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Daylight Saving Time Begins Tomorrow[1]
Daylight Savings time had
begun in an effort to help save energy and provide workers with more hours of
serviceable daylight during the long summer days. Daylight Savings
Time was first introduced in the U.S. in 1918. However, it was not until
1966, when the Uniform Act was passed, that all states had to either observe
DST or pass a state law to abstain.
Daylight Saving Time Begins
Facts
·
Benjamin Franklin first
proposed the idea of DST in 1784. He wrote An Economical Project for the
Journal of Paris, wherein he discussed the cost of oil for lamps as well as
working while it was dark and sleeping while it was day.
·
Daylight Savings Time changes
at 2:00 a.m. This time is selected in an effort to provide the least
amount of inconvenience to businesses and citizens.
· Hawaii and Arizona do not use DST. Up until 2006, Indiana only used DST in part of the state.
Daylight Saving Time Begins
Top Events and Things to Do
·
Move your clocks forward 1
hour before bed on Saturday night before the Daylight-Saving Time Day in March.
·
Go to bed an hour earlier
Saturday night before the Daylight-Saving Time Day.
·
Get outside and enjoy the
extra hour of daylight.
·
Replace the batteries in the
smoke alarm and carbon dioxide monitors.
· Clean out the medicine cabinet. Dispose of all medicines properly.
Today imagine that God came to you and said you can move back time for two hours for any moment in your life. What would you change? Think of that before going to confession.
Claire’s Corner Try “Callaloo”
- Bucket Item trip: St. John’s Antigua and Barbuda
- Spirit hour: Pomegranate Margarita
o In honor of Saint John of God
- How to celebrate Mar 8th
- So you wake up on Be Nasty Day. Start the day with some retro video games. Challenge your friends to a friendly competition, loser buys peanut clusters! Then, head outdoors for a walk to appreciate the forests of Oregon. Try your hand at urban ballroom dancing in a park. It’s all about having fun and getting moving. Learn about the amazing women who have shaped history on International Women’s Day. Take time to celebrate their accomplishments. Grab a red pen and celebrate National Proofreading Day by proofreading your favorite book or poem. Dive into your family history on National Genealogy Day. Share stories and memories with your loved ones.
- National Retro Video Game Day
o Las Fallas in Valencia, Spain March 1-19 Enjoy a high-spirited fiesta in Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city. The annual bash, held in commemoration of Saint Joseph, sees neighborhoods transformed into lively parties over a boisterous five-day period.
Sunday Dinner-Today’s Menu is from IOWA
· Beef Vegetable Soup
· Stuffed Iowa Chops
· Candy Bar Apple Salad
After Dinner Cigars
Claire’s Perfect Weather World Tour
🇨🇾 Week 10 — Paphos, Cyprus
“Eastern Light & Apostolic Courage”
March 8–14, 2026
Base: Paphos — Coastal Early‑Church Stronghold
🌦️ Overview
Mid‑March in Cyprus is warm, bright, and steady — 63–70°F, long daylight, and only brief showers. Paphos is one of the earliest Christian centers in the world, where St. Paul preached and suffered for the Gospel.
Theme: apostolic boldness, early‑Church roots, and walking in the light of the Resurrection.
