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Miracles and the True Faith: Why Only Catholicism Is Confirmed by GodFrom the very beginning of salvation history, miracles have been among God’s most powerful tools to confirm divine revelation. Moses confronted Pharaoh with the ten plagues, Elijah called down fire upon Mount Carmel, and Christ Himself demonstrated His divinity through cures, resurrections, and His own Resurrection from the dead. The Catholic Church, established by Christ and perpetuated through His Apostles, has continued to be marked by miracles throughout her two-thousand-year history.In this ten-part series, we have examined the countless miraculous signs that God has given to His Church: the...

The claim that Marian devotion in Catholicism is derived from pagan goddess worship—specifically Ishtar, Diana, or Astarte—is a persistent but thoroughly discredited myth rooted in 19th-century anti-Catholic propaganda, most notably Alexander Hislop’s *The Two Babylons* (1853). This narrative, often recycled in modern social media and evangelical circles, alleges that Mary’s veneration as the Mother of God (Theotokos) or Queen of Heaven is a Christianized version of ancient pagan goddess cults. However, linguistic, historical, biblical, and cultural evidence reveals no connection. This compiled text is inspired by discussions with our fellow freepers and I hope offers a detailed, accessible refutation of...

[Catholic Caucus] Three heroic Catholic priests were massacred by North Korean communists 75 years agoServants of God Msgr. Patrick Brennan, Fr. Tommie Cusack, and Fr. Jack O'Brien were imprisoned and murdered by North Korean forces after refusing to divulge the names of Korean Catholics. This week marked the 75th anniversary of the massacre of the Taejon Martyrs in the Korean War. Three priests – whose cause for sainthood has been opened by the Vatican – were executed by the North Korean communists after a heroic imprisonment where they spent their final days praying and ministering to others. The massacre at...

…Shouldn’t the first prominent American in our lifetimes to be martyred for his Christian faith on American soil have been a pastor? A theologian? Someone — anyone — from the church proper? And yet, it was this 31-year-old “political operative” — a profession easily derided by some holier-than-though seminarians and pastors — that laid down his life for Jesus in such a shocking and gruesome way... While reading 1 Peter in the New Testament, the answer to that question — why Kirk? — became obvious. The reason is because Kirk was a threat to the enemy — the real enemy....

Two Syracuse University students have been charged with burglary as a hate crime after one of them was alleged to have thrown a bag of pork into a Jewish fraternity house as people gathered to observe Rosh Hashanah, police said Wednesday. The two 18-year-olds were also charged with one count each of criminal nuisance in the incident at the Zeta Beta Tau house about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, police in Syracuse, New York, said. Allen Groves, the university’s chief student experience officer, called it a “deeply troubling incident" in a message to the campus community Tuesday night. “Tonight’s incident as reported...

I am just wondering about the anti-Pauline movement within the church and what reasons they reject him? I understand that some blacks have trouble with his prioritizing witnessing to Onesimus over his freedom from slavery. But I don't understand what theology they are accepting that rejects him.

The history of the Vatican and Israel has been characterized by the lack of recognition of Israel on many occasions, which was largely caused by the dispute over the status of Jerusalem and whether Christian holy places are in good condition or not. It was not until after the Oslo Accords that the Holy See recognized the State of Israel in 1993. Rather than an act of religious prohibition, this understanding amounted to the convenient acceptance of a political fact. The Vatican has since maintained diplomatic relations with Israel while advocating for Jerusalem to have a special international status to...

The Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) on Monday issued a declaration condemning anti-Jewish statements made by the German church reformer Martin Luther five centuries ago. In a text published at a seminar in Utrecht on Monday, the PKN declares that Luther's anti-Jewish statements were "unacceptable" and part of the "dark pages" of Lutheran church history. Rabbi Raphael Evers of the Dutch Jewish umbrella organization NIK welcomed the declaration, saying: "I sometimes get the question whether the excuses now are still necessary, given the declaration by the Lutheran World Federation back in 1983. However, I fear that warning against anti-Semitism...

[Catholic Caucus] Does St. Peter’s Need Porters?Recently an egregious display of sexual perversion was allowed to desecrate St. Peter's, which could not have been possible before Paul VI's abolished the minor orders.Before 1972, preparation for the priesthood involved passing through various “minor orders.” They included porter, lector, acolyte, exorcist, and subdeacon, followed by the major orders of deacon and priest. That year, Pope Paul VI issued the apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam, abolishing the minor orders. Lector and acolyte were reconstituted as “lay ministries.” Exorcist was recognized as a specialized ministry of certain priests. Porter was eliminated, deemed unnecessary in the...

[Catholic Caucus] The Brown Scapular and Our Lady of FatimaThe Brown Scapular was given to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite, in 1253. What does this have to do with Our Lady of Fatima? Approaching the 100th Anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, we reprint this article from The Angelus Magazine on the interesting message that Our Lady gave to the three shepherd children The Brown Scapular Angelus Press: July, 1990 HISTORY AND PROMISES: During the last Fatima apparition (October 13, 1917), the Blessed Mother held in her hand a Brown Scapular while she presented herself as Our...

