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“Who was the real me? I can only repeat: I was a man of many faces.” Those words by author Milan Kundera could well have been written for Kevin Morris, a critical figure in the unfolding Hunter Biden scandal. Morris was largely unknown to most people until he emerged as the Democratic donor who reportedly paid Hunter Biden millions to handle his unpaid taxes and maintain his lavish lifestyle. The Hollywood lawyer and producer portrayed himself as a good Samaritan on a biblical scale — a good man who simply found a desperate stranger on the road and gave him...

Because this column is devoted to promoting Catholic fatherhood, this is a special feast day: the Feast of Saint Joseph. The following is an updated version of a column that John wrote a few years ago. Men in history are often remembered for things like winning a battle, governing a country, composing a symphony, writing a masterpiece, or inventing a life-changing device. Today, the Church honors a man who did none of these.  Even in his own time, in the eyes of much of the world, this small-town carpenter was insignificant. But his greatness did not lie in his...

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — An elderly patron at a strip mall casino in Marion County shot two men who attempted to rob the place, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. According to investigators, two men burst into the Palms Internet Cafe on State Road 200 in Ocala on Friday afternoon. A sheriff's report said that one of the men was carrying a baseball bat, the other had a gun.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's approval ratings have fallen a bit now that he is fighting for deeper budget cuts. But his ratings are still high enough for him to risk offending independent voters back home who like President Obama. The governor took the stage at last night's annual National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser to praise the new Republican House leaders and bash Mr. Obama as "a poser and a preener" who is failing to grapple with the nation's problems. But Mr. Christie also challenged the large GOP donors in the room. In an unusual move before an audience that...

St. Leonidas of Alexandria, father of the great Origen and martyr (Or LEONIDES.) I have been searching and can find so very little about this saint...even though he is said to be one of the most well known of the several saints named Leonides. If he is the most well known, I don't believe at this point, we must know anything at all about the rest of them. However, I am hoping that there are some on this site that may have access to more knowledge about him. I appreciate any help you can offer, regarding this search for insight...

The title page of Nidal Hasan's PowerPoint demonstration for a medical lecture in June 2007, indicates how little interest he took in medicine and how much in the perceived contradiction between being a Muslim and an American soldier. As the Pentagon and Senate launch what one analyst dubs "dueling Fort Hood investigations," will they confront the hard truth of the Islamic angle? Despite encouraging references to "violent Islamists" by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Democrat of Connecticut), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, there is reason to worry about a whitewash of the massacre that took place on Nov. 5; that is...

The state of New Mexico has issued an estimated 30,000 driver's licenses to foreign nationals, requiring them to present only one form of identification such as a card issued by the Mexican consulate. And the Richardson administration has fought tooth and nail to keep from providing a list of those licenses to state Republican Party officials who want to cross-check them against the rolls of registered voters. The GOP argument is that the licenses, which aren't distinguishable from those issued to citizens, can be used as identification to register to vote— which non-citizens are not allowed to do. So far,...

(On December 8, 1870, The Sacred Congregation of Rites promulgated the following decree, which communicated the decision of Pope Pius IX to declare St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church, and which also raised St. Joseph’s feast of March 19 to the rank of double of the first class.) QUEMADMODUM DEUS Pope Pius IX As almighty God appointed Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob, over all the land of Egypt to save grain for the people, so when the fullness of time was come and He was about to send to earth His only-begotten Son, the Savior of the world,...

         Bishop and  Martyr St. Stanislaus of Cracow   (1030-1070)          Poland has given us two saints named Stanislaus. Of these, the better known is the young Jesuit saint, Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1586). But in Poland itself Bishop St. Stanislaus is a national hero. He headed the diocese of Cracow, a predecessor of Pope John Paul II.        The family name of Cracow's Stanislaus was Szczepanowski. His parents were devout members of the nobility. They had been childless, but God finally rewarded their prayers for a family by sending them Stanislaus. From his birth...

In Fatima, Portugal, on October 13, 1917, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta saw the Holy Family. St. Joseph held the Child Jesus in his arms. Both were arrayed in red robes and stood at the left of the sun. The right hand of each was raised, blessing with the sign of the cross which both did three times over the 70,000 people gathered that day. At the right side of the sun was Our Lady in a white garment with a sky-blue mantle. The Child Jesus appeared to be about two years old. Lucia afterwards saw the Sorrowful Mother of God...

================================================== MORE THAN PATRON OF HOMES, IT'S TIME FOR ST. JOSEPH TO GAIN HIGHEST OF RECOGNITION By Michael H. Brown Much of the time, it is baffling. While St. Joseph is widely recognized by Catholics (many churches and religious orders are named for him, as are many people), he has remained in the background when it comes to intercession. Oh, his prayers are sought. He is on the list. But he has not been granted recognition in proportion to who he was -- the father of Jesus while He was on earth. Perhaps St. Joseph is kept in the background...

THE NEW leader of Scotland’s Catholics has called for St Andrew’s Day to be made a national holiday. Cardinal Keith O’Brien also said he wanted to use his position "re-Christianise Scotland" and urged civic leaders to set up nativity scenes. O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, was speaking at a Mass of Thanksgiving in St Mary’s Cathedral to mark his elevation to the College of Cardinals last month. He told the congregation in Edinburgh, which included First Minister Jack McConnell and SNP leader John Swinney: "I ask you all to recognise the feast of our patron saint, St...

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: Patron of Youth by William Hart McNichols, S.J. "St. Aloysius with battered poor children" "The Lord nurtured and taught him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye...the Lord alone was his leader." -Deuteronomy 32:10-12 Eight years ago I was visiting my parents' home in Colorado when I decided to look through a drawer of Jesuit Bulletins my mother keeps faithfully in a living room table. I was actually looking for a picture of my then-favorite Jesuit saint, the English poet/martyr St. Robert Southwell. Instead I stumbled across an issue with a photograph of a...

The Catholic Caucus of Freepers are in need of our own patron saint. We seem to be quickly developing into something of an apostolate of our own. So I think we should take time to post our ideas about who our patron saint(s) should be for our work here on FreeRepublic.