Sunday, May 24, 2026

- May 17, 2026

Receive the
Plenary Indulgence
on Pentecost Sunday

Smoke in this life not the Next

Virtue: Fire & Communion
Cigar: Bold, spirited (Habano Maduro)
Bourbon: High West Double Rye — daring, expansive
Reflection: “What flame do I carry into the world?”

Pentecost is the Spirit’s fire burning away fear and compromise. The Imitation warns that one hour of the next life’s purifying fire is harsher than a hundred years of penance here. Better to let the Spirit burn now — freely, cleanly, mercifully.

Tonight’s smoke reminds me:
I was made to burn with God, not for God.

MAY 24 Pentecost Sunday

Mary, Mary Help of Christians

2 Samuel, Chapter 10, Verse 19

When Hadadezer’s vassal kings saw themselves vanquished by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became their subjects. After this, the Arameans were AFRAID to give further aid to the Ammonites.

God was with David, and he now defeats the Syrians and the Ammonites. The life of David was that of a warrior and this was David’s last victory before his fall with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah from David’s hand. All life is a battle and sometimes we fail but like David let us always return to the Lord.

Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer. Indeed, the devil will throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Rv. 2:10)

Let us build up our gratitude to the Lord for his saving graces.

“Lord Jesus Christ, you are the strength or the weak and the confidence of those who trust in you. Be my secure confidence and my abundant strength! Teach me to understand myself and to believe in effectiveness of your saving grace. Grant me the courage not to stop trying and teach me the humility to trust in you when I tend to be discouraged by my weakness.

Copilot’s Take

On Pentecost Sunday, the believer reflected on the moment when fear gave way to mission. The apostles, once hidden behind locked doors, stepped into the streets with a courage no earthly threat could extinguish. The descent of the Holy Spirit did not remove danger from their path; it removed the fear that had ruled their hearts. The Church was born in fire, not comfort, and the believer recognized that this same fire is meant to burn in every generation.

The Catechism teaches that the Holy Spirit is the “interior Master of Christian prayer” and the Spirit of truth who strengthens the Church against deception and persecution. Pentecost, then, is not a distant memory but a present power. The courage given to Peter is not a relic of the past; it is a living gift offered to every disciple who dares to ask for it.

In this light, the feast of Mary Help of Christians stands beside Pentecost like a steadying pillar. She gathered the apostles in prayer before the Spirit descended, and she continues to gather the Church in every age. Her maternal intercession, as the Catechism affirms, still brings the gifts of salvation to her children. She does not replace Christ’s victory; she magnifies it in those who struggle to remain faithful.

The Scripture for the day—2 Samuel 10:19—speaks of the moment when the enemies of Israel finally lost their nerve. Seeing themselves defeated, they “were afraid to give further aid,” for they recognized that God was with David. Evil collapses when it realizes it is outmatched by the presence of God. The same truth echoes through the Book of Revelation: “Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer… Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

The believer understands that Pentecost is the moment evil realizes it is outmatched by the Spirit. Mary Help of Christians is the reminder that evil is outmatched by grace. And the promise of Revelation is the assurance that evil is outmatched by fidelity. The Christian does not win by being stronger than evil; the Christian wins because Christ is stronger than evil.

In this confidence, the believer prays for the virtues that make a man unbreakable: strength for the weak, confidence for the hesitant, humility for the discouraged, and perseverance for the weary. These are the gifts that allow a disciple to stand firm when the battle presses hardest. These are the graces that turn ordinary men into witnesses.

Pentecost gives the fire.

Mary gives the steadiness.

Christ gives the crown.

And in that union of courage, trust, and victory, the believer finds the path forward for another day.

Pentecost

Fifty days after Easter, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is one of the three great feasts of the liturgical year.

What is Pentecost?

The solemn anniversary of the day on which the Holy Ghost came down, under the appearance of fiery tongues, upon Mary the Mother of Jesus, and His apostles and disciples, who were assembled in prayer at Jerusalem. To express her joy at the descent of the Holy Ghost, the Church sings, at the Introit of the Mass, The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole earth, alleluia, and that which containeth all things, hath knowledge of the voice, alleluia, alleluia. Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Him fly before His face.

Prayer. O God, Who on this day didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that we may be truly wise in the same Spirit, and ever rejoice in His consolation.

EPISTLE. Acts ii. 1-11.

When the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers’ tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because that every man heard them speak in his own tongue. And they were all amazed and wondered, saying: Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? And how have we heard every man our own tongue wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and in habitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphilia, Egypt, and the parts of Lybia about Gyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes, and Arabians: we have heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.

