Crusade mag Vol 201 May-June, 2026

What Should We Ask from Our Lady on our 250th Birthday?

Do Not Mistake Humility for Weakness

Saint Francis de Sales, though one of the gentlest of the saints of God, knew how to defend himself from the swords of his enemies in the day of danger.

As a youth, the great saint took up residence in Padua, Italy, where his father had sent him to pursue his studies. It happened that certain young men, who seemed to live for no other purpose than to gratify their evil passions, were offended by his humility and meekness. These virtues were a condemnation of their own sinful ways. They mocked the holy youth behind his back, attributing his good conduct to cowardice and effeminacy. In their wicked hearts, they formed the design of waylaying him and giving him a severe beating.

To accomplish their design, they made plans for an ambush. They took up arms and hid in a thicket which the

saintly youth had to pass on his return to his house. Knowing his habitual gentleness, they imagined that he would offer them no resistance, and that, after having beaten him severely, they would be able to make their escape without being recognized.

But in this they deceived themselves, for they had forgotten, or perhaps were not aware, that the virtue of religion which teaches meekness and humility of heart inspires also courage and intrepidity in the hour of need.

When Saint Francis had reached the spot where his assailants were waiting, they rushed out to attack him unawares, and began by trying to raise a quarrel without any cause. Then they heaped upon him untold injurious words, and finding all these of no avail to provoke him to anger, they prepared

to inflict on him the bodily cruelties they had previously designed.

But the pious youth, seeing that this was an occasion when duty to himself required him to resist these attacks, instantly drew his sword. Brandishing it vigorously over his cowardly aggressors, he instantly made them run away in great haste, so unexpected was the resistance they met. Saint Francis pursued them for a time, but they, finding that they themselves were in danger, turned towards him trembling and full of confusion.

They fell at his feet, imploring his forgiveness and promising him that they would never again be guilty of such unpardonable conduct. n

Reverend D. Chisholm, The Catechism in Examples, Vol. III (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1908), 273–275.

My husband Patrick and I have known America Needs Fatima for more than fifteen years. After my dad passed away, I wanted to make sure we had all our affairs in order. It was time to update my will, and I didn't hesitate. I included a bequest to America Needs Fatima so they can continue their work even after I'm gone. I hope you'll consider a gift in your will like I did. It's very easy and it will make a lasting difference!

Crusade Magazine is a publication of The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). Direct all requests and inquiries to: Crusade Magazine, P.O. Box 341, Hanover, PA 17331 or email to: crusade@ TFP.org. Web: www.TFP.org, Tel.: (888) 317-5571. © 2026 by The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc. This publication may include images from Dreamstime™ which are protected by copyright laws of the U.S. and elsewhere. ISSN 1096-3782 LCCN 98-641433 M-201 (HF2605)

Editor: Michael Gorre

Associate Editor: C. Michael Drake

Contributing Editors:

Nelson

Vincent

Stacie

John Horvat

Tonia

Gustavo

Luiz

The American TFP

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP)

Americans gather in Attleboro, Mass., during ANF's annual Traditional Marriage Campaign in March.

The Friendship Crisis: Why Friendships Are Fraying in Today’s America

The number of Americans who say they have no close friends has quadrupled since 1990. Lower-income Americans are far more likely to report feelings of loneliness or social isolation, and thirty-one percent of those aged eighteen through twenty-nine report feeling lonely all or most of the time, increasingly replacing personal social interactions with online ones.

A Spiritual Crisis Is at the Root Loneliness is not merely a social or cultural issue, but a spiritual crisis. It is frequently the fruit of selfishness and a lack of charity. Making the effort to build friendships is not a luxury; it is a necessity. If we do not consciously prioritize friendship, neither we nor others will benefit from authentic, virtuous friendship. Friendships are essential to maturing and necessary for spiritual, psychological, emotional and even physical development. In the past, people would easily strike up conversations with strangers at cafés, on trains or in the streets.

Now, we sit alone, disconnected from everyone. In the United States, the number of people dining alone has risen by twenty-nine percent over the past two years. Stanford University has even introduced a course called “Design for Healthy Friendships,” highlighting that forming and maintaining friendships now requires conscious learning and effort.

The Decline of Gathering Places

There is a notable decline in social spaces where people commonly meet, though this does not fully account for the rapid decline in friendships. Most people now live their lives strictly between home, work and perhaps a church or extracurricular activity. Religious gatherings, clubs, sports and volunteer organizations, which once fostered friendships, are declining. We have become confined to work, social media, family responsibilities and pets. Yes, some friendships do not form simply because pets cannot be left alone!

The False Promise of Digital Connection

The early internet united people around

shared interests, with the hope that real-life relationships might form.

Today, however, social media is no longer social. We now carry mini televisions in our phones wherever we go, spending our time watching videos in isolation. Socializing is not even on the radar. In 2018, a Pew Research poll found that teenagers who were connected with their friends online were more likely to have an in-person relationship. By 2022, in-person outings for teens had collapsed.

With the rise of AI, one study found that twenty-five percent of young adults believe it could replace real-life romantic relationships. To make matters worse, the media and internet are normalizing this insanity.

