Parents wondering what their hard-earned money is supporting at Catholic colleges and universities might be interested in the latest findings from the Cardinal Newman Society.

The organization has discovered 10 Catholic colleges and universities that are promoting student internships with organizations whose missions or activities are directly opposed to the Church’s moral teachings on issues related to abortion and marriage.

“Under what definition of ‘Catholic education’ do students receive academic credit to work for leading pro-abortion organizations?” asked Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society.

The “Dirty Deca” includes the following schools:

Boston College -...READ MORE

This Friday, June 19, begins the Year of the Priest, as announced by Pope Benedict XVI back in March. That means that for 10 days, between June 19 and 29, the Church is celebrating both the Year of St. Paul and the Year of the Priest.

What’s planned for the Year of the Priest? Many dioceses and seminaries are planning special events and activities to highlight the year. Here are some examples.

Because it’s the 150th anniversary of the patron of diocesan priests, St. John Vianney, many dioceses are planning events centered around his example.

The Archdiocese of Denver is kicking off the Year of the Priest with a special Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Charles Chaput, on June 21 at the...READ MORE

Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, Francisco Vázquez Vázquez, reports that the government of Spain is actively supporting the organizational efforts for World Youth Day 2011.

Scheduled for August 2011, an official Spanish WYD website has been created for the next WYD to be held in Madrid. Spain expects that the international event may draw as many as 1.5 million youth.

In a press conference held Tuesday at the embassy, Ambassador Vázquez noted that the government led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has already begun to mobilize for the event. The ambassador reported that last week there was an organizational meeting between the Spanish vice president, María Teresa...READ MORE

If a group of Chesterton scholars meeting at Oxford next month has their way, the British journalist and convert G.K. Chesterton’s Cause could be taken up by the Church.

According to a story that originally appeared in the UK Catholic Herald, Chesterton biographer William Oddie will bring the subject up at the conference on July 4th.

“It is becoming clear that serious attention needs to be paid in the country of his birth to the question of Chesterton’s holiness,” said Oddie. “It’ll be a long time before anything gets under way. The purpose of the conference is to make it thinkable.”

American Chesterton Society president Dale Ahlquist told the Register that there are two practical...READ MORE

Much media coverage was given to the U.S. Department of Education’s recent numbers (provided by the National Center for Education Statistics) showing that 1.5 million students are homeschooled in the U.S.

However, many are wondering just how accurate those numbers really are. Homeschool advocates believe that number is too low. Here’s why.

“We have an ongoing dispute with the Department of Education over the numbers,” said Ian Slatter, director of media relations for the Purcellville, Va.-based Home School Legal Defense Association, an 85,000-member organization that supports the legal rights of homeschooling families.

According to Slatter, states such as California, Illinois, Florida,...READ MORE

Delving into the Department of Education’s 2007 and 2003 reports on homeschooling, one can find interesting information. We’ve already reported the news that homeschooling has nearly doubled over the last 8 years, resulting in 1.5 million homeschooled students.

According to the 2007 report, here are the Top 10 Reasons Parents Homeschool:

1. Provide Religious or Moral Instruction
2. Concern about the Environment of other Schools
3. Dissatisfaction with the Academic Instruction Available Elsewhere
4. Child has a Physical or Mental Health Problem
5. Child has other Special Needs
6. Interest in nontraditional approach to education
7. More family time
8. Family finances
9. Ability to travel...READ MORE

Religious stories, visually told, still attract audiences, it would seem. The wondrous story of the miracles at Fatima never ceases to inspire. The latest creative effort profiling the events at Fatima is the result of the work of filmmakers Ian and Dominic Higgins at 13th Day Films. Their film, The 13th Day is currently seeking a distributor. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-May.

The story of the Blessed Mother’s appearance to three children over the course of several months was first made into the 1952 film “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.”

Keen to utilize modern special effects to help tell the story, Barbara Nicolosi, with Origin Entertainment, has also been working...READ MORE

The 2009 Official Catholic Kenedy Directory is out, and it contains some hopeful news. Among its statistics is the fact that there are 68.1 million Catholics in the U.S. That’s an increase of about 1 million from the previous year, making Catholics 22% of the U.S. population.

In 2008 there were 887,145 infant baptisms, 42,629 adult baptisms, and 81,775 baptized Christians who entered full communion with the Church.

Among the directory’s other findings, there are 41,489 diocesan and religious order priests, 60,715 religious sisters, 4,905 religious brothers and 16,935 permanent deacons.  The Kenedy Directory lists 18,674 parishes, including 91 new parishes, and 189 seminaries with 4,973...READ MORE