2016-09-30T15:55:24-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has just dealt another blow to Obamacare, granting a reprieve to Oklahoma-based arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby. On Thursday the Court ruled that Hobby Lobby stores and Mardel, their sister company which sells Christian books, won’t have to start paying millions of dollars in fines next week for failing to comply with the HHS Mandate provision requiring that companies include contraceptive coverage in employees’ health insurance plans. Since 1972 when David... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:24-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

Each day we learn a little more about our new pope.  We get to know his warm heart, his quick wit, his boyish smile. The folks at Catholic-link.com have produced an animated video to help you get to know Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, a little better.   The video was produced in fifteen languages, and was released via YouTube on June 26. Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:24-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

Just in time for the Supreme Court’s controversial rulings on DOMA and Proposition 8, the St. Louis Civil Courts building is decked out in gay pride colors this week for the first time. Meanwhile, ten miles away, the Archdiocese of St. Louis released a strong statement reaffirming marriage as being between one man and one woman. *     *     *     * The Civil Courts Building, home to the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, is one of several downtown St. Louis... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:24-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.  But is the fight to protect the institution of marriage over? By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down a key provision of the Defense Of Marriage Act.  The ruling now guarantees federal recognition, including tax protections, for lesbian and homosexual couples who have married in one of the 13 states which currently recognize same-sex marriage.  In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled that DOMA violated the equal protection clause of... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:24-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

Happy Birthday, Pearl Buck! Pearl Sydenstricker Buck was an American writer born of missionary parents. She was born on June 26, 1892, and until 1934 she lived mainly in China, where she was also called by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu (written in Chinese: 賽珍珠; pinyin: Sài Zhēnzhū). Buck was passionate about social issues ranging from women’s rights to adoption, and especially to the plight of babies of Asian women left behind when American soldiers returned to the U.S. following... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:25-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

Day after day, Pope Francis reaches out to first one, then another group:  religious sisters, the elderly and infirm, prisoners, priests and bishops, young children—and this month, to the visually impaired. On June 11, Pope Francis recorded a personal greeting to a group of about 75 participants, most of them elderly, in the annual summer program offered by the Italian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Unione Italiana Ciechi elpovedenci).  The program took place at Le Torri Centre in... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:25-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

After his Sunday Angelus address on June 23, Pope Francis rushed over to the Vatican Train Station.  There, he welcomed 250 excited children between the ages of 6 and 10 who, with their families and teachers, journeyed aboard the “Children’s Train” from Milan to St. Peter’s Basilica. The children, red hats bobbing as they exited the train, were participants in an initiative of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the “Children’s Train: A Journey Through Beauty”.  The Children’s Train is part... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:25-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”  Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.  He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. –Matthew... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:25-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

First of all, I want to say I’m sorry. Earlier this week, I published a blog post regarding President Obama’s comments in Northern Ireland, on the subject of Catholic education.  That post seems to have drawn ire from some quarters; and even among those who agreed, it elicited a raw emotion which burst forth in the combox. For the record:  I had relied on an early news report from the Scottish Catholic Observer. Speaking to a crowd of some 2,000... Read more

2016-09-30T15:55:25-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:55 pm   By

During this Fortnight for Freedom, I reflect on one of the great saints whose commitment to the Church and to religious liberty is an inspiration to us today. *     *     *     * Sir Thomas More was a man with a bright future.  A successful statesman and a loving husband and father, More was Chancellor in the Court of King Henry VIII, one of the king’s most trusted ministers. But then came Anne Boleyn. At the time, King Henry was married to... Read more

Browse Our Archives
TRENDING AT PATHEOS Catholic
Pope Leo on Gaza: "It is Time to...
Famine Ravages Persecuted Christians in Sudan
Resisting Demons: Accepting Personal Responsibility
A Generation Raised in Trump’s Shadow
Defunding Planned Parenthood: The Wrong Priority?
IRS Decision Impacting Church Endorsements
view all Catholic blogs