Sister Wilhelmina’s body: ‘Something special going on there’

Morticians mystified by Sister Wilhelmina’s body: ‘Something special going on there’

The local bishop, who has contacted Rome, says a “thorough investigation” is needed to answer “important questions.”

Columbus Diocese to close 15 churches; bishop calls for stronger Catholic engagement

As part of a parish reorganization and merger plan, Bishop Earl K. Fernandes spoke of new possibilities for growth.

Pope Francis has a fever, Vatican spokesman confirms

The pope’s appointments were canceled Friday because he has a fever.

Pope Francis appoints ‘bishop of the peripheries’ as successor in Buenos Aires

As a priest, Bishop García Cuerva was a prison chaplain in the province of Buenos Aires and both the diocesan and regional delegates for prison ministry.

Ciborium stolen and Eucharist desecrated in chapel in Nicaragua

During the early hours of May 24, unidentified persons desecrated the chapel of Our Lady of Fatima in the small settlement of Campuzano.

Why universities should be more like monasteries

The first national strategy for fighting antisemitism is finally here. What’s in it?
NPR: The Biden administration has released the country's first national strategy for combating antisemitism, a landmark plan aimed at addressing a growing problem.
Religion News Service: Jewish organizations laud White House plan to fight antisemitism

US Slavic churches booming with Ukrainian war refugees*
Christianity Today: One generation of Soviet refugees is welcoming another.

Illinois Catholic clergy abuse report could draw lawsuits, reforms but new charges unlikely
Associated Press: “Because the statute of limitations has frequently expired, many survivors of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clerics will never see justice in a legal sense,” the report says.

Why universities should be more like monasteries*
The New York Times: On the first day of a class called Living Deliberately, a professor of Southeast Asian and religious studies reviewed the rules. Each week, students would read about a different monastic tradition and adopt some of its practices.

In fight against ‘tyranny,’ Michigan board declares itself ‘constitutional county’
Religion News Service: In drafting the resolution to become a ‘constitutional county,’ commissioners relied on the writings of a Wisconsin pastor who promotes the idea of resistance to civil authorities.

What is incorruptibility?

What is incorruptibility? Here’s what you need to know

According to Catholic tradition, incorruptible saints give witness to the truth of the resurrection of the body and the life that is to come.

South Carolina signs six-week ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill into law

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill Thursday prohibiting abortion after six weeks of pregnancy that goes into effect immediately.

Lawsuit alleges Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley failed to prevent abuse at Catholic high school

Three former students at a Massachusetts Catholic high school have filed a lawsuit against Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley and other Church leaders.

Archbishop mourns loss of historic church in Alberta, Canada, destroyed by arson

The archbishop of Grouard-McLennan in Northern Alberta says he is saddened but “not overcome” by the loss of a 121-year-old church to arson.

‘We don’t have an agenda,’ Synod on Synodality organizer says in new EWTN interview

While he believes “a synodal Church is a more spiritual Church,” Cardinal Mario Grech emphasized that the Church “is not a democracy.”

Can Catholicism be passed on without Catholic culture?

The Beast of Bethulia Park is a thriller with grit and depth

By Anna Farrow on May 26, 2023 04:00 am
A few years ago, in a column on the Word on Fire website, author Andrew Petiprin mused, “Wouldn’t it be a powerful witness if there were new Catholic novels to grab off the newsstand at [...]
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Catholic theology yesterday and today: A Thomist’s response to Dr. Larry Chapp

By Dr. Matthew Minerd on May 25, 2023 08:00 pm
It was with great interest that I read Dr. Larry Chapp’s recent column “The Progressive Revolution’s Continued Control of the Ecclesial Narrative” (May 18, 2023). Dr. Chapp and I agree quite substantively on the current [...]
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‘We don’t have an agenda,’ Synod on Synodality organizer says in new EWTN interview

By Catholic News Agency on May 25, 2023 01:45 pm
Cardinal Mario Grech, who serves as secretary general of the global Synod on Synodality, speaks to EWTN Rome Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser for an exclusive interview that aired on EWTN on May 22, 2023. / EWTN Vatican Rome Newsroom, May 25, 20... [...]
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His Body, His Choice: Abortion, politics, and our Communion crisis

By Dr. R. Jared Staudt on May 25, 2023 02:10 am
Choice. It’s a word that expresses the religion of most Americans: one that centers on the self and the freedom to pursue one’s own desire. Freedom is the basis for happiness, it is true, though [...]
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Ten theological principles from Pope Benedict XVI for the current crisis

By Carl E. Olson on May 24, 2023 09:30 pm
Over the past three months, the men’s reading group I’ve helped lead for 19 years has been discussing The Divine Project: Reflections on Creation and the Church (Ignatius Press, 2023) by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Our [...]
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The Condemnations of Paris and the Christian origins of modern science

By Prof. William E. Carroll on May 24, 2023 09:00 pm
One of the more widely accepted narratives of the modern world locates its origins in the 17th century with the emancipation of the natural sciences both from the antiquated natural philosophy and metaphysics of Aristotle [...]
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Pope Francis: Pray that the Gospel can be freely shared in China

