'If you wish to act as Catholics and as Americans worthy of the name, you must be clearly aware of your responsibility before God: to fight your daily battle to gain Heaven. A battle in which the Lord assures you of the spiritual weapons you need to win: living your life in the state of Grace, persevering in fervent prayer, receiving the Sacraments frequently, assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and being fruitful in good works'.
Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra in Ghana has voiced concern over what he described as a growing influence of homosexuality and gay culture within Catholic Seminaries in West Africa, urging Rectors and other Formators to take decisive action and remain faithful to the Church’s teachings on priestly formation. In his Wednesday, January 14 speech at the opening of the 12th Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) Rectors’ Conference at St. Paul’s Catholic Seminary, Sowutuom in Accra, Archbishop Kwofie urged those entrusted with the formation of future Priests to carefully discern and nurture Priestly vocations from the outset, warning that inadequate formation at the entry level could contribute to the emergence of homosexual practices within Seminaries. “I am going to talk about one thing that is growing up like a monster in the Seminaries. Please do your best to weed out people of such orientation from our Seminaries because it …
Hello, I came across your website, specifically the Article "Salve Regina - Hail Holy Queen Explanation and interpretation" by Fr. Stephen Somerville," and I was hoping to get some clarification regarding the use of Salve Regina as a post-Communion hymn. It’s seems that, traditionally, the Salve Regina is sung pre or post Mass. The parish I’m at now has inserted the Salve Regina in the Mass just following the Communion hymn. I find it distracting and strange to sing the Salve Regina, a song directed to Mary, right after I’ve come in full Communion with the Lord through his most sacred body and blood. If a Marian hymn were to be used at all during this time of worship, wouldn’t the Magnificat, direct to our Lord, be much more appropriate? I would love to hear your thoughts, and appreciate any direction you can provide regarding this situation. Thank you! Respectfully, J.B. ______________________ TIA responds: Hello J.B., We are glad that you are benefitting from our site and that you …
The Lie: Carnal Desire & Pleasure Are "Beautiful Natural Gifts of GOD, Implanted in Human Nature From Creation" Hear me, brethren, and tremble! Do not be deceived by what the world calls natural! Do not be seduced by what men call a blessing! The measure of true humanity is Christ the Lord! The standard of human life is the Blessed Virgin, preserved from all stain from the first instant of her conception! He took flesh—yet no concupiscence stirred in Him! She bore Him—yet no wound of desire touched her womb or her heart! Behold, brethren! In the New Adam and the New Eve, we see what humanity was made to be: virginity, continence, and purity of body and soul—this is the natural state of man! Not concupiscence! Not carnal pleasure! Christ reveals it by nature assumed; the Virgin confirms it by grace preserved. Carnal desire is not a natural gift from the Creator, but a consequence of fallen nature. Carnal pleasure is not a blessing of God! They are the wound of the Fall, a rebellion of …More
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 “He said to me, You are my servant, in you, Israel, I show my glory.” The Lord speaks to each person: You are the one I send to deliver my message of joy and peace. 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 “To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus.” This phrase is interesting. Let us remain in Christ, in the Love of God, and observe our lives and those around us becoming clearer and more peaceful. John 1:29-34 “Saint John the Baptist: ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’” The Lamb of God, pure and spotless, comes to teach us to remain in the Heart filled with the Love of God. It is the Love of God in the Lamb of God, Christ, who purifies us from evil. Let us continue to draw closer to God and away from evil. Biblical texts: NAB-RE Normand Thomas.
“Leo XIV is responsible for it. In fact, he set the four-topic agenda for the meeting… I just hope they drop this middle school social science approach.” — Fr. Gerald Murray
Saint Margaret of Hungary - January 18 Also known as Margherita Marguerite Memorial 18 January Profile Daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary and Marie Laskaris; grand-daughter of the Byzantine emperor. When Hungary was freed from the Tatars, her parents had pledged their next child to God. To keep this promise, Margaret was placed in a Dominicanconvent at Veszprem, Hungary at age 3; BlessedHelen of Hungary served as her novice mistress. She transferred at age ten to the convent of the Blessed Virgin founded by her parents on the Hasen Insel near Buda, where she lived the rest of her life. At one point her father arranged a marriage for her to King Ottokar II of Bohemia, but she adamently refused. She took vows at age 18. Known for severe self-imposed penances, and for kindness to those of lower social station. The investigation for her canonization lists 27 miracles including healings and a case of awakening from death. Born 1242 Died 18 January1271 at Budapest, …More
Saint Margaret of Hungary (January 18) mantheycalltom on Jan 16, 2010 January 18 is the feast day of Saint Margaret of Hungary. This prayer is for Hungary.
