This month’s edition of Catholic Family News contains the articles listed below. Only a few of these are reprinted on this website. To read all of the articles contained in this month’s edition, choose one of our subscription options, each of which comes with access to the E-Edition of the paper so you can start reading these articles now.

April 2024 Contents

‘Christian Nationalism’ and Natural Law (Stephen Kokx)

Heidi Przybyla is not a household name in the United States. But in February, she said something that earned her nationwide attention from many Americans.

Przybyla is a left-wing journalist who joined Politico in 2022. Raised Catholic and highly credentialed, she previously worked for USA Today, Bloomberg, and NBC News. She ignited a firestorm during an appearance on MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes.” She was on the program to promote her purportedly groundbreaking 1,700-word essay entitled, “Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration.”

While seated next to former GOP Chairman Michael Steele, Przybyla argued that “Christian nationalists” are an existential threat to the United States.

“The thing that unites them as Christian nationalists … is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don’t come from any earthly authority. They don’t come from Congress, they don’t come from the Supreme Court. They come from God,” she asserted.

Convinced that she had made an effective point, Przybyla continued. “The problem with that is that they are determining — man, men, it is men — are determining what God is telling them.” Undeterred, she added that “so-called natural law” is “a pillar of Catholicism.” It “has been used for good in social justice campaigns, Martin Luther King evoked it in talking about civil rights, but now you have an extremist element of conservative Christians who say that this applies specifically to issues including abortion, gay marriage, and it’s going much further than that.” To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Sacrilege at NYC’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Matt Gaspers)

The day after Ash Wednesday (Feb. 15, 2024), a notorious transgender “woman” (male), activist, and former prostitute who went by the name “Cecilia Gentili” was given a public Catholic funeral service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York City), despite the fact that he identified “as an atheist” in an interview published last November.

Two days after the sacrilegious funeral, Fr. Enrique Salvo, rector of the cathedral, released a brief statement in which he claimed, “The Cathedral only knew that family and friends were requesting a funeral Mass for a Catholic, and had no idea our welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way.”

Fr. Salvo offered no explanation as to how The New York Times and TIME Magazine knew about the funeral in advance and were on site to document the scandal, nor did he comment on Fr. James Martin’s public admission that he “had been invited to preach” at the funeral “but was out of town” — not to mention Martin’s comments given to the Times “before the service,” further evidence that at least one NYC priest knew that a transgender activist was going to be publicly celebrated at the cathedral.

My question remains: Can any random person, whether they are a Catholic in good standing or not, have a public funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral? Is that really their policy? Even at the humblest of parish churches, a basic inquiry is made regarding the identity of the deceased and their religious status before death. Click here to read an online version of this article

*The Popes Speak* Excerpts from Leo XIII’s Encyclical Aeterni Patris on the Restoration of Christian Philosophy, Part II

4. In the first place, philosophy, if rightly made use of by the wise, in a certain way tends to smooth and fortify the road to true faith, and to prepare the souls of its disciples for the fit reception of revelation; for which reason it is well called by ancient writers sometimes a steppingstone to the Christian faith, sometimes the prelude and help of Christianity, sometimes the Gospel teacher. And, assuredly, the God of all goodness, in all that pertains to divine things, has not only manifested by the light of faith those truths which human intelligence could not attain of itself, but others, also, not altogether unattainable by reason, that by the help of divine authority they may be made known to all at once and without any admixture of error. Hence it is that certain truths which were either divinely proposed for belief, or were bound by the closest chains to the doctrine of faith, were discovered by pagan sages with nothing but their natural reason to guide them, were demonstrated and proved by becoming arguments. For, as the Apostle says, the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: His eternal power also and divinity [Rom. 1:20]; and the Gentiles who have not the Law show, nevertheless, the work of the Law written in their hearts [Rom. 2:14-15]. But it is most fitting to turn these truths, which have been discovered by the pagan sages even, to the use and purposes of revealed doctrine, in order to show that both human wisdom and the very testimony of our adversaries serve to support the Christian faith — a method which is not of recent introduction, but of established use, and has often been adopted by the holy Fathers of the Church. What is more, those venerable men, the witnesses and guardians of religious traditions, recognize a certain form and figure of this in the action of the Hebrews, who, when about to depart out of Egypt, were commanded to take with them the gold and silver vessels and precious robes of the Egyptians, that by a change of use the things might be dedicated to the service of the true God which had formerly been the instruments of ignoble and superstitious rites. Click here to continue reading