📅 Daily Outline with Embedded Links
📌 Mar 8 — Arrival (Third Sunday of Lent)
Flight: Malta → Cyprus via Aegean Airlines or ITA Airways
Mass: Agia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa Catholic Parish
Lodging: Annabelle Hotel (~$150–$180/night)
Meals: ~$55/day
Symbolic Act: “Stepping onto Apostolic Ground” — pray at St. Paul’s Pillar
Fun: Walk the seaside promenade at sunset
📌 Mar 9 — Ancient Paphos (Monday)
Visit: Paphos Archaeological Park (whc.unesco.org in Bing) — House of Dionysus mosaics
Walk: Paphos Harbor → Medieval Fort
Mass: Return to Agia Kyriaki
Symbolic Act: “Beauty That Endures” — meditate before the ancient mosaics
Fun: Coffee at a harbor café overlooking the fort
📌 Mar 10 — Troodos Mountains (Tuesday)
Visit: Kykkos Monastery
Walk: Cedar Valley overlook
Mass: Chapel at Kykkos (if available)
Symbolic Act: “Climbing Toward God” — offer a prayer at the icon of the Theotokos
Fun: Try mountain honey and warm halloumi bread
📌 Mar 11 — Limassol & Ancient Kourion (Wednesday)
Visit: Kourion Archaeological Site
Walk: Amphitheater → coastal cliffs
Mass: Catholic community in Limassol
Symbolic Act: “Where the Word Was Preached” — read Acts 13 aloud in the amphitheater
Fun: Lunch in Limassol’s old port district
📌 Mar 12 — Larnaca & St. Lazarus (Thursday)
Visit: Church of St. Lazarus
Walk: Finikoudes Beach promenade
Mass: St. Lazarus Basilica
Symbolic Act: “Hope Beyond the Tomb” — light a candle at Lazarus’ relics
Fun: Try Cypriot loukoumades (honey dough balls)
📌 Mar 13 — Akamas Peninsula (Friday)
Visit: Akamas National Park
Walk: Aphrodite Trail — coastal cliffs and turquoise water
Mass: Evening Mass back in Paphos
Symbolic Act: “Light on the Water” — reflect on God’s guidance in your life
Fun: Swim or wade at the Baths of Aphrodite
📌 Mar 14 — Farewell Day (Saturday)
Visit: Paphos Old Town & Market
Walk: Lighthouse coastal path
Mass: Saturday Vigil at Agia Kyriaki
Symbolic Act: Leave a written prayer of gratitude at the sea
Fun: Enjoy a final Cypriot coffee with a view of the harbor
💰 Cost Snapshot (Per Person)
Lodging (6 nights): ~$900–$1,080
Meals (7 days): ~$385–$420
Tickets/Activities: ~$60–$120
Local Transport: ~$80–$120
Flight (Malta → Cyprus): ~$90–$180
➡️ Total: $1,515–$1,900
MARCH 8 Third
Sunday of Lent
International Women's Day
Deuteronomy, Chapter 7, Verse 24-25
If you say to yourselves, “These nations are more numerous than
we. How can we dispossess them?” do not be AFRAID of them. Rather, remember clearly
what the LORD, your God, did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the
great testing’s which your own eyes have seen, the signs and wonders, the
strong hand and outstretched arm with which the LORD, your God, brought you
out. The same also will he do to all the peoples of whom you are now afraid.
We
in America have much to be afraid of If we
have not been obedient to God’s word but If we have been obedient, we also have nothing to fear from those nations and peoples
which hate us.
We
on our own have no power to defeat the devil and his evil forces but with God
fighting for us nothing can defeat us. Do you believe this?
Then
we as a people must be a nation that
follows the precepts of the Lord or clearly, we too will be dispossessed of our
land. You must know that those who
are loyal to God’s commandments will not be in terror. We must be humble before God and confident that His power will save
us. On the Day of Judgment, it will be the poor and the humble that will have
great confidence and joy, but the proud and powerful lovers of this world who
have not repented will be afraid. Let us pray for those who do not know and follow
Christ.
Under all the false, overloaded, glittering masquerade, there is in every person a noble nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Copilot’s Take
The passage from Deuteronomy becomes even sharper when read beside the world we are living in. Scripture warns that fear takes root when a people forget who God is, what He has done, and what fidelity requires. Recent reporting shows both the external pressures facing the Church and the internal failures that have wounded the Body from within. Hostility toward churches in the United States has risen dramatically, with more than 400 acts of vandalism, arson, and violence recorded in 2024 alone, continuing a multi‑year upward trend. Family Research Council At the same time, the Church’s own annual abuse audit shows fewer new allegations but also a sober insistence from the bishops that the “evil of abuse continues to exist” and demands vigilance, transparency, and a culture of safeguarding rather than complacency. CatholicVote org These two realities—aggression from the outside and purification from the inside—mirror Israel’s situation: the nations around them were real threats, but the deeper danger was always internal infidelity.
ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[1]
CHAPTER II
DIES CHRISTI
The Day of the Risen Lord
and of the Gift
of the Holy Spirit
The
day of faith
29.
