Just as in any art or science there are rules to follow, so it is with the art of the icon, both for the success of the art piece as well as for the spirit of the artist. Since we have chosen to focus on the Icon of the Holy Face this Lent, I would…
Below is the full text of the inflight interview between Pope Francis and news media en route from from the Holy Father’s historic visit to Irac Baghdad, Iraq, to Rome, Italy that took place March 8, 2021, provided courtesy of CNA: Pope Francis: First of all, thank you for your work, your company, your fatigue.…
I am ready for Lent this year. Please don’t misunderstand me. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Something within always resists Ash Wednesday’s sober call to repentance and a reorientation of my life. But, after facing the challenges of the pandemic this year, I admit that business as usual has not been…
We have seen varying degrees of public hysteria since the beginning of Covid 19 and more than a little government overreach. Some of that may begin to subside now with reduced new cases and rollout of the vaccines, but with the vaccines we are also starting to see some new abuses in the form of…
OCCatholic—Reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people’s “mental well-being” during the pandemic, according to a Christian Research survey conducted in the United Kingdom. The survey also found that respondents were reading the Bible more and turning to Bible-related videos more during the pandemic. The survey, carried out on behalf of the Bible…
This week I invite you to quietly look deeper… After my first and surprising experience of icons in Russia, the next experience was also amazing and drew me even closer to an understanding of the Icon. It is by entering into the process that one draws more closely to the icon subject, regardless of whether…
I never thought I’d watch Mass from the front seat of my car. I never thought I’d receive Holy Communion standing in the parish parking lot. But there I’ve been, Sunday after Sunday for months on end, in the parking lot at St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mission Viejo, California. From the start, I knew…
Firefighter Eddie Stacy was turning his fire truck around in the dark while responding to storm damage when he noticed a tiny light coming from the flooded Red River. It was a cellphone a woman was waving from a car inundated with water that was rising by the minute. Stacy and other members of the…
CNA—Benedict XVI addressed conspiracy theories about his resignation as pope, Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, and Joe Biden in an interview with an Italian newspaper published on Monday. The pope emeritus told Corriere della Sera that he stood by his decision despite criticism from his friends in an interview released on March 1, a day…
CNA—Eight hundred years ago, a barefoot St. Dominic carried an icon of the Virgin Mary across Rome to entrust the Marian image to a new community of cloistered nuns, who have safeguarded the icon within the walls of their convent to this day. The icon, known as the “Advocata,” can be found today in a…
This week I invite you to quietly look upon the face of this icon of Christ… Take note of the size of the eyes, the fineness of the nose, the delicacy of the mouth, because in the upcoming weeks we’ll be taking a closer look at each of these features of the face. There is…
CNA—The House on Thursday passed the Equality Act, a bill that the U.S. bishops have warned would trample religious freedom protections while codifying gender ideology in federal law. By a vote of 224 to 206, the House passed the Equality Act only six days after it was introduced on Feb. 18. The legislation, sponsored by…
CNA—When Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako turns 80 on Feb. 27, the cardinals eligible to vote in a conclave will drop to 127, seven more than the limit of 120 set by Paul VI and confirmed by John Paul II. In 2021, five more cardinals will turn 80, and thus age out of voting in the…
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the deceptively named ‘Equality Act,’ legislation that could be used to restrict the religious freedom of churches and religious nonprofits including religious schools; set back protections for women on the playing field, at work, and in private spaces like showers and locker rooms; as well as inhibit…
Speaking with Catholic World Report, Naumann flatly said that Biden “should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic” while acknowledging that his abortion views stand in direct opposition to the Catholic Church. “Mr. Biden professes to be a devout Catholic, yet is 100% pro-choice on abortion. How do you think America’s bishops ought to respond…
In the name of ending white supremacy and systemic racism, school districts are indoctrinating students with a new radical vision of American society. In fall 2020, a fourth-grade class in Burnsville read a book that warns students that police are “mean” to black people, but “nice” to white people. “Cops stick up for each other,”…
This year, with COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in many parts of the country and world constraining most of our communications to video, phone calls, email and text, our interpersonal communication truly lacks the “fullness of interpersonal communication” that St. Pope John Paul II introduced in his general audiences regarding Theology of the Body (1). How much…
To Employees of Silicon Valley: We are retired and/or career military officers. We will not share our names. Nor will we share our ranks. Opinions are hazardous to professional success in the US military. We are not willing to take that chance. Suffice to say we share your shock at the events of 06 January…
Dear Members of the University Community, Three events took place on our virtual campus yesterday that featured a wide range of voices. One (in which I participated) was a panel discussion on The University in the Time of Covid, organized by the Institute for Human Ecology. I talked about how the work of the…
Roger Severino, the outgoing director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Civil Rights, stepped down from his high-profile role last month, after launching a new division dedicated to the protection of conscience rights and religious freedom. A Catholic pro-life lawyer, Severino is OCR’s longest-serving director in the past three decades…
