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[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Roche is Sad and WorriedThose who visit the Dicastery for Divine Worship say that Cardinal Roche has been looking downcast lately; they find him sad and worried. And no wonder. His career as a bishop, now drawing to a close in the shadows of old age, has been a series of failures. His pontificate in Leeds was disastrous in many respects, including financially. That is why—and this is no secret—the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales asked Pope Benedict in 2012 to find him another position where he could do no harm to souls or banks. And...

19 January 2026 Monday of week 2 in Ordinary Time St. Henry's Catholic Church, Elsmere, KYReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Samuel 15:16-23Saul disobeys the Lord and the Lord rejects himSamuel said to Saul, ‘Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.’ Saul said, ‘Tell me.’ Samuel continued, ‘Small as you may be in your own eyes, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king over Israel. The Lord sent you on a mission and said to you, “Go, put these sinners, the Amalekites, under...

Pope Leo XIV invokes Leo XIII as early champion of ecumenismWhile Leo XIII’s push for Christian unity calls on adherence to Catholic doctrine and papal primacy, Leo XIV emphasizes an approach of ‘legitimate diversity’ rooted in the Nicene Creed.Pope Leo XIV marked the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity by invoking the legacy of Pope Leo XIII, whom he presented as an ecumenical forerunner.On January 18, at the conclusion of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV announced the opening of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, encouraged Catholics to...

Exclusive: Diocese of Charlotte reacts to first Sunday after altar rail banIn the Diocese of Charlotte, Bishop Michael Martin’s pastoral letter of December 17, 2025 ordered that altar rails, kneelers and prie-dieux be removed from public Masses by Friday, January 16.As the first Sunday Masses without altar rails unfolded this weekend, reports from across the diocese indicated anything but uniform compliance. While some parishes removed temporary kneelers and adjusted Communion lines, others made no immediate changes, awaiting Vatican clarification on a dubia submitted by more than 30 priests. The result has been a patchwork of responses indicating deep frustration with...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Mark 2:18–19Fasting was common in Old Testament times. Its purpose was to express repentance, mourning, or preparation for divine intervention. This was especially true among John the Baptist’s disciples who fasted in response to John’s call to repentance and preparation for the coming of the...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(1/19/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesGenesis 1313 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the...

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed" (Eph. 1:13). The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. After stating salvation from God's perspective in verse 12, Paul here states it from man's perspective. Faith in Christ is your response to God's elective purpose in your life. Those two truths—God's initiative and man's response—co-exist throughout Scripture. Paul rightly called the gospel "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Ps. 31:5); purchased by...

Join together with Fellow FREEPERS to Pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.'I Urge, then, First of All, that Requests, Prayers, Intercession and Thanksgiving be Made for Everyone: for Kings and All those in Authority that we May Live Peaceful and Quiet Lives in All Godliness and Holiness.' 1 Timothy 2:1-2Religion Forum Threads Labeled [Prayer] are Closed to Debate of Any Kind.1Peter 5:11To Him be Glory and Dominion Forever and Ever, amen.

4,000 churches closed in 2024, while only 3,800 were started, Lifeway Research reports. More Protestant churches are being closed in America than are being planted, and older congregations appear to be bearing the brunt of the contraction, according to data from a new Lifeway Research study.The study published Tuesday used data collected from 35 denominational groups that represent 58% of U.S. Protestant churches. The Tennessee-based research arm of Lifeway Christian Resources also cited information from the Annual Church Profile for 2023 and 2024 of the Southern Baptist Convention — America’s largest Protestant denomination.While 4,000 Protestant churches were closed in 2024,...

[Catholic Caucus] Consistory Done Like Middle School - Leo XIV Is ResponsibleJournalists Raymond Arroyo and Robert Royal, and canon lawyer and priest Gerald Murray of New York talked on January 16 about the consistory of January 7-8. A short sequence, video below.Robert Royal commenting on Cardinal Grech’s contribution on synod:I think you hear that and you say, what in God’s name can that possibly mean? This is the gobbledygook we’ve been listening to for years about synodality and all this confusion. I mean, one of the things I’ve heard from sources is that many of these cardinals have said, "Look,...

