeshop case that went to the Supreme Court in 2018. “Colorado is trying to compel [Smith] to celebrate and create custom work for marriages that she doesn’t agree with,” Matt Sharp, senior counsel for ADF, told CNA in an interview. “This is ultimately about whether our Constitution protects artists like Lorie, who simply want to be able to serve everyone but not create all messages,” he added. Smith is the owner of 303 Creative, a graphic- and website-design business based out of Denver that she has run since 2012. According to her testimony, Smith believed that God was calling her to “promote and celebrate his design for marriage” by making custom wedding websites for heterosexual couples. Smith detailed her...

Order of Malta’s former chancellor writes letter about Pope Francis, calls for unity in time of crisis

October 6, 2022

The former grand chancellor of the Order of Malta has written a letter to members calling for unity while also expressing concern over the new constitution promulgated by Pope Francis. Albrecht von Boeselager asked members not to abandon the Church or the Order of Malta in a letter sent to all the confreres. Instead, the former grand chancellor called for unity at this challenging time for the order. “Certainly, the foreseeable future will not be easy for the order and for us as members,” Boeselager wrote. “I cannot imagine that the new Constitution issued by the Holy Father will be helpful for the development of our Order’s charism, the strengthening of our spirituality and the growth of the Order’s works.” Boeselager added that he has “received many messages from members of the order who are questioning their continued membership after the recent decisions. I would like to ask everyone to stay. Especially now, it will be important to prove our faithfulness to the charism of the order, to the service of the faith and of those in need. That is why we joined the order. The order will survive this crisis, as it has many others.” In the missive, dated “September 2022,” Boeselager wrote he was responding to many letters of encouragement he had received. He said he wanted to assure everyone he was well and thank members of the Sovereign Council and other officials. Boeselager also noted that “many have also expressed to me their great disappointment in the Holy Father — they could no longer regard him as the father he promised to be for the Order.”...

Practical Resource for Dead Car Battery in the Middle of Nowhere…

October 6, 2022

This isn't the typical story you'd see in Catholic Business Journal, but I thought I'd share it anyway because many of us travel where ever the job or a client takes us... and ya just never know if you (or someone you encounter) will be waylaid by a dead battery. It happened to me today, in a store parking lot, having just loaded the trunk with requested groceries for friends quarantined at home with covid. It was hot. I was concerned about how long some of the grocery items would stay good in the trunk. And, end-of-day traffic was increasing. Not the best timing for a defunct battery! In addition, I couldn't find my jumper cables, and no one who I asked for help had cables either. I called AAA and worked my way through the frustrating AI "emergency service" processing system, wondering what would happen if a member in trouble didn't have a smart phone... or if they were in dire circumstances that made punching in numbers on a cell phone difficult... or dangerous. I tried to supress rising frustration at the impersonal world in which we seem to live now, where "customer service" and "call us in emergency" does not involve a HUMAN (remember those?) answering a phone call. My oft repeated mantra of the moment: "It is what it is, move forward." The hero, and my practical emergency recommendation While on hold with AAA, a lady walked by and made a quick comment, which led to me responding that my battery had died while I was in the store. A kind man...

ALL EYES ON TEXAS: Find Out Why at the ‘Life is Beautiful Gala’ on October 30

October 4, 2022

The reversal of Roe v. Wade marks a new reality. Practically overnight the number of moms in need dramatically increased, nationwide. Texas suddenly has become the epicenter of this new, post-Roe reality and one group in particular—the JPII Life Center—stands apart in generating innovative new solutions for moms in need, and for engaging and educating medical professionals, teens and others on life issues from a scientific perspective. These innovations will be revealed at the nationally recognized JPII Life Center and Vitae Clinic’s 12th annual Life is Beautiful Gala, October 30, at 6:00pm, at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. Keynote speakers include Dr. Ben Carson, the internationally recognized neurosurgeon who pioneered the successful separation of conjoined twins, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, his wife, Candy, an accomplished former concert violinist, businesswoman and best-selling author, and Dr. Haywood Robinson, an avid competitive runner, family and sports doctor, and former abortionist whose faith conversion opened his eyes to the reality of abortion, transforming him into a champion for life. This is no ordinary fundraiser. The riveting, ground-breaking, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat speakers at this year’s Gala are only part of the experience. Attendees also have the opportunity to support, make connections with, and learn from leaders of an organization whose innovative and effective work in serving mothers and families in need stands as a model for other organizations. Relationships and connections made at this annual Gala event can lead—and have led—to expanded new avenues of real-world help for moms in crisis in other geographical locations. Also, Gala attendees will be among the first to...

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CATHOLIC BUSINESS PROFILE: Joseph “Joe” Scheidler

January 27, 2016 | Devout, good-spirited Catholic, former advertising man, and the man whom some dub “the Godfather of the pro-life movement,” Joseph Scheidler,... Read more →

A Reflection on Business Ethics in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching

September 9, 2009 | Below is the full transcript of the talk given by the Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, (pictured above) Bishop of the... Read more →

BOOK: Edmund Campion – A Life

January 15, 2007 | Penned by famed English writer Evelyn Waugh, this book is so well-written and historically accurate as to make the saint... Read more →

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Catholic Business Profile: CATHOLIC BUSINESS PROFILE & INSPIRATION: Learn what made Abby Johnson walk away from a lucrative career?

January 19, 2011 | Last week, along with 20,403 participants on the webcast, I “met” Abby Johnson, the young rising star at Planned Parenthood who made CNN headlines when...