The talk of a Catholic revival spurred by a surge in adult conversions is misplaced, writes Matthew Schmitz in FirstThings.com (May 12). Conversions show no signs of offsetting the broader decline of Catholic life in the United States. Schmitz points to statistics. In 2000, 2.6 million American children attended Catholic schools. By 2025, that number had fallen to 1.6 million. In 2001, more than a quarter-million Catholic weddings took place in the United States; by 2024, there were only around 107,000. Infant baptisms have also collapsed: more than one million infants were baptized in the Church in 2001, compared with fewer than half a million in 2024. "Catholicism" in Service of U.S. Political Interests At the same time, Schmitz argues that while the Church is shrinking institutionally, Catholic ideas and language are allegely shaping public debate in America. Discussions about immigration, war, political authority, and moral responsibility are now often conducted using Catholic concepts …მეტი
Science girl @sciencegirl In China, schools show videos of hard daily work like construction and farming to help kids understand their parents' sacrifices
On Pentecost Monday, Cardinal Raymond Burke will celebrate the closing Mass of this year's Chartres Pilgrimage in France. With more than 20,000 pilgrims registered to take part, this is the highest number yet. Other celebrants and preachers alongside Cardinal Burke include Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, former rector of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris; Father Antonius Maria Furtado, Superior General of the Missionaries of the Holy Cross; and Father Serge-Thomas Bonino, OP. Cardinal Burke also celebrated the closing Mass of the pilgrimage in 2017. Other prelates who have previously celebrated the Mass include Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Cardinal Gerhard Müller and Cardinal Robert Sarah. #newsFfujebqnww
Abp. Vigano: Müller, Sarah, and Burke constitute a controlled opposition. Their role is to contain the hemorrhage of Catholics caused by the conciliar revolution, deluding the faithful into thinking that it is possible for two opposing entities to coexist. Obedience to the Hierarchy becomes misleading when it deviates from the Truth of Dogma and Tradition. Unity is not primarily institutional but doctrinal, rooted in the immutable Deposit of Faith. .
Plato in his early years taught that rump-ranging was a very Nobel Act. Later, he condemned these actions. Plato’s views on homosexuality evolved from viewing it as a potentially noble, intellectual pursuit in early works to condemning physical same-sex acts as "unnatural" and illegal in his later writing, the Laws. He generally separated "celestial love"—a spiritual, mentoring connection—from the "common love" of mere physical pleasure. The Symposium and Pederasty: In his earlier work, specifically the Symposium, Plato (through characters like Pausanias) presents the traditional Greek pederastic relationship (an older man mentoring a youth) as noble, natural, and superior to heterosexual relationships when it focuses on the love of the soul rather than the body. Idealized Love (Phaedrus): Plato describes love between men as a, "deep, intense spiritual bond" that can lead to virtuous pursuits. However, he also describes the sexual act as a temporary lapse in judgment (losing wings …მეტი
On May 6, a man vandalized La Ermita Church in Cali, Colombia. Seven statues were destroyed, including images of the Virgin of Sorrows and the Risen Christ. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
A serious case of vandalism was reported a few minutes ago at the La Ermita chapel in Cali.
NOVENA TO SAINT RITA DE CASCIA (May 13 - May 22) Repeat the following Novena prayers every day for 9 consecutive days. INVOCATION Leader: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and our hearts will be renewed. All: And you will renew the face of the earth. Leader: O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, instructed the hearts of the faithful; grant us, by the same Holy Spirit, a love and desire for what is right and just, and the constant enjoyment of His consolation, through Christ our Lord. All: Amen. LITANY OF SAINT RITA Leader: Lord, have mercy on us. All: Christ, have mercy on us. Leader: Lord, have mercy on us, Christ hear us. All: Christ, graciously hear us. Leader: God, the Father of heaven, All: Have mercy on us. Leader: God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, All: Have mercy on us. Leader: God, the Holy Spirit, All: Have mercy on us. Leader: Holy Trinity, one God, All: Have mercy on us. Immaculate …მეტი
NOVENA to Saint Rita of Cascia. Novena to Saint Rita from May 13 to May 21
Darshak Rana @thedarshakrana In 1964, a 17 year old from San Diego conducted the most dangerous psychology experiment ever attempted by a teenager. Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours (11 days) with: • No stimulants • No caffeine • No medical suppressants And Stanford sleep researchers realized too late they couldn't stop him. What happened inside his brain during those 264 hours rewrote everything we thought we knew about consciousness. By day three, Randy's short term memory had completely collapsed. He couldn't remember starting a sentence by the time he reached the end of it. Researchers would ask him to count backward from 100, and he'd stop at 65, staring blankly, having forgotten the entire concept of numbers. But the terrifying part wasn't the memory loss. Randy's brain began creating a second reality that ran parallel to the real one. He'd have full conversations with people who weren't there. He'd walk to locations that didn't exist. His eyes stayed open, his body kept …მეტი
e.l.f Cosmetics co-founder is set to become a Catholic priest after abandoning his wealthy and luxurious life. At the age of 42, Scott Vincent Borba gave up his fortune and entered the seminary. Now at 52 years of age, Borba, a former actor, designer, model and singer, is set to be ordained on May 23 in Visalia by the Diocese of Fresno. "We ran around with the likes of, Paris Hilton, and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life. I was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful," he said during an interview. "I asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be." "And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life. It was a very mystical experience."
