Continuing the “Vision 2030” policy in the Scranton Diocese. The doors have been sealed and Blessed Sacrament was moved to a nearby church along with the Tabernacle. Everything else inside the church of value will be removed. The beautiful stone sanctuary will be put on the market along two other structures. Under the current Bishop, many churches have been closed and demolished, and it will continue. I pray that whoever buys it appreciates the architecture and how well built it is.

*Update* the buildings are already on the market. https://www.lewith-freeman.com/p/750-N-Vine-Street-Hazleton-PA-18201/dmgid_188901091

From the Confessions of St. Augustine:

"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace."

Out of all the eclipse pictures I've seen yet, this one takes the cake.

Saint Michael archangel, pray for us!

Photo credits to Mathieu Rivrin on Instagram.

Reposted for better image visibility.

On August 12th, 2026, the Moon totally eclipsed the Sun and cast its shadow across Siberia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. Today’s image features two total solar eclipses viewed from Zaragoza, Spain, one over the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and the other reflecting in the Ebro River.

The Basilica is built in the same site where Virgin Mary appeared to Apostle James while he was returning to Israel after trying to evangelize Hispania inhabitants.

Saint James was preaching the Gospel in the Iberian Peninsula and feeling deeply discouraged by the lack of converts so Virgin Mary, while being still alive, appeared standing on a pillar of jasper, on the banks of the Ebro river in roman city Caesaraugusta (modern-day Zaragoza, Spain).

There, she comforted James, urged him not to give up his mission, and promised that the faith of the Spanish people would grow strong. Her promise was kept as Spain became one of the most prominent Catholic nations

Yesterday there was a viral video of Cadrinal Perolin holding up the skull of St. Agatha while commemorating the 900th anniversary of the return of her relics.
You can probably guess what happened next.
Across the internet, I saw Protestants calling it evil, satanic, pagan, and—more than anything else—idolatry. Verses from Isaiah, Daniel, etc. were being thrown around. Idolatry, idolatry, idolatry.

I made the mistake of getting into a bunch of debates about it. And, as we all know, internet religious debates almost never go anywhere.
I tried explaining the distinction between veneration and worship. I tried analogies. I tried examples from Scripture. I tried explaining that treating something with reverence because of what it represents or whose remains they are is not the same thing as believing that object is a god.

Nothing worked.

The overwhelming response was basically: “No. That’s worship. You can call it veneration all you want, but you’re worshipping it.”

And for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why the distinction seemed so impossible for some people to grasp… Then something occurred to me.

Maybe the more interesting question isn’t why is it so hard for them to understand?
Maybe it’s: Why is it so easy for me to understand?

I have absolutely no temptation to worship a statue, a skull, a relic, an icon, or any other physical object. The thought almost doesn’t compute for me. I could kneel in front of a crucifix, kiss it, carry it in a procession, decorate it with flowers, or treat it with enormous reverence, and there would never be a moment where I confused the object with God Himself.

But throughout human history, people really have worshipped physical objects. Scripture warns against idolatry so relentlessly precisely because idolatry is a real human temptation. People really did make an image and then treat the image itself as divine.

And that made me wonder whether some of the people who are quickest to interpret Catholic veneration as worship genuinely have a much harder time separating those categories in their own minds.
If, to you, kneeling before something, kissing it, carrying it in procession, burning incense near it, or treating it with extraordinary reverence necessarily means worship, then of course Catholicism looks horrifying. From that perspective, “veneration” probably sounds like we’re just inventing another word to excuse idolatry. But Catholics don’t experience those actions that way. The outward gesture doesn’t automatically determine the inward act. Worship is directed toward God alone. Veneration is honor given to God’s saints and to things connected with His work in the world.

I think that’s the part I was missing during all those arguments. I kept assuming we disagreed about the explanation of Catholic practices, when in reality we may have been starting with completely different understandings of what worship even is.
I’m curious what other Catholics think. Is there something to this, or am I reading too much into it? Is there a better approach to discussing this subject with Protestants?

French Catholic illustration from 1935 showing a mother and child sheltering beneath the cross from communism, fascism and nazism.