Why does the Church celebrate this day so solemnly?

To praise and thank God for sending the Holy Ghost, Who gave so many spiritual graces and fruits to men.

Why did the Holy Ghost appear under visible signs?

It was done to attract attention, and to indicate outwardly what took place inwardly. The roar of the mighty wind, according to the language of the prophets, pointed to the approaching Godhead, and was intended to announce something extraordinary. The appearance of tongues signified the gift of languages, and the division of them the difference of gifts imparted by the Holy Ghost. The fire which lightens, warms, and quickly spreads, denoted the love of God, the power and joy with which the apostles, and mankind through them, should be filled, and indicated the rapid extension of Christianity.

What were the effects of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles?

Being enlightened and made acquainted with all truth, freed from all fear and faint-heartedness, and undaunted, the apostles preached everywhere Christ crucified, and for love of Him endured with joy all sufferings. Their discourses were understood by all present, as if they had carefully learned each particular language. From that time Christianity spread with wonderful rapidity throughout the whole world. Pray the Holy Ghost to-day to enlighten you also, to inflame you with holy love, and to give you strength daily to increase in all goodness.

GOSPEL. John xiv. 23-31.

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, arid We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words. And the word which you have heard is not Mine: but the Father’s Who sent Me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I said to you: I go away, and I come to you.

If you loved Me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it came to pass that when it shall come to pass, you may believe. I will not now speak many things with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and in Me he hath not anything. But that the world may know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given Me commandment, so do I.

Why is the Holy Ghost called a spirit, and the Holy Spirit?

Because He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is as it were, the Spirit of the Father and the Son.

What does the Holy Ghost effect in men?

He renews their hearts, by cleansing them from sin, by imparting to them the sanctification and likeness to God gained through Christ, together with all these supernatural gifts and graces by which they can become holy and happy, and brings forth in them wonderful fruits of sanctity.

Which are these gifts of the Holy Ghost?

The seven following:

1. The gift of wisdom, which teaches us to value the heavenly more than the earthly, infuses into us a longing for the same, and points out to us the right means to salvation.

2. The gift of understanding, which enlightens us to rightly understand the mysteries and doctrines of our holy religion.

3. The gift of counsel in doubtful cases, which enables us to know what to do or omit, and what to advise others. This gift is particularly necessary for superiors, for those who are changing their state of life, and for those who are entangled in perplexing and unfortunate marriage relations.

4. The gift of fortitude, which banishes all timidity and human respect, strengthens a man to hate sin, and steadfastly to practice virtue; preferring contempt, temporal loss, persecution, and even death, to denying Christ by word or deed.

5. The gift of knowledge, by which the Holy Ghost enlightens us with an inner light, that we may know ourselves, the snares of self-love, of our passions, of the devil, and of the world, and may choose the fittest means to overcome them.

6. The gift of piety and devotion, which infuses into us veneration for God and divine things, and joy in conversing with Him.

7. The gift of the fear of God, that childlike fear, which dreads no other misfortune than that of displeasing God, and which, accordingly, flees sin as the greatest evil.

The gift of Wisdom

Wisdom empowers a person “to judge and order all things in accordance with divine norms and with a connaturality that flows from a loving union with God.” So, while knowledge and understanding enable a person to know and to penetrate the divine truths, wisdom moves us to “fall in love” with them. The Holy Spirit aids the contemplation of divine things, enabling the person to grow in union with God. This gift unites us to the heart of Jesus. Father Adolphe Tanquerey taught, “This, then, is the difference between the gift of wisdom and that of understanding, the latter is a view taken by the mind, while the former is an experience undergone by the heart; one is light, the other love, and so they united and complete one another. Wisdom, withal, remains the more perfect gift; for the heart outranges the intellect, it sounds greater depths, and grasps or divines what reason fails to reach. This is particularly the case with the saints, in whom love often surpasses knowledge” (The Spiritual Life, p. 630). For example, St. Therese of Lisieux (declared a doctor of the church), had no formal education in theology, and yet was wise to the ways of the Lord, a wisdom gained through prayer and simple acts of love offered to God. While this gift contemplates the divine, it also is a practical wisdom. It applies God’s ideas to judge both created and divine matter, thereby directing human acts according to divine wisdom.

