From CBS News:  Iconic rock musician Prince has died, his publicist confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 57. Police and EMTs responded to a 911 call at his Paisley Park studio Thursday. Sheriffs in Chanhassen, Minnesota, confirmed that there was one fatality. Last week, Prince was briefly hospitalized for the flu, necessitating his private jet to make an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, so that he could receive medical attention but was said to be recovering. Born Prince Rogers... Read more

My friend Rebecca Hamilton is recovering from cancer surgery and is somehow finding a way to put that experience into words. For anyone who has battled cancer, or who loves someone who has been on the front lines of that fight, this is necessary reading—potent and searing. From National Catholic Register:  Ironically, the truth of it all is in a Bible verse. It is one of the shortest verses in the book. Cease striving and know that I am God. ... Read more

From the International Business Times:  The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has executed at least 250 women in northern Iraqi city of Mosul in Nineveh province for refusing sex slavery, according to reports Wednesday. The women had been ordered to accept “temporary marriages” to the militants, and were all put to death after their refusal. Said Mamuzini, an official from the Kurdistan Democratic Party, told the AhlulBayt News Agency that sometimes the families of the women were also... Read more

Seriously? Yes. From Aleteia’s Arabic edition:  Saint Charbel Makhlouf is her patron saint. She loves him to the point of visiting the Annaya Monastery on the 22nd of each month, and whenever she feels the need to pray and talk with him. She is a practicing Shiite but open to other religions and to humanity. She is Lebanese and has built her reputation by working as a reporter and presenter on both channels Douniya Al and Al Mayadin. Roula Bahsoun... Read more

A remarkable piece of news from the UK’s Catholic Herald:  According to Austrian website Kurier, 83 adults were approved for baptism in Vienna in 2016, with Friederike Dostal of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference estimating that about half of them were Muslims, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iran. This figure is up from one-third in 2015. The story at Kurier —roughly translated via Google—tells of one refugee preparing to convert: Black sunglasses covered his eyes, he doesn’t want to reveal his name,... Read more

What’s worse, there’s a growing body of evidence that doctors knew the dangers nearly 50 years ago—and the risks were, in the words of this author, “largely ignored.” Read on: I had a stroke from hormonal birth control at the age of 28. Prior to my stroke, I didn’t think much about the side effects of hormonal birth control, or any other medication for that matter. Like many of us, I took for granted that if a doctor prescribed the medication,... Read more

Details: On April 29, the Trevi Fountain, one of the most popular and emblematic tourist spots in Rome, will be dyed red in recognition of all Christians who even today give their life for the faith. The event is being organized by Aid to the Church in Need and seeks to “call attention to the drama of anti-Christian persecution.” In a statement posted on their website, the aid group said they hope this initiative will be “the start of a... Read more

The press release, sent out today: The Cause for Dorothy Day’s possible eventual beatification and canonization moved into a new phase today as Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, opened the canonical Inquiry on the life of the Catholic Worker movement founder, gathering evidence to determine if Dorothy Day lived a life of “heroic virtue” in the eyes of the Church. The Archdiocese, which is sponsoring her cause, will gather the evidence and present it to the Vatican’s... Read more

Today, Utah is poised to declare pornography a “public health hazard”:  Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert is planning to sign two pieces of legislation on Tuesday that aim to combat what’s called “a sexually toxic environment” caused by porn. One is a resolution and one is a bill: — S.C.R. 9 Concurrent Resolution on the Public Health Crisis. This resolution declares that pornography is “a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms.” The... Read more