Given these different dimensions which set it apart, Sunday appears as the
supreme day of faith. It is the day when, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, who is the Church's living "memory" (cf. Jn 14:26),
the first appearance of the Risen Lord becomes an event renewed in the
"today" of each of Christ's disciples. Gathered in his presence in
the Sunday assembly, believers sense themselves called like the Apostle Thomas:
"Put your finger here, and see my hands. Put out your hand, and place it
in my side. Doubt no longer, but believe" (Jn 20:27). Yes, Sunday
is the day of faith. This is stressed by the fact that the Sunday Eucharistic
liturgy, like the liturgy of other solemnities, includes the Profession of
Faith. Recited or sung, the Creed declares the baptismal and Paschal character
of Sunday, making it the day on which in a special way the baptized renew their
adherence to Christ and his Gospel in a rekindled awareness of their baptismal
promises. Listening to the word and receiving the Body of the Lord, the
baptized contemplate the Risen Jesus present in the "holy signs" and
confess with the Apostle Thomas: "My Lord and my God!" (Jn
20:28).
Third Sunday of Lent
We beseech Thee, Almighty God,
regard the prayers of Thy humble servants, and stretch forth in our defense the
right hand of Thy majesty.
EPISTLE.
Ephesians v. 1-9.
Brethren: Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children. And walk-in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odor of sweetness. But fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints: or obscenity, or foolish talking, or scurrility, which is to no purpose: but rather giving of thanks. For know ye this and understand that no fornicator, nor unclean, nor covetous person (which is a serving of idols), hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief.
Be ye not therefore partakers with them. For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk ye as children of the light: for the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth.
Explanation. St.
Paul here declares it to be the duty of every Christian, not only to walk in
love, but also to abstain from fornication, impurity, and equivocal and
immodest talk. No one, therefore, who is addicted to these vices can have any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ.
Aspiration.
O Lord, free my heart from all inordinate desires for temporal goods and
sensual pleasures. May a childlike fear of Thee guard my tongue, that I may not
speak foolish or sinful words.
GOSPEL.
Luke xi. 14-28.
At
that time Jesus was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb; and when He had
cast out the devil, the dumb spoke: and the multitudes were in admiration at
it: but some of them said: He casteth out devils, by Beelzebub, the prince of
devils. And others tempting, asked of Him a sign from heaven. But He seeing
their thoughts said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be
brought to desolation, and house upon house shall fall. And if Satan also be
divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because you say, that
through Beelzebub I cast out devils. Now if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by
whom do your children cast them out?
Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out devils, doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his court: those things are in peace which he possesseth. But if a stronger than he come upon him and overcome him: he will take away all his armor wherein he trusted and will distribute his spoils. he that is not with Me is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest: and not finding, he saith: I will return into my house whence I came out. And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and entering in they dwell there. And the last state of that man becometh worse than the first.
And it came to pass as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd lifting up her voice said to Him: Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck. But He said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
What are we to understand here by
the dumb devil?
The evil spirit, who so controls
those of whom he has possession that they are dumb, and through a false shame
keep away from confession.
By what power did Christ cast out
the devil?
By His divine power, which worked
so suddenly and perfectly that the possessed was at once freed and able to
speak.
How did Christ show the Jews that
He did not cast out devils by Beelzebub?
1. By the parable in which He
explains to them that the kingdom of Satan cannot stand if one evil spirit is
cast out by another.
2. By pointing to their own
children, some of whom were enabled to cast out devils by the power they had
received from God (Mark ix. 37, 38).
3. By His whole life, and His
works, which were in direct opposition to the devil.
Prayer.
O Jesus, conqueror of the dumb devil, strengthen me, that if I should have the misfortune to sin against Thy holy commandments, I may have courage to overcome my false shame, and confess my sins in sincerity and humility. O my Savior, be Thou my leader in the fight, that I may foil those arms of the devil: my evil inclinations, idleness, bad company, bad books, and human respect, and grant that I may never relapse into sin, but serve Thee with perseverance. Amen.
Lenten Calendar[2]
Read: Take
time to read the readings before going to Mass today. You
can sign up to receive the daily readings.
