In my reliquary, I have a first class relic of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born American to be canonized. I find it appropriate that a woman was the first of our land to be lifted to the altar of Christ by Holy Mother Church. After all, our country and all of North America is dedicated to the woman: the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our special patroness is also the Blessed Mother under her name, Immaculate Conception.
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDSA recent survey has found that a majority of religiously unaffiliated Americans say they left organized religion because they question a lot of religious teachings. This is hardly news to most Catholic parents, but the poll gives some surprising clues about what can be done to stem the tide of children leaving the Church.
In an effort to be more accommodating to students of other faiths, an independent Catholic school in San Anselmo, California opted to remove a number of statues of Jesus and Mary and the Saints, claiming they were too alienating for children of other religions, a move that has outraged many parents.
Vice President Mike Pence, who refers to himself as a “born-again Evangelical-Catholic” gave an inspiring and upbeat address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast yesterday saying that “life is winning” in the U.S. and that the new administration is committed to protecting religious freedom.
