Catholic Nuns Again Forced To Defend Themselves In Court From Godless Liberals
'We treat each patient with dignity and Christian charity.'
Catholic churches PACKED for Easter as conversions skyrocket
Catholic churches across the U.S. and other parts of the Western world welcomed historic numbers of new members over the weekend. Although popularly characterized as a "surge," some analysts have suggested the flood of new and often young converts is actually a rebound.
Prior to welcoming 20 people fully into the faith during the crowded Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, Archbishop José Gomez said, "Tonight your story will be joined to His story, to the beautiful history of salvation, the great story of God’s love for His people."
'This generation just seems open to the call of the Lord.'
Altogether, 8,598 catechumens and candidates were received into the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles this Easter, reported Angelus News.
On Saturday, Archbishop Ronald Hicks welcomed some of the over 3,600 new catechumens who reportedly joined the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New York this Easter season, telling a packed house at St. Patrick's Cathedral, "It does feel good when you belong, and we belong to Jesus and we belong to our church."
Father Andy Matijevic of Holy Name Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Chicago told WBBM-TV, "We had six Masses so far, last night and a few this morning, and all of them have been packed inside."
Holy Name, which held overflow Masses on Sunday, reportedly saw 18 people baptized and another 23 confirmed, contributing to the archdiocese's total of over 600 catechumens who received the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Chicago Catholic noted last month that the archdiocese was also set to welcome 445 individuals from other Christian traditions this past weekend, representing a 78% increase in members over last year.
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Father Burke Masters, whose St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Parish in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale reported a 124% year-over-year increase in new members, told WLS-TV that the average age of those being received into the church is 28 years old.
St. Mary's Church near Texas A&M's campus in College Station, Texas, also managed to roughly double its 2025 Easter baptism numbers, welcoming 61 catechumens into the Catholic Church. Again, most of the newcomers were apparently young adults.
"Most of the [new members] are students, most of them are invited by other students, most of them also maybe heard a call or were drawn to the church," Rev. Will Straten told KBTX-TV. "So it’s great to see more students desiring to be baptized and to live the faith."
Boston Archbishop Richard Henning, who saw the churches under his purview similarly packed over the weekend and expected over 680 catechumens to join the Church at Easter, told CBS News, "I think this generation just seems open to the call of the Lord in a way that we've not seen in a while."
Numerous other American dioceses — such as the Archdiocese of Newark — similarly reportedly years-high numbers of new Catholics converts, as did dioceses elsewhere in the Western world.
In Canada, for example, the Archdiocese of Toronto counted a total of 2,050 adult catechumens baptized at its Easter Vigil celebrations — a 12.4% increase over last year. Other Canadian dioceses, including those covering the cities of Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver, were also reportedly set for significant growth over the weekend.
In France, over 13,000 adults were set to be baptized into the Catholic Church over the weekend, including more than 700 catechumens in Paris, reported the National Catholic Register.
The numbers appear especially high in large part because conversion numbers in recent decades had fallen so low.
According to U.S. diocesan statistics compiled by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University and analyzed by the Pillar, there was a precipitous decline in the number of people becoming Catholic from 2000 to 2020.
Whereas, for instance, there were 173,674 adults baptized or received into full communion in 2000, that number reportedly had plummeted to 70,796 in 2020.
The Pillar noted that while there has been a significant increase in the number of new adult Catholics following the pandemic, the number of babies baptized every year has dropped by over 50% since 2000.
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Houston sidesteps mentioning Christian holiday in official message, opts for bizarre euphemism
Yet again, public officials have failed to mention a Christian holiday by name. In this case, the City of Houston has avoided referring to one of the most important Christian holidays of all, opting for a strange replacement in its stead.
On Thursday, the City of Houston account posted a graphic on social media, now seemingly deleted, explaining an office closure ahead of the Triduum.
The graphic seemed to emphasize the words 'Spring Holiday,' since they were both capitalized and written in a different color.
In an otherwise unremarkable announcement, the city said, "Due to the Spring Holiday, City of Houston offices will be closed on Friday, April 3."
The graphic seemed to emphasize the words "Spring Holiday," since they were both capitalized and written in a different color.
This vague messaging, however, stood out all the more in contrast to another post on Thursday from an associated account.