Pray: Pray
in solidarity with refugees around the world.
Act: When
confronted with your own weakness during Lent, don’t give in to anger, frustration,
and self-pity. Be patient and see yourself as God does, with unconditional
love.
Third
Sunday of Lent[3]
Christ again foreshadows His
victory (this time over the devil), but as we move closer to Passiontide, He
also hints at the way in which this will be done.
Third Sunday of Lent is called Oculi, from the first word of the Introit. In the primitive Church, it was called Scrutiny-Sunday, because it was on this day that they began to examine the Catechumens, who were to he admitted to Baptism on Easter night. All the Faithful were invited to assemble in the Church, in order that they might bear testimony to the good life and morals of the candidates. At Rome, these examinations, which where called the Scrutinies, were made on seven different occasions, on account of the great number of the aspirants to Baptism; but the principal Scrutiny was that held on the Wednesday of the Fourth Week We will speak of it later on. The Roman Sacramentary of St. Gelasius gives us the form, in which the Faithful were convoked to these assemblies. It is as follows. “Dearly beloved Brethren: you know that the day of Scrutiny, when our elect is to receive the holy instruction, is at hand. We invite you, therefore, to be zealous and assemble on N., (here, the day was mentioned,) at the hour of Sext; that so we may be able, by the divine aid, to achieve without error, the heavenly mystery, whereby is opened the gate of the kingdom of heaven, and the devil is excluded with all his pomp’s.” The invitation was repeated, if needed, on each of the following Sundays. The Scrutiny of this Sunday ended in the admission of a certain number of candidates: their names were written down, and put on the Diptychs of the Altar, that they might be mentioned in the Canon of the Mass.
The same also was done with the names of their Sponsors. The Station was, and still is, in the Basilica of Saint Laurence outside the walls. The name of this, the most celebrated of the Martyrs of Rome, would remind the Catechumens, that the Faith they were about to profess, would require them to be ready for many sacrifices.
·
The
holy Church gave us, as the subject of our meditation for the first Sunday of Lent, the Temptation
which our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to suffer in the Desert. Her object was to
enlighten us with regard to our own temptations and teach us how to conquer
them.
·
Today,
she wishes to complete her instruction on the power and stratagems of our
invisible enemies; and for this she reads to us a passage from the Gospel of
St. Luke. During Lent, the Christian ought to repair the past, and provide for
the future; but he can neither understand how it was he fell, nor defend
himself against a relapse, unless he have correct ideas as to the nature of the
dangers which have hitherto proved fatal, and are again threatening him.
·
Hence,
the ancient Liturgists would have us consider it as a proof of the maternal
watchfulness of the Church, that she should have again proposed such a subject
to us. As we shall find, it is the basis of all today’s instructions.
Assuredly, we should be the blindest and most unhappy of men, if, - surrounded
as we are by enemies, who unceasingly seek to destroy us, and are so superior
to us both in power and knowledge, - we were seldom or never to think of the
existence of these wicked spirits. And yet, such is really the case with
innumerable Christians now-a-days; for, truths are diminished from among the
children of men [Ps. xi. 2].
·
So
common, indeed, is this heedlessness and forgetfulness of truth, which the Holy
Scriptures put before us in almost every page, that it is no rare thing to meet
with persons who ridicule the idea of Devils being permitted to be on this
earth of ours! They call it a prejudice, a popular superstition, of the
Middle-Ages! Of course, they deny that it is a dogma of Faith. When we read the
History of the Church or the Lives of the Saints, they have their own way of
explaining whatever is there related on this subject. To hear them talk, one
would suppose that they look upon Satan as a mere abstract idea, to be
taken as the personification of evil.
· When they would account for the origin of their own or others’ sins, they explain all by the evil inclination of man’s heart, and by the bad use we make of our free-will.
