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Letter of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States of AmericaI extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This semiquincentennial marks that defining m...

As we approach America’s semiquincentennial, I have been thinking back to the joyful celebrations for the bicentennial, and wondering why our 250th birthday party is such a dud.Credit: UnsplashThen I thought that perhaps my recollections of the “Spirit of (19)76” were a bit tinted by rosy retrospect...

Journalists covering this week’s illicit episcopal consecrations by the Society of St. Pius X have faced an awkward problem.More than 15,000 laypeople attended the SSPX episcopal consecrations in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1, 2026. Screenshot from @SSPX YouTube channel.It’s this: it seems impossibl...

War? Schism? Genocide? Fraud, pestilence, global conspiracies? These are all child’s play. Back in my day, Catholics used to spend our days on the internet arguing about really important things, like yoga.Simcha’s butter chicken.Oh yes. It’s finally summer, the streams are flowing, and I’d dearly li...

Image: Elizabeth of Portugal| Francisco de Zurbarán Saint of the Day for July 4 (1271 – July 4, 1336) Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’s Story Elizabeth of Portugal is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was rec...

Catholic educators are now revisiting questions concerning the nature and purpose of education, as seen in the recently released Front Royal Statement. Perhaps among these questions should be whether the near-universal adoption of coeducational schooling has served the distinct educational needs of...

Many Catholic families have welcomed the Sacred Heart of Jesus into their homes through an enthronement ceremony. Others have participated in parish consecrations or renewed personal acts of devotion during the month of June. These are beautiful practices, but they naturally raise an important quest...

A Visitor from Heaven, Part I: Apparitions in Northern Italy Last year, in remote Poland, an intriguing book appeared around private apparitions of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko. This publication may serve as a spiritual guide for all who desire to enter through the narrow gate and live forever with Jes...

As our nation turns its attention to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I’ve found myself wrapped up by a sobering event: 9/11. I am recalling the manner Americans instantly sought God in our collective grief. A quarter century after America’s worship spaces overflowed with gr...

Jim, Jim, I wore a tie today,The first one that I ever wore.You’d have said I looked like a dummy, Down at the dry goods store. That was country music legend Willie Nelson circa 1985. It was a duet with fellow legend Johnny Cash, who sang the second verse: Jim, Jim, the preacher said a lot of things...