WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

‘TRANS’ GROUP PLAYS VICTIM IN CATHEDRAL SCANDAL The LGBTQ organization behind the scandalous “funeral service” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral is now demanding the church apologize for not holding a full Mass at the raucous event. CatholicVote’s Josh Mercer said: “They invaded our house of worship, mocked our teachings, and shouted obscenities in our most sacred space… And now they're demanding we apologize? They really want to rub it in our faces.” READ

CATHEDRAL PRIEST CANCELED MASS AT LAST SECOND Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Tuesday defended the administrators of St. Patrick’s Cathedral for their quick thinking in handling the unexpectedly disorderly funeral service last week. Dolan especially singled out the priest who decided at the last moment to refuse to say Mass for the wild pro-LGBTQ crowd. READ

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES CATHOLIC IMMIGRATION ORG Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit that describes itself as a volunteer organization that “offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants, and refugees.” Paxton alleges the group aids illegal immigration via a stash house. He is seeking to revoke the organization's registration to operate. READ

IDAHO ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKES BIDEN TO SUPREME COURT Republican Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador filed a brief Tuesday petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Biden administration from overriding the state’s pro-life law. “The whole point of Dobbs was to restore to the states their authority to regulate abortion,” the brief stated. READ

TEACHERS SUE CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS OVER ‘TRANS’ RULE A pair of teachers have sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, both Democrats, over pro-“trans” policies that the teachers say compel them to lie to parents. The suit alleges that a local school district requires teachers to hide it from parents when kids adopt new "gender pronouns" or names. READ

TEXAS SCHOOL STALLS TO KEEP INAPPROPRIATE BOOKS Llano High School’s library contains over 200 books that concerned parents say contain sexually inappropriate content. Principal Scott Patrick told a mother last month that a “reconsideration committee” would review one book at a time at a rate of one every 30 days. At that pace and limited to months during school years, it would take more than 22 years to review every book. READ

SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN CASE AGAINST RACE-BASED ADMISSIONS The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a case regarding a Virginia school that revised its admissions process in the name of “diversity.” The case’s plaintiffs argued that the new admissions policy discriminated against Asian Americans. READ

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CHURCH VANDALISM CONTINUES A man was recently caught on camera vandalizing a Catholic church in New York City while parishioners were inside. He threw a construction cone at a statue outside St. Rita’s Church in Queens on February 9. The object missed the statue and instead smashed a 60-year-old stained glass window. READ

GERMAN CHURCH FORCED TO CLOSE PARISHES The Catholic Church in Germany is being forced to close or demolish massive numbers of churches throughout the country due to financial difficulties and a large decrease in practicing Catholics. READ

DEATH OF A CHRISTIAN SALESMAN "Death of a Salesman," the stage play written by Arthur Miller, tells the tragic story of Willy Loman, who, after 35 years of faithful employment, is discarded by his employer as just another used-up cog in the wheel. There are differing interpretations of the story: was Willy Loman destroyed by capitalism or by his own avarice? But there is another interpretation: the role of self-deception on the Christian road to eternity. READ

CATHOLIC 101 Sometimes it's hard to pray when we are sick. Here are five psalms to read and pray when the winter flu season seems endless. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Peter Damien was born in 1007 in Ravenna, Italy. He excelled in school and joined the Benedictines where he continued his theological work. Peter Damien was deeply involved in Church controversies and became a bishop only under threat of excommunication. His work for the Church kept him from a life of study and prayer. He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1832 for his wisdom. READ

DAILY PSALM “A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” (Psalm 51:19) READ

DAILY READINGS Today's Mass readings READ

HISTORY Brooklyn native Bishop Francis Xavier Ford was one of the first American-born missionaries and Maryknoll priests. Thanks to his evangelization efforts in China, the Catholic population boomed from under 9,000 to over 20,000 before his martyrdom in 1952. READ