Friday 24th January 2020

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The Spiritual Power Of “Popular Devotions”

January 23, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on The Spiritual Power Of “Popular Devotions”

By JAMES MONTI The midnight Mass of Christmas, when celebrated with all the “pomp and circumstance” that befits the Incarnation of the Son of God, can be a very powerful spiritual event in our lives, leaving in its wake impressions that can profoundly shape the course of our path in entering the new year to follow. Even those Catholics who sadly neglect their faith for most of the year feel instinctively drawn to it and show up in large numbers. At a Christmas midnight Mass I attended last month at St. John’s Church in Stamford, Conn., what particularly struck me was the manner with which a statue of the Christ Child was borne to the altar in the entrance procession.…Continue Reading

The Dowry Of Mary . . . Many Catholics Can Share In The Upcoming Rededication

January 22, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on The Dowry Of Mary . . . Many Catholics Can Share In The Upcoming Rededication

By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY In the centuries before the Reformation, England was regarded as the Dowry or “special portion” of our Lady — that is, the country was particularly noted for its Marian devotion. This came at least in part from the act of King Richard II (who reigned from 1377-1399) in offering the country to her in the fourteenth century. The famous Wilton Diptych, a small painted portable altarpiece, depicts him kneeling before our Lady, the Christ Child and accompanying angels, and offering his kingdom as a “dos” or dowry to the Blessed Virgin, and thus entrusting it to her protection. It could be said, though, that the idea of England as the Dowry of Mary extends beyond the…Continue Reading

Sunshine The Eskimo

January 21, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on Sunshine The Eskimo

BY JOE SIXPACK Years ago, a bishop of Alaska told of an Eskimo boy, John. He was called Sunshine before he had a Christian name, as his parents were pagan. Once when he was two years old, Sunshine had convulsions; he couldn’t breathe and seemed to be dying. Holding the babe in her arms, the mother looked at the father. She told him she would take the child outside and leave him to die, because no one must be allowed to die inside an Eskimo igloo. The bishop was present and decided to baptize the boy secretly. The mother stepped past the bishop to carry the child outside. He stopped her and asked for some water. He dipped his handkerchief…Continue Reading

Bishop Strickland . . . The Real Presence Of Jesus Christ In The Eucharist – Continued

January 20, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on Bishop Strickland . . . The Real Presence Of Jesus Christ In The Eucharist – Continued
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By MOST REV. JOSEPH STRICKLAND A recent Pew Research study revealed, to the shock of some, that “just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31 percent) say they believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.” I was not shocked. I was heartbroken. It is sadly reflective of the drastic failure in many efforts to teach the Catholic faith since the Second Vatican Council. The Bible, the early Church Fathers, the Christian Tradition and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church all teach that the bread and wine consecrated at Holy Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God. This great mystery is at the heart of…Continue Reading

Gilligan’s Island

January 20, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on Gilligan’s Island

By DEACON MIKE MANNO, JD I don’t share too many personal stories, but here is one that I posted on Facebook. It’s about a little kitten that has come into my life. Now I’m not really a cat guy. In fact, all my life I’ve been a dog guy. Oftentimes having two at the same time. My most recent four-legged friend is a rescue by the name of Buster, whose companion, Bo, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago. Buster is fourteen and in good health, but slowing down a bit. I’ve had a Bailey and a Bentley, as well as a Roxie. My most memorable dog was Ginger, who hung around me during my grade school years.…Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Struggle Over Celibacy Is About Church’s Identity

January 19, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on A Leaven In The World . . . Struggle Over Celibacy Is About Church’s Identity

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The latest dust-up in the Vatican over clerical celibacy is just more evidence that two forces are at work in the Church today: One seeks to more and more accommodate the world while the other prioritizes getting to Heaven. The post-synodal exhortation for the Synod on the Amazon is soon to be released. There was much talk during the synod of relaxing some of the customs and traditions in the Church that are suspected by some of discouraging the practice of the faith. One of these is thought by those who have the Pope’s ear to be clerical celibacy. Someone allegedly made a comment during the synod that the people of the Amazon “don’t understand…Continue Reading

The Culture War Comes To The Old Dominion

January 18, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on The Culture War Comes To The Old Dominion

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Since 1969, “Virginia Is for Lovers” has been the tourism and travel slogan of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Advertising Age called it “one of the most iconic ad campaigns in the past 50 years.” But the Virginia of 2020 seems to be another country than the friendly commonwealth to which this writer moved four decades ago. Charlottesville, home to Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia, has become famous as the site of a 2017 Klan-Nazi clash with antifa over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from a municipal park. During the clash, protester Heather Heyer was run over and killed. There followed the inauguration of a new Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, in 2018 and…Continue Reading

Neither Left Nor Right, But Catholic . . . Economics, American Ideologies, And Catholic Social Teaching

January 17, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on Neither Left Nor Right, But Catholic . . . Economics, American Ideologies, And Catholic Social Teaching

By STEPHEN M. KRASON (Editor’s Note: Stephen M. Krason is professor of political science and legal studies and associate director of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is also co-founder and president of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists and a lawyer. Among his books are: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Catholicism; The Transformation of the American Democratic Republic; Catholicism and American Political Ideologies, and a Catholic political novel, American Cincinnatus.) + + + Jane Clark Scharl wrote an article in Crisis in December 2019 discussing how the Republican Party has moved away from an extreme notion of capitalism — of economic freedom — that characterized it in the past and so is now…Continue Reading

My New Home… A Stranger In A Strange Land

January 16, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on My New Home… A Stranger In A Strange Land

By REY FLORES I recently moved to Omaha, Neb., to be near my family. At this point, it isn’t exactly my favorite place in the world, but my much-loved wife and children are here, and I would follow them to the ends of the Earth. I must admit it has been somewhat of a rough ride the past few years, and now I’m living in a town that I’d only visited twice before. I challenge anyone to just drop everything for the love of marriage and family. Like anywhere else, Omaha has its interesting parts, neighborhoods, and attractions. The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is supposed to be second in the nation only to the San Diego Zoo, though I’ve…Continue Reading

Some Gifts In Strange Packages From 2019

January 15, 2020 Frontpage Comments Off on Some Gifts In Strange Packages From 2019

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. This commentary first appeared on his blog dated January 1, 2020. It is reprinted here with Msgr. Pope’s kind permission. All rights reserved.) + + + It is hard to describe 2019 in glowing terms for the Church, both in the United States and around the world. I will not recite every gory detail here but this year saw a further unfolding of the drama of sexual abuse, the coverup of sexual abuse, and the deposing of several bishops and other clergy for this reason, and with more likely to follow in the year to come. All…Continue Reading