On the page for the office of Mayor John Whitmire (D), the most recent post, containing a detailed message, wished everyone a happy Passover, one of Judaism's important holidays.
The lengthy post read: "On this second night of Passover, Mayor Whitmire wishes a meaningful and peaceful Passover to all those who celebrate. May this season of reflection and renewal bring strength, gratitude, and time well spent with family and friends."
The City of Houston has likewise celebrated Muslim holidays like Eid Mubarak and Eid al-Adha stretching back several years, a review of the page's timeline revealed.
After facing some scrutiny online, the city appears to have deleted the "Spring Holiday" message. No replacement message has been posted.
Whitmire's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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Massachusetts stands firm on denying Catholic couple foster parent license — even after state scraps woke policy
Massachusetts officials are standing by their decision to ban a Catholic couple, who hold biblical views on marriage and sexuality, from fostering children, despite a December policy change that removed the state's radical gender ideology mandate for caregivers.
Mike and Kitty Burke, long desiring to become parents, applied to become foster parents in 2022 after learning they would not be able to have children on their own.
'The Commonwealth's doublespeak is exactly why they are pressing for a clear ruling from the court protecting the freedom of religious families to foster and adopt children.'
Despite the couple successfully completing hours of training, extensive interviews, and a home study, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families denied their request.
The DCF's Licensing Review Team stated that the Burkes were rejected "based on the couple's statements/responses regarding placement of children who identified LGBTQIA," according to the couple's 2023 federal lawsuit against state officials.
At the time of the denial, Massachusetts foster parent licensing policy required applicant parents to "promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of a child placed in his or her care, including supporting and respecting a child's sexual orientation or gender identity."
This policy did not include any exemptions for religious perspectives.
In December, the DCF issued an emergency amendment that removed the "sexual orientation or gender identity" language in the policy.
The DCF stated that the amendment would "strike the requirement that a foster/pre-adoptive parent or applicant affirm a child's sexual orientation or gender identity and [replace] it with a requirement that a foster/pre-adoptive parent or applicant affirm a child's individual identity and needs."
In a March court filing, Massachusetts officials contended that policy change was irrelevant in the Burkes' case because their denial was based on the rules in effect at the time. Further, they asserted that the denial "did not violate the Constitution" and was "not hostile to religion."
Massachusetts officials argued that "the mere fact that the Burkes could not satisfy" the LGBTQ+ requirements, "whether due to their religion or otherwise, does not clearly establish that denying their license application was unconstitutional."
The Burkes maintained that the discovery process proved that their religious beliefs were "the only reason for that denial."
"Mike and Kitty were cautiously hopeful that Massachusetts would finally end its religious discrimination," Lori Windham, senior counsel for Becket, the law firm representing the Burkes, told Blaze News. "But that hope turned to heartbreak when Massachusetts chose to keep fighting them in court. The Commonwealth's doublespeak is exactly why they are pressing for a clear ruling from the court protecting the freedom of religious families to foster and adopt children."
"Mike and Kitty are still open to fostering or adopting children in the future. But Massachusetts has made it harder for them to adopt any child with its discriminatory decision on their record, and that's why they are asking the court to erase it," she added.
A decision in the case is expected by the fall, Windham stated.
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Reporter confronts radio hosts for smashing statue of Jesus: 'Would you smash a symbol of the prophet Muhammad?'
A kooky segment by a team of radio hosts turned awkward when they were confronted by a Catholic interviewer.
Three radio hosts performed in a "rage room" recently and were seen smashing statues of both Jesus and Mary in what was meant to be a comical segment showcasing the stress-relieving benefits of participating in the group activity.
'That would be inappropriate.'
"We had a 'Rage Room' because we were beating the blue out of the Monday," said Eva De Roo, a host from Studio Brussel in Belgium.
"People could text us, like, 'I have a really a blue Monday because my car broke and everything,' and [we say], 'Okay, we'll smash something for you,'" the host continued as her colleagues chuckled.
However, reporter Colm Flynn — from the EWTN Global Catholic Network — was interested to find out whether the hosts were willing to smash statues of religious figures that represent other faiths.
"I know you laugh, but do you think that for many listeners, they would find that so deeply offensive to take a bat and to smash Jesus into pieces?"
"That's a very good question," host Sam De Bruyn replied.
