D.C.’s Catholic Oasis

Register Executive Editor Tom Hoopes is blogging live from today’s March for Life in Washington, D.C.

The Catholic Information Center is an oasis of faith a few blocks from the White House.

We gathered at the center, which is operated by Opus Dei, to regroup before heading to the Mall.

The kids were dazzled by all the Catholic goodies for sale at the center’s store — everything from framed portraits of St. Thomas More, the patron saint of statesmen and politicians, to Padre Pio scapulars. It also has a great collection of Catholic movies (including, for some reason, the original “War of the Worlds”).

I was on Sirius Radio’s “The Catholic Channel” with Gus Lloyd this morning, reporting from the March.

Gus and I remembered cleaning out the Catholic Information Center of its rosaries to get them blessed by Pope Benedict XVI when he was here in Washington last April. I note that the center has now restocked.

I asked the cashier at the store if the center sold any Obama souvenirs. She looked shocked and said, “Why, no,” before I told her I was only joking.

— Tom Hoopes

An image of the Sacred Heart in the Church of the Jesu in Rome

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Next week, the Bishops of the United States will meet in Orlando and consecrate America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This week on Register Radio we are joined by Bishop Kevin Rhoades to explain the importance of the consecration and how we can all take part and then Register senior writer Zelda Caldwell tells us about the remarkable phenomenon of diocesan priests living in community.