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A black-and-white photo of a group of women in 1940s attire gathered around a table with signs reading "LEARN TO VOTE" in English and Yiddish. A woman sits at the table assisting others, with a poster promoting Roosevelt-Lehman for better voting in the background."

What the Catechism said on voting 100 years ago

Today is the mid-term election in the United States. At stake are state governorships and the representative positions. I’m sure many readers are painfully aware of the debates and nonsense of politics. There’s often a lot of debate over the role of Catholics in elections, and particularly what to do when you are faced with bad choices, no…

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A religious sculpture depicting a group of figures in flames, with vibrant colors like yellow and blue. Central figure appears to be holding a heart, suggesting Catholic themes of martyrdom or divine love.

Make some friends in high places. Poor Souls: Who will pray for you?

While there is a bit of calendar hijinks that happen due to the way Sundays translate some feasts to adjacent days, but at the same time feasts on other days are made optional (such as All Saints’ Day yesterday), it can be confusing as to when you ought to pray for the Poor Souls in…

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Gamaliel in Ferguson (CCHD Dollars at Work?)

Rev. Tracey Blackman, speaking on “webinar video” about the Gamaliel Foundations’s activism in Ferguson,i said that the Gamaliel-involved clergy must be “protectors of the narrative” and that they would be the ones to tell what really happened in Ferguson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgGE3gfJwcM In an era when media regularly “shape” the news for their own political ends, we…

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A detailed illustration of a hellish landscape with numerous nude figures in torment, surrounded by robed figures observing. Dominant colors are earthy tones with vibrant reds and blues in the robes. Depicts Catholic themes of divine judgment and punishment.

St. John Paul II and a Caution against the Age of Fraud

Fifty or a hundred years from now, the sociologists that write books to describe our time will have only one term to discuss today:  fraud. It’s everywhere, and people think nothing of it. I think that’s because they don’t realize that the ancient Greeks long before the time of Christ, determined that there would be a time…

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Harper's Bazaar Christmas cover featuring a stylized white face with red lips and green Christmas tree. Text reads: "Christmas Number" with stories by Dorothy Parker, Mazo de la Roche, Dorothy L. Sayers, Evelyn Waugh."

Out of Depth

Minne’s Diner is a fantastic breakfast joint in Rogers, Minnesota. Right off I-94, the place reminds one of so many other classic breakfast places in the big city–only the hours are different, i.e., this place actually has a closing time. It was here, last Thursday, that I and some colleagues gathered for breakfast and Evelyn Waugh’s short story,…

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A group of people at a protest holding red signs with white text that reads "ALL RELIGIONS BELIEVE IN JUSTICE." The signs feature illustrations of diverse faces. People are gathered outdoors, some holding megaphones and listening intently."

CCHD 2013-2014: Hasn’t the Catholic Campaign for Human Development improved? Not even a little…?

New year; new grants list…and as has happened several times before, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has claimed to have undergone a major reform overhaul. CCHD Reform Started Right Here The first CCHD reform was provoked by a 1997 Wanderer Forum Foundation analysis and commentary of the Campaign that demonstrated the CHD was spending…

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A close-up of a gold-colored rosary with black beads and an oval medallion featuring the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, surrounded by intricate designs.

Our Lady of the Rosary, the Indispensable Prayer

How many times have you spent time with someone and suddenly realized that what seemed to be a few moments was in fact hours? The time speaking was just too delightful and the surprise when looking at a clock or watch attests that there, for that moment you’ve even escaped time — transcended it.  I have debated…

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An elderly man with a white beard and glasses wearing a black jacket, gray hat, and clerical collar. He is standing outdoors against a stone wall.

Eternal Rest: Father Benedict Groeschel – Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Today, on the Solemn feast of St. Francis, The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal report that Father Groeschel went to sleep in the Lord. October 3 is the feast of St. Francis and there is little doubt that Fr. Groeschel spent his life working to know and imitate the founder of the Franciscan rule, even in creating…

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A man in a black tuxedo with a red rose, holding a cigarette, in a dimly lit room. He appears to be in conversation with another man partially visible on the left. The scene is dramatic and intense, evoking themes of power and intrigue.

I got a guy in Heaven: Feast of the Guardian Angels

It just seems to be human nature that we all want a connection to power.  We want someone “on the inside” who can whisper in the ear of the boss and get things done for us.  Sometimes, we just need a guy that can talk to the boss and things get done. Growing up there…

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A weathered wooden church with a tall steeple and clock tower, set against a clear blue sky. The building shows signs of age with peeling paint and worn wood, surrounded by grassy fields.

Manipulating the Religious Landscape

Not everyone is happy about a recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life study that finds a growing number Americans want religion to play a role in U.S. politics.i  One syndicated columnist rather hysterically likened the trend to the Taliban’s stoning of women for failure to wear “proper” head covering. “What in the world…

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