"I think in Belgium, not really. We're not a very religious country."
De Bruyn also qualified the sketch by saying all the statues they smashed were "already broken."
That's when Flynn turned the tables.
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"Let me ask you this: If you were doing the video again, would you smash a symbol of the prophet Muhammad?"
De Bruyn replied, "That is a very dangerous one," before De Roo jumped in.
"No, because that would be inappropriate," she claimed, noting that there are many Muslims in Belgium.
Flynn said, "There are Christians, too. I know the pope visited Belgium recently."
De Roo and colleagues then clarified that they thought the stunt was okay because they were raised in the "Christian tradition."
With the hosts floundering, the reporter jumped to the third host, Dries Lenaerts, and asked if he would smash a Star of David.
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"Uhh, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it," Lenaerts quickly replied.
De Bruyn said being raised Catholic gave the group more leeway to perform such an act and that it would be harder to do so about a religion "you know nothing about."
The reporter, who revealed that he covers religion for major networks, did not let the group off the hook.
"You see that hypocrisy: Jesus Christ statue, smash it in two, but [you] never [see it] for Muhammad or for anything to do with the Jewish faith."
The hosts, specifically De Bruyn, went on to defend their actions by describing their publicly funded audience as "very alternative" and "not "very religious in any way."
However, De Roo soon jumped in to apologize, said the hosts did not think about the activity very much beforehand, and claimed that any offense they cause to listeners is often discussed on the air.
Broadcaster VRT Studio Brussel later issued another apology for the video, saying the company "misjudged the 'Blue Monday' sketch."
Spokeswoman Yasmine Van der Borght said the team apologized for what was "intended to be a humorous action, and they have underestimated how sensitive religious symbols can be. They understand that this was hurtful to some people and would make different choices today."
The apology concluded, "VRT believes it's important that all of its employees show respect for every religion. We are not concerned with comparing religions, but with dealing with everyone's beliefs with care."
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Ireland Lost Its Magic When It Lost Its Catholic Heritage
The collapse of Irish Catholicism is a cautionary tale for every religious institution and the West at large.Inside the mind of a Catholic exorcist: Fr. Chad Ripperger talks shop with Shawn Ryan
Former U.S. Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan routinely has warriors on his podcast who have battled men using modern weaponry. Last week, he spoke to a warrior who battles demons using timeless weaponry: Christ's name, prayer, and the authority of his vocation.
Over the course of his four-hour conversation with Ryan, Fr. Chad Ripperger — a Thomistic philosopher, psychologist, and founder of the Doloran Fathers — shared insights drawn from years serving as a Catholic exorcist in the Archdiocese of Denver, as well as from his study of church history and Christian theology.
In addition to discussing potential signs of the Antichrist's imminence and the possibility that extraterrestrials might be the trappings of a demonic psy-op, Fr. Ripperger explained the different types of diabolic influence and described how the Church's major exorcism rite is carried out.
Varieties of diabolic influence
Fr. Ripperger — who stressed that he had "no intention of being an exorcist" and only does it out of obedience — identified several forms of diabolic influence, beginning with infestation, "where they infest houses or locations, inanimate objects, animals."
'The demon's not necessarily in the driver's seat all the time.'
The exorcist priest turned to Scripture for an example of animal infestation, referencing the ruination of pigs by the evil spirits cast out by Christ from the demoniac in Gergesa.
Fr. Ripperger suggested that infestations are often the localized byproduct of sin: "It's because somebody has done something particularly evil in a location and, as a result, the demons have gotten their foot in the door there."
While occult activity can grease the way for an infestation, the exorcist said the sins demons tend to "gravitate toward the most — because they're easiest to get human beings to fall into — are the sins against the Sixth Commandment like fornication, masturbation, pornography, those types of things."
Another form of diabolic influence — "the primary way" and a universal challenge — is ordinary temptation, where demons plant notions "in our imaginations," skew perspectives, and manipulate emotions. Though relatively subtle, Fr. Ripperger noted that this form of influence can still be destructive, particularly within relationships and families.
Diabolic obsession is another variety in which demons "attack our interior faculties, specifically the imagination and emotions again — but unlike ordinary temptation, this is extraordinary, where it's very powerful and very strong," capturing the victim's attention and imagination and leaving them with a kind of spiritual "tunnel vision."