The Party of God: The Pivot of History (Fr. Michael McMahon, SSPX)

Editor’s Note: The following is an edited transcript of a sermon delivered by Fr. Michael McMahon, SSPX, on Septuagesima Sunday (Jan. 28, 2024) at Our Lady Immaculate Church in Oak Park, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago).

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A Pivotal Season

We come to a pivotal time. Pivotal of course means of a crucial importance, upon which the meaning, on which things depend, upon which something turns. We are at a pivotal time. Certainly, in the liturgy, it’s Septuagesima Sunday; we are now wearing the violet vestments. It’s that turning point, turning from the beautiful joys of Christmas, looking forward to the rigors of Lent, a penitential time of more efficacious preparation for the great and solemn Holy Week, and of course the most important preparation for Easter Sunday, the Resurrection.

We can also say that it’s a pivotal time by the fact that this is an election year. Of course, there are elections every year, but this is a very important one because every four years it’s the election of the President of the United States. And regardless of what theories there might be, that he’s only a figurehead, that there are powers behind the throne, so to speak, certainly he’s less symbolic than the King of England. He is the leader of the United States, the leader of, without question, the most powerful country in the world; therefore, in many respects, the most important country in the world. The election of the head of state of such a country is a pivotal event. And therefore, it’s important, it’s a turning point. We’re unfortunately not given much of a choice in terms of who the heads of state will be.

It’s also, though on a much more profound and grander scale, a pivotal time in Western civilization. It’s a pivotal time in Christian civilization. It’s a turning point. It may be an ending point. And therefore, during this pivotal time, these really, we can say, evil times, because of the rejection of the law of God, we have many people crying out for rights: the rights of man, the rights of individuals, the rights of organizations, the rights of races, and to our great shame, the rights of perversity.

But what about the rights of God? Who is crying out that the rights of Almighty God, that the Creator and Lord of all, be respected? This is why it’s a pivotal time. Click here to continue reading

Christian Militancy in the Prayer of the Church, Part II (Peter A. Kwasniewski, Ph.D.)

Editor’s Note: The following talk was given at a Call to Holiness event at Assumption Grotto in Detroit on Sunday, March 6, 2022. CFN thanks Dr. Kwasniewski for permission to reprint this transcript.

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The Virile Spirit Illustrated

As a more complete illustration, let’s take a look at the Mass of July 28, the feast of the martyrs Nazarius, Celsus, and Pope Victor I, and the confessor Pope Innocent I — four saints who were given the axe in 1969, in spite of being called upon by the Church for a good 800 years. The Introit is taken from Psalm 78: “Let the sighing of the prisoners come in before Thee, O Lord; render to our neighbours sevenfold in their bosom; revenge the blood of Thy saints, which hath been shed. Ps. O God, the heathens are come into Thy inheritance: they have defiled Thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit. Glory be to the Father… Let the sighing…” One of these verses was stigmatized as a “cursing” verse and therefore removed entirely from both the post-conciliar Lectionary and Liturgy of the Hours, as were 121 other psalm verses that are nowhere prayed in the Novus Ordo. In general, the more “spirited” or “militant” psalms have been minimized or excised, which corresponds to the generally effeminate presentation of Christianity in recent times. Think of the doe-eyed Sacred Heart images from the 19th and 20th centuries, where Our Lord is depicted as a saccharine, fragile, androgynous figure, as if He would flinch at a passing softball, or deflate when poked with a needle.

