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Faithful Catholics in America have long lamented the dreadful Mass attendance numbers of the past half century. In 1970, 55% of American Catholics attended Mass; by 2019, that number had dropped to little over 20%. It’s clear that most self-identifying Catholics don’t think it’s obligatory, or even beneficial, to participate in the “source and summit” of the Catholic Faith on a regular basis. Going into 2020, however, who knew that we’d soon be looking at that 20% attendance with nostalgia.  The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently released its figures regarding Mass attendance in 2020. It’s as bad as you suspect. Starting in March (ahem), the percentage of Catholics attending Mass plummeted from its already-pathetic 20% to around 5%.  Source: http://nineteensix...

There were two major stories in American life this week, when it seemed like the world turned in a matter of minutes. The riot at the U.S. Capitol grew out of yet another legal Donald Trump rally, with its familiar mix of hero worship, populist rage and, yes, rhetoric and symbols used by conservative, often Pentecostal, Christians. Fired up by a truly radical message from the president, many (not all) of these protestors marched to Capitol and turned into an illegal mob, crashing through security fences and then through doors and windows. Yes, some of the Christian banners and signs went with them. We will be learning more about the makeup of that mob as participants are identified, arrest and tried — perhaps under (irony alert) Trump’s June 26th executive order authorizing a “penalty of u...

The world will only emerge from the coronavirus crisis better if people become aware of social injustices, review their lives, and “think about ‘we’ and erase the ‘I’ for a while,” Pope Francis has said in a new interview broadcast in Italy on Sunday evening.  Speaking with Fabio Marchese Ragona of the Italian news program, Tg5, the Pope also stressed the importance of “closeness” to those who are suffering and that political leaders in particular have “no right to deviate from unity” at this time.  People have a right to different points of view, he said, and “political struggle is a noble thing,” but “what matters is the intention to help the country grow.”  “If politicians emphasize personal interest over common interest, they ruin things,” the Pope said, adding that “at ...

(1/4) pic.twitter.com/wW6W40NtFE — Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) January 6, 2021 (3/4) pic.twitter.com/pgCr1tRtZa — Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) January 6, 2021 (4/4) pic.twitter.com/hMtuVIg7P8 — Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) January 6, 2021 Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity  

By Tom Hoopes, January 7, 2021 This Sunday, the Baptism of the Lord (Year B), begins a whole new chapter in humanity, one we too often forget — especially in times of turmoil like our own. In Sunday’s readings, God turns the prevailing power structure upside down, putting us at the top. Every era of human history see greatness in its own way; and usually it is tied to that era’s worst sin. In ancient cultures, the warriors were considered godlike. To conquer meant to gain honor and war prizes, especially female slaves. In the industrial revolution, wealth was the king. The world spoke in awe of “corporate titans” and thrilled to “rags to riches” stories. People sacrificed their families, communities and children (sometimes directly) to the new economic paradigm. In our culture, techno...

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This is an excerpt from the longer article “Festivity is not Partying” from the “Festivity” issue of Sword&Spade magazine.  You can download the full spread of this article for free here.  — Catholicism possesses a unique ability to bring things together that otherwise seem opposed. Two of those things are festivity and faith, as Hilaire Belloc famously put it in verse: Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,There’s always laughter and good red wine.At least I’ve always found it so.Benedicamus Domino! What might seem odd to some, especially in post-Puritan America, is the apparent mix of a party (“laughter and good red wine”) and praising God (Benedicamus Domino is Latin, meaning “Let us bless the Lord.”) Some might even find it offensive to mix the two, because they have witne...

Father Reginald Foster in Manhattan in 2013. (Eric Thayer/Reuters) The superstar Vatican Latinist, a contrarian monk and the common man’s common man, made it his mission to revive the Church’s official language. ‘Latin does not allow you to drift on meaninglessly,” Reginald Foster told E. J. Dionne in 1986, explaining why it deserves to live. In Latin, “either you say something” in “concrete language” or “you stop.” Foster overstated the case, but let’s be charitable. He was talking to a journalist. He had reason to think he should paint with a broad brush. Advertisement We anglophones tend to ignore the imagery buried inside the etymologies of words we use to express abstract concepts. We notice it more in Latin. That may be in part because we look at the foreign language with fresher eye...

Chaotic and disturbing scenes ensued on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, as the building was locked down when Trump supporters stormed it and halted the congressional vote to certify the presidential election results. Lawmakers were evacuated as rioters broke windows, an armed standoff occurred at the front door of the House floor, and one female protester was shot in a hallway and subsequently died.  Despite the unprecedented violence within the walls of the U.S. Congress, the process to certify the election results resumed late Wednesday evening after the building and grounds were secured. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., a Catholic lawmaker with a graduate degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, spoke with the Register Wednesday evening via telephone from his ...