A sub-category of News.
I remember my Catholic-school class praying for President John Kennedy the day he was shot in 1963. The next year, there were riots in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, just 35-minutes (17 miles) from my home bordering that borough. More riots in Harlem followed. Major uprisings trailed in cities like Watts (Los Angeles) in 1965. Then, in the…
America has long been known as an “experiment” in self-government. Writing to Catharine Sawbridge Macaulay in 1790, George Washington reflected on the meaning of the new Constitution: “The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment, for promoting human happiness, by reasonable compact, in civil Society” (emphasis added). Note he said…
Before 1972, preparation for the priesthood involved passing through various “minor orders.” They included porter, lector, acolyte, exorcist, and subdeacon, followed by the major orders of deacon and priest. That year, Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam, abolishing the minor orders. Lector and acolyte were reconstituted as “lay ministries.” Exorcist was recognized…
The reactions began as soon as the shot rang out at Utah Valley University. Many on the Left cruelly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death with no thought of his wife and two children. On the Right, many were quick to praise him as a martyr for free speech and civil discourse. While this praise is well-intentioned,…
On September 16, 1625, exactly four centuries ago, St. Gregory Barbarigo was born in Venice, a figure praised by Pope John XXIII as “eminent among the great shepherds of souls, among the bishops and cardinals of the Holy Roman Church.”[1] Bishop of Bergamo for seven years (1657–1664) and subsequently of Padua for a remarkable thirty-three…
After years of study and prayer and penance, I came into communion with Rome in 2013 after five years in the Orthodox Churches – Coptic and Antiochian mostly (“I Left Eastern Orthodoxy for the Church Led by Pope Francis, and I Don’t Regret It”). One thing that I’ve been convinced of is this: the renewal…
I have spent hours reading tributes to Charlie Kirk and watching his videos. I have avoided as much as possible the unbelievable, hate-filled responses that rejoice in his death. For some time now I have said I have felt privileged to live in the time of several individuals, Kirk very much among them. The fact…
The assassination of Charlie Kirk made absolutely clear what was already becoming obvious to those who understand the evils of leftist ideology: we are in the midst of a cold civil war for the soul of Western civilization. Attempts by conservatives, or those generally considered on the “Right” of American politics, have—for generations—consistently failed to…
Rome, August 5, 2025 — A new online course is now available to help Catholics rediscover the beauty, meaning, and power of the Church’s most sacred act: the Holy Mass. Titled The Catholic Mass, this innovative formation program is led by composer, author, and liturgical scholar Aurelio Porfiri, with the participation of esteemed guests including…
The assassination of Charlie Kirk is not just a personal tragedy—it also marks the end of an era in America. For years, Charlie embodied the spirit of open debate and the free exchange of ideas. He believed that by reasoning together Americans could reach truth and consensus. But his death reveals something undeniable: the liberal…
