While we were watching fireworks on TV, or in the backyard, or, this July 4th, groaning at the onslaught of nonstop mortars and fireworks in our local cities, the beloved statue of Saint Junipero Serra was being torn down at California’s state capitol; a state that in large measure was uniquely formed by his hand,…
A Spanish bishop recently celebrated Mass in the church where St. Junipero Serra was baptized, defending the saint’s legacy against those who have accused him of racism. Bishop Sebastià Taltavull of Mallorca, Spain, recently visited Petra, on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, the hometown of St. Junipero Serra. A great injustice He said the saint…
CNA—The Diocese of Rouen, France will mark the fourth anniversary of the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel with a Mass and procession at the local church on Sunday. Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen and Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, president of the French bishops’ conference, will be present, according to local media. French Minister…
Catholic News Agency—As Hagia Sophia opened for Muslim prayers Friday, July 24, 2020, for the first time in 86 years, a leading Asian cardinal said that the decision to turn the building back into a mosque will reopen wounds and intensify divisions. In a statement sent via email July 24, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo said…
National Review—Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic High School student who sued major news outlets in the aftermath of their coverage of a controversial interaction he and several of his classmates had with a Native American activist, said Friday that he has settled his libel lawsuit against the Washington Post. “On 2/19/19, I filed $250M defamation…
When viewing the events of recent weeks I think most Americans share the common heartbreak, anger and confusion of a mugging victim. We have been violently assaulted by some thugs and something precious has been wrenched from us. Our mugging was not a one-time crime on the streets of Chicago or New York during which…
Registration is now open for the 2020 Napa Institute Virtual Conference, “Finding Hope in the New America,” to be held August 14-15. Take advantage of the early registration discount before the price increases on August 1st. We have expanded our speaker line-up to allow for more content on the urgent issues facing our faith and…
More than 700 Catholic educators from across the country and overseas will gather online next week to explore, celebrate, and strengthen the growing movement to save Catholic schools through the recovery of the Church’s proven tradition of education. The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education’s 8th National Conference was forced to shift to an online format…
It is hard for an old man like me to talk about suffering. Most people I know, including me, are in charge of our lives. No matter the losses and illnesses, we still have access to care, to security, and a decent life. Suffering is not a real part of my world. Just how far…
Catholic League—Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on two Supreme Court decisions handed down today: In the last week of its 2019-2020 term, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered two back-to-back victories for religious liberty; they were both 7-2 decisions. Catholic schools and agencies were the big winners. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that religious…
IN CALIFORNIA, a 429-year-old Franciscan missionary edifice — almost five centuries old — is torched in the dark of night. That was Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded in 1771 by Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra — the fourth mission in present-day California established by the saint, whose legacy has been unfairly tainted by overzealous (historically naieve —CBJ…
Newsweek—(reporting includes a video that will make your heart cry—CBJ ed.) A California city council voted unanimously to remove a statue of a Spanish priest who Pope Francis had canonized. The Ventura City Council cast a 6–0 vote during its meeting Wednesday night to remove a statue of Father Junipero Serra from outside its city…
Richard M. Bartlett M.D., a prominent Texas doctor says a treatment protocol he began using weeks after the deadly Covid-19 virus triggered government shutdowns has proved to be “a winning game plan” for shutting down Covid-19 in his patients, including for a multi-cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy. In June, Europe launched a major clinical trial of…
Tied to my garden by a number of convalescing’s that have ganged up on me, I have been thinking of some words that we chew over a lot in religious settings. Words we use to pinpoint events, or human experiences. And one of them is conversion. Sounds very special—something that does not go in, in…
There’s nothing like sitting outside on the 4th of July, the birthday of the United States, listening to great patriotic music and hearing a new Lee Greenwood song. Yes, I missed watching the traditional parade due to Covid-19 concerns, but I find myself thinking of all the blessings that my family and I enjoy; things…
July 13, 2020—In the early morning hours Saturday, firefighters responded to a fire at the San Gabriel Mission where they found a massive blaze engulfing the roof and front entrance of the church, San Gabriel Fire Department fire captain Antonio Negrete told CNN. The church sits about 11 miles northeast of Los Angeles. When firefighters…
I am happy, and even relieved, to be able to let you all know that we will again be open for Masses this weekend. And we will be celebrating the 4th of July. Open, but very Carefully Open. Which should go without saying. But when you are dealing with a lethal epidemic nothing goes without…
The CDC is over counting the number of China coronavirus cases in an apparent effort to keep the country shut down throughout the summer. This fraudulent activity was uncovered by the far-left Atlantic proving even a dead clock is right twice a day. On May 21, 2020, the Atlantic reported that the CDC was over…
After a mob tore down statues, including a figure of St. Junípero Serra statue, in a San Francisco park, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was joined by several dozen Catholics Saturday in prayer and acts of spiritual reparation. “Evil has made itself present here. So we have gathered together to pray for God, to ask the saints…for…
Fr. Stephen Schumacher, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, was among the defenders of a prominent statue of the city’s namesake as protesters called for its removal Saturday. Umar Lee, an organizer of the protests, said June 27 that the statue “is gonna come down,” reported Joel Currier of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.…
