Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 3

Off to Austria, proud of my grandson

Proud of my grandson Dominic and his new bride Anna for taking an adventure to Austria to get his Masters Degree in Theology at a university set up by St. John Paul II. God be with you Grandson!

The post Off to Austria, proud of my grandson appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Discussing Charlie Kirk’s Assissination with Teresa Tomeo on EWTN

Teresa and I discussed the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk and the sadness of his assissination—and what it tells us about the state of our country.

Here is a link to 25 minute interview through EWTN’s on-demand audio from EWTN — and also YouTube which is only audio.

The post Discussing Charlie Kirk’s Assissination with Teresa Tomeo on EWTN appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Janet Smith on the Impact of Charlie Kirk and his Assissination

Great article today in Crisis Magazine:

I have spent hours reading tributes to Charlie Kirk and watching his videos. I have avoided as much as possible the unbelievable, hate-filled responses that rejoice in his death.

For some time now I have said I have felt privileged to live in the time of several individuals, Kirk very much among them. The fact that he is no longer with us devastates me.

If you can’t see that Charlie Kirk’s life was animated by love, I pity you. You do not have eyes to see or ears to hear. You are allowing the hate-filled to shape your views.

Charlie did not go out to the wilderness of college campuses, he did not leave his beloved family for days on end, he did not work long hours for love of anything but Truth (and that means Jesus Himself). He did not risk his life for his own pleasure and profit. He loved those who have rejected the truth, who were duped by the lies of our culture and entangled by its moral corruption.

Although he spent only one semester in college, Charlie defeated everyone he debated, even students at Oxford and Cambridge. He defeated them because he was more brilliant, more learned, and more in love with the Truth than they who could only spout politically-correct ideas. If you doubt me, spend an hour watching his videos. I predict you will come to respect him if not love him.

If you are not on 𝕏 or some other useful news source (nothing mainline) you will not know that huge vigils for Kirk are taking place all over the world—in small villages and major cities—and that is no exaggeration. Billions have watched his videos. Billions. Billions love him, even many of those who don’t agree with him on major issues but know that he loved them.

My 𝕏 feed is filled with statements by the old and the young—that they are going back to church this weekend after years away or going for the first time because of Kirk (and that they are leaving the Democratic party and becoming Republicans). His testimonies to his love for Christ and what it demands of us were more moving and persuasive than almost any given by religious leaders—in large part, of course, because he truly believed and tried to live the Gospel. He exhorted young men to save themselves for marriage, to prepare to support a wife and children spiritually and financially, and to live lives rebuilding American culture. He told them there was no other path to happiness. And many came to believe him. That is why they killed him.

Very large numbers of people like myself are surprised to find ourself plunged into mourning. I have been on the verge of tears for days. But perhaps it should not be such a surprise; those who can’t distinguish evil from good have attempted to extinguish one of the most effective Christian evangelists of our time and the most effective advocate of true American values. It hurts deeply.

There has been endless rejoicing by those on the Left that Charlie is dead. They think he deserved to die for his opinions. How is it that newscasters, professors, teachers, health-care professionals, and people from many worthy walks of life feel justified in claiming that it is a good thing that Charlie is dead? Do you know that? If not, you need better news sources.

Charlie never advocated for violence; he believed in the power of discussion and reasoning. He regularly decimated the arguments of his opponents but nonetheless respected their dignity. He believed their intellects were capable of escaping the prison of false ideas and of grasping the truth. He didn’t think they were stupid or evil, they just weren’t thinking clearly.

Let’s face it. Vast numbers in our culture hate truth and hate those who seek truth and cheer on those deranged enough to kill those they want dead. Too many still live in bubbles occupied by those who think just like them and refuse to see the truth about our culture. It is the Charlie Kirks of the world that have been trying to save the culture that our wise ancestors bequeathed to us.

I am with those who think Charlie Kirk was a modern-day Socrates, a modern-day St. Paul. I believe his death will be a major catalyst to advancing the changes our culture needs, beginning with the foundation of the Truth of Christ. I pray his death will inspire legions of young people to speak up, to debate, and to defend the truth. That is our only true hope.

AuthorJanet E. Smith

The post Janet Smith on the Impact of Charlie Kirk and his Assissination appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Wisdom 2:12-20 – Sound Like the Left’s Sentiments about Charlie Kirk??

Wisdom 2:12 “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law
and accuses us of sins against our training.

13 He professes to have knowledge of God
and calls himself a child of the Lord.

14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;

15 the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his manner of life is unlike that of others
and his ways are strange.