Loneliness: The Silent Killer

People with stronger social connections live longer than those without, according to a study published in the UK’s Nature Medicine journal. Researchers found that having a close friend is as good for physical health as regular exercise, and having non-related friends to confide in also extends lifespan.

Conversely, a 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s report found loneliness to be as dangerous as smoking, stating that it is “associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.” Up to sixty percent of Americans feel lonely regularly.

Beyond its impact on personal well-being, the trend is dangerous for America as a nation. A nation that lacks interpersonal relationships is a lowtrust society, more prone to crime and unrest, and highly vulnerable to being manipulated by propaganda. Return to Order

The Generational Struggle

The loss of friendship is measurable and evident across all age groups and demographics—though Boomers are among the hardest hit. Why?

Boomers did not make friends the same way their parents and grandparents did. They did not curate social circles, schedule catch-ups or maintain friendships through group chats and social media, as subsequent generations have. They made friends through activities tied to institutions: the workplace, the church, the bowling league, the Rotary Club or the school PTA.

However, community organizations have shrunk. Americans are joining fewer clubs, attending fewer meetings and participating in fewer community activities than at any other time in modern history. The structured social environments in which Boomers developed friends have been quietly dying for decades.

Friendships are essential to maturing and necessary for spiritual, psychological, emotional and even physical development.

The Masculinity Problem of Loneliness

Many Boomer men do not have a single close friend outside their spouse. Surveys consistently show that men’s social circles have been shrinking for decades, and among older men, the numbers are particularly grim. A significant percentage of men over sixty-five report having no close friends.

The reason is not a mystery: friends have been sought the wrong way. Boomer men socialized by doing— working together, playing sports, fixing things—not by sacrificing for one another out of charity, by conversation or by pursuing common ideals. Their friendships were activity-based and institution-dependent. When the activity stopped or the institution closed, the friendships simply evaporated because there was no foundation of virtue to sustain them.

Unlike women, who generally socialize to maintain relationships through conversation and emotional exchange, most Boomer men simply do not have the relational resources to pick up the phone and say, “I’ve been feeling a bit lonely. Would you like to grab a coffee and chat?”

Defining Authentic Friendship

There is a Roman adage that goes, “Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur”—A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Herein lies the problem: friendship is not merely a mutual activity and is often defined in crisis.

In Catholic theology, friendship is defined as a virtuous, reciprocal and selfless love that seeks the other’s true good, ultimately helping both friends grow in holiness and draw closer to God. It is grounded in charity that mirrors Christ’s love for souls and involves mutual support, trust and shared spiritual growth. Friendship is purchased through suffering for the love of another. The true measure of love is the amount of sacrifice made for another’s good. There is no more perfect example than Our Lord’s Passion and Death, which He willingly accepted for our salvation. For authentic friendships to grow, the following must exist:

 Desiring the Good for Others: True friends desire what is best for the other person’s soul, encouraging virtue and moral growth, not personal interest.

 Rooted in Our Lord Jesus Christ: It is a relationship strengthened by shared faith and mutual love of God, often described as a “union of minds and hearts.”

 Sacrificial and Selfless Love: Following Our Lord’s example involves disinterestedness, forgiveness and a willingness to sacrifice for others.

 Virtuous and Trustworthy: It is built on the virtues of trust, honesty and loyalty, rather than on pleasure, convenience or selfish gain.

Rebuilding the Social Fabric Through Authentic Friendships

As the world spirals into chaos and wholesale apostasy from the Catholic Church, it is no wonder that friendships are declining at an alarming rate.

It is time to put an end to this damaging trend. Societal change happens slowly, and it is up to each of us to shore up America’s weakening social fabric. Each of us needs to take ownership of this problem, both for our spiritual health and for the nation’s well-being. To have a friend is to be a friend; practicing charity by bearing others’ defects is never easy.

The defects of our fallen nature normally repel others. Yet we are social beings, which means we find fulfillment only by living together in society. Thus, these relationships either become a living Hell or require us to control ourselves and be good to others out of virtue. Even if it is initially an artificial situation, our nature after Original Sin requires us to act this way.

To be a friend, we must tame and conquer the decadent and twisted nature within each of us after Original Sin. If we do this, authentic friendship will develop alongside the desire to remain friends. The practice of virtue in social relationships is essential to achieving the perfection of human relationships as God desires. Without it, we are simply selfish people pursuing selfish interests to the peril of our souls and those of others. n

Who Really Failed Gen Z? The Truth About the College Literacy Crisis

Arecent article in Fortune describes a trend that should cast doubt on all modern educational theories. The shocking headline states, “Gen Z Are Arriving to College Unable to Even Read a Sentence.”

The Fortune article primarily discusses the reactions of college-level instructors and how they deal with the situation. However, such a focus is less valuable than asking a more basic question. How do these young people, many of them extremely bright, find it difficult to read and comprehend complete sentences?

