WSJ—I’m not inclined to hire a graduate from one of America’s elite universities. That marks a change. A decade ago I relished the opportunity to employ talented graduates of Princeton, Yale, Harvard and the rest. Today? Not so much. As a graduate of Haverford College, a fancy school outside Philadelphia, I took interest in the…
CNA—An Italian nun who was stabbed to death by three teenage girls was beatified on Sunday, after Pope Francis declared her a martyr, killed “in hatred of the faith.” Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti was beatified on June 6, the anniversary of her murder, in Chiavenna, the northern Italian town where she was killed in the…
Crisis—Upon entering St. Peter’s Basilica, facing the visitor, like some sunburst, is the Great Altar. It is spaced majestically beneath Bernini’s massive baldachin, held up by four thick, twisted columns, identical to the ones in Solomon’s Temple—clearly a sign that the typological figures of the Old Testament had come to fulfillment in the immolation of…
WSJ—Baltimore’s Bishop John Carroll had a decision to make. It was 1805, and the diocese then encompassed the entire U.S. Years before, Pope Pius VI had urged Carroll to build a cathedral church. But what kind of building would it be? And what would it say about American Catholics? His choice would set American Catholicism’s…
WSJ—The San Gabriel, Calif., Fire Department and Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently confirmed what many had long suspected: The fire that almost destroyed Mission San Gabriel Arcángel last year was arson. John David Corey Jr., 57, was charged with the crime last week and faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted. Founded in…
Lifesite News—A New York District Attorney (D.A.) has thrown out allegations of assault against well-known priest Fr. George Rutler. LifeSiteNews learned this morning [May 28, 2021] that the D.A. had found the accusations of a female security guard against Rutler to be “baseless.” This news has been confirmed by New York parishioner Jonah Bergman, who…
BBC—A court has fined 12 Australian media groups a total of A$1.1m (£600,000; $840,000) for their coverage of Cardinal George Pell’s now-overturned conviction in a sexual abuse case. The outlets admitted to breaching a legal order in 2018, which banned them from reporting the verdict at the time. A judge rejected arguments that their news…
Looks like “essential healthcare workers,” many of whom endured to help patients in need in spite of uncertain disease risk and varying spikes in severe cases of Covid, now may face layoffs and reduced hours. It turns out that hospitals and healthcare services racked up millions of dollars of debt during the past year, due…
“Your bishop wants to kill you” When priest friends of Fr. Innocent Sunu learned of the newly ordained priest’s first parish assignment in Madagali, Nigeria, they warned the new priest that his bishop was trying to kill him. But Fr. Innocent Sunu saw it differently. In fact this young priest waived his right to refuse…
Vermont maintains a Town Tuition Program, which provides educational vouchers for students who live in the towns that lack public schools. Students at public and secular private schools are eligible, and so are home-schooled students, but students at religious private high schools are excluded. In a ruling Wednesday (June 2, 2021), the U.S. Court of…
Attorneys with the Thomas More Society recently secured settlements in two major religious liberty cases: South Bay United Pentecostal Church, et al. v. Newsom, et al. and Father Trevor Burfitt v. Newsom, et al. The State of California agreed to pay $2,150,000 in “prevailing party” attorneys’ fees to settle both cases ($1,600,000 in South Bay…
Matthew Pinto, Founder and President of Ascension, announced today the sale of the company to Chief Operating Officer, Jonathan Strate, who has become the company’s new owner, president, and CEO. “It has been an extraordinary gift to be able to do the work of evangelization and catechesis as a layman for these 22 years, alongside…
Dr. Henry Joseph Zeiter died in his Lodi, California, home on Sunday, December 20, 2020. A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, a world-renowned ophthalmologist, and a generous philanthropist, he was also a faithful friend of Thomas Aquinas College, having served for 34 years on its Board of Governors. Henry was born in Serhel, Lebanon, on…
CNA—The leader of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre has defended changes to the order’s rituals amid criticism that the swearing-in rite no longer features a sword. Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the order’s Grand Master, told CNA that the changes did not mark a break with tradition and were part of a broader reform linked…
There is much turmoil in our world today, leading some of the faithful to wonder if our Lord’s return is imminent. In Luke’s Gospel (18:8), Jesus asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” This is an important question at our time in history, as many are leaving the Church,…
CNA—A true culture of caring protects the sick, the vulnerable, and the elderly, said one English Catholic bishop in response to a proposal to legalize assisted suicide in the United Kingdom. “The culture built on the commandment ‘You shall not kill’ has protected the most vulnerable, led to the development of the finest end of…
Bishop Michael Barber, S.J., bishop of the Diocese of Oakland, in California, said he thought “this was it” when he was robbed at gunpoint over the weekend as he walked while praying the Rosary before Mass. There was nothing out of the ordinary in his walk, a long-standing habit before Mass. “I’ll mention this today…
CNA— Two U.S. archbishops on Tuesday responded to attempts by other U.S. bishops to delay consideration of a teaching document on the Eucharist by the full conference. “I’m deeply grieved by the rising public acrimony among bishops and the adoption of behind-closed-doors maneuvers to interfere with the accepted, normal, agreed-upon procedures of the USCCB,” Archbishop…
Last Thursday at her weekly press conference, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked about Archbishop Cordileone’s pastoral letter InTheWomb.org. “I think I can use my own judgment on that but I’m pleased with what the Vatican put out on that subject. Did you read that?” Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded This morning, Archbishop Cordileone responded. Below please…
Today Our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven. “Let our hearts ascend with Him,” wrote Saint Augustine. Traditionally, and still in many dioceses of the world, the Church celebrates Ascension Thursday this day, 40 days after the Resurrection. For 40 days, our Risen Lord dwelt with Mary and His Apostles in a glorified and mysterious…