·
They
never think of what we are taught by Christian doctrine; namely, that we are
also instigated to sin by a wicked being, whose power is as great as is the
hatred he bears us. And yet, they know, they believe, with a firm faith, that
Satan conversed with our First Parents, and persuaded them to commit sin, and
showed himself to them under the form of a serpent. They believe that this same
Satan dared to tempt the Incarnate Son of God, and that he carried him through
the air, and set him first upon a pinnacle of the Temple, and then upon a very
high mountain. Again, they read in the Gospel, and they believe, that one of
the Possessed, who were delivered by our Savior, was tormented by a whole
legion of devils, who, upon being driven out of the man, went, by Jesus’
permission, into a herd of swine, and the whole herd ran violently into the
sea of Genesareth, and perished in the waters. These, and many other
such like facts, are believed, by the persons of whom we speak, with all the
earnestness of faith; yet, notwithstanding, they treat as a figure of speech,
or a fiction, all they hear or read about the existence, the actions, or the
craft of these wicked spirits.
·
Are such people Christians, or have
they lost their senses?
o One would scarcely have expected
that this species of incredulity could have found its way into an age like
this, when sacrilegious consultations of the devil have been, we might almost
say, - fashionable. Means, which were used in the days of paganism, have been
resorted to for such consultations; and they who employed them seemed to
forget, or ignore, that they were committing what God in the Old Law, punished
with death, and which, for many centuries, was considered by all Christian
nations as a capital crime. But if there be one Season of the Year more than
another in which the Faithful ought to reflect upon what is taught us both by
faith and experience, as to the existence and workings of the wicked spirits, -
it is undoubtedly this of Lent, when it is our duty to consider what have been
the causes of our last sins, what are the spiritual dangers we have to fear for
the future, and what means we should have recourse to for preventing a relapse.
Let us, then, hearken to the Holy Gospel. Firstly, we are told, that the devil
had possessed a man, and that the effect produced by this possession
was dumbness.
· Our Savior casts out the devil, and, immediately, the dumb man spoke. So that, the being possessed by the devil is not only a fact which testifies to God’s impenetrable justice; it is one which may produce physical effects upon them that are thus tried or punished. The casting out the devil restores the use of speech to him that had been possessed.
·
We
say nothing about the obstinate malice of Jesus’ enemies, who would have it,
that his power over the devils, came from his being in league with the prince
of devils: - all we would now do is, to show that the wicked spirits are
sometimes permitted to have power over the body, and to refute, by this passage
from the Gospel, the rationalism of certain Christians.
·
Let
these learn, then, that the power of our spiritual enemies is an awful reality;
and let them take heed not to lay themselves open to their worst attacks, by
persisting in the disdainful haughtiness of their Reason. Ever since the
promulgation of the Gospel, the power of Satan over the human body has been
restricted by the virtue of the Cross, at least in Christian countries; but
this power resumes its sway as often as faith and the practice of Christian
piety lose their influence. And here we have the origin of all those diabolical
practices, which, under certain scientific names, are attempted first in
secret, and then are countenanced by being assisted at by well-meaning
Christians. Was it not that God and his Church intervene, such practices as
these would subvert society? Christians! Remember your baptismal vow! You have
renounced Satan: take care, then, that by a culpable ignorance you are not
dragged into apostacy. It is not a phantom that you renounced at the Font; he
is a real and formidable being, who, as our Lord tells us, was a murderer
from the beginning [St. John, viii. 44].
·
But,
if we ought to dread the power he may be permitted to have over our bodies; if
we ought to shun all intercourse with him, and take no share in practices over
which he presides, and which are the worship he would have men give him;
- we ought, also, to fear the influence he is ever striving to exercise over
our souls. See, what God’s grace has had to do in order to drive him from our
soul! During this holy season, the Church is putting within your reach those
grand means of victory, - Fasting, Prayer, and Alms deeds.
· True sweets of peace will soon be yours, and, once more, you will become God’s temple, for both soul and body will have regained their purity. But be not deceived; your enemy is not slain. He is irritated; penance has driven him from you; but he has sworn to return. Therefore, fear a relapse into mortal sin; and in order to nourish within you this wholesome fear, meditate upon the concluding part of our Gospel. Our Savior tells it, that when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water. There he writhes under his humiliation; it has added to the tortures of the hell he carries everywhere with him and to which he fain would give some alleviation, by destroying souls that have been redeemed by Christ.