The Collect of the Mass is muscular: “May the confession of Thy saints Nazarius, Celsus, Victor, and Innocent fortify us, O Lord, and may it graciously win for us reinforcement in our weakness. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ…” To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Bishop Fellay Visits Burgeoning Chapel Near Charlotte (Brian Mershon)

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Bishop Bernard Fellay of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) offered a Pontifical High Mass at the growing Mount Holly chapel (outside of Charlotte) on Sunday, February 25. In addition to hearing confessions and visiting catechism classes while visiting St. Anthony of Padua Church, His Excellency delivered sermons at both Sunday Masses and provided a two-hour spiritual reflection on topics ranging from the Church’s ongoing emphasis on synods and synodal paths to Amoris Laetitia, Traditionis Custodis, and the history of the liturgy, according to Chris Lauer, one of the founders of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community.

“I am no expert on the types of talks that Bishop Falley normally gives, but this was a much more profound talk than I was expecting,” Lauer said. “This was a humble bishop in the latter half of his public ministry giving a long arc summation of the history of the crisis in the Church.”

Lauer added that he detected that Bishop Fellay was speaking not only to those in attendance, but that his messages were instructive for the whole Church. Bishop Fellay provided the Greek definition of the word “synod” (a gathering of bishops), explained how it was nearly equivalent to our understanding of “ecumenical council,” and also how the modern Church hierarchy (beginning with Pope Paul VI in 1965) is changing it into a process that becomes institutional and therefore something totally different than its original meaning and usage.  Bishop Fellay noted that Fr. Ralph Wiltgen’s book The Rhine Flows into the Tiber (1967) reveals how “the waters of Germany have completely flowed into Rome” with their ongoing revolutionary synodal model. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Vatican Officials Dialogue with Freemasons (Anthony P. Stine, Ph.D.)

In mid-February, a scandalous meeting made headlines around the world: Vatican officials are calling for “permanent” dialogue with Freemasonry. The meeting, which is being called “historic” by those who participated in it, was held in Milan, one of the centers of Italian Freemasonry. Representing the Vatican at this meeting were several noteworthy members of the Italian episcopate and Roman Curia: Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan, Bishop Antonio Stagliano of Noto (president of the Pontifical Theological Academy), Fr. Zbigniew Suchecki (a professor at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure and an expert on Freemasonry), and the scandal-plagued Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio (president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts).

Synodality a Key Component

It remains unknown what prompted the meeting. Terminology like “dialogue,” “accompaniment,” “listening,” and “mutual understanding” dominate the discourse in the Church today, especially in the lexicon of those in power for the past decade. The Synod on Synodality continues and will hold its final meetings in Rome this October, with the values of communication without judgment being front and center, even reaching the point of tolerating the presence of those who openly reject Catholic doctrine on female ordination, homosexuality, gender ideology, contraception, and divorce and “remarriage.” Synodality is the backdrop against which this meeting between the leaders of Italian Freemasonry and the Catholic Church was held, and those values were key to making this meeting possible. Cardinal Coccopalmerio hinted at this himself, as did Archbishop Delpini. According to the Italian news outlet Il Messagerro, synodal-style language was used to justify the meeting… To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

An Issue Ignored in the Dobbs Decision (Raymond B. Marcin)

On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court, by its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overruled its half-century-old decision in Roe v. Wade and the pro-life movement rejoiced.

What is remarkable, however, is that the Dobbs decision deliberately ignored the issue that the Court in Roe v. Wade had regarded as the central, controlling constitutional issue in its opinion — whether a living, developing, human fetus in her mother’s womb is a “person” under the Constitution. In other words, the United States Supreme Court in Dobbs did not overrule the entire decision in Roe v. Wade. It left standing Roe’s central holding that the fetus is not entitled to the right to life that is guaranteed to persons under the United States Constitution.