While someone experiencing diabolic obsession may initially have periods of lucidity, Fr. Ripperger said those moments of reprieve can diminish over time if the influence persists. Eventually the victim may capitulate and commit a grave sin at the demon's urging — or possibly even become possessed.
The priest described two kinds of diabolic possession. The first is "perfect possession, where the person has given themselves over to the demon entirely, and then the demon possesses the whole body, and the demon is manifested all the time."
According to Fr. Ripperger, this condition — outward signs of which include malice, mendacity, animus, and destructiveness — is rare. Individuals in such a state rarely seek out priests, since they are not desirous of liberation.
Partial possession, by contrast, refers to a temporary and localized possession of part of the body where "the demon's not necessarily in the driver's seat all the time."
The exorcism rite
When asked about the process of conducting an exorcism, Fr. Ripperger said the approach is structured, though the particulars vary depending on what is known about the individual, whether they have had prior encounters with dark forces, and what stage of diabolic influence they appear to be in.
"So in many cases, if the person who's possessed can tolerate it, we'll actually offer Mass so that the person can receive Holy Communion, which then weakens the demon significantly," he said, noting that confession is encouraged beforehand.
After Mass but before the exorcism ritual begins in earnest, a series of prayers are recited "to provide everybody protection that's in the room."
"So we do a series of prayers — binding prayers — which bind the demon from being able to do certain things, and then we'll actually start the formal ritual."
The Latin ritual typically begins with the Litany of the Saints. According to Fr. Ripperger, this serves as a kind of diagnostic tool because a demon's reaction to the names of certain saints can reveal clues about "the demon's particular sin" and how best to proceed.
From there, the exorcist alternates between "deprecatory and imprecatory prayer" — the former asking Christ for help and the latter commanding demons directly, ordering the evil spirits to consider specific truths that cause them pain.
The goal, Fr. Ripperger explained, is to allow the demon's pain "to build to where they finally give you what you need to know in order to get them out."
Canon law stipulates that "no one can perform exorcisms legitimately upon the possessed unless he has obtained special and express permission from the local ordinary."
Such permission is granted "only to a presbyter who has piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life."
The Catholic Church also requires that a suspected demoniac undergo "thorough examination including medical, psychological, and psychiatric testing" before being referred to an exorcist.
The Church distinguishes between minor exorcisms — used, for example, in baptismal preparation — and major exorcisms, the rite discussed by Fr. Ripperger, which may only be performed by a bishop or an authorized priest.
Fr. Ripperger told Ryan that "Protestants have a certain degree of efficacy [in exorcisms] by using Christ's name because it has a force of its own."
However, he suggested that certain types of possession require the authority of the Catholic Church and its clergy — authority that traces back to Christ's commissioning of the apostles.
Bad signs and end times
Asked where evil appears to be gaining ground in society, Fr. Ripperger said the forces of darkness have increasingly targeted good families — "families that historically led good lives, were raising their kids properly, very often very religious, doing the things that they're supposed to do."
The priest suggested this "full-blown attack" on previously resilient targets may indicate that demons are emboldened by a worsening moral climate — or that they "know their time is short," possibly because a divine "corrective" is approaching.
'That is not a reference to the Jewish temple.'
Ryan asked whether such developments might signal the approach of the end times.
While acknowledging that "we don't really have any certitude," Fr. Ripperger said several conditions traditionally associated with the Antichrist appear increasingly plausible.
Among them:
- "A worldwide implosion of people's morality," in which "people just aren't following the laws of God or the natural law in any sense of the term";
- The emergence of technological and institutional systems — such as unified global financial systems and digital currencies — capable of controlling populations on a mass scale; and
- Internal crisis within the Catholic Church prior to a future renewal.
Fr. Ripperger also expressed skepticism about the idea that rebuilding a third Jewish temple in Jerusalem is a necessary precursor to the end times. He argued that the Church Fathers consistently held that such a temple would never be rebuilt and that the prophecy often cited in this context has been widely misunderstood.
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"The difficulty is people tend to misinterpret the Book of Daniel, which says when the abomination of desolation takes its seat in the temple," he said. "What they don't realize is that that is not a reference to the Jewish temple."