By Catholic News Agency on May 24, 2023 04:12 am
Pilgrims wave a Chinese flag at the general audience with Pope Francis, Oct. 12, 2022. / Vatican Media. Vatican City, May 24, 2023 / 03:12 am (CNA). Pope Francis asked Catholics Wednesday to pray that the Gospel can be fully and freely shared i... [...]
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Extra, extra! News and views for May 24, 2023

By CWR Staff on May 24, 2023 04:00 am
See You Soon – “Before Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio boarded a flight from Buenos Aires to Rome in February 2013, he told the rector of his cathedral: ‘Nos vemos a la vuelta” — ‘see you around [...]
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John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus and today’s debates

By George Weigel on May 24, 2023 02:10 am
In a recent article on the social doctrine of John Paul II in the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica, Father Fernando de la Iglesia Viguiristi, SJ, had this to say about one facet of John [...]
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Adeodatus conference seeks to deepen, spread the renewal of Catholic education

By CWR Staff on May 23, 2023 06:13 pm
Adeodatus, new initiative in Catholic education, is hosting its first conference in Pasadena, California this June 21st-24th. Founded by Dr. Alex Lessard, Adeodatus seeks “to support the ongoing renewal of Catholic liberal education through conferences, [...]
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Responding to anti-Catholic hatred in a rage-filled culture

By Susan Ciancio on May 23, 2023 01:41 pm
The first line of the recent report states: “Three students at a Catholic university were harassed by 60 counter-protesters as they demonstrated against a drag queen show on campus.” According to the article, at one [...]
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Adoption is a beautiful gift and a necessary opportunity

By Joseph M. Eble, MD on May 22, 2023 08:07 pm
Following the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a legal chasm opened that state legislators rushed to fill. Pro-life forces swiftly mobilized to introduce state legislation restricting abortion. If these efforts are [...]
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A miracle in Missouri? Body of Benedictine Sisters’ foundress thought to be incorrupt

By Catholic News Agency on May 22, 2023 11:15 am
A pilgrim venerates the incorrupt body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, on May 20, 2023. Lancaster was recently exhumed in Gower, Missouri. / Credit: Kelsey Wicks/CNA Gower, Missouri, May 22, 2023 / 10:15 am (CNA). Hundreds of pilgrims have... [...]
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Capital punishment and the law of nations

By Dr. Edward Feser on May 21, 2023 11:12 pm
What is the nature of Pope Francis’s 2018 change to the Catechism’s teaching on capital punishment?  Does it amount to a reversal of traditional teaching?  A development of doctrine that is consistent with that teaching?  [...]
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Nihilism, lust, and murder in Silicon Valley

By Austin Ruse on May 21, 2023 10:33 pm
Bob Lee staggered around a swank part of San Francisco, bleeding from multiple stab wounds. He tried to flag down help. No one stopped. He managed to call 911, but he died not long later [...]
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Moms on campus: How are Catholic colleges helping students facing unexpected pregnancies?

By Catholic News Agency on May 21, 2023 06:00 am
Katie, a student at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, eats with her baby, Lucia, on her lap in the company of fellow students. Katie is among the first students to benefit from a new initiative at the Catholic college called the ... [...]
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The Reclaiming of a Great Tradition

By James Matthew Wilson on May 20, 2023 09:44 pm
Let me begin by sharing two observations, one made by me, the other by the poet Dana Gioia. The first is this. Some years ago, a young man wrote to me, stating that, after a [...]
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“My body, my choice,” vaccination mandates, and religious freedom

By Charles J. Russo on May 20, 2023 06:13 pm
On May 15, 2023, the Ninth Circuit, in Keene v. City and County of San Francisco, in a ruling that may signal a return to some semblance of normalcy in the post-COVID-19 world, reversed a [...]
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The perfect priesthood of Christ and the longest prayer in the Gospels

By Carl E. Olson on May 20, 2023 03:30 am
Readings: • Acts 1:12-14 • Psa 27:1, 4, 7-8 • 1 Pt 4:13-16 • Jn 17:1-11a “Our Father, who art in heaven…” You know the rest. We are all familiar with The Lord’s Prayer, given [...]
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Saint Bernardine of Siena and the original bonfire of the vanities

By Dawn Beutner on May 20, 2023 03:00 am
On May 20th, the Church commemorates St. Bernardine (or Bernardino) of Siena (1380-1444), a famous Franciscan priest who preached all over Italy. On Bernardine’s feast day, Catholics typically focus on one of his favorite preaching [...]
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Can Catholicism be passed on without Catholic culture?

By David G. Bonagura, Jr. on May 19, 2023 07:02 pm
A generation ago we bemoaned the many uncatechized Catholics sitting in the pews. Many of the children of that generation are now Millennials who have wandered beyond uncatechized to unchurched. They rarely attend Mass, if [...]
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The human heart of the Guardians of the Galaxy

By Nick Olszyk on May 19, 2023 04:21 pm
MPAA Rating: PG-13 CNS Rating: A-III Reel Rating: 5 out of 5 reels Disclaimer: Contains spoilers! The Guardians series has always been the weird cousin of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Largely unknown outside the [...]
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