Rome Seals Jubilee; Hope Endures Beyond Doors | Shalom World News As the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope has come to a close on 6 January 2026, a solemn ceremony took place on Tuesday night, January 13, as the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was sealed in a ceremonial rite led by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, with Monsignor Ľubomír Welnitz and Fr Diego Giovanni Ravelli in attendance. A bronze box was placed within the wall, containing the closing protocol, keys, pontifical medals dating back to 2016, and a commemorative basilica medal. Similar rites are scheduled for the Basilica of Saint John Lateran (Wednesday), Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Thursday), and St. Peter’s Basilica (Friday) as part of the Jubilee’s conclusion. The Jubilee, opened by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve 2024 and officially concluded by Pope Leo, invites the faithful to deeper conversion and mercy. Traditionally celebrated every 25 years, the next Ordinary Jubilee is anticipated in 2033, a year …More
On 15 January, Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, prayed the Rosary publicly to protest against recent liturgical restrictions imposed by Bishop Michael Martin. These measures ban the use of kneelers for Communion, which will take effect on 16 January. The faithful gathered in front of the diocesan pastoral centre in an act of reparation.
January 15 in Charlotte, in the cold and in front of the chancery, faithful gathered to pray for our diocese, for Bishop Martin, and in reparation for his liturgical directives.
(Feast of St. Marcellus I, Pope and Martyr – January 16) Brothers and Sisters, There is a kind of suffering that comes from the world, and we expect it. The world has always resisted the light. But there is another kind of suffering – sharper, quieter, and harder to bear – when the wound comes from within, when rejection comes not from strangers, but from one’s own. Holy Scripture says of Our Lord: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). And on this day, January 16, the traditional calendar places before us a Pope – St. Marcellus I – whose witness is marked by that same sorrowful pattern: not merely opposed by the enemies of the Church, but resisted amid turmoil and rebellion within the household of faith. So the title today is simple. And heavy. Exiled by his own. Pause for a moment and let that phrase do its work. Because it is not only history. It is a pattern. It is a temptation. It is a warning. And it is also – mysteriously – a path that God has …More
Angelo Gugel, the longtime papal valet who worked for three popes, has died in Rome at the age of 90, reports Vatican media. Appointed in 1978 by John Paul I, the “33-day pope,” Gugel went on to serve John Paul II throughout his nearly 27-year pontificate. He retired at the beginning of the papacy of Benedict XVI, at the age of 70. Known for his immaculate appearance, he preserved strict discretion even after retirement. From the Gendarmerie to the Papal Household Born on 27 April 1935 in Miane, in Italy’s Veneto region, Gugel joined the Vatican Gendarmerie at the age of 20. After a serious bout of tuberculosis, he was transferred to the administration of the Vatican City State. Albino Luciani, his former bishop in Vittorio Veneto and a family acquaintance, personally chose him as valet after being elected pope. When John Paul I died unexpectedly on 28 September 1978, Gugel was among the few people present in the papal bedroom. At the Pope’s Side Around the World Gugel accompanied John …More
Leo XIV’s consistory in January did not involve a general debate, Cardinal Raymond Burke told Edward Pentin for his Substack.com-account on 16 January. The consistory adopted a format closer to Francis’s synods, with discussion confined almost entirely to small groups:"All the discussion took place in the small group, and then in the general session there was simply a report from the secretaries." Divide and Conquer Burke added that the way the consistory was structured did not allow for so-called free interventions. The two plenary sessions permitted only brief interventions: "Each intervention was limited to three minutes, so just 15 cardinals could speak in one session." With more than 160 cardinals present, many were left unheard. In the small groups, "the topics were assigned, and then there was a whole structure that had to be followed at the tables". Every Pope Appoints the Bishops He Wants Beyond the consistory itself, Cardinal Burke expressed concerns about the Pope’s many …More
Why Suddenly Paused Iran Strikes, Was Netanyahu Afraid Of Khamenei’s Next Big Move In Israel? U.S. outlets Axios and The New York Times report that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally asked President Donald Trump to “postpone” planned strikes on Iran so Israel could first reinforce its missile defenses and better prepare for potential Iranian retaliation. These reports say Israeli officials also warned that limited U.S. attacks on Iranian military sites might fail to destabilize the regime and instead trigger a wider regional war, even as sources cited by Axios describe Washington “reassessing” while insisting the Iranian regime will eventually fall unless Ayatollah Khamenei speaks directly to Trump. Trump’s tone toward Iran has since softened: on January 14 he told reporters he’d received assurances that killings and executions had stopped, and The Times of Israel noted this shift came right after a phone call with Netanyahu, while the White House later confirmed …More
Israel and Arab Nations Ask Trump to Refrain From Attacking Iran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asked the president to postpone any planned attack. Israeli and Arab officials fear Iran could retaliate by striking their countries. nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/politics/trump-iran- …