OHIO ISSUE 1 VOTER TURNOUT ‘OFF THE CHARTS’; OKLAHOMA GOV SIGNS ‘WOMEN’S BILL OF RIGHTS’;STATES DITCHING AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?;WISCONSIN MAN ARRESTED FOR READING BIBLE

 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 OHIO ISSUE 1 VOTER TURNOUT ‘OFF THE CHARTS’  Ohio’s early voter turnout for the August 8 vote on Issue 1 has been massively larger than expected. The Associated Press reported that the battle over whether to pass Issue 1 “has driven off-the-charts early turnout before Tuesday’s final day of voting.” CatholicVote Vice President Josh Mercer said “This means we need Catholics to turn out even more.” CatholicVote is encouraging Ohio voters to vote “Yes” on Issue 1.  READ OKLAHOMA GOV SIGNS ‘WOMEN’S BILL OF RIGHTS’  Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order on Tuesday directing state agencies to adopt the policies outlined in The Women’s Bill of Rights sponsored by the Independent Women’s Forum. The executive order will obligate state agencies to operate under traditional, scientific definitions of sexuality, rejecting ideological “transgender” identification.  READ STATES DITCHING AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?  A coalition of conservative leaders on Thursday called for states to cut ties with the American Library Association (ALA). In a letter to “Those With the Responsibility to Act,” executives from the American Principles Project, the State Freedom Caucus Network, and other conservative groups argued: “The American Library Association (ALA) has become an organization that is undermining our country’s Constitutional rights and attacking its moral foundation….”  READ IOWA SCHOOL DISTRICT INVESTIGATING LGBTQ BOOKS  Iowa’s Urbandale Community School District will review nearly 400 books that were flagged for depictions of sex acts and references to “gender identity.” The district will review 374 books to figure out whether they violate a new state law. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law in May, barring “gender” ideology and books that depict sex acts from schools for students younger than seventh grade.  READ WISCONSIN MAN ARRESTED FOR READING BIBLE  A video of a young man who was arrested for reading the Bible at a pride event in Wisconsin went viral last weekend. In the video, Marcus Schroeder, 19, is arrested without warning or explanation. He had been reading a passage from the Bible into a microphone next to a “Pride in the Park” event in Watertown, Wisconsin. CatholicVote spoke with Schroeder about the incident. Here’s what he had to say!  READ TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFT GUIDE  It’s back-to-school season and CatholicVote is ready to help you find the perfect teacher appreciation gift! We know it’s tough to find good gifts without supporting corporations opposed to Catholic values. So if you don’t have a local Catholic book and gift store to shop at, here are five of our suggestions for alternatives!  READ GEN X JOINS MILLENNIALS IN NEGLECTING MASS  Church attendance has dropped off since 2020 for Generation X more sharply than for other age groups, according to a new survey. The survey of 2,000 adults conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that the percentage of people ages 39 to 57 who attended a worship service during the week, either in person or online, fell to 28% in 2023, down from 41% in 2020.  READ DEEP DIVE: DARK UNDERBELLY OF SOLAR POWER  Journalist Michael Shellenberger has uncovered new data showing that solar energy is not as “clean” as the politicians pushing “green” policies claim. CatholicVote’s Anthony Iafrate takes a deep dive into the dark truth behind the global push for solar energy. Aren’t solar panels good for Mother Earth? And what do slavery and genocide have to do with “going green?” Read on!  READ HEADS UP, COLLEGE STUDENTS!  ‘Tis the season for college students to purchase books, buy flights, and flip their dorm-room setup around. It’s back-to-school time, which means schedules, clubs, part-time jobs, and early morning athletics. With busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time for one’s faith. We asked college students to share how they keep Jesus at the center of their hearts. Here’s their advice!  READ CATHOLICVOTE’S FAVORITE ‘BEE’ HEADLINES  The Babylon Bee keeps us laughing by stating the obvious with a sarcastic wit sharp enough to keep up with the Catholic crowd of G.K. Chesterton, Mother Angelica, Flannery O’Connor, and other brilliant wordsmiths. Here are some of CatholicVote’s favorite Bee headlines of all time!  READ LOOPCAST  Gov. Ron DeSantis takes heat from the Veep on one side and a prominent pro-lifer on the other. It’s back-to-school season, but not for everyone: Can a Catholic school expel families to protect its identity? And Josh has trouble telling the difference between a nursing home and the U.S. Capitol.  WATCH BOMBSHELL ENCYCLICAL HITS 30  August 6 marks the 30th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s landmark moral theology encyclical Veritatis Splendor. We reached out to Catholic scholars, priests, and leaders for their thoughts on its legacy and future.  READ AUGUST BAKING  It may feel like summer is coming to a rapid end with vacations ending and school starting soon, but we have only just begun a whole new month of summer. Keep enjoying the spirit of leisure, family time, slow living, and seasonal treats with these baking recipes for August. They capture the essence of the season with plenty of berries and other seasonal fruit.  READ MARTYRED FAMILY  On the morning of March 24, 1944, police surrounded the home of Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma in Markowa, Poland, shot the eight Jews they were sheltering, and then shot the couple and their seven children, one still unborn. The Ulma family – including their unborn baby – will be beatified on September 10. There is a new Polish-language documentary about the family. Here is a little more of their story.  READ RETURNING TO THE GARDEN  Most of us, if not all of us, are pretty aware of living in the Valley of Tears, the world after the Fall. And we keep falling. We know we can never go back to the way things were before sin. We know our hope is not ultimately in this life, but in the next. However, that does not mean we can’t experience the “breezes of Eden” in this life. We should be trying to return, inch by inch, to the Garden while still in this life. Here is what that means and how you can do it.  READ OHIO  Life is on the line in Ohio. VOTE and PRAY!  ACT CATHOLIC 101  Many have heard the phrase "spiritual but not religious." What exactly does it mean to be spiritual? Does it mean believing in a higher power? Or participating in practices like meditation or community service or reading your daily horoscope or yoga or praying the rosary? As this list shows, “spiritual” is hardly a precise descriptor.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  St. Emygdius converted to Catholicism from paganism and became a priest, bishop, and missionary. Based on his own life experience, he wanted to convert as many pagan souls to Christ as he could. He was beheaded and died a martyr during a time of Christian persecution. He is the patron saint of earthquakes.  READ SATURDAY’S PSALM  “O God, let all the nations praise you!” (Psalm 67:4)  READ SATURDAY’S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ SUNDAY’S PSALM  “The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 97:1,9)  READ SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  False. The cathedral see of the Diocese of Rome is St. John Lateran Basilica. HAVE A TIP?  Send us your news for the Weekend Loop. Email  EMAIL ARTWORK  Every August 5, La Madonna della Neve (Our Lady of the Snows) is celebrated throughout Italy. According to legend, a Roman patriarch named Giovanni and his wife wanted to donate their possessions to the Church and they prayed to be shown how to distribute their assets. That night a miracle snowfall graced the summit of a hill. And so they commenced building a basilica in honor of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major) on the snow-covered spot. In St. Mary Major is this painting, Salus Populi Romani (Health of the Roman People), which is perhaps the oldest Marian image in Rome.  SHARE Credit: Fallaner / Wikimedia The LOOP is a publication of the CatholicVote Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. The LOOP is organized, funded, and published by faithful Catholic laity. We do not claim to speak for any individual bishop or the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. CATHOLICVOTE | PO Box 3310 | Carmel, IN 46082 | (317) 669-6127