The Right-to-Life Issue in Roe and Dobbs

More than fifty years ago Justice Blackmun framed that very issue and its controlling centrality quite clearly in his majority opinion in Roe v. Wade. Justice Blackmun’s words:

“The appellee and certain amici argue that the fetus is a ‘person’ within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. In support of this, they outline at length and in detail the well-known facts of fetal development. If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant’s case, of course, collapses, for the fetus’ right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the Amendment.” (Emphasis added)

Justice Alito, in his opinion for the majority in Dobbs, quite clearly announced that he and the four Justices who signed on to his opinion were ignoring that very issue. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

A Catholic Roadmap on Migration (Alex Hilton)

The Current Crisis

“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States.” So opened a proclamation by Governor Greg Abbot of Texas issued January 24. Daring words, indeed. The letter served as notice of Texas’ intent to enforce its border. It came two days after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated an injunction of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. That court had forbidden federal Border Patrol agents from removing razor wire installed by the Texas National Guard. The Biden administration was affirmatively removing barriers installed by Texas to secure its border. And in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld its power to do so.

The dispute arises amid unprecedented levels of migration into America. More than six million have crossed into Texas alone since President Biden took office. That exceeds the population of some 30 states. Further, according to a report of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), migrant encounters in December 2023 reached record highs. CBP reported a mind-boggling 302,034 encounters that month in total, including 19 arrests of individuals on the FBI’s terror watch list. That exceeds the total number of such persons arrested during President Trump’s entire four-year term, which equaled between 11 and 14.

National tension has grown white-hot. Even some Democrats are changing their tune. On January 26, after a red bloc of states pledged resources and solidarity for Texas, President Biden issued a letter conceding the problem. He admitted to a broken border. And he called for a bipartisan bill instituting “the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country.” Is a border something Americans should have to negotiate for? To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Fatima and the Hidden Jesus (Marianna Bartold)

In the history of the Church, the 20th century’s Fatima apparitions are what I have called “the crown of all Marian apparitions,” because the great sign of the Miracle of the Sun authenticated all the messages, which succinctly emphasize the doctrines, dogmas, and articles of faith which today are so frequently undermined. Foremost among them are belief in the Holy Eucharist as truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the unique office of the Virgin Mary in our redemption.

The First Angelic Apparition: Prayer to the Holy Trinity and the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

It was sometime in the spring of 1916 that an angel first appeared to the three young shepherd children of Fatima. Although Lucia, the eldest of the three, was then only a child and did not know the names of months and days, I am inclined to the thought that the day fell in April, the liturgical month dedicated to the Holy Eucharist. It was, after all, by God’s design that, in the following year of 1917, the Virgin Mary initially appeared to the same children on May 13, which was then the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament.

In my book, Fatima: The Signs and Secrets, I quote Sr. Lucia who, in her Memoirs of 1936-1941, relayed what occurred during the three apparitions of the Angel. As I have in the past many times demonstrated, we can with moral confidence believe this angel is St. Michael the Archangel, Prince of the Heavenly host.

Identifying himself as the Angel of Peace (and later, the Angel Guardian of Portugal), he said, “Do not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” He knelt and then bowed until his forehead touched the ground. (On an important and related note: St. Michael’s actions at Fatima remind us that the good angels also adore the Lord in prayer and that they are our good friends, always ready to help us to do God’s will.) To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

*Holy Mass Series* Fr. Mueller’s Masterpiece on the Mass: The Life of Fr. Mueller and Introduction to His Work (Matthew Plese)

Editor’s Note: This month, CFN is pleased to introduce a new series by Matthew Plese that will cover the contents of The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Fr. Michael Mueller (or Müller), C.Ss.R. The Church in the United States is still in the midst of what the U.S. bishops dubbed a “Eucharistic Revival,” which began in June 2022 and is scheduled to continue until Pentecost 2025. As part of the “revival,” a National Eucharistic Congress will be held this July 17-21 in Indianapolis, Indiana. CFN agrees that a restoration of faith and devotion to our Eucharistic Lord is sorely needed. We firmly maintain that the only means of achieving a true restoration among clergy and laity alike is by returning to Tradition, including and especially the Traditional Latin Mass. As such, we offer this series to readers as a means of contributing to the desired restoration.