16 We are considered by him as something base,
and he avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous happy
and boasts that God is his father.

17 Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;

18 for if the righteous man is God’s son, he will help him
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.

19 Let us test him with insult and torture,
that we may find out how gentle he is
and make trial of his forbearance.

20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death
for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”

The post Wisdom 2:12-20 – Sound Like the Left’s Sentiments about Charlie Kirk?? appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Catholic Answers Live: My Favorite Things and Fun Facts on the Holy Land

Fun show on the Holy Land with Catholic Answers Live. All my favorite things, fun experiences and fun facts about the holy land.

To join us in the Holy Lane December 28 – January 6 — click HERE.

“How did people travel in the time of Jesus?” This episode explores the transportation methods of the era, including the quality of Roman roads around Jerusalem. Additionally, we delve into intriguing topics such as the existence of two tombs of Jesus and the significance of Mount Tabor, offering a rich perspective on life in biblical times.

Questions Covered:

2:00 – How did people travel in the time of Jesus?10:38 – Were there high quality Roman roads around Jerusalem?14:50 – Jesus followed Mary twice a day for 1/4 mile to get water every day — imagine little Jesus “Wait up for me, Mom!”19:30 – Are there 2 tombs of Jesus? Which one is the real one?29:19 – Have you done the full walk of Mount Tabor?32:43 – What are your thoughts on the flight to Egypt?40:20 – What place in the Holy Land inspires you the most?46:42 – I’ve heard there is a lot of demonic activity there. The holier the place the more demonic activity. Is this true? And what can one do to protect themselves when visiting?48:42 – Is the Eye of the Needle a real gate into the city of Jerusalem?50:00 – What’s the Sea of Galilee like? What would fishermen’s life be like?52:26 – How large was the temple where Jesus was lost?

The post Catholic Answers Live: My Favorite Things and Fun Facts on the Holy Land appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Assasination of Charlie Kirk – devastating!

The post Assasination of Charlie Kirk – devastating! appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

LGBTQ+ Pilgrimage to Rome – Did the Pope Welcome or Disappoint?

Lots of news about the LGBTQ+ presence in Rome for the Jubilee, but what are the facts? Did Pope Leo XVI welcome them or dismiss them?

The Catholic League has presented a review that strikes me as being a balanced and accurate report.

*******************************************************

September 8, 2025Trying to get accurate information about the LGBTQ Catholic participation in the Holy Year Jubilee can be frustrating. Misinformation and disinformation abound, but in the end the consensus was these disaffected Catholics did not get want they wanted—a big shout-out from the pope. It never happened.“Did Pope Leo welcome LGBTQ Catholics at Jubilee events?” Putting  this question in a search engine yields a response from AI (Artificial Intelligence) that says, “Pope Leo XIII did not specifically address LGBTQ issues during his papacy.” True enough. Pope Leo XIII died in 1903 at a time when transgender persons barely existed.On a second try, accessing a different search engine, more misinformation was given. “During the Jubilee events, Pope Leo met with diverse Catholic groups including the LGBTQ community.” Wrong. He did not.AI was twice mistaken, but when seasoned journalists get it wrong, that is more serious.CNN said the Jubilee was “the first officially recognized pilgrimage of LGBTQ Catholics to Rome.” PressReader.com is a widely used digital newspaper platform, and it reported that “LGBTQ+ Catholics” participated in “a Vatican-sanctioned event that many had believed impossible.”These are examples of disinformation—intentionally distorting the truth.The Washington Post noted that when “the gay jubilee” began, “many participants said they would be disappointed to leave without a public gesture from Leo.” It correctly noted that it was not forthcoming. The New York Times reported that “Pope Leo XIV did not individually welcome the contingent [of LGBTQ Catholics] at a Jubilee audience on Saturday morning, as he did with some other groups in attendance.”CBS News and Fox News quoted Vatican officials as saying that being listed in the Jubilee calendar of events was one thing, but they hastened to add, “They are not sponsored activities.”The National Catholic Reporter, which is pro-LGBTQ and is opposed to the Church’s teachings on sexuality, said of this contingency that it “is not explicitly endorsed by the Vatican—nor will participants receive a dedicated papal audience as other groups have.” CBS News also said when the pope addressed the Jubilee audience on Saturday, he “made no special mention of the LGBTQ+ Catholics.”The queer Catholic group responsible for organizing this contingency is La Tenda di Gionata (Jonathan’s Tent), an Italian LGBTQ association. It drew the support of Outreach, DignityUSA and New Ways Ministry.An internet search of the principal organizer turned up bizarre results. Trying to access information on Jonathan’s Tent was nearly impossible. “The page you are trying to reach no longer exists, or has been removed.” Typing in “La Tenda di Gionata” was a little better, but no less puzzling. A page appears saying that it was founded in 2018 by Don David Esposito, “a prematurely disappeared priest.” That’s an odd way to say he’s dead.We know more about Outreach. It was founded by Father James Martin, who ministers to these people. He openly rejects the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, taking great umbrage at the Catholic Catechism for saying that the homosexual inclination, and homosexual acts, are “intrinsically disordered.” He wants that changed to “differently ordered” people, thus normalizing homosexual behavior.On the website of DignityUSA, a Catholic queer group, it says that one of its goals is to seek changes “to harmful church teachings on gender and sexual orientation.” New Ways Ministry, one of the boldest groups that publicly rejects the Church’s teachings on sexuality, likes to make a fetish of our bodies. It is advertising an event in October called, “Honoring Our Bodies.”There are Catholics who are struggling with their “intrinsically disordered” orientation who want to be chaste. Courage is the name of a Catholic ministry that was founded explicitly to serve them. It is not the kind of ministry that wins the applause from any of the aforementioned rebel groups.The Catholic Church welcomes everyone, but it does so on its terms, not on terms that are subversive of its teachings. That would be suicidal.Pope Leo is trying to bring unity to the Church. There are times when that can be tricky. He does not want to humiliate anyone, but he also wants to be honest. Prudence is the most cardinal of the cardinal virtues, and his exercise of it is exemplary.