·
We
read in the Old Testament that, sometimes, when the devils have been conquered,
they have been forced to flee into some far-off wilderness: for example. The
holy Archangel Raphael took the devil that had killed Sara’s husbands
and bound him in the desert of Upper Egypt [Tob. viii. 3]. But the enemy
of mankind never despairs of regaining his prey. His hatred is as active now,
as it was at the very beginning of the world, and he says: I will return
into my house, whence I came out.
·
Nor
will he come alone. He is determined to conquer; and therefore, he will, if he
thinks it needed, take with him seven other spirits, even more wicked
than himself. What a terrible assault is this that is being prepared for
the poor soul, unless she be on the watch, and unless the peace, which God
has granted her, be one that is well armed for war! Alas! with many souls the
very contrary is the case, and our Savior describes the situation in which the
devils finds them on his return: they are swept and garnished, and that
is all! No precautions, no defense, no arms. One would suppose that they were
waiting to give the enemy admission.
·
Then
Satan, to make his re-possession sure, comes with a seven-fold force. The
attack is made; - but there is no resistance, and straightway the wicked
spirits entering in, dwell there; so that, the last state becometh
worse than the first; for before, there was but one enemy, - and now
there are many. In order that we may understand the full force of the
warning conveyed to us by the Church in this Gospel, we must keep before us the
great reality, that this is the acceptable time. In every part of the
world, there are conversions being wrought; millions are being
reconciled with God; divine Mercy is lavish of pardon to all that seek it. But
will all persevere? They that are now being delivered from the power of Satan,
- will they all be free from his yoke, when next year’s Lent comes round?
·
A
sad experience tells the Church, that she may not hope so grand a result. Many
will return to their sins, and that too before many weeks are over. And if the
Justice of God overtake them in that state - what an awful thing it is to say
it, yet it is true, - some, perhaps many, of these sinners will be eternally
lost! Let us, then, be on our guard against a relapse; and in order that we may
ensure our Perseverance, without which it would have been too little purpose to
have been for a few days in God’s grace, - let us watch, and pray; let us keep
ourselves under arms; let us ever remember that our whole life is to be a
warfare. Our soldier-like attitude will disconcert the enemy, and he will try
to gain victory elsewhere.
Bible in a year Day 249 The prayer of Judith
Fr. Mike highlights the wisdom and faith of
Judith, heroine of the Old Testament, and shows us how her prayer in not just a
prayer of intercession, but also one of praise. The readings are Jeremiah
37-38, Judith 8-9, and Proverbs 17:5-8.
International Women's Day[4]
International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements throughout the world. Its purpose is to promote women’s equality, encourage support for repressed women and promote appreciation toward women everywhere. Many organizations, including the United Nations, use this day to also celebrate extraordinary achievements of ordinary women. International Women's Day was initially promoted by the Socialist Party of America. In 1909, it designated this day in remembrance of a major strike by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union. The holiday is now recognized internationally and is an Official National Holiday for many countries, including China, Russia and Ukraine. It is observed annually on March 8th.
International Women's Day Facts & Quotes
· In 2016, the theme for International Women's Day as promoted by the United Nations was Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.
·
On
the eve of World War I, women across Europe and Russia celebrated the holiday
by protesting the war and campaigning for peace.
·
On
this day, the US Dept. of State and the First Lady award the International
Women of Courage Awards. Ten women are given the award - who have
exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights,
women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk.
·
There
is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities:
violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable. -
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
International Women's Day Top Events and Things to Do
· Organize a sporting event for women. Numerous studies have shown many benefits for women that play sports.
A recent study by the EY Women Athletes Business Network even found that women that play sports were more likely to excel in business.
·
If
you're a woman, try learning a task that is typically done by men. Such a
chore may be: changing the oil on your car, computer programming, mowing the
lawn, painting, and any home improvement project.
·
If
you’re a man, show appreciation by performing a chore for your special lady
that is typically done by her. This may include cooking, cleaning, child
care or anything that the special woman in your life does.
·
Watch
a movie that portrays strong empowered women. Our favorites: Bend It Like
Beckham (2002), Elizabeth (1998), Erin Brockovich (2000), The Help (2011), A
League of Their Own (1992), Mulan (1998), My Fair Lady (1964), Norma Rae
(1979), Volver (2006).
