Free Republic

I sing the hymn, (I'd Rather Have Jesus), the music for that hymn was composed in 1939 by George Beverly Shea, the renowned gospel singer. and ending hymn, (Nothing But The Blood), by Robert Lowry.

Psalm 32:8 I will Instruct thee and Teach thee in the Way which thou shalt Go: I will Guide thee with Mine Eye.

PARIS (AP) -- Soldiers, police and undercover agents are mixing with pilgrims, some hoping for a miracle cure, at the French pilgrimage site of Lourdes, where some 20,000 are expected to gather on Monday for the Feast of the Assumption - a security challenge for France on high alert for terrorist attacks. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve inspected the more than 500 security forces at the shrine on Saturday, two days before Monday's celebration of the Assumption when, according to Roman Catholic belief, Mary, the mother of Jesus, ascended into heaven. A down-to-earth security plan is greeting pilgrims as they arrive...

Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.” (Isaiah 60:7-9)

Development and Peace, the Catholic development organization founded by Canada’s bishops, has drawn fire for being a “proud sponsor and co-organizer” of World Social Forum 2016, a six-day gathering of some 1,200 assorted left-wing grassroots organizations which convened August 9 in Montreal. “By partnering with the World Social Forum, Development and Peace makes clear that its allegiance is with the Culture of Death and not with Christ, whom it is obliged to serve and obey,” pointed out Michael Hichborn, founder of the Virginia-based Lepanto Institute. The WSF, an annual event since 2001, was “created by several communist entities” and has...

La ville d’Alep est deux fois encerclée : l’armée syrienne encercle 300 000 personnes à l’est et les rebelles encerclent 2 millions de personnes à l’ouest. Pour ouvrir un passage et briser le siège, les rebelles ont attaqué la banlieue 1070 à l’ouest d’Alep. Cette banlieue était composée de dizaines de grands immeubles inachevés. Les agences des Nations Unies et les ONG internationales avaient dépensé des millions pour réhabiliter ces immeubles et y loger des milliers de familles déplacées de la partie est et des campagnes du nord et de l’ouest. video on link..also in French.

Ankara (Agenzia Fides) - In recent days, the Turkish press highlighted the participation of prominent members of the local Christian communities in demonstrations "in defense of democracy", convened in the Country to condemn the failed coup of State of 15 July. According to reports sent to Agenzia Fides, the Turkish media gave ample space to official statements disseminated by Greek-Orthodox Christian, Armenian and Syrian leaders to underline its disapproval against the failed coup. Nikolaos Uzunoglu , President of the World Federation of Greek-Orthodox in Istanbul said: "I strongly condemn the attempted coup of State on July 15 against the government...

This column inaugurates a new topic for Fatima Perspectives: exposing the fraud of “moderate” Islam. In recent weeks, Pope Francis has continued his bizarre, dogged defense of the religion invented by Mohammed, whom Saint John Damascene described as “a false prophet” who “gave out that a certain book had been sent down to him from heaven. He had set down some ridiculous compositions in this book of his…” As the whole world knows, Francis has even gone so far as to equate Islamic terror and the mass murder of Christians with “Catholic violence,” meaning — believe it or not —...

Authorities are tightening security at the famous French pilgrimage site of Lourdes over fears it could be a major target for terrorists after a spate of Islamist attacks across the country. Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected to descend on the site on the feast of the Assumption next Monday for Mass and a procession. Security has been high after a series of terror attacks culminating in the brutal murder of a Catholic priest by two Islamists last month, but authorities have decided to allow the pilgrimage to continue as usual. Béatrice Lagarde, prefect of the Haute-Pyrénées region, told...

This short item from Le Salon Beige reveals the true extent of the Islamic colonization of France. This is not news. The interview above dates from 2011, but long before that there were reports on the drastic minimization by the press of the number of Muslims in France. You still read in the mainstream media of five million Muslims, sometimes six, sometimes four. These figures are laughable when you consider that five million was the official figure issued by French authorities in the late 1990's. Consider the massive immigration, legal and illegal and the high birth rate, and calculate using...