Instead, he suggested that the New Covenant superseded the Old Covenant and that the "holy place" referenced in such passages should be understood as the Catholic Church.
'It permanently robbed a person of the possibility of the beatific vision.'
Whatever the signs of the times, Fr. Ripperger emphasized that Christians must remain faithful.
It is critical, he said, that believers "follow Christ regardless of the personal cost."
Demonic psy-op
Former President Barack Obama claimed in an interview last month that aliens are "real."
Although Obama later walked back the remark, President Donald Trump announced he would nevertheless be "directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)."
Asked about UFOs and extraterrestrials, Fr. Ripperger suggested that some sightings could simply be government experiments — a suspicion reinforced by a 2025 Wall Street Journal report that found the Pentagon had at times disseminated false information about aliens to obscure sensitive weapons programs.
However, he noted that many accounts of alien abductions closely resemble descriptions of demonic encounters.
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"If you strip the veneer of the alien aspect of it off, then in point of fact what you're dealing with is just — they're just demons," he said.
Fr. Ripperger added that some unidentified anomalous phenomena could also be what he called "diabolic mirage[s]" — supernatural illusions permitted by God in rare circumstances.
Abortion: Demonic empowerment
After Ryan brought up Baphomet — the goat-headed occult figure whose likeness the Satanic Temple adopted as its logo and displayed in a statue in the Iowa Capitol in 2023 — the conversation turned to abortion.
Ryan asked about the demonic interest in child sacrifice.
Fr. Ripperger said demons are empowered by abortion not only because it involves the killing of an innocent but because it denies the child the opportunity for baptism.
"We know of no other means of their salvation other than baptism. ... And so historically, the Church always considered abortion to be such a heinous crime because it permanently robbed a person of the possibility of the beatific vision. This is why the Church considered it so evil," he said.
Obtaining an abortion is an excommunicable offense in the Catholic Church.
The priest argued that demons "are so wed to" the widespread practice of abortion that they will "expend enormous amounts of energy protecting it" in order to prevent children "from ever seeing God."
According to the Guttmacher Institute, an estimated 1,038,000 abortions were executed in states without total bans in 2024. There were nearly 600,000 abortions in the first six months of 2025.
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Gwen Stefani reveals 'miracle' that brought her to God at 44
Singer Gwen Stefani grew up in a Catholic household but drifted away from the Church as an adult — until an unexpected prayer brought her closer to God than she ever thought possible.
The No Doubt co-founder and multi-platinum solo artist recently opened up about her newfound faith with Jeff Cavins from Christian prayer and meditation app Hallow.
'Please, God, let my mom have a baby.'
Stefani said her shift came 12 years ago, after talking to an acquaintance who had converted to Judaism despite a non-religious upbringing in Israel.
Wake-up call
"He was studying the Torah, and he had this big epiphany, ... and he starts talking to me about the Torah. And I was desperate at this point, too, during all this. I really wanted to have another baby," Stefani told Cavins. "I really did. And I couldn't."
After describing the teachings of the Torah as "waking me up," she recalled talking to her then-8-year-old son about why he was unlikely to get his wish for a younger sibling.
"I'm sorry, your mommy's too old," she told him.
He then shocked her with a spontaneous prayer: "Please, God, let my mom have a baby."
"I never taught him that," Stefani marveled as she remembered the moment.
Running to God
To Stefani's surprise, she learned she was pregnant just four weeks later.
"I was pregnant with Apollo, who I had at 44 years old naturally, totally a full-on gift. And that was the first miracle," she explained.
"You can run from God, or you can run to God," Cavins responded, with Stefani noting that she was always taught to run toward him.
The 56-year-old also revealed during her interview that the closest she feels to God is when she is doing music.
"Honestly, it's 'cause I'm desperate for him because I'm like, I'm about ready to go on stage, and I'm not nervous, but I just want God to use me. I just want people to see God's light through me," she explained.
Daily practice
Stefani went on to say that she discovered the Hallow app during the COVID-19 lockdown and became so attached to the idea of daily prayer, she would have fears that one day the app would shut down and she wouldn't be able to use it.
Now, she is doing work with the Christian prayer app, recently releasing videos like a 40-day Lent prayer challenge in which she encourages users of the app to pray every day leading up to Easter.
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