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Fr. Mueller and His Masterpiece

Fr. Michael Mueller (1825-1899) was a Redemptorist priest and prolific Catholic author of the 19th century. Born on September 12, 1825 in Germany, he emigrated to the United States where he joined the Redemptorist Order and was ordained a priest in 1859. Fr. Mueller is best known for his theological and devotional works. One of his most famous books is on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the core of the Christian religion. First published in 1874 by Fr. Puster under the title The Holy Mass — The Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead: The Clean Oblation Offered Up Among the Nations from the Rising to the Setting of the Sun, it was republished in 1884 by Benzinger Brothers, Fr. Puster & Co., and B. Herder as (The) Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This masterpiece was re-typeset and edited in 2023 by TAN Books. In 1874, Archbishop John McCloskey of New York addressed the following words to Fr. Mueller, which still apply today:

“I take great pleasure in adding my commendation to the many others which have already been given of your excellent book on the Holy Mass. I sincerely hope that it will have the widely extended circulation which it so well deserves.”

Apart from his notable work on the Holy Mass, Fr. Mueller authored several other books, including The Catholic Dogma: The Most Holy Trinity and The Blessed Eucharist: Our Greatest Treasure. His writings aim to explain and defend Catholic doctrine in a clear and accessible manner, while making them popular among the faithful. He was a prolific defender of the Church’s dogmatic teaching that there is no salvation outside of the Church, where in The Catholic Dogma: Extra Ecclesiam Nullus omnino Salvatur he plainly states… To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Pompeii Rising: Restoring Old Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Florida (Sean Romer)

A century after Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Jacksonville, Florida was consecrated, it is being restored to its proper use as the home of a Traditional Catholic parish.

Just five miles from Holy Rosary is St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, which was founded in 1988. Priests of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) have cared for the parish since 2017. The chapel has more than tripled in size over the past eight years, growing from a little under a hundred parishioners in 2017 to over 320 parishioners today. The increase in the number of faithful who have found Tradition is a welcome blessing, though the swift growth brought a new challenge: the chapel seats only 90 people.

The pastor of St. Michael’s, Fr. David Thomas, said, “The first time I offered Mass in Jacksonville, my first thought was how beautiful the chapel and congregation were, but how desperately we needed more space.” Fr. Thomas travels two hours every weekend from the SSPX priory of St. Thomas More in Sanford to tend his Jacksonville flock. Alex Walker is the director of communications for the Pompeii Rising Restoration Project. “After drawing up plans to expand our current 1,700-square-foot chapel, we encountered many obstacles due to code and spacing,” he said. “We realized that it wasn’t feasible to expand, so we needed to change gears and seek other properties. The only problem: large churches within our budget don’t just grow on trees.” To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Review of Mass of the Ages Episode 3: The Sacred, the Suppressed, and the SSPX (Murray Rundus)

Roman Catholics, with our rich system of beliefs, are well versed in the distinction between matter and form. We understand that there is a difference between the physical appearances and the underlying essence that makes a thing what it is. This understanding teaches us that even the most refined matter can falter if not orchestrated with a mindful design. The cinematic realm offers a canvas where this interplay can unfold — where the merit of camera work, graphic design, animation, and the quality of interviews make up the matter, while the form emerges from how well the matter is weaved into an effective and unified message and story.

