SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

BIDEN SEES HIGHEST ILLEGAL MIGRATION RATE IN HISTORY  More than 300,000 immigrants attempted to enter the United States unlawfully or were paroled in during August. The new number surpasses all national records and spells a catastrophe for the Biden administration that claimed its sweeping policy reforms were working.  READ

SOVIET-BORN REP BLASTS GARLAND FOR INTIMIDATING CITIZENS  Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-IN, who was born and raised in the Soviet Union, called out Attorney General Merrick Garland over the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) apparent targeting of political opponents. “People are truly afraid,” Spartz said. “This is a big problem when people are afraid of their own government.”  READ

NORTH CAROLINA PASSES SCHOOL CHOICE  The North Carolina legislature passed a new two-year budget agreement that will make the Tar Heel State one of the few in the nation to offer universal school choice. The new budget triples funding for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program and ends income restrictions for getting private school vouchers. READ

DEM LEADS EFFORT TO REINSTATE SENATE DRESS CODE  Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, is leading a coalition of senators from both parties to reverse the decision of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, to eliminate the Senate’s dress code. Manchin said he personally told Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA, that he disapproved. “[I] wanted to tell him directly that I totally oppose it [and] I will do everything I can to try to [uphold] the decorum of the Senate,” Manchin said.  READ

SENATOR MENENDEZ INDICTED FOR BRIBERY  Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, and his wife Nadine were indicted on bribery charges Friday. Menendez is a self-professed Catholic who supports abortion. He is a close ally to President Joe Biden. Both men served in the Senate together for over two years.  READ

KAMALA HARRIS SUPPORTERS ATTACK PRO-LIFERS  Pro-abortion activists repeatedly accosted a group of pro-life students who were peacefully protesting a North Carolina speech by Vice President Kamala Harris. Police escorted the pro-lifers off campus for their safety. The police “immediately came in and said, ‘We have to go now’ and pulled us out of the mob,” said one pro-life attendee. “We were forced to leave a lot of our stuff behind. It was so chaotic.”  READ

NFL ‘TRANS’ CHEERLEADER ATTACKS WOMEN’S SPORTS  A “trans” cheerleader who performs for the Carolina Panthers’ official squad said that he will “fight” laws protecting women from having to compete against males in female sports teams. Justine Lindsay, a bald man who says he is a woman, is in his second year as the NFL’s first “trans” cheerleader. READ

PENTAGON REVERSES ‘WOKE’ PRONOUN POLICY  The Pentagon has ended Change 5, a controversial pronoun policy that replaced the words “himself” and “herself” with the term “themself” in some awards given to servicemembers. A number of prominent veterans had slammed Change 5 as aggressively “woke” and grammatically incorrect.  READ

POLL: NUCLEAR FAMILIES NOW A MINORITY  The nuclear family structure is in the minority among American households for the first time in U.S. history, according to recent polling by Pew Research Center. Only 37% of adult Americans ages 25 to 49 are married with one or more children, the poll found.  READ

DALLAS MAYOR SWITCHES PARTIES, JOINS GOP  In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced that he changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican, citing his former party’s lax policies on crime and homelessness. “American cities need Republicans,” Johnson wrote, “and Republicans need American cities.”  READ

LOOPCAST  Did Trump betray the pro-life movement? Is Apple Mother Earth's favorite company? Where will you buy lunch in the coming socialist utopia? LOOPcast answers your burning questions on this week's episode.  WATCH

9 BENEFITS OF FREQUENT CONFESSION  How many of us are a little overdue for confession? It’s easy to let it happen - confession times are often infrequent and inconvenient, we may be avoiding saying something embarrassing out loud, or we may feel like we don’t have anything major currently jeopardizing our souls. But no matter what your reason is, going to confession frequently has a lot of benefits, and it’s guaranteed to relieve the burden of whatever is holding you back.  READ

QUICK SOUP RECIPES  Soup season is upon us, and that’s a gift, because what’s easier than throwing all your protein, veggies, and carbs into one pot instead of making an entree and multiple sides? Here are 25 delicious soup recipes you can make in 45 minutes or less, including Shortcut Italian Wedding Soup, Green Curry Chicken Soup, Smoked Salmon Chowder, and more.  READ

LADY OF SORROWS, CAUSE OF JOY  Our Lady of Sorrows, Cause of Our Joy - that title for Mary seems more than a little contradictory. But just like us, Mary’s life moved with the ebb and flow of sorrow and joy. Here’s an article that explains how these two fit together, how they help us understand the greatest woman on earth, and how they reveal the compassion she has for us.  READ

GOD IS NOT PRISSY God is sovereign, omniscient, perfect. We are small, weak, and pretty messed up. God’s ways are not our ways, He is infinitely good while we are sinners, He is high while we are low. It sometimes seems like God is “unreachably” above us – perhaps even disgusted by us, cold toward us, or dissociated from our lives. But God became man, and took the name Immanuel, which means God-with-us. Here’s the truth that shatters any notion of God being prissy.  READ

MERCH  Check out our Autumn 2023 Collection! More amazing CatholicVote on-brand merch for the faithful American Catholic.  CLICK

CATHOLIC 101  Most Catholics acknowledge the beauty of a reverently celebrated Mass. Even non-Catholics note that there is something different about Catholic liturgy. If this beauty that is ever ancient and ever new has lost some of its luster for you, please read these 13 quotations from saints about the Mass.  READ

SAINT OF THE DAY  St. Pio of Pietrelcina, popularly known as Padre Pio, was raised in a devoted household. From a young age, he knew he wanted to become a Franciscan. Shortly after his ordination, Padre Pio received the stigmata. He knew suffering intimately; on top of the mystical yet real wounds of the stigmata, he suffered from many health ailments. He served as a spiritual director for many and attracted much attention for his miracles. He faithfully served others until his death in 1968. READ

SATURDAY’S PSALM  “Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.” (Psalm 113:2)  READ

SATURDAY’S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ

SUNDAY’S PSALM  “The Lord is near to all who call upon him.” (Psalm 145:18)  READ

SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ

ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  The oldest parish in continuous existence in the United States of America (excluding territories) is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in St. Augustine, Florida. The parish was established on September 8, 1565.

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ARTWORK  Penitent Magdalene, Guido Reni, c. 1640  SHARE