We feel that the most powerful insight in this article is found midway through to the end.—CBJ ed. The Catholic Thing—In comments last year, Marcello Pera, a prominent Italian intellectual and non-believer, criticized Pope Francis for “openly going against tradition, doctrine, and introducing inexplicable innovations, behaviors and gestures.” A philosopher of science, former president of…
I remember it well! At home our little manger of the nativity was always set up in our front sitting-room. In the candle-lit darkness I would gaze into it for hours-on-end and the whole Christmas story came really alive for me. Seeing Mary and Joseph, the babe, the shepherds, the cows, donkey and sheep made…
CNA—The White House hosted dozens of Catholic leaders on Monday afternoon for an internal briefing on life and religious freedom issues. The off -the-record briefing, held in the Indian Treaty room of the Executive Office Building, focused on “life, religious freedom, and other issues pertinent to the Catholic faith community,” according to an invite provided…
CNA—The House on Tuesday passed two large spending bills that were stripped of pro-abortion language, ultimately satisfying pro-life advocates. “This should never have been a problem in the first place. The main reason it was, was because the Republicans allowed it to get into the underlying bill,” Tom McClusky, president of March for Life Action,…
There is a lot of confusion about the nature and scope of the charism of the Pope’s infallibility. Many Catholics with average religious instruction think the Sovereign Pontiff is infallible in everything he says or does. However, this is not what Catholic doctrine affirms. Two Different Concepts That Are Often Confused Thus, most Catholics confuse…
St. Basil the Great (born in Turkey, 329-379 A.D.) has much to say to Catholic business men and women of today, enmeshed as we are in a very secular and increasingly anti-Christian world and work culture. Before sharing St. Basil’s exhortation to the faithful of his day, a time that was not unlike our times…
CNA—A new film opening this weekend tells the story of Blessed Franz Jagerstatter, whose refusal to fight for the Nazis in World War II led to his imprisonment and death. Franz was beatified by the Catholic Church in Austria in 2007. His wife, Franziska, was present at the beatification. She died in 2013 at the…
January 1, 2019 marked the beginning of legalized abortion in Ireland, drawing dismay from Irish pro-life groups, who campaigned extensively against the reform. Once a majority-Catholic and pro-life contingent, voters in Ireland last May voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment to their constitution, which had banned abortion. The repeal was officially enacted by President Michael…
CNA—In its 2019 roundup of the biggest lies of the year (dubbed the biggest ‘Pinocchios’), the Washington Post included a false but oft-repeated claim that “thousands” of women died while undergoing illegal abortions before the legalization of abortion in the United States. This statistic was frequently cited this year by Dr. Leana Wen, who was…
According to a Wall Street Journal exposé series by Francis X. Rocca, not only does the Vatican use donations for the poor to plug its budget deficit, but only 10% of donations to the Vatican’s Peter’s Pence collection go to charitable works. Although sources of information are not always named and generic resources such as…
As reported in TIME magazine, AP—The Supreme Court on Monday left in place a Kentucky law requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients before abortions. The justices did not comment in refusing to review an appeals court ruling that upheld the law. The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the law…
In reflecting on this season of the year, I have often wondered how a Martian reporter would do a story on Christmas in the United States. If one only had the dominant cultural icons of TV, movies, news media and retail stores, my guess is that the Martian viewing audience wouldn’t have a clue as…
The Catholic Thing—Today we begin the liturgical season defined by hope. The preface for Mass says that we dare to hope. Indeed, hope seems a more daring venture than ever. And yet for precisely that reason, it holds more importance than ever. In keeping with Chesterton’s famous aphorism — Hope means hoping when things are…
Bishop Paul Sirba of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota died on Sunday, after suffering a heart attack before offering Mass. He was 59 years old. “It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I must inform you of tragic news regarding our Bishop,” said a Dec. 1 statement from Fr. James B. Bissonette, who had…
CNA—A religious order in southern California is kicking off Advent with a digital calendar that allows Catholics to go more in-depth as they prepare for the Christmas season. The virtual calendar was launched on the first Sunday of Advent by the priests of the Norbertine order from St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California. The…
CNA—Catholic business owners have both a grave responsibility and an opportunity to promote the Church’s social teaching in a difficult atmosphere, Pope Francis told young entrepreneurs Monday. “I am well aware that it is not easy, in everyday life, to reconcile the needs of the faith and the social teaching of the Church with the…
On Veterans Day, Sunday November 11, 2018, a new portrait of Servant of God Father Vincent R. Capodanno MM was unveiled at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA. The portrait was painted by the Artist-in-Residence of the North American Province of the Society of St Sulpice, Father Peter W. Gray, PSS,…
What is commonly known as the St. Andrew Christmas Novena — or The St Andrew Christmas Prayer— is not a novena (because it is prayed for more than nine days), nor is it a prayer to St. Andrew. Instead, it is a most simple, unusual and beautiful prayer recitation that prepares the soul for Christmas. …
“Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: ‘Ye must have faith.’ It is a quality which the scientist cannot dispense with.” Max Planck, “Where is Science Going?” In Chapter 2 of my web-book,…
As I skim a few headlined stories below, it strikes me that in seven years or less a new generation of career-launching young adults will enter our businesses and companies with an entirely different mental outlook from even those of the last 10 years. Either these new young professionals will enter the workforce with remarkable…