The most simplistic and raw example I can think of are nature documentaries, of which I must admit I am no aficionado. But what I do observe is that despite usually containing impeccable footage of animals, fauna, and the like, the documentaries usually rely on a concocted saga to keep the beautiful footage interesting, as I don’t believe anyone is interested in watching hours of uncut marsupial footage, no matter how good the footage of a Tasmanian devil. “Give me a story or give me sleep!” seems to be the cry of us all concerning the content we watch.

The reason for this preface is because, as traditional Catholics, we are not used to having our own content shown in high-quality settings, and so the mere existence of high-quality matter might convince that there is high-quality form. But the matter of a film must serve the form, and how well it does this determines how good the film is. We might say that the essence governs the experience. Click here to continue reading

Pope Pius IX: The First Modern Pope, Part III (Mark Fellows)

First Vatican Council

The Freemason Garibaldi set up camp outside the walls of Rome. At times gunfire was heard, as the papal army skirmished with revolutionaries. It was in this charged atmosphere that Pius IX declared his intention to “hold a sacred Ecumenical Council of the bishops of the whole world…. From this, as we greatly hope, it will come to pass that the light of Catholic truth may diffuse its saving illumination in the darkness by which the minds of men are enveloped, so that they may see….”

Picture it. Freemasons were howling for Pio Nono’s scalp just outside of Rome, and his reply was to announce a Council — in Rome. To call Pius IX fearless is an understatement. He had enough resolve for the entire Church, and his heroic faith was infused into the small papal army defending their Sovereign Pontiff against an army twice their size.

Despite being provided money, guns, and ammunition by the new “Kingdom of Italy,” Garibaldi hesitated outside Rome. It turns out he had reason to hesitate, for at the battle of Mentana the smaller papal army began attacking Garibaldi and didn’t stop until they had beaten his army like a drum and chased them away from Rome. Garibaldi abandoned at least a thousand corpses, and 1,500 more of his men as prisoners of the dreaded Pio Nono.

The Pope visited the prisoners, not as a warden but as a priest. “Behold me, my friends,’” he said. “You see before you the ‘Vampire of Italy,’ of whom your General has spoken. All of you have taken up arms to rush against me, and you find only a poor old man!” More than a few Garibaldians wept and kissed his ring. Pio Nono clothed the ones he was able to, and eventually sent them all back to their homes. The Catholic world was thrilled by the victory at Mentana, and the Revolution was stunned. There would be a Council after all. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News

Humility, Charity, and Fortitude Permeate The Boys in the Boat (Theresa Kallal)

As the blossoms bud forth in Eastertide and we strive to keep up the good habits formed during Lent, let us gather motivation from a true story of heroic effort and success. Put into writing from a dying man’s memories, Daniel Brown’s The Boys in the Boat is a story many readers may be familiar with through George Clooney’s recently released film. But the story of the American Olympic rowing team is much longer and more intricate than what two hours of film can show. Brown’s novel, which captures the hard-earned achievement of a few college boys and the role they played in American and world history, is no less than a biographical masterpiece, and even to write a review of it cannot do justice to his charming style and meticulous documentation of events. Nevertheless, in the author’s own words, “[this] story … ha[s] been squirreled away out of sight for too long.” So, may our readers rest uncontented until they have turned the last leaf of the book for themselves, just as nine young men, with exhausted limbs and every odd against them, did not relax until they propelled their rowing shell across the finish line of the Langer See to win gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Set in the Woods of Washington

The pages unfold not in a champion’s hall or upon the doorstep of a celebrity’s mansion, but in a “modest frame” cottage among the woods of Washington state. From there, from the memories of Joe Rantz (who occupied the number seven seat in the Washington crew’s boat), a few picture books, and a dusty old medal, Brown takes the reader to 1930s Seattle, ravaged by the effects of the stock market crash. A black and white picture of the city’s Hooverville welcomes the reader to the reality of the students at Washington University.

The boys who made up the Olympic-winning team were not Greek athletes cut from marble; they were “farm boys, fishermen, and loggers,” all poor as church-mice and paying their way through college. To continue reading, subscribe to Catholic Family News