Category: church

Why Are so Many Americans Renouncing Their Faith?

Commentary After studying Catholicism for his upcoming movie, “Padre Pio,” the American actor Shia LaBeouf recently announced his devotion to Christ. He is a fully-fledged Catholic. The 36-year-old has fully embraced Christianity. At the same time, however, millions of his fellow Americans are going the opposite way, renouncing their faith in record numbers. The United States is…


Safety in Numbers

Commentary I belong to a very small minority: the awful truth is that I’m not a big fan of team sports. All codes of football expect their players to show great personal and physical courage on the field, but moral conviction tends to get overlooked in the job description. I’m unhappy about that. In my…


Court: 70-Year-Old Indicted in Alabama Church Triple Slaying

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—An Alabama grand jury has indicted a 70-year-old man on capital murder charges in the fatal shootings of three people at a church potluck dinner in June, according to court records made public Friday. The Jefferson County grand jury indicted Robert Findlay Smith this week in connection with the June 16 shootings of Walter…


Catholic Church in Wisconsin Vandalized With ‘Anti-Pro-Life’ Messages

Authorities in Wisconsin are looking for one or more suspects believed to be connected to a vandalism incident where pro-abortion graffiti messages were sprayed on a Wisconsin church in Madison, west of Milwaukee. The Madison Police Department said the front entrance of St. Bernard Catholic Church was damaged with spray-painted messages that contained “anti-pro-life” and “anti-police” signs,…


Silicon Valley Church Sues County Over Pandemic Restrictions

In California’s Silicon Valley, a church in San Jose with over 600 members has filed a civil rights lawsuit against county and state officials over COVID-related restrictions and fines. From May through October 2020, Calvary Chapel San Jose (CCSJ) continued to hold indoor services with masks optional and did not enforce social distancing nor limit…


Historic Catholic Church in West Virginia Burned to the Ground in Suspected Arson

A Catholic Church in Raleigh County, West Virginia, burned to the ground over the weekend and authorities are now investigating the incident as arson. The Beaver Volunteer Fire Department said in a news release that units were notified on June 26 about a structural fire at the Saint Colman Catholic Church on Irish Mountain Road…


Gunman Kills 3 Seniors Over Potluck Dinner at Alabama Church

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala.—The 70-year-old visitor had previously attended some services at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church before police say he showed up for a potluck dinner, pulled out a handgun, and fatally shot three of the elderly participants, one of whom died in his wife’s arms as she whispered words of love in his ear. Church…


Alabama Church Shooting Kills 2, Wounds 1; Suspect Detained

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala.—A gunman opened fire inside a suburban Alabama church, killing two people and wounding a third at a small group meeting before being taken into custody Thursday, authorities said. The attack occurred at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in the Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills, said Police Capt. Shane Ware. He said emergency dispatchers…


Audit of Several Quebec Dioceses’ Records Identifies 87 Abusers in the Church: Report

An independent audit of more than 80 years of files involving nine Quebec Catholic dioceses found at least 87 abusers among church personnel. Retired Superior Court justice André Denis reviewed 6,809 archived files between 1940 and 2021 and uncovered 87 people who were the subjects of confirmed or well-founded sex abuse allegations involving minors or…


3 People Dead After Shooting in Iowa Church Parking Lot

A man shot and killed two women in the parking lot of a church in Iowa state on Thursday and then turned the gun on himself, police said, adding three more dead to the toll in a series of recent shootings that have rocked the United States. Meanwhile another shooting on Thursday wounded two people…