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The Ascension of the Lord. Jesus ascends to heaven surrounded by angels and apostles, including Mary in blue robes. Vibrant colors with a red border. Text at top reads "The Ascension of the Lord."

Confusing the Little Things Obscures the Big: Ascension Thursday

In Acts 1:3 we read that Our Lord ascended to Heaven forty days after His Glorious Resurrection. The importance of this Feast is punctuated by Fr. Hardon: It is very important to be convinced that Christ’s Ascension into heaven was an historical fact. As early as the beginning of the second century, St. Ignatius of…

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A statue of the Virgin Mary in a white robe and veil, holding a heart with flames above it. The statue is depicted in soft lighting, emphasizing Catholic themes of devotion and love.

Our Lady of Fatima and Two Humble Priests

Having learned of Pope Francis’s desire to entrust his Pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima, I decided to settle down to the famous Fatima documentary from the mid-1980s narrated by Ricardo Montelban. Besides enjoying the suave and debonair devout Catholic and proprietor of TV’s Fantasy Island, something struck me in this documentary about Our Lady’s message to…

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Book cover titled "The Madonnas of St. Augustine: A Remarkable History" by Nancy H. Murray, illustrated by Mary Ann Miller. Yellow background with black-and-white photos of people and religious statues, emphasizing Catholic themes."

A Book That Tells the Tales of Immigrants, Traditions, and the Help of the Blessed Mother

Using antique statues of the Blessed Mother as windows into the eras of their creation, Nancy Murray has written a compelling history of the beautiful, historic city of St Augustine. The delicate, classically crafted Nuestra Señora de La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery) midwifed the city’s founding under…

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Text "From Under the Rubble" over a background of rough, gray and brown stones with some green moss."

From Under the Rubble…Happy Birthday, 1913!

The Rubble often notes with a fond nostalgia the wisdom of Robert Nisbet, who was born in 1913. In that year, he once observed, the only contact that the average US citizen had with the federal government was the Post Office. But along with the brilliant Nisbet, several evils were also born in 1913. The Sixteenth Amendment…

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Footnote 31: An Interview with Phil Lawler

https://media.blubrry.com/bellarmineforumfootnote/bellarmineforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Bellarmine-Forum-Footnote-31-Lawler.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn Footnote 30, Chris Manion interviews Phil Lawler, Editor of Catholic Culture (catholicculture.org).

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A modern church interior with white curved walls and wooden pews, featuring a cross on the wall. Natural light streams in through skylights.

What Really Killed the Catholic Church in America

Appearing on a heavily trafficked blog today is an article by Fr. Dwight Longenecker titled What’s Killing American Catholicism.  In it, Father Longenecker says two things worthy of note: Ethnic Parishes destroyed America (!).  Literally, he says “The first problem is cultural Catholicism”.  I am flabbergasted and nearly speechless at the ignorance of this statement….

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Statue of Saint Joseph holding baby Jesus in sepia tones, with a blurred background figure. ©1998, 2013 John B. Manos"

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Chicago Bombings, Labor Riots, and Terror of Demons

What does St. Joseph have to do with May Day? How is Chicago tied into this feast? Is this feast still needed today or has the need go away? Find out why May Day is really St. Joseph day!!

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A man wearing a red cardinal's hat and robes, with a gold cross necklace, speaking outdoors.

Quo vadis, Cardinal Dolan?

Of the prelates of the Church that I think I might most enjoy having a drink with, His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan would be the one.  His affability and Irish charm would no doubt be the life of the party.  We would probably laugh uproariously over some jokes, enjoy some good conversation, and he would…

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A smiling man in a military uniform holding a pipe, wearing a helmet and jacket with visible straps. Black and white photograph.

The End of the Soldier

Chesterton famously commented, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”  In this pithy statement, Chesterton encapsulates the end or purpose of a soldier.  We saw this honored with the posthumous awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor to Army Chaplain…

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