“First, we make habits, then they make us,” observed a number of famous poets and authors through the ages (too many to mention and each in their own phrasing). Here are five (5) sure-fire ways to improve the odds of truly achieving your 2023 goals: 1. BE SPECIFIC. You won’t know if you achieve a…
Pro-Democracy, former media tycoon and courageous Catholic Jimmy Lai sentenced to 69 Months in Communist Prison—December 2022 CNA / WSJ—The godfather of an arrested Hong Kong Catholic entrepreneur and pro-democracy advocate says he hopes Jimmy Lai’s courageous example will inspire more calls for justice amid an ongoing crackdown on human rights in now-Communist Hong Kong.…
Consider sending this to the physicians you know and asking if they would be willing to sign. If they are unwilling, consider asking them which of the principles they object to and why. During the SARS2 coronavirus pandemic, fundamental principles of public health were ignored, and trust in public health has been damaged. As experts…
A quick glimpse at what’s happening in China now. As we cull this news, I wonder how many Chinese know of St. Francis Xavier, the Jesuit sent as a missionary to the Far East by St. Ignatius himself (the founder of the Jesuit order). “Go set all on fire” Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), whose Feast…
The U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference (USCCB) on Nov. 15 elected Archbishop Timothy Broglio, a former Vatican diplomat and the long-serving (since 2008) and much-beloved and respected Archbishop for the Military Services, as the new president of the USCCB. National Catholic Reporter refers to the position as “essentially the nation’s chief Catholic chaplain.” Archbishop Broglio received…
Ukraine—CNA—After the liberation of the Mykolaiv district in Ukraine from the Russian army last week, residents began to return to their homes with the hope of saving at least some of their possessions. Together with the parish priest, Society of Christ Father Oleksandr Repin, and other nuns, Benedictine Sister Faustina Kovalska went to the site…
Rochester, NY—CNA—Bishop Robert Barron has pledged to reconsecrate a Catholic Minnesota cemetery vandalized on Halloween night with satanic and vulgar graffiti. “On this feast of All Souls, when the Church honors our beloved dead, I would like to express my outrage at this desecration and my assurance of prayers for the families of those whose…
Cake designer Cathy Miller has been vindicated in the California courts for practicing her Christian principles on the job. On October 21, 2022, attorneys from the Thomas More Society law firm brought home a First Amendment victory for the cake shop owner of Tastries, a popular Bakersfield, California, bakery that was targeted for abiding by…
WSJ—Even as Xi Jinping was being crowned as China’s unchallenged dictator, the Vatican said Saturday it has renewed its agreement with the Chinese Communist Party. This is the second renewal since the deal was brokered in 2018, though there’s little progress on religious freedom to show for it. Its main contribution has been to mute…
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…
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…
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Christian counselor filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit Tuesday that asks the full court to hear the case of Brian Tingley, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Tacoma, after a three-judge panel dismissed his case. Tingley vs. Ferguson Tingley is challenging…
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom threatened to “fight like hell” to expand baby killing in California and across the nation, and he is making good on his diabolical vow. In the past week alone, Newsom: Launched a billboard campaign profaning the words of Jesus to lure girls and young women from other states to kill their…
On Tuesday, Cardinal Joseph Zen’s second day in court in Hong Kong, five witnesses were cross-examined and the magistrate ruled that there was sufficient evidence to justify a trial. Paul Marshall, the director of the Religious Freedom Institute’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, told CNA that Zen’s trial “further undercuts [communist] China’s 1997 promise…
Warsaw, CNA—On Wednesday, Catholics recited the Divine Mercy Chaplet in the streets of 173 cities in Poland and 44 localities worldwide, according to organizers of the prayer event. “We believe that 10 minutes of supplication to God can change our families, cities, and the whole world,” the organizers said. At 3 p.m. local time, street…
Faithwire—The FBI used a major show of force to arrest pro-life Christian Mark Houck, 48, with dozens of agents reportedly descending on his home with guns drawn as Houck’s wife and children looked on in horror. Early Friday morning the FBI arrived at the Houck’s residence in Bucks County, PA and began pounding on the…
Editor’s note — With news of Mikhail Gorbachev’s death, memories of the remarkable, historic actions of then-U.S. President Reagan, Russia’s leader at the time, Gorbachev, and England’s Margaret Thatcher come to mind…. especially the unlikely connection and even a level of friendship between Reagan and Gorbachev. For those living in Soviet Russia at the time,…
LifeSite News and other resources—A federal court has ruled that the California mandate that forces churches to pay for abortions in their health insurance plans is unconstitutional. Nine Long Years Churches across California have been battling the onerous abortion mandate for years with no relief. The troubling situation began in 2014 when the California Department…
Courtesy of Pat Cross : www.PatCrossCartoons.com
Just a few weeks ago, Nancy Pelosi, D-California, introduced (or re-introduced?) H.R. 5, the so-called Equality Act. This bill would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (SOGI) as protected classes under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. Of course we, as Catholics and Christians, accept each individual as created by God and as such,…