[Catholic Caucus] Germany’s “slime Mass” apology exposes deeper fault lines in the ChurchA Catholic diocese in Germany has issued a formal apology after a televised Christmas Eve Mass from Stuttgart provoked a storm of criticism over an unconventional Nativity scene broadcast nationwide on public television.The Mass, aired on ARD from St Mary’s Church in Stuttgart, featured an artistic portrayal of the newborn Christ by an adult female performance artist curled in a foetal position and covered with sticky rice paper, intended to evoke the vernix of a newborn child. It was quickly dubbed “slime Jesus”. The broadcast was produced by...

18 January 2026 2nd Sunday in Ordinary TimeSt. Margated of Hungary, Bohinjska Bela, SloveniaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 49:3,5-6I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earthThe Lord said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel,in whom I shall be glorified’;I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,my God was my strength.And now the Lord has spoken,he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,to bring Jacob back to him,to gather Israel to him:‘It is not enough for you to be...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSecond Sunday in Ordinary TimeJohn the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” John 1:29–30Central to the Jewish faith was the Feast of Passover, the commemoration of God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). In Jesus’ time, Passover was one of three major annual feasts during which the Jews made a pilgrimage to the...

– In the narrow, sun-baked streets of Mogadishu, faith is a secret kept behind locked doors and whispered prayers. The city hums with the clatter of market stalls and the wail of distant sirens, but inside dimly lit homes, Christians gather in silence, clutching Bibles that must never be seen. Last year, an article about the underground Christian community there captured the attention of millions online, with some moved to prayer and others to outrage. The article, “Serving the Hidden Church in Somalia,” was originally published in May. It received the usual responses on our Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(1/18/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesGenesis 12:9-208 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. 10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to...

The Rev. Franklin Graham issued an urgent call to prayer, encouraging Americans to come together at noon on January 14 to collectively seek God — a move he believes is essential for a nation he believes has turned its back on the Lord. "Our nation is falling so far from God and His truth," Graham told CBN News. The Samaritan's Purse CEO cited as evidence confusion he observed this week at the Supreme Court, where justices are currently weighing whether states can preclude biological men from participating in women's sports. Graham said 10 years ago such an argument wouldn't have...

Someone might have the idea that they are too far gone, they have done so much that God's grace is not for them. But, you have to realize that whatever you have done is no longer the issue. The issue now is what Jesus has already done for you, yes you. Romans 5:6 reads, For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. And you clearly see in verse 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died for the ungodly, while...

011814As Ordinary Time (tempus per annum) opens up, the lectionary continues to “introduce” Christ to us. The Christmas cycle now done, we must ask, “Who is Jesus Christ? Who is this savior who has been born for us?” In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist elaborates on this. John’s words are brief, but they are packed with Christological teaching. In this Gospel we learn at least five things about Jesus. We learn that He is prefigured, preexistent, preeminent, powerful, and is the presence of God. Let’s look at each one. -------- I Prefigured – John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward...

We were predestined "to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:12). In salvation, as in everything else, God is preeminent. He deserves all the credit. Preeminence implies supreme standing, picturing one who excels over all others in a particular quality or achievement. There is no one more preeminent than God. Ephesians 1:12 underscores that truth. You were redeemed and granted an eternal inheritance that God might be glorified. Certainly you benefit greatly from salvation, but God's glory is the primary issue. Our man-centered culture doesn't...

[Catholic Caucus] Open Letter to the Priests and Pastors of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, USAJanuary 15th, 2026Feast of Our Lady of Prompt SuccorTo my dear Brothers in the Vineyard of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,Grace and peace to you in this holy Season of the Nativity of Our Lord.With pastoral concern and fraternal affection, I write to you at a moment of genuine trial for the Church, to recall to your hearts the true nature of that obedience which must ever animate the soul of the priest. You are called, above all, to obedience to Christ Himself,...