In America, it’s easy to take freedom speech for granted. After all, for citizens of the United States, free speech is a birthright, an ideal deeply woven into the fabric of society and culture. Sometimes, however, our ideals come into conflict with reality, and our convictions are put to the test. When a cherished liberty […]
“The current Republican Party, particularly the Tea Party, is fanatically involved in people’s personal lives and very fundamental Christian,” said NPR’s Ron Schiller to two undercover reporters. “I wouldn’t even call it Christian; it’s this weird evangelical kind of [movement].” Not knowing he was being videoed, Schiller continued: “The current Republican Party is not really […]
Located a short distance from the Colosseum, Santi Giovanni e Paolo is our stop for today. Named for the martyrs of the fourth century, this church is dedicated to two wealthy brothers who served in Constantine’s court under his daughter, Constantia. She converted them to Christianity and they would host Christian rites here in their […]
Many sellers are latching onto the advantages of advertising their products with Pay Per Click ads (PPCs) on the major search engines. PPCs are the paid ads that appear on a search results page. They are placed both above and to the right of the natural search results. These ads can be very effective in […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part one, Fr. Rich Toohey It was September 2001. I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Erie four days before the horror of 9/11. I was asked […]
Following the murder of Pakistan Minister of Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti on March 2nd, Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC), co-chairs of the Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus, introduced a resolution calling for the U.S. to take a definitive stance in protecting religious freedom and condemning the intolerance that sanctioned these murders […]
Attorney General Eric Holder explained the Obama administration’s decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) against court challenges by claiming that “a growing consensus accepts that sexual orientation is a characteristic that is immutable.” Gay activists have for years forwarded the notion that same sex attraction (SSA) is immutable — people are […]
Some years ago the critic George Steiner published a provocative book called Real Presences . As far as I know, Steiner wasn’t a believer, but his book was a respectful look at something he considered a serious problem: the loss of the sacramental sense in Western culture. It can be read as a kind of […]
It’s true. I do not use Facebook. Now before you jump to any conclusions, I am not Amish and no, I did not grow up in a cave. I do not use Facebook because, quite frankly, I ‘m not sure I should be using it. Like so many things of this world, Facebook is just […]
A few years ago, I gave up Facebook for Lent. Sort of. I said I would limit myself to 15 minutes daily. I couldn’t leave for 40 days because Facebook was the means by which I communicated with teen members of 4-H (I’m a 4-H leader), and I wanted to keep an eye on my […]
My father taught me one of the most amazing lessons I’ve ever learned about forgiveness. It happened when I was a young girl, about eight years of age or so. I was at home with my mother and two sisters just doing things around the house. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and there was a flurry […]
Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can […]
“[F]or dust thou art, and to dust thou shall return” (Gen. 3:19). We are food for worms, and yet our culture, our modernist worldview, pretends that nature can somehow be betrayed. We worship the appearance of youth while we are alive, and when those around us give in to inevitability, we hide the reality of […]
The Little Way of Lent: Meditations in the Spirit of St. Therese of Lisieux is a very good tool to use in one’s Lenten journey. It is written by Fr. Gary Caster, a priest of the Diocese of Peoria. He is a contributor to the popular Magnificat magazine and to the EWTN TV network and […]
“You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him.” Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Lenten period, which leads us to the celebration of Holy Easter, is for the Church a most valuable and important liturgical time, in view of which I am pleased to offer a specific word in […]
There are two high-profile labor disputes in the news these days. One involves Wisconsin’s public-school teachers; the other, the National Football League’s players. I mentioned this to a friend, who responded that the NFL dispute was more troublesome. The very idea of people making such high salaries possibly striking for more irked her. While I […]
An Ice Cream Sundae. At 11:30 p.m. or so on Mardi Gras. My yearly custom, for many years, was to take a bowl of Whitey’s Ice Cream, cover it with Butterscotch and/or Carmamel and/or Chocolate Sauce, maybe throw on some peanuts, and enjoy my last indulgence before the start of Lent. Ice Cream. I was […]
As I’m sure you know, the now-famous case of Baby Joseph in Canada is becoming critical. He could die in the next couple of weeks if his breathing tube is removed as the hospital and the government intend. Baby Joseph is only 13 months old and often has difficulty breathing on his own. He needs […]
Our then 4-year-old daughter decided that she’d had enough. We’d heard the complaints about a small group of boys in her preschool class and their trucks for a while. I can’t remember now exactly what it was the boys were doing with those trucks, except that they were breaking preschool truck rules in a way […]
“You can sit here and talk about jihad from here to doomsday, what will it do? Suppose you prove beyond any shadow of doubt that Islam is constitutionally violent, where do you go from there?” Such was Columbia professor Hamid Dabashi’s response to my assertion that Islamists seek to resurrect the caliphate and wage offensive […]
The radical liberals are coming for your children. It’s time to wake up, people. These extremists have become emboldened by the decaying morals and rising apathy in America and they are now hard at work re-programming your children through our educational system. A recent article from the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute included several […]
A common mistake many small to medium size businesses make is to rely on the in-house computer whiz-kid for everything related to their websites. The whiz kid might be the controller who is also good with computers, or a sales staffer, or even the college-age son of the owner. These people may be very good […]
In our family we observe a common Catholic tradition: whenever we hear a siren, we say a Hail Mary, “for whoever is in need and for the first responders”. Since we live just a few blocks from a fire station, we get lots of practice in this devotion. Which also affords our daughter Liz, now […]
While getting ready for a dance at the University of Detroit during a freshman college orientation weekend, I had a life changing experience. It was a moment of awakening that has stayed with me for over thirty years. The roommate I was assigned for the weekend was a tall, slim girl with short black hair. […]
