Posted on 09/14/2025 7:47:29 PM PDT by ebb tide
There is a lot of evidence that Charlie Kirk was leading his family towards the Catholic Church; not least of all, his public call to venerate the Mother of God.
The news of Charlie Kirk’s murder has had a shocking impact in the world of faith and politics. Known widely as a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk often appeared in the public eye as a firebrand commentator, someone eager to spar in debates over politics, culture, and the future of America. Yet, beneath the sharp-edged persona, there was another side to Kirk that deserves careful reflection: his surprising sympathy for the Catholic Church and his willingness—uncommon among evangelicals—to speak with respect about its ancient treasures of faith.
One of the most striking examples of this came when Kirk addressed the question of Mary. He began with a frank admission: “Let me first say I think we as Protestants and evangelicals under venerate Mary. She was very important. She was a vessel for our Lord and Savior.”
This was not typical evangelical rhetoric. For centuries, Protestant communities have been cautious about Marian devotion, often fearing it detracts from Christ. But Kirk’s words revealed a humility—an openness to recognize that something had been lost.
He went further, suggesting that the evangelical world had “overcorrected.” As he explained: “We don’t talk about Mary enough. We don’t venerate her enough. Mary was clearly important to early Christians. There’s something there.”
Here Kirk displayed a historical awareness, pointing to the central role of Mary in the earliest centuries of the Church. For him, this was not a matter of Catholic “excess” but of returning to a fullness of Christian witness.
Perhaps most surprising of all was the cultural application he drew from Mary’s example:
In fact, I believe one of the ways that we fix toxic feminism in America is that Mary is the solution. Have more young ladies be pious, be reverent, be full of faith, slow to anger, slow to words at times.
It is hard to imagine a more countercultural claim. At a time when feminism is often framed in terms of power, assertion, and defiance, Kirk instead held up the Virgin as a model of strength in gentleness, dignity in humility, and beauty in obedience to God.
He concluded with a phrase that revealed his deep admiration: “Mary is a phenomenal example and I think a counter to so much of the toxicity of feminism in the modern era.”
Such words, spoken by a high-profile evangelical, were both daring and refreshing. They reveal a longing for models of sanctity that transcend modern ideology, pointing instead to figures who embody holiness.
This appreciation for Catholic distinctives was not limited to Mary. Kirk also took notice of a larger trend in religious life, especially among the young. “Young men are going back to church, that is legit,” he observed. “That’s happening because honestly it’s the only thing that they can find…it’s a life raft in this just tsunami of chaos and disorder.”
In these words, Kirk captured something deeply true. Our age is marked by disorientation, broken families, and a loss of meaning. For many young men, the Church has become the one stable refuge—a place where eternal truths anchor them against the shifting tides of the world.
But Kirk did not stop there. He recognized that what these seekers longed for was not novelty but tradition: “They want something that is ancient and that is beautiful. Something that has stood the test of time, something that’s not going to change.”
This insight revealed his growing appreciation for the Catholic instinct toward continuity. In a world obsessed with innovation and reinvention, Kirk understood that permanence and beauty are what truly draw souls.
As the conclave was unfolding during the last papal election, Kirk expressed his admiration for the Traditional Latin Mass. He noted:
I think what would be really helpful to the church in the next pope is to have a pope who is not hostile to tradition, to the traditional liturgy…There is so much beauty in this Mass that endured substantially unchanged.
He continued, emphasizing that the beauty of this enduring form is drawing people back: “There’s so much beauty that…It’s attracting a lot of people back to the church.”
Taken together, these reflections reveal a man who, though firmly rooted in evangelical Protestantism, had begun to glimpse the treasures of the Catholic Faith. He saw in Mary a remedy for modern confusion. He recognized in the Church a haven for restless youth. And he acknowledged the need for a beauty and stability that only an ancient tradition can offer.
Beyond liturgy, Kirk spoke more generally about his respect for Catholicism and the possibility of conversion. In an interview reported by Crisis Magazine, he said: “Some of my greatest friends in the world are Catholic…I go to Catholic Mass every once in a while. I don’t take the Eucharist…but I’m open-minded, but I’m not there yet.”
He added that he holds “so much respect for the Catholic Tradition and Church.”
It’s true that Kirk never formally entered into full communion with the Catholic Church, yet what is clear was his openness to Catholic truth, his courage to speak of the Church with reverence, and his ability to point his audience toward something older and deeper than political slogans.
In mourning Kirk’s passing, we might also reflect on the bridge he was building between evangelicals and Catholics. He was not a theologian or a churchman, but he was willing to say out loud what many evangelicals quietly feel: that the Catholic Church, with her witness of beauty and continuity, has something indispensable to offer in this age of cultural disintegration.
The irony is not lost that the man so often accused of being a provocateur and culture warrior ended up bearing witness to something deeper than politics. Charlie Kirk’s legacy will no doubt be debated in political circles for years to come. But perhaps his most enduring contribution will be this: he reminded us, even briefly, that the answer to our cultural malaise is not found in ideology but in holiness.
May he rest in peace.
As the conclave was unfolding during the last papal election, Kirk expressed his admiration for the Traditional Latin Mass. He noted:
I think what would be really helpful to the church in the next pope is to have a pope who is not hostile to tradition, to the traditional liturgy…There is so much beauty in this Mass that endured substantially unchanged.
