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National Catholic Register

First Word from the Cross: Older Than America — The Blood of the Martyrs

Stained-glass windows in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Ogdensburg, New York, depict three priestly martyrs, left to right: Leo Heinrichs, a German Franciscan, shot dead while celebrating Mass in 1908 in Denver; Isaac Jogues, the French Jesuit martyred in Auriesville, New York, in 1646; and Juan de Padilla, martyred in 1541 in what is now Kansas.

‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’

The Island Where Religious Freedom Began

Jeffrey Bruno
Captain Phil Langley gently guides the FV Lisa S to the awaiting pier to transport passengers to St. Clements Island on Maryland Day 2026.

The first act of religious freedom in English America was not a speech or a law. It was a Mass.

Israeli Police Block Cardinal, Custos From Entering Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP
Light shines over the Edicule, traditionally believed to be the burial site of Jesus Christ, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, during the Orthodox Good Friday on May 3, 2024.

Police stopped the two church leaders on their way as they were proceeding privately “without any ceremonial or liturgical manifestations,” and forced them to turn back.

Holiness Is the Best Defense of the Faith

Paolo Veronese, “St. Anthony Preaching to the Fish,” ca. 1580, Galleria Borghese, Rome

COMMENTARY: In Lent and Holy Week, we are reminded that arguments alone cannot overcome misunderstanding — only the light of holiness can dispel the shadows.