The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the
feminine "genius" which have appeared in the course of history, in
the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms
which the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God,
for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope and charity: she
gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness.
-John Paul II,
Apostolic Letter
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Protection
of Traditional Marriage
·
Catholic
Activity: Religion in the Home for Preschool: March
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
The Stranger (1946) — Noir / Post‑War Moral Reckoning
Director: Orson Welles
Starring: Edward G. Robinson (Mr. Wilson), Orson Welles (Franz Kindler / Charles Rankin), Loretta Young (Mary Longstreet Rankin)
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures
Release: May 25, 1946
Runtime: 95 minutes
Source Material: Original screenplay by Anthony Veiller, with uncredited work by John Huston and Orson Welles
Plot Summary
In the quiet New England town of Harper, a seemingly respectable schoolteacher named Charles Rankin marries Mary Longstreet, daughter of a Supreme Court justice. But Rankin is not who he appears to be. He is Franz Kindler, a high‑ranking Nazi architect of genocide who has erased his identity and hidden in America.
Mr. Wilson, an investigator from the Allied War Crimes Commission, tracks Kindler to Harper by releasing one of his former associates and following him. When the associate arrives, Rankin murders him and hides the body, drawing Wilson closer. As Wilson gathers evidence, Rankin begins manipulating Mary, isolating her, and gaslighting her to protect his secret.
The tension builds toward a final confrontation in the town’s clock tower—Rankin’s symbolic perch of control—where his lies collapse and justice finally reaches him. The film becomes a meditation on evil hiding behind civility, and on the courage required to expose it.
Cast Highlights
Edward G. Robinson — Mr. Wilson, the relentless investigator whose calm persistence unmasks hidden evil
Orson Welles — Franz Kindler / Charles Rankin, the charming, cultured, and chillingly calculating fugitive
Loretta Young — Mary Longstreet Rankin, the innocent bride whose trust becomes the battleground between truth and deception
Philip Merivale — Judge Longstreet, representing the moral order Kindler seeks to corrupt
Themes & Moral Resonance
1. Evil Hides Behind Respectability
Kindler’s disguise is not a mask of brutality but of charm, intellect, and civic virtue.
The film insists that evil rarely looks monstrous at first glance.
2. Truth Requires Persistence
Wilson’s method is patient, steady, and unglamorous.
He wins not by force but by refusing to be deceived.
3. Innocence Is Not Naïveté
Mary’s struggle is the heart of the film.
Her innocence is exploited, but it becomes strength once she sees clearly.
4. Justice Is Slow but Certain
The clock tower is more than a setting; it is a symbol.
Time exposes lies.
Truth rises.
Catholic Lessons on Discernment and Deception
1. Evil mimics the good.
Kindler hides in marriage, community, and service.
Discernment requires looking beyond appearances.
2. Gaslighting is spiritual warfare.
Kindler isolates Mary, distorts reality, and attacks her confidence.
The antidote is truth spoken by a trustworthy witness—Wilson.
3. Conscience must be protected.
Mary’s crisis is not weakness; it is the moment when conscience awakens.
Grace often enters through disillusionment.
4. Justice is God’s work through human courage.
Wilson’s pursuit reflects the Christian conviction that evil must be named, resisted, and brought into the light.
5. Evil collapses under its own weight.
Kindler’s downfall is not only external; it is the implosion of a life built on lies.
Hospitality Pairing
Menu
- Pot Roast with Root Vegetables — small‑town American comfort masking deeper tensions
- Apple Pie — the sweetness of innocence threatened but not destroyed
- Black Coffee — the investigator’s drink, clarity in a cup
Atmosphere
- A single lamp on a dark table—light pushing back against shadow
- A clock or pocket watch nearby—time as the film’s moral symbolA simple place setting—echoing Harper’s quiet, deceptive normalcy
Closing Reflection
The Stranger is a parable about evil that hides in plain sight and the courage required to confront it. It reminds us that discernment is not suspicion but clarity, and that justice often arrives through ordinary people who refuse to look away. The film’s final image—evil falling from the tower it built—echoes the Christian truth that lies cannot stand forever.
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