WASHINGTON — The early-morning sun is rising over Capitol Hill as Jesuit Father Patrick Conroy walks up the marble steps of the Capitol building.

He passes through a hall of marble statues on his way to his office underneath the famed Capitol Rotunda. He then makes his way to the House of Representatives chamber, where, as the new chaplain, he will offer a short prayer to open the day’s legislative business.

“This is one of those things where you almost can’t believe it’s happening,” Father Conroy said during a recent interview.

Father Conroy, 60, was still meeting lawmakers and their staff members and learning when and where the various congressional prayer meetings are held.

“I have...READ MORE

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) — Pentecost shows the Holy Spirit created the Catholic Church for all people, Pope Benedict said in his homily to mark Pentecost Sunday, June 12.

“From the first moment, in fact, the Holy Spirit created (the Church) as the Church of all people. It embraces the entire world, transcending the boundaries of race, class, nation — it breaks down all barriers and unites people in the profession of the Triune God. From the beginning, the Church is one, catholic and apostolic,” said the Pope to a packed St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Pentecost is the one of the most prominent feast days in the Christian calendar. It is often referred to as the “birthday of the...READ MORE

Medjugorje Visionaries 1986 Medical Report Excerpts - Diane M. Korzeniewski O.C.D.S., Te Deum Laudamus!

Calvin, Trent, & the Vulgate: Misinterpreting the Fourth Session - Barrett Turner, Called to Communion

Trying to Fly with One Wing: The Use of Flattery - Stanley D. Williams Ph.D., Catholic Lane

Traddies Guide to Scripture: The Ecclesial Context - Kate Edwards, Australia Incognita

New Translation: Prayers Before and After the Gospel - Jake Tawney, Roma locuta est

Tree of Life Yields Little Fruit - Kevin Collins, First Things/On the Square

Is the Green Movement Problematic for Christians? - Louie Glinzak, Acton Institute/Power Blog

What Makes Someone a ‘Catholic Priest’? - Mollie...READ MORE

Five Myths About Worship in the Early Church - Michael P. Foley, Crisis Magazine

Catholic University of America: Why We’re Going Back to Single-Sex Dorms - John Garvey, Wall Street Journal

How Not to Appear Crazy on the Internet - Paul Zummo

Why the Puritans Have Funny Names - Joe Heschmeyer, Shameless Popery

Catholics Rally Around Embattled Bishop Finn! - WDAF-TV

Necessity & Freedom in the Trinity - Reginaldus, The New Theological Movement

The Family’s End - Scott Yenor, Public Discourse

Top Hollywood Writer: Pop Culture Is “A Serious Challenge to the Church” - Carl Olson, Ignatius Insight Scoop

I’m Coming Out as a “Homosceptic” - Peter Saunders, MercatorNet

Catholic Womenpriests...READ MORE

NEW YORK — Nestled deep inside Manhattan’s dark, concrete canyons is a tiny, red-brick church that enkindles the light of hope. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi in New York City fights the good fight against urban poverty and despair by witnessing to Christ’s message. One way the parish’s Franciscan friars do this is by distributing bread to those in need, particularly on June 13, the feast of St. Anthony of Padua.

This year, the church will distribute 80,000 loaves of bread on the feast, in memory of the Franciscan saint’s care and concern for the poor.

A banner over the hall in which the bread distribution is held greets volunteers. It reads: “For those who have to share with those...READ MORE

Building a Catholic eBook Library on the Cheap - Brandon Vogt, The Thin Veil

Another Extraordinary Link Back to the Time of Christ: Vestments! - Richard Collins, Linen on the Hedgerow

“Behold This Heart That Has Loved Men So Much” - Father R. Tomasek S.J., Zeal

How I First Met Saint Jude - Patti Maguire Armstrong, The Integrated Catholic Life™

Twin Saints Who Transplanted a Black Man’s Leg Onto a White Man - Taylor Marshall, Canterbury Tales

Explanation About The Title of Monsignor - Bishop Robert Lynch, For His Friends

Rick Santorum, the Unborn Deserve Better from You - Mary Kochan, Catholic Lane

. . .TAC: GOP presidential poll for Catholics. . .

. . .Lisa Graas: Gingrich,...READ MORE

The National Labor Relations Board and the Vatican agree: Catholic colleges should have a strong Catholic identity.

And given increasing threats to the religious liberty of Catholic institutions, that may be a valuable lesson to learn. Legal experts warn that a weak Catholic identity makes for a weak defense against religious-liberty violations.

On May 26, the NLRB’s Chicago director concluded that St. Xavier University, a Sisters of Mercy apostolate, could not demonstrate a “substantial religious character” and, therefore, must accept the NLRB’s authority over faculty union organizing. In January, the agency’s New York office also claimed jurisdiction over Manhattan College, a Christian...READ MORE

A recent interview posted at NCRegister.com received quite a bit of attention, particularly from people identifying themselves in online comments as homosexual.

The interview was with Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., in which the bishop offered his thoughts on a controversy in his state over same-sex civil unions. Bishop Tobin’s fear is that settling for this compromise with same-sex “marriage” will leave the door open for that very thing: same-sex “marriage.”

One of the criticisms of the Register’s presentation of this interview, aside from the substance of Bishop Tobin’s argument, was this newspaper’s practice of placing quotation marks around “marriage” when referring to homosexual...READ MORE