The post LGBTQ+ Pilgrimage to Rome – Did the Pope Welcome or Disappoint? appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

My brother said the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while

My brother Dave said the funniest thing: “Why is my brother Steve like a car’s emission controls?” “Because he is a catholetic converter!”

The post My brother said the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

“Pets as Children” – my new article in Catholic Answers Magazine

When the pastor introduced his dog as “my son,” I knew I had to write this article.https://catholicconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/amazon_polly_148638.mp3

 

Screenshot

The post “Pets as Children” – my new article in Catholic Answers Magazine appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Answered Questions about our Christmas Holy Land Pilgrimage

Hello HeatherThanks for your interest! Below, I will answer your questions. First, here is our webpage for this pilgrimage. And here is the brochure .Now to answer your questions: 

I’m interested in going to the Holy Land with a small group and an excellent teacher. I think you have both. I want to deepen my understanding of both the stories of the Bible and the roots of my faith.

There is no way to understand the Bible better than to step inside its pages and walk around. Our pilgrimages are an intense 8 day Bible study in the places where it all happened. With fun and stories I take you on a journey through the lives of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Kings, Apostles, Our Lord and Our Lady.

1. Does Stephen guide the groups himself?

Yes, along with a local Catholic guide who can share much of the local informatin while I teadch the Bible. This pictiure will give you an idea.

2. Will the pilgrimages take us to several sites a day or 1 per day?

We usually cover 3-5 sites in a day, along with daily Mass at the holiest sites. We visit sites with time to explain and teach, pray and explore. We have a very nice pace that we have perfected over the last 20 years and over 100 groups. Refer to the day-by-day itinerary in the brochure or on my website for details.

3. Will we be traveling by foot or bus?

Both. The brand new Mercedes bus takes us to all the sites and then we walk around the sites before taking the bus to the next site. We teach and prepare you while we are on the bus between sites. We also pray on the bus and have a good time.

4. Are the sites out of the way or busy with other pilgrims with a touristy feel?

Usually, the sites are bustling and crowded with long lines. But because of the situation in the Middle East in the last two years, when we go in December-January, there will be NO CROWDS. We will not have lines or any touristy feeling. Get on the bus now while it is still quiet because by next year there will be millions of pilgrims and tourists arriving again.

5. Will an armed guard be escorting us?

No, this is unnecessary. If you have an armed escort, it only draws attention to ourselves. We will be a smaller group and move between the hholy sites with no problem. We have been doing this for 30 years, and our guides and drivers are the best and cautious. I do think that our driver, who is former military and a reservist, carries a weapon, although I have never asked him.

Final Note

We hope you can join us. People always refer to trips as “the trip of a lifetime” — a phrase I never use. However, it will be true on this Christmas trip because for a short window of time, there will be no crowds or lines, and you won’t find that again for a long time.

The post Answered Questions about our Christmas Holy Land Pilgrimage appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.