[Catholic Caucus] How would St. Pius X likely have reacted to “Catholic” Fr. James Martin if the pope were alive today?Given St. Pius X’s documented response to Modernism, he likely would have reacted with the same doctrinal clarity and pastoral firmness to the ideologies spread by the LGBTQ+ cult, including “Catholic” Fr. James Martin. For one, St. Pius X unequivocally singled homosexuality out as one of the “sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance,” likening it with voluntary homicide, oppression of the poor, as well as defrauding a laborer of his just wage.Every year, the Feast of St. Pius...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Viva Cristo Rey’: Father Sedano led the faithful witness of the CristerosOn September 7, 1927, Father Gumersindo Sedano y Palencia refused to compromise his faith and was martyred during a time of great persecution against the Church in Mexico.Punish one, teach a hundred. – AnonymousWith his neck roped to a heavy branch on the eucalyptus tree, the priest’s corpse – on display – was to serve as a lesson to others.Soldiers ordered photographers to snap shots of the dead cleric – with his head at an unnatural bend, clothing spattered with blood, and his bare toes resting gently,...

[Catholic Caucus] “We Should Not Ask for the Persecution to End”Two evils, greed and faction, are the destruction of all justice.Thomas More (1478-1535)An ancient tree of great renown – considered a relic by Revolutionaries – stood proudly in the town of Colima.For at the base of that Zalate tree – a gnarled, twisted rock fig – the newly enthroned Mexican President Benito Pablo Juárez Garcia (1806-72) once rested in its shade, as he sat upon a stone, accompanied by members of his cabinet, on March 25, 1858.The famous Zalate tree of ColimaSubsequently, that rock fig was no longer just any...

Appreciation of Pope St. Pius X by Marcel de Corte in 1964 — “The threat posed to man by the modern world is aimed above all at the priest”Very Topical Considerations on the Life, Character and Thought of Saint Pius X Marcel De CorteItinéraires, No. 87 | November 1964 I HAVE JUST READ a few biographies of Saint Pius X. The marvellous ascent! From the humble seed of vocation planted by the Spirit in the soul of this little peasant to his constant concern for the priests entrusted to his care as bishop and pope, his whole life was organized...

[Catholic Caucus] How the Sinful Pride of the Vatican II Revolution Has Wrecked Souls and Societies If we think seriously about what it means for the Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, to suffer a crisis of internal infidelities rather than external attacks, we can conclude that we are facing something almost unparalleled in salvation history. If we can measure the magnitude of the fall by the spiritual dignity of the ones falling and the degree of the harms caused, the post-Vatican II crisis is arguably worse than any in history except those caused by the fall...

Deborah and Jael were an unlikely duo, the Thelma and Louise of the Old Testament. The book of Judges tells us of the way in which, together, they conquered the evil and powerful Canaanite general, Sisera, after he oppressed the people of Israel for twenty, long years. Theirs is a story of unlikely actors, surprising deception, a bloody casualty, and the promise of redemption. Deborah was a powerful and respected woman of Israel who guided her people and spoke the word of God as a prophetess (one of only three mentioned in the Old Testament). Her words and her actions...

Genesis 25 describes the infertility suffered by Rebekah (and Isaac), Isaac’s subsequent prayer and God’s affirmative response. …Isaac is exceptional among the patriarchs for foregoing polygamy, even when faced with a barren wife. Only he relies on prayer to solve his problem. …The biblical narratives present Rebekah in an especially active role, both in the story of her difficult pregnancy, in which she goes to consult with YHWH on her own, and in the story of the blessing of Jacob and Esau, in which she defies and manipulates her husband…

One of the most frequently cited texts by cessationists — those who believe the gifts of the Spirit, such as prophecy, tongues, and healing, ceased after the apostolic era — is found in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12: “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When...

[Catholic Caucus] The Tenebrae of Maximilian KolbeSeize the opportunity to bring a brilliant new look into the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe to your city.During hours of darkness in Holy Week, the Church observes the peculiar liturgy of Tenebrae. As the Office progresses, the candles on the lampstand are extinguished one by one, until darkness is total. It’s a mournful liturgy, to express the desolation of the Church as the Light of the World is about to be eclipsed. So goes the Passion of St. Maximilian Kolbe in the new movie Triumph of the Heart. It begins in the darkest...

[Catholic Caucus] The Martyrs of San JoaquinPolitical power grows out of the barrel of a gun. – Zedong Mao (1893-1976)The train’s forged-steel wheels slowed down and screeched to a stop at Kilometer Marker 491, in the windswept, desolate Highlands of Jalisco.In one of the railcars, six Catholic men waited their fate, on that morning, April 25, 1927, in Rancho San Joaquin, when, suddenly, a soldier called out three names: Andres Sola y Molist. José Trinidad Rangel Montano. Leonardo Perez Larios.Forced off the train, the three were goaded down a ravine and ordered to stand in a large pool of spilled...