FOREIGN NATIONAL CHARGED; CATHOLICS URGED TO PRAY AND ACT;BIDEN VS. PRO-LIFE CENTERS; TRUMP BACKS TAX CREDIT FOR HOMESCHOOLING;REFUSING ‘TRANS’ CARE FOR KIDS = ABUSE?

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 FOREIGN NATIONAL CHARGED  The University of Georgia Police Department has arrested Jose Antonio Ibarra in connection with the suspected homicide of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was found dead Thursday. UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said of Ibarra: "Right now I don’t know his full status. He is not a citizen of the United States." The University of Georgia is located in Athens-Clark County, which is a "sanctuary" city.  READ CATHOLICS URGED TO PRAY AND ACT  CatholicVote Friday launched a campaign calling on the Catholic faithful to petition the offices of two New York prosecutors to prosecute the anti-Catholic “transgender” activists who deceptively gained entry to St. Patrick’s Cathedral last week. Catholics should reach out to both New York Attorney General Letitia James and District Attorney Alvin Bragg via phone, email, and social media.  READ BIDEN VS. PRO-LIFE CENTERS  Conservative groups joined forces Friday in calling on Republicans in Congress to defund a pro-abortion rule backed by President Joe Biden’s administration that would punish pro-life centers. “This proposed rule would prohibit pregnancy centers and alternative-to-abortion programs from receiving millions of dollars a year… while directing that same funding to Planned Parenthoods and other abortion centers favored by the Biden administration,” they warned.  READ TRUMP BACKS TAX CREDIT FOR HOMESCHOOLING  Former President Donald Trump announced that if elected in November, he would support universal school choice as well as comprehensive tax credits for families who homeschool their children. The Republican frontrunner told the audience at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention that he would allow “parents to choose the public, private, charter, or religious school that best suits their children.”  READ REFUSING ‘TRANS’ CARE FOR KIDS = ABUSE?  A bill under consideration by the Illinois legislature would label parents who deny their minor children access to so-called “gender-affirming care” or abortion, as “abuse[rs].” In addition, it would mandate that an Illinois doctor who provides so-called “gender-affirming services” or abortions to a minor “shall not incur civil or criminal liability” or be professionally disciplined “for failure to obtain valid consent” from the parents.  READ EMBRYO RULING BRINGS NEEDED REGULATION  Alabama’s ruling on in vitro fertilization has drawn backlash from politicians, but researcher Emma Waters notes it brings to light the largely unregulated fertility industry. “Few federal laws regulate in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments and only a handful of state laws—such as Louisiana's embryo protection law and Colorado's ban on anonymous egg and sperm donation—address the moral and ethical questions raised by the artificial creation of human life,” writes Waters.  READ NINE-MONTH NOVENA ANNOUNCED  Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke and CatholicVote are calling all Catholics to join in prayer over the next nine months as America faces a historic election. The novena will begin on March 12 and end with a consecration on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.  READ OVER 400 ATTACKS ON CATHOLIC CHURCHES Local police announced they have a suspect in custody for the destruction of several stained glass windows at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to CatholicVote’s violence tracker, the crime marks the 401st attack on a Catholic church since the summer of 2020 and the 11th such crime this year.  READ THE WHY BEHIND THE DESECRATION Carl Trueman writes, "Our age is not marked so much by disenchantment as by desecration. The culture's officer class is committed not merely to marginalizing that which previous generations considered sacred. It is committed to its destruction."  READ SMART PHONES & OUR KIDS  Catholic activist Maureen Ferguson writes about the harmful effects that social media has on our nation’s young people. “America's 15-year experiment with social media and smartphones has been, on balance, a catastrophe for our kids. The scientific evidence is so overwhelming that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a formal warning, saying we ‘must urgently address’ the youth mental health crisis brought on by social media,” Ferguson writes.  READ LOOPcast  Take Tom’s pop quiz to learn if you’re a (gasp) Christian nationalist! War is peace: hate crime perps demand St. Patrick’s apologize for defending the Eucharist, Erika discovers co-lactating parenting, and auditions are open for “shrill US Congresswoman.” Who will be the next AOC?  WATCH A DEEPER EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE  It’s a good practice to spend a few minutes to examine your conscience at the end of the day. Before Confession, we of course do some level of this. But every once in a while, especially during Lent, it’s a good idea to do an even deeper examination of conscience. Here, Dan Burke at Spiritual Direction shares his highly-requested guide, “Deeper Examination of Conscience and the Seven Deadly Sins.”  READ MAKE-AHEAD WINTER DINNERS  On a dark, wintry evening, you want to come home to a steaming hot dinner. But take the time and effort out of it by making your dinners ahead and popping them in the freezer. Here are 45 make-ahead weeknight dinners that are perfect in winter. From rustic Italian tortellini soup to mini sausage pies to cranberry chipotle chicken enchiladas, you have a lot to look forward to.  READ THE SORT OF MEN WE NEED A new book by Mark Helprin called “The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, a War Story, a Love Story,” illustrates the type of man we need with the character Captain Stephen Rensselaer. Though fictional, in his personal virtue, his interests and hobbies, his relationship with his crew, and his relationship with his love interest, Rensselaer embodies real attributes that real men can emulate.  READ A PLACE OF SPRINGS  A spring is a place where water moving underground finds an opening and bubbles up. This concept could be applied metaphorically to a person - someone who emerges unexpectedly from dark and hidden depths as a soul full of life and joy. Denise Trull, from Theology of Home, found a spring like this when she discovered the life of Maud Lewis.  READ CATHOLIC 101  The flood lasted 40 days, Moses spent 40 days on the mountain, Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness, so Lent is a season 40 days long.  Right?  If you take out your calendar and begin counting forward from Ash Wednesday, you may be surprised to see you hit 40 before you reach Easter Sunday. Why is that?  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Not much is known about St. Victorinus. Along with the entire local Church, he was exiled from his homeland in Greece under the command of Emperor Numerian. Although he thought himself safe in Egypt, Victorinus was captured and imprisoned there under Governor Sabinus. He and his companions were brutally tortured and finally martyred in 284 A.D. READ SATURDAY'S PSALM  “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” (Psalm 119:1)  READ SATURDAY'S READINGS  Saturday's Mass readings.  READ SUNDAY’S PSALM  “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.” (Psalm 116:9)  READ SUNDAY’S READINGS  Sunday's Mass readings.  READ ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA  St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City was once dubbed “Hughes’ folly” in 1858. But this historic Gothic cathedral is the most-visited church in the United States. HAVE A TIP?  Send us your news for the Weekend LOOP.  EMAIL ARCHBISHOP FOR LIFE  40 Days for Life campaigns are underway across the country. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was seen leading a Rosary at the San Francisco Planned Parenthood this week. May God bless our bold bishops!  SHARE The LOOP is a publication of CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) 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