Therefore, a person will see and evaluate all things — both joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, success and failure — from God’s point of view, and accept them with equanimity. With wisdom, all things, even the worst, are seen as having a supernatural value — for example, giving value to martyrdom. Here a person arises above the wisdom of this world and lives in the love of God. St. Paul captured well this gift of wisdom: “What we utter is God’s wisdom: a mysterious, a hidden wisdom. God planned it before all ages for our glory. …Yet God has revealed this wisdom to us through the Spirit. …The Spirit we have received is not the world’s spirit but God’s Spirit, helping us to recognize the gifts He has given us. We speak of these, not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, thus interpreting spiritual things in spiritual terms.

The natural man does not accept what is taught by the spirit of God. For him, that is absurdity. He cannot come to know such teaching because it must be appraised in a spiritual way. The spiritual man, on the other hand, can appraise everything. We have the mind of Christ” (I Cor 2:6ff). Or consider St. John’s first epistle: “God is love. Everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God. …He who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him. Our love is brought to perfection in this, that we should have confidence on the Day of Judgment; for our relation to this world is just like His. Love has no room for fear; rather, perfect love casts out all fear” (I Jn 4:7, 17-18).

Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve following:

1. Charity.

2. Joy.

3. Peace.

4. Patience.

5. Benignity.

6. Goodness.

7. Longsuffering.

8. Mildness.

9. Faith.

10. Modesty.

11. Continency.

12. Chastity.

These fruits should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men shall know that the Holy Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its fruit.

Whit Sunday

What is Whitsunday or White Sunday?

The liturgical color of this Sunday is red in order to recall the tongues of flame that descended on the Apostles. The old English name for Pentecost, Whitsunday, originated from the custom of the newly baptized redonning their white robes for the services of the day. By extension this could also apply to the new Easter clothes worn by the faithful fifty days earlier.

The Dove

Like Ascension Thursday, Whitsunday was once the occasion for several liturgical eccentricities. Many medieval churches, for example, had a Holy Ghost Hole in the ceiling of the church from which a large blue disk bearing the figure of a white dove would swing slowly down to the congregation during the Mass sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus. Midway through the sequence, the disk would stop and from the Holy Ghost hole would rain symbols of the Spirit: flowers, water, even burning pieces of straw. A practice far less susceptible to excess, on the other hand, is the use of beautifully carved and painted wooden doves in the home. These figures would usually be suspended over the dinner table, and would sometimes be encased in glass, having been assembled entirely from within (much like the wooden ships assembled in bottles). The painstaking effort that went into making these doves serves as a reminder to cherish the adoration of the Holy Spirit.

The Blessed Dew

Though the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is often described in dramatic terms (a mighty wind, tongues of fire, etc.), it is also portrayed in soothing, comforting ways. The Whitsunday sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus, for example, calls the Spirit our "sweet refreshment" (dulcis refrigerium), while the postcommunion prayer, in an allusion to Isaiah 45.8, refers to the "inward sprinkling of His heavenly dew." Hence there arose the charming superstition that the morning dew of Whitsunday is especially good luck. To obtain a blessing, people would walk barefoot through the meadows before Mass and would even feed their animals with bread wiped by the dew.

Age of the Holy Spirit

Where we are is the age of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church because even though the Apostles were transformed by earlier events such as the institution of the Eucharist and priesthood on Maundy Thursday or their acquiring the power to forgive sins on Easter afternoon, they - and by extension, the Church - did not really come into their own until the Paraclete inspired them to burst out of their closed quarters and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. And just as Pentecost marks the birthday of the Church in the Holy Spirit, so too does the Time after Pentecost mark the life of the Church moving through the vicissitudes of history under the protection and guidance of that same Spirit. It is for this reason that the epistle readings from this season emphasize the Apostles' advice to the burgeoning churches of the day while its Gospel readings focus on the kingdom of heaven and its justice. It is also the reason why the corresponding lessons from the breviary draw heavily from the history of the Israelite monarchy in the Old Testament. All are somehow meant to teach us how to comport ourselves as citizens of the city of God as we pass through the kingdoms of this world.

Octave?

Pentecost Monday remains an official festival in many Protestant churches, such as the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and others. In the Byzantine Catholic Rite Pentecost Monday is no longer a Holy Day of Obligation, but rather a simple holiday. In the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, as at Easter, the liturgical rank of Monday and Tuesday of Pentecost week is a Double of the First Class and across many Western denominations, Pentecost is celebrated with an octave culminating on Trinity Sunday. However, in the modern Roman Rite (Ordinary Form), Pentecost ends after Evening Prayer on the feast day itself, with Ordinary Time resuming the next day.