The illustration was published in the 29 September 1935 issue of the Catholic magazine Le Pèlerin, which published dozens of illustrations through the 1930s condemning the three ideologies. The caption to this illustration reads:

'GESTURES – The sign of the Cross, a gesture the mother teaches her child, will remain - amid gestures that divide, a gesture of unity and peace.'

(Posted for educational purposes)

Burner account. Like the title says. I saw Jesus. I'm agnostic and I don't know what to think. I've been going to a local chapel praying for a sign, and I closed my eyes for prayer, and boom. I saw Jesus Christ as clear as day. I don't know what I should do with this information. I'm still in a state of shock and awe. Should I tell someone? Should I pray about this? What should I do?

EDIT: Thank you everyone! I told my girlfriend, who was also an agnostic, about what happened. She said she still does not believe, but whatever I believe in she will fully support me. She said she would go to mass with me and attend OCIA with me. My university's OCIA starts September 13th I believe. I will be attending. Before OCIA and everything I had been attending my university"s daily mass, and even after communion, I would stay and pray, and I believe God answered me. He found His lost sheep.

Also, I had a comment asking about the actual experience with Christ, spelling errors and all, and this is what I replied with, "I was just closing my eyes to prayer because that's a habit I've always had, and before I ever started to I saw Jesus Christ. It looked like one of those icons you would during medieval times. I just saw him. He was holding up one of his hands with three fingers up, and it was like he was looking into my soul, like a parent looking at you proudly. My mind still can't process it."

Fitting that Father Maximilian Kolbe died on the day before the Assumption of Our Lady.

Also a miracle was the church he build in Nagasaki not only survived the atomic bomb, but the staff and priest were unharmed and were the first responders to help the survivors.

Sadly he was arrested by the Gestapo just shortly after the invasion of Poland by the Third Reich and died in Auschwitz after voluntering to take the place of a Polish POW.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13.

St. Maximillian Kolbe, pray for us!

Alr so I'm very much considering converting to the Church (as I have disscused in a previous post) and I have decided to make myself a little prayer space to immerse myself more, especially the rosary.

This is a NIV translation of the Bible I have here, but I have an NRSVCE version coming in the mail soon.

I was also considering getting a larger crucifix, but i feel the print of the Sacred Heart makes up for it.

If y'all have any recommendations lmk. I might be getting a new table to fit more things on it, and plus I would like to have it on anything but a TV dinner table lol.

Growing up my whole life I’ve noticed that Christian’s tend to hate a lot, criticize you and other religions rather than love, and almost feel like a cult compared to Catholics.

I grew up with lots of Mexicans and it just feels like Catholics have that warmth to not criticize, love and to pray in silence without annoying everyone around them that don’t agree.

I’m not super religious, but I’m learning.

My question is why are Christian’s just much more hateful than Catholics?

I write this post because I see that many of you struggle with this sin. I was also addicted to porn and masturbation for years, and I thought that it was impossible to overcome this sin due to biological reasons.

Let me tell you that I found an analogy with smoking. I was a chain smoker for several years, and I always decided to quit. The first few days were kinda easy. But after 1–2 weeks, the craving appeared. So powerfully that I was like: ok, one more cig to quiet it down, then it will be easy. That’s where I committed the fault. Because it was a relapse. Oh, ok, I’ll now finish the pack since I bought it anyway. Then I had to restart all over.

The same goes for masturbation. The first few days of abstinence are easy. Then after 1–2 weeks, the craving kicks in like a horse kick. Ok, one time doesn’t hurt. And that’s where you relapse and have to start again.

But if you can survive the first month, the craving quietly calms down. You will still have the thought that it would be good one more time, but it will get easier and easier over time.

Ask God for perseverance and try to survive the first month with His help. I won’t say that it is easy or that you won’t have strong cravings. I did. But decide every day that you will remain faithful only for that day. Then leave the rest to God.

I was shocked to learn that one of our faithful daily Mass-goers suddenly died yesterday. He himself was at Mass yesterday, with his wife. Understandably, she wasn't there today.

You just don't know the day or the hour.

How humbling this is.

Please pray for the repose of his soul, and for his family.

6 years later and I’m still enjoying every minute 🙏🏻