May the power of the Lord overshadow him and make him every wit whole. Raise him up, Lord, by your healing virtue, we pray. We desperately need him in this dark hour.
Officer Swears He Found Frank With Young Girl Special policeman volunteers damaging testimony after recognizing suspect in jail tower; Pinkerton force expanded as solicitor denies knowledge of screams affidavit Sunday, May 11th, 1913 A Volunteer Witness Comes Forward A special policeman named Robert P. House has come forward with testimony that investigators say could be used to damage the character of Leo M. Frank, the superintendent of the National Pencil Factory and the principal suspect in the murder of Mary Phagan. House, employed by the Druid Hills Land Company as a private officer on their property, told Atlanta detectives that more than a year ago he apprehended Frank and a young girl together in a secluded area of Druid Hills Park, and that Frank admitted on the spot that the two had come to the woods for immoral purposes. House volunteered the information himself. When he first read accounts of the Phagan murder in the newspapers, the incident came back to him. Recalling that …მეტი
Today, Leo XIV has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Michele Autuoro, 59, of Naples as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Benevento, Italy. He was mentored by the pro-homosexual Cardinal Domenico Battaglia of Naples, who is famous for washing the feet of homosexuals and allowing liturgies including transvestites. "Todos, todos, todos" Talking to LaPorzione.it in November 2024, Monsignor Autuoro praised the Francis’ Church. Some quotes from this interview: - “The Church is a great construction site — the construction site of the Synod.” - “The Synod is not a conclusion, it is only a beginning.” - “There is a great desire for change.” - “The Church has only one mission: to reach everyone.” - “The Church is a banquet offered to all peoples, where everyone must sit and no one must be excluded.” Migration / anti-border rhetoric During his time as director of Missio (2013–2018), he campaigned in favour of illegal immigration and criticised "walls and closed borders". During the “Liberi di …მეტი
[St. Augustine of Hippo – IV-V Century AD; born: Thagaste, Roman Empire/died: Hippo, Western Roman Empire; (aged 75) – Church Father – Doctor of the Church – Blessed; Resting Place – Pavia, Italy] Chapter VI 16. Hence there follows most justly the statement, "Ye are the salt of the earth;" showing that those parties are to be judged insipid, who, either in the eager pursuit after abundance of earthly blessings, or through the dread of want, lose the eternal things which can neither be given nor taken away by men. "But if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" i.e., If ye, by means of whom the nations in a measure are to be preserved [from corruption], through the dread of temporal persecutions shall lose the kingdom of heaven, where will be the men through whom error may be removed from you, since God has chosen you, in order that through you He might remove the error of others? Hence the savorless salt is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under …მეტი
Fear of persecution: "Hence the savorless salt is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men." It is not therefore he who suffers persecution, but he who is rendered savorless by the fear of persecution that is trodden under foot of men."
Afraid of persecutions: "But if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" i.e., If ye, by means of whom the nations in a measure are to be preserved [from corruption], through the dread of temporal persecutions shall lose the kingdom of heaven, where will be the men through whom error may be removed from you, since God has chosen you, in order that through you He might remove the error of others?"