• My advice: Go to Mass for the 8 days.

Highlights and Things to Do:

• Listen to the Catholic Culture audiobook St. Thomas Aquinas—Send Out Your Spirit read by James Majewski.

• Meditate on Fr. Roger Landry's homily for Pentecost Sunday.

• Pray the Golden Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus which is read or sung at the Pentecost Vigil and Sunday Mass.

• Find some ideas for celebrating Pentecost in the home:

o Therese Mueller, Celebrating Pentecost in the Home

o P. Craig Stewart and Helen McLoughlin, Whitsunday, The Cenacle and The Cenacle Project.

o Ethel Marbach, Pentecost Activities and Pentecost Wheel

o Helen McLoughlin, Pentecost Visual Display

o Jan Wilson, Make Your Own Windmill

o Mary Reed Newland, Pentecost Favors, Gifts and Fruits

o Family Life Bureau, Planting a Pentecost Tree

• Pentecost Feasting Ideas: Catholic Culture has a large list of suggested recipes in the right hand column. But the themes are red, something with flames, or something that reminds of flames. Strawberry placed upside down have the shape of a flame. And also, fruits help us think of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Another way of thinking is presenting the meal in "gift" form, like the "gifts of the Holy Spirit."

o Evelyn Vitz, Twelve Fruit Salad

o Demetria Taylor, Special Strawberry Shortcake

o Florence Berger, Pentecost Picnic and Strawberry Cake

• See also Catholic Cuisine for feast food ideas.

• For further inspiration, see the blog posts by Jennifer Gregory Miller:

o Pentecost and Confirmation

o Pentecost with Mary, Mary, Queen of Apostles

o Preparing for Pentecost Filled with Joy

o The Solemnity of Pentecost: An Elementary Feast

Australia and Our Lady Help of Christians

When Cardinal Patrick Moran of Sydney wrote his History of the Catholic Church in Australia, he recalled the laying of the foundation stone of what was to become the first cathedral in this land. His eminence declared: "Who was the patron selected by the people and their newly arrived pastor, Father Therry, for the Mother Church? Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, under the special invocation of Help of Christians, was chosen patroness. In choosing Mary, the young Church was following a sure Catholic instinct. But why the particular title of Help of Christians?

Events had happened in Europe only several years earlier, and this no doubt was still fresh in people's minds. Napoleon Bonaparte had jailed Pope Pius VI who died in goal, after which Pope Pius VII was elected. Just a short time later, he too was jailed by Napoleon, who kept him prisoner at Fontainebleau, 35 miles from Paris. The Holy Father vowed to God that, if he were restored, he would institute a special feast in honor of Mary. Military reverses forced Napoleon to release the Pope, and on May 24th, 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome. Twelve months later, the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary Help of Christians, be kept on the 24th of May.

Australia became the first nation in the world to have, Mary, Help of Christians as Patroness: the first church to celebrate May 24th on a national scale (elsewhere the feast was restricted to Rome and specified places); and the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title.

Mary Help of Christian’s patroness of Australia and of the Military Ordinariate (Feast: 24th May)

Almighty God deepen in our hearts our love of Mary Help of Christians. Through her prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land. May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens. Bless especially the men and women of the Australian Defense Force and their families. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.

Things to Do:

• Make a virtual visit to the chapel of Our Lady, Help of Christians at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

• Read more about Our Lady, Help of Christians.

• Travel via the Internet to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians built by St. John Bosco as a monument to the Virgin Mary, with the title Help of Christians, as the mother church and spiritual center of the Salesian Congregation.

Apostolic Exhortation

Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling

of The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,

to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

My beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I. The Graces of Holy Communion

i. Holy Communion changes and transforms us into “Alter Christus”

36. This Eucharistic Christ gives life to those that receive Him, assimilates them and transforms them into Himself. Jesus called Himself the “Bread of Life” precisely to make us understand that He does not nourish us as ordinary food does; rather, as He possesses life, He gives it to us. Being assimilated by Jesus in Holy Communion makes us like Him in our sentiments, desires, and our way of thinking. In Holy Communion, His heart nourishes our hearts; His pure, wise and loving desires purify our selfish ones, so that we not only know what He wants, but also start wanting the same more and more. Saint Paul aptly wrote, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). Through the Eucharist, we really become not only an Alter Christus – Another Christ – but indeed Ipse Christus, Christ Himself. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in a homily on Corpus Domini speaks of this divine assimilation:

“The purpose of this communion, of this partaking, is the assimilation of my life with His, my transformation and conformation into He who is living Love. Therefore, this communion implies adoration; it implies the will to follow Christ, to follow the One who goes ahead of us” (Homily, Corpus Domini, 2005).

37. Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose to leave us His presence under the appearance of bread and wine? He reveals the reason in His discourse on the Bread of Life:

“Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me” (Jn 6:57).

He wants to be nourishment of higher order of life within us, a capacity to love and act like Him, even to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).

38. Bread and wine are also powerful symbols that convey eloquently Jesus’ invitation to walk the same path of sacrificial love. The grains of wheat that are used for making bread had to go through a grueling process. They are plucked, thrashed, crushed, and ground up, kneaded and shaped, and finally, they are thrown to be baked in an oven. In a similar way, the grapes are plucked and smashed. Their juice is purified and bottled. Then they are left until maturity. If we look up at the Crucified Jesus on the Cross, we can see a similar grueling process He went through in His Passion and Death; this is what true love really means. Every time we come to the Eucharist; we are invited to imitate this sacrificial love of Christ.

Bible in a year Day 323 Pentecost

Fr. Mike shares the powerful story of the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles in the upper room. He emphasizes how God calls us to go out into the world with his Spirit and live in community and with devotion to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the Eucharist, and prayer just like the first Christians. Today’s readings are Acts 2, Romans 2-3, and Proverbs 26:27-28.

Around the Corner

• Bucket List Trip: A week at the Spa in Baden Baden

o I was a child in Muenchweiler, Germany while my dad was in the Army. Part of his job was the security of ammunition one was located near Baden Baden and in the winter my day talked about driving by the hot natural springs with snow around them and little old ladies in swimming caps popping their heads out of the waters.

• Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.

• Spirit Hour: Wine or Brew that pairs with Venison

• Foodie-Roast Saddle Of Venison With Red Wine

• Nationally Military Appreciate Month

• Autism Acceptance Month

On Sundays Pray:

O Glorious Queen of Heaven and Earth, Virgin Most Powerful, thou who hast the power to crush the head of the ancient serpent with thy heel, come and exercise this power flowing from the grace of thine Immaculate Conception. Shield us under the mantle of thy purity and love, draw us into the sweet abode of thy heart and annihilate and render impotent the forces bent on destroying us. Come Most Sovereign Mistress of the Holy Angels and Mistress of the Most Holy Rosary, thou who from the very beginning hast received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of Satan. Send forth thy holy legions, we humbly beseech thee, that under thy command and by thy power they may pursue the evil spirits, counter them on every side, resist their bold attacks and drive them far from us, harming no one on the way, binding them to the foot of the Cross to be judged and sentenced by Jesus Christ Thy Son and to be disposed of by Him as He wills.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, come to our aid in this grave battle against the forces of darkness, repel the attacks of the devil and free the members of the Auxilium Christianorum, and those for whom the priests of the Auxilium Christianorum pray, from the strongholds of the enemy.

St. Michael, summon the entire heavenly court to engage their forces in this fierce battle against the powers of hell. Come O Prince of Heaven with thy mighty sword and thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits. O Guardian Angels, guide and protect us. Amen.

Elk Hunting in Idaho: What you need to know

Want to hunt elk in Idaho? Good choice, but do you know about the latest changes in General-Season Non-Resident deer and elk tags? Get the latest update, along with other useful information about elk hunting in the Gem State!

Idaho is a popular elk hunting destination. To begin with, according to the latest estimates by Idaho Department of Fish & Game, the elk herds in the state number approximately 120,000 head. In spite of hard winters of the last few years, which hurt the mule deer populations, the elk are stable or growing and expanding their range in most of Idaho. For the six years starting from 2014 hunters harvested over 20,000 elk each season. Over 100,000 hunters take part in the pursuit, thanks to generous allocation of licenses, and availability of over-the-counter tags. In 2019, hunter harvest was 20,532 elk, of which 11,418 were antlered, at an overall success rate of 22%. General hunts accounted for a higher share of harvest (13,799 elk), but controlled hunts sported a significantly higher success rate: 38%.