He continued, emphasizing that the beauty of this enduring form is drawing people back: “There’s so much beauty that…It’s attracting a lot of people back to the church.”
Taken together, these reflections reveal a man who, though firmly rooted in evangelical Protestantism, had begun to glimpse the treasures of the Catholic Faith. He saw in Mary a remedy for modern confusion. He recognized in the Church a haven for restless youth. And he acknowledged the need for a beauty and stability that only an ancient tradition can offer.
Ping
Seems a bit of a logic jump since he also advocated for observance of the traditional Sabbath.
Charlie Kirk explains why young Evangelicals are converting to Catholicism:
“The trend that we are seeing is a very positive one. People are seeking tradition...It’s a learning lesson for a lot of pastors I talk to. If you are not creating an environment where the people that come to your church can find holiness and meaning and be elevated, you’re not doing your job.
There was a time in the nineties where people were hungry for a personal encounter with God, and Evangelicalism I think offers that better than some Catholicism circles. Maybe that’s to be debated, but times change and needs an appetites change. And I could tell you on Saturday evening, I wanted to honor Our Lord the night before the Resurrection, so I knew the local Catholic church was doing an Easter vigil. Mind you, this goes from eight pm to midnight. An Easter vigil is a very long standing tradition in the Catholic Church, where they read basically almost the entire Bible.
I go there and I couldn’t find a seat at ten pm at night on a Saturday night, and over half the people there were people my age. It was like a selfie line just trying to get in there...I said, is this a Turning Point rally or is this an Easter vigil?
I’m not Catholic, but I went there because when I walk into that specific Catholic church, it points up. It’s not a Costco with a rock band and a Ted Talk and good coffee. To be honest, I’ve had enough of that. I don’t want to go to Sam’s Club to go to church in a school gym. Kind of enjoyed the holiness, the beauty, the pageantry, the structure, the tradition of the reverence. So I totally get it. God bless those churches for elevating our soul.”
(Excerpt) Read more at omny.fm ...
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4313467/posts
NO!
His wife was Roman Catholic. She was leading HIM toward the Catholic Church.
I'm calling Fake News on this story.
And there is a trend going on social media right now sharing the meaning of Charlie Kirk’s name:
Charles = free man
Kirk = church
He was increasingly attending St. Bernadette’s in Scottsdale, AZ.
LORD please watch over the Kirk family and please give Erika and her children palpable reminders of Your presence and grace through the Eucharist, through the sacraments, through the physical sanctuaries of the Catholic Church worldwide which point to Charlie’s and our eternal home - Heaven.
His wife is Catholic, but he is (was) Christian evangelical. From what I read, he attended mass with her at times. I do not think he was leaning toward the Catholic Church totally, but he liked tradition.
I don’t believe that for a minute. Catholic Church is all the own religion. If they don’t like something in the Bible, they remove it. Like the second commandment.
He and Erika attended a Catholic Easter vigil this past Easter and Kirk increasingly had been devoting time in his podcast to the virtues of Catholicism, as well as attending mass at St Bernadette’s in Scottsdale.
Will repost some of the transcript:
Charlie Kirk explains why young Evangelicals are converting to Catholicism
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4313467/posts
Charlie Kirk explains why young Evangelicals are converting to Catholicism
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4313467/posts
After Mass today I learned that 49 adults have enrolled in our OCIA program and intend to swim the Tiber at Easter Vigil. We’re a small parish. In my 22 years of experience with RCIA/OCIA we never had more than 18 Catechumenates.
The Charlie Kirk Effect.
Charlie Kirk and his wife apparently believed otherwise.
But you're entitled to your own beliefs, as erroneous as they are.
It’s one thing to venerate Mary; we protestants do. It’s quite another to call her a co-redemptor. That is not Biblical. The Bible clearly states, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”
The sabbath research coincided with his affirming of the virtues of the early church including the traditions preserved by Catholicism:
Charlie Kirk explains why young Evangelicals are converting to Catholicism
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4313467/posts
I’m not. I’ve been working with and around converted Catholics for decades. Reasonable people searching for truth often find Catholicism. The Blessed Mother is big in their reasoning. Reading this sounds very much like Scott Hahn
Also Charlie was close with Jack Posobic. He is very devout. Talks about it
And Crisis magazine is very reputable.
“It’s one thing to venerate Mary; we protestants do.“
NOT according to Charlie. Here he was speaking recently about the virtue of femininity and in his words “the under-veneration of Mary” among Protestant Evangelicals:
https://youtube.com/shorts/8AtsoV16Nhk?feature=shared
I think his very own words tell a different story. He was clearly strongly attracted to the Catholic Church and does not mention his wife trying to steer him toward it in any way. We have to take what he said and did, not what we would like to imagine what he was thinking.
As one who has followed him and his career closely, even before his untimely tragic death I could see his growing attraction for all things Catholic. In my opinion, had he lived long enough, with his logical mind and his heart for Jesus, he would have eventually become Catholic.
Look
Fact 1 - his wife is Roman Catholic.
Fact 2 - he agreed to have his children raised as Roman Catholic.
Since his family was already Roman Catholic, a statement that he was leading his family to the Roman Catholic church is false.
No amount of Jesuit double talk can get around that.
The True Church
He also liked to persuade and be welcoming and unifying, he wasn’t a Catholic, he was trying to win over Catholics and get them to start voting as pro-life conservatives and for them to abandon the Democratic party.
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