WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27

CRACKER BARREL DITCHES REDESIGN, KEEPS OLD LOGO  Cracker Barrel announced yesterday afternoon that it will readopt its traditional logo after days of backlash and an unprecedented plunge in the stock market. President Donald Trump had urged the company to ditch its controversial minimalist logo redesign just hours before the announcement.  READ

CHRISTIANS REMAIN IN GAZA AS ISRAELI OFFENSIVE ESCALATES  Christian clergy and nuns yesterday said they will remain inside church compounds in Gaza City despite a major Israeli offensive advancing into the area, even as thousands of other residents flee. Statements from the Greek Orthodox and Latin Patriarchates’ leaders emphasized the responsibility of Christians in Gaza to remain for the sake of the elderly, disabled, women, and children who are unable to move.  READ

FIRST LADY ANNOUNCES ‘PRESIDENTIAL AI CHALLENGE’  First Lady Melania Trump yesterday announced the Presidential AI Challenge, in which students and educators (including homeschoolers and homeschooling parents) have the opportunity to compete in creating solutions to problems in their communities using artificial intelligence.  READ

COLORADO DEMS PUSH TO FUND ABORTION AMID MONEY CRISIS  In the midst of a state budgetary crisis, Colorado’s Democrat-controlled legislature is pushing for taxpayer funds to go to Planned Parenthood. Colorado’s bishops have decried Senate Bill 25-183, arguing “the allocation of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to subsidize the deliberate ending of innocent life and harm of women is a tragedy for Colorado.”  READ

THOMAS MORE SOCIETY FIGHTS ILLINOIS ABORTION COVERAGE MANDATE The Thomas More Society will argue before the Illinois Appellate Court on behalf of the Illinois Baptist State Association, opposing a state mandate that requires health insurance plans to include abortion coverage. Despite past promises to exempt religious groups and honor their sincerely held beliefs, Illinois officials have repeatedly denied exemption requests. READ

20 YEARS AFTER KATRINA, CATHOLICS BEAR WITNESS TO POWER OF HOPE Twenty years later, a pastor and his parishioners are reflecting on how their parish church, once devastated by Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters, was rebuilt through faith, community support, and resilience. Their witness is a lasting testament to hope and spiritual strength. READ

WILL TRUMP GIVE BUCHANAN THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM? Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia has sent a letter to President Donald Trump encouraging him to award Patrick Buchanan, Catholic author and three-time presidential hopeful, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. READ

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MADISON PRIEST ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING TO ASSAULT CHILD  A Madison, Wisconsin, parish priest has been accused of attempting to sexually assault a 14-year-old girl. Bishop Donald Hying of the Diocese of Madison stated he was “grieved beyond words” by the news and assured his flock that the diocese will fully cooperate with law enforcement. The priest “has been completely restricted from all public ministry and barred from having contact with minors,” Bishop Hying added.  READ

MILITARY CHAPLAINS MEET ON GENDER, DELIVERANCE MINISTRY  Over 60 Catholic military chaplains on August 18-22 gathered in San Diego to attend a convocation on pastoral issues concerning gender, deliverance ministry, and exorcisms, the Archdiocese for the Military Services stated in a news release yesterday. There will be several more such convocations in the next two months.  READ

CRISIS OF THE MODERN GRADUATE  Gen Z has been ridiculed for failure to jumpstart careers and generally struggling to support themselves economically. But let’s not forget how they were born into the “Learn to Code” information campaign, only to see AI wipe out many of those jobs just as they were graduating. Here is the crisis of the modern graduate explained.  READ

CATHOLIC 101  Theologian John Swinton asks, “What does it mean to be a disciple with a vocation when you do not have the intellectual capacities that religion often demands for participation in the faith?” This touches upon a common bias for those of faith: that pursuit of the intellectual life is the pathway for understanding God. But those with disabilities give prophetic witness to knowledge of God, love of God, and vocation.  READ

SAINT OF THE DAY  Today the Church honors Saint Monica, one day before the feast of her son Saint Augustine. Monica’s holy example and fervent intercession led to one of the most dramatic conversions in Church history. READ

DAILY PSALM  “You have searched me and you know me, Lord.” (Psalm 139)  READ

DAILY READINGS  Today’s Mass readings.  READ

LOOPcast  In this episode, Erika and Tom interview Kelsey Reinhardt, Basketball legend, ex-con(vent), and the new president of CatholicVote! From theology to politics, Kelsey offers her view on our faith, our country, and the future of CatholicVote.  WATCH

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