• Indianapolis 500—May 25-- Rev up for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Part of the Triple Crown of Motorsports (with the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans right behind) this annual race is quite possibly the largest single-day sporting event in the entire world, attracting roughly 400,000 spectators. Head to Indianapolis the last weekend in May, and prepare for a high-speed show around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval circuit.

o BEST. EXPERIENCE. EVER. Phoenix Raceway

 Welcome to NASCAR Racing Experience. DRIVE a NASCAR race car by yourself on the Phoenix Raceway- A 1 mile, low-banked tri-oval racetrack with 8 to 9 degrees of banking in the turns. Following drivers meeting with training and instruction, you’ll drive a NASCAR race car for timed racing sessions. There’s no lead car to follow and no instructor rides with you. Get one-on-one instruction from a spotter over in-car radio. In between every 8 minutes of Track Time get to a brief pit stop and head back on the track to work on driving faster speeds. Pass the slower cars as you catch them... YES, passing is allowed!

May 22 - 24, 2026

Feast of the Flowering Moon is held annually on Memorial Day weekend in historic, downtown Chillicothe, Ohio.

The festival offers plenty of family-friendly entertainment for residents and visitors to Chillicothe, Ohio. Featured activities include Native American music and dancing, crafters, exhibitors, Mountain Man Encampment with working craftsmen and demonstrations, entertainment and much more.

Daily Devotions

• Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: An end to the use of contraceptives.

• Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

• Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

• Drops of Christ’s Blood

• Universal Man Plan

• Rosary

MAN HUNT (1941)

Walter Pidgeon • Joan Bennett • George Sanders
Directed by Fritz Lang

A thriller sharpened by moral clarity and wartime urgency, Man Hunt is Fritz Lang’s warning shot to a world still pretending neutrality was possible.
Walter Pidgeon plays a gentleman hunter who becomes prey.
Joan Bennett plays a London street girl whose tenderness becomes courage.
George Sanders plays the Nazi officer who enjoys cruelty the way other men enjoy cigars.

This is not a simple chase film.
It is a study in conscience, tyranny, and the cost of refusing to bow.

It is a pre‑war noir about a man who discovers what he believes only when someone tries to break it.

1. Production & Historical Setting

Hollywood Before America Entered the War

Released in June 1941 — six months before Pearl Harbor — the film is a rare artifact:
an American studio picture openly condemning Hitler while the nation was still officially neutral.

Lang, who fled the Nazis, directs with urgency and personal fury.
The film is propaganda in the best sense:
a moral alarm bell.

Fritz Lang’s Shadowed Precision

Lang brings his German Expressionist instincts:

sharp angles
oppressive shadows
psychological pressure
moral stakes that tighten like a snare

He turns London’s alleys and England’s countryside into a labyrinth of fear and resistance.

Pidgeon’s Reluctant Hero

Pidgeon plays Captain Thorndike as a man who begins with sport and ends with conviction.
His transformation is the film’s spine:
from hunter
to hunted
to witness.

Joan Bennett’s Tragic Warmth

Bennett’s Jerry Stokes is the film’s heart —
a working‑class girl whose loyalty becomes sacrificial.
Her performance gives the thriller its soul.

2. Story Summary

The Shot That Wasn’t Fired

Thorndike infiltrates Hitler’s mountain retreat and lines up the perfect shot —
but refuses to kill.
He wants the sport, not the murder.

The Nazis do not believe in sport.
They believe in obedience.

Capture, Escape, Pursuit

Thorndike is tortured, escapes, and flees back to England.
The Nazis follow, determined to force a confession that will justify war.

Jerry Stokes

A poor London girl shelters him.
Their bond is tender, awkward, and deeply human —
a flicker of warmth in a cold world.

The Cost of Loyalty

Jerry pays the price for helping him.
Her death is the film’s emotional blow —
a reminder that tyranny always targets the innocent first.

The Final Choice

Thorndike, once a man of sport, becomes a man of purpose.
He returns to the fight — not for glory, but for justice.

3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances

A. Neutrality as Illusion
Thorndike learns what the world would soon learn:
you cannot remain neutral when evil hunts you.
B. Conscience Awakened by Suffering
His refusal to kill is noble.
His refusal to submit is holier.
C. The Dignity of the Lowly
Jerry’s courage exposes the cowardice of powerful men.
Her sacrifice is the film’s moral center.
D. Tyranny’s Psychology
Sanders plays the Nazi officer with chilling calm —
evil as charm, cruelty as leisure.
E. Resistance as Vocation
Thorndike’s final act is not revenge.
It is calling.

4. Hospitality Pairing — The Fugitive’s Refuge

A Maduro cigar — dark, earthy, echoing the film’s shadowed tension
A peppery rye — High West or Rittenhouse, matching the film’s edge
A simple wartime plate — bread, cheese, and tea, the food of the hunted
A single lamp in a dark room — the light of conscience in a world of pursuit