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, has renewed a 2018 directive requiring the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel to be recited after Eucharists across the Archdiocese. The instruction was included in a May 12 pastoral letter published on ArchdPdx.org The prayer should be said “after the conclusion of every Mass celebrated in the archdiocese,” describing it as part of a spiritual response to challenges facing the Church. The “Mission Renewal” initiative includes consecration of the archdiocese to the Sacred Heart, novenas, Eucharistic processions, fasting and penance, and works of mercy. Explaining the reason for the prayer, Archbishop Sample wrote that “Satan seeks to divide, disrupt and interfere,” adding that united prayer against “the enemy” is crucial for renewal efforts. #newsIchjizaoee
Tipjar: BuyMeACoffee Why the 15 Rosary Mysteries Are Hard to Grasp – And So Beautifully Sacred 21st ROSE - The 15 Mysteries A mystery is a sacred thing which is difficult to understand. The works of Our Lord Jesus Christ are all sacred and divine because He is God and man at one and the same time. 00:00 Intro 00:51 The works of Jesus and Mary can be called wonderful flowers 01:07 Why the Rosary was divided into 15 mysteries 01:48 Blessed Alan de la Roche's vision of Our Lady 02:53 First part: Joyful Mysteries 04:04 Second part: Sorrowful Mysteries 04:36 Third part: Glorious Mysteries Title: The Secret of the Rosary Author: Saint Louis de Montfort First publication: around 1710 Narrator: Angelica Torres Genre: Religious, Spiritual Growth, Spirituality, Historical Narrative Language: English Version: Unabridged, Divided by Chapters Subtitles included -------------------------------------------------- NOTE: The narration in this video is HUMAN generated. …მეტი
"The Gospel of Jesus Christ is an end in itself," Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, told OsvNews.com on 11 May during a trip to the USA. "Any attempt to instrumentalise the Gospel for a subsidiary purpose, whether cultural, ideological or political, is suspect." He warned against "any attempt to brandish Christianity void of the message and presence of the Wounded and Risen One". And: "Any presentation of Christianity that abstracts the scandal of the Cross, or that uses the Cross perversely as a weapon with which to strike others, is veering towards heresy or even blasphemy." However, the main focus of the interview is psychology, not religion. Some of his main points are: - absolutizing our own experience - immersed in my own experience - the drama of my existence - learn to live with my wound - being wounded is the human norm - a remembrance of healing - living enclosed in ourselves - shut myself off - a new way of being human - a human life is a drawn-out affair Picture: …მეტი
What ever you did to least of my brethren you did to me. Corporal and spiritual acts of mercy its all in the Baltimore catechism . Stop the navel gazing
Auxiliary Bishop Rob Mutsaerts of ’s-Hertogenbosch says he was silenced on the spot (“gecanceld”) after questioning the ideology of a self-described inclusive parish. Writing on his blog on April 29, Monsignor Mutsaerts recounted celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation at a parish with a rainbow flag outside the church. Before the entrance procession began, the bishop asked one of the boys preparing for Confirmation what he thought of the flag. The teenager shrugged and replied that he would rather have seen a PSV football flag hanging there. After the Eucharist, parishioners told Mutsaerts that they considered themselves an “LGBTQ church” and a “Rainbow Church.” During conversations afterward at the coffee table, the bishop began questioning what such churches mean when they describe themselves as “inclusive.” Monsignor Mutsaerts argued that every church necessarily has boundaries because every church teaches truths about morality, human nature, and faith. In his view, the …მეტი
St. John Chrysostom ~~~ When you are weary of praying, and do not receive, consider how often you have heard a poor man calling, and have not listened to him...
Archbishop Josef Grünwidl of Vienna, Austria - a proponent of female ordination and married priests who was appointed in autumn 2025 - spoke with Leo XIV on Monday about what he called “reform topics”. Talking to VaticanNews.va on 12 May, he declined to provide further details. During the audience, Monsignor Grünwidl wore a copy of Pope Francis' pectoral cross. The design is associated with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago (+1996), who was accused of homosexually abusing seminarians and was known for hosting pyjama parties with young priests. When asked about his stance on blessings for same-sex couples, Monsignor Grünwidl said he was “very happy” with the homosexual pamphlet ‘Fiducia Supplicans’. He added that blessings “in a very simple form for irregular couples” should and could be possible. According to Archbishop Grünwidl, the German church is taking a “more direct path”. He continued: “I believe that the course begun by Pope Francis — reaching out to people who ask …მეტი