No one is saying, yet, that terrorists are ready to attack American churches the way they have in the Middle East or, more recently, against the Rev. Jacques Hamel in France. But as Fox News reports, the threats are already looming. And before you say, "What else would Fox say?", consider the examples in the article: hate speech, death threats and aborted attack plans of the type that would be familiar to Jewish leaders. This is how ominous it can get – and how some police are slow to address the situation, according to Fox: As Father Josiah Trenham prepared...

FULL TITLE: Evangelical mom fights Texas school district when told her transgender kindergartener will be barred from using the girls' bathroom A devout Christian mother in Texas is fighting for her transgender daughter's right to use the girls' bathroom when she starts kindergarten. Kai Shappley, 5, was born male, but has lived as a little girl for the last two years publicly. Kim Shappley told KHOU that she named her child Joseph Paul at birth, but changed the name after her child made it clear as to what gender she identified with early on. 'By age 3, she was verbalizing,...

The Vatican may need to step in and rebuke Hillary Clinton's pro-abortion running mate With the nomination of Senator Tim Kaine, American Catholic voters once again face a decision about whether to send a pro-abortion, dissenting Catholic to Number One Observatory Circle, the official residence of the Vice President of the United States.For the past eight years Vice President Joseph Biden has lived there, an abortion supporter for sure, but he never pitched his Catholic credentials to the voters in the way that Hillary, her surrogates, the Democratic Party and Kaine himself have done from the get-go.Kaine, unlike Biden,...

The Roman Catholic church is too timid and too silent about the racial inequalities that make African-Americans suffer, Bishop Edward Braxton of the Belleville Diocese argued in a speech Monday night that was critical of — but hopeful for — the church.

Jesus said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you’ (Jn 14:27). This is why the Church has never wished to be considered a philanthropic institution that suits the likes and dislikes of humans of every age, regardless of their moral practices and customs. The peace that the Church gives to the world is the peace of Christ, and out of fidelity to Christian principles Catholics should never fear opposing the opinions of their times. The necessity to contradict worldly convictions leads the Christian to live...

U.S. Olympian Katie Ledecky is the world record holder in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyles, and the American record holder in the 500-, 1000- and 1650-yard freestyles.In the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she will compete in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle. She has won Gold medals in the 2012 London Olympics and again in the 2016 Rio Olympics.But before every race Ledecky, a faithful Catholic, offers a Hail Mary. “I do say a prayer – or two – before any race. The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer and I find that it calms me.” she said.In an interview with...

Isaiah 30:18 The Lord is Faithful to His Promises. Blessed are All those who Wait for Him to Help them.

Why would anyone except a professional organist take the magazine The American Organist? A friend gave me a recent issue of this highly specialized publication. The stunning picture on the front cover got my attention. The foreground features a glorious pipe organ with five key boards, endless foot pedals and a hundred stops. In the background is the grandiose nave and the vaulted ceiling of the historic Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. To me, the church organ is a symbol of high Western Christian culture, made famous by the soaring oratorios of Johann Sebastian Bach and the stirring grandeur of...

In the days since Father Jacques Hamel, an 85-year-old French priest, was slaughtered at the altar by two jihadists, his murder has become a contested symbol in his country, continent and church. To many conservative Catholics, Father Hamel is an archetypal Christian martyr — killed in a sacred space by men motivated by hatred of his faith, dying with the words, “Go away, Satan!” on his lips. To cultural conservatives more broadly, he’s a potent symbol of the jihadi threat to Europe’s peace. But within Catholicism there is also strong resistance to this interpretation. It starts at the very top,...

Simone Biles has quickly become the favorite to dominate in this year’s gymnastics competitions in Rio. Her routines are nearly flawless and everyone has been in awe of her amazing skill and collected demeanor, barely flinching under the immense pressure of the judges.What is it that drives her to be the best?To answer that question, Us magazine recently asked Biles to empty her gymnastics bag in hopes of finding a secret formula to her success. While most of the contents of her bag were no surprise, the reporter noticed a white rosary that fell out. Biles explained, “My mom,...