Teaching That Prizes Brevity

As a recently retired high school history teacher, I am convinced that this inability stems from the prevailing teaching methods in most schools. Until the last couple of generations, humanities teachers primarily focused on reading as a primary means of instruction. Unfortunately, modern teaching methods discourage long passages, much less books. These methods emphasize skills rather than content. This weakness ex-

ists in both of the prevailing theories of modern education—critical theory and direct instruction.

Critical theory has its roots in Marxist doctrine. Its primary goal is to challenge and to expose. It seeks to demolish the “power structures,” to level social inequities and to depict change as a process in which the “oppressed” overwhelm their “oppressors.” Many proponents of critical theory place teachers who use traditional methods among the oppressor class. In the modern school, “critical thinking” is often achieved by presenting carefully selected, usually very brief, statements designed to elicit radical opinions from students. The result is a great deal of indoctrination and very little logical analysis.

Direct instruction also features small pieces of information. It is less inclined toward indoctrination than critical theory and is, therefore, preferable. However, it too, has severe limitations. One of its practitioners describes it as “a systematic method of teaching with emphasis on proceeding in small steps, checking for understanding and achieving active and successful participation by all students.” (Emphasis added.) Another theorist adds, “Everyone can learn, and everyone can teach if equipped with methodologies and techniques. And everyone’s learning and teaching success can be measured and assessed.”

The problem with focusing on small bits is that students never learn how to deal with large blocks of information. They are especially ill-equipped to grasp ideas that require more than a paragraph to explain. This inability is not due to limited intelligence; it comes from a lack of practice. Rather, it would be like expecting a piano student to miraculously play Mozart when all they have been taught is to render scales.

Two Skills Effective Teachers Possess

Traditional education practices focus on far larger blocks of information. However, in the hands of unskilled practitioners, these can fail as well. It is common to dismiss learning content as a process of memorizing lists of events, dates and persons. Unfortunately, in unskilled hands, this can happen.

To handle large amounts of content effectively, teachers need two attributes. The first is the ability to explain complex ideas in easily understood sentences. The second is conveying to students that possessing knowledge, in and of itself, is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

The ability to explain complex material in simple words can only come to teachers in one way—thorough knowledge and understanding of the material that they teach. There is no substitute, no way to “fake it.” It is impossible to explain what one does not know. Yet, universities seldom focus on imparting knowledge to aspiring teachers. Their faulty attitude is that equipping their students with modern teaching methods trains aspirants to teach anything. Such an approach may produce mediocrity in several fields, but seldom inspires mastery in any one discipline.

The second skill is, perhaps, even more challenging to isolate, but it is no less crucial. Whether students enjoy the subject being taught or not, they can instantly sense whether or not their teacher enjoys it. There is a kind of enthusiasm that seeps effortlessly into the presentation of information, and the instructor takes pleasure in explaining it. Often, that sense is contagious, and students leave having enjoyed a topic they thought to be deadly dull at the beginning of class.

Understanding Requires Complexity

Let us assume a teacher is introducing the events that led to World War II. The first step is to explain why the war was so important, the nations involved, the personalities of the various leaders and the reasons those nations decided to make war on each other. Then, one moves on to the specifics, constructing the lesson so that students grasp the connections between those events and their effects on the war’s course.

Authors construct most good books in the same way. They introduce their topics and explain their importance. They explain their thesis, the case they are going to make. Only after carefully completing these two steps do they proceed to the details they will use to construct the stories they relate. The topic may be large or small, famous or obscure, play out over years or only a few days. Nonetheless, the author or teacher must follow it, or the narrative becomes confusing, and the readers or students soon abandon the process.

It is long past time to return to the idea that teachers must possess a deep understanding of the content at hand. Focusing on process and small bits of information rather than broad areas of knowledge unnecessarily handicaps students.

The result is the malady described in the Fortune article by Pepperdine professor Jessica Hooten Wilson: “It’s not even an inability to critically think, it’s an inability to read sentences.” Surely American schools, after two centuries of practice and millions of successful graduates, can do better than that. n

TFP Bureau Hosts Dr. Jerry Johnson, Who Speaks About His Path to Rome

B y J oseph G ensens

OnSaturday, January 24, 2026, Dr. Jerry Johnson, a recent convert to the Catholic Faith, addressed a packed room of over ninety people at the Washington Bureau of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) in McLean, Va. The title of his talk was “A Path to Rome: My Conversion Experience to the Catholic Church.”

Dr. Johnson’s background as a leading Southern Baptist is well known. He was baptized into the denomination at age nine and was leading his own small congregation at eighteen. He later became a pastor at larger churches. He also served as President of Criswell College, Academic Dean at Midwestern Baptist Seminary, Dean of Boyce College and Chairman of the Board at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was the President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters (NRB).

Why He Became Catholic

Dr. Johnson’s incredible story held everyone spellbound for about an hour as he shared several things that helped bring him into the Church. One thing that inspired him to make the decision was the promise of Our Lord to Saint Peter: “Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

The Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist was also an important factor in his conversion. He contrasted

the Eucharist with how some Protestants treat the use of bread and wine as merely symbolic.

The Appeal of the Oneness of the Church

One mark of the Church that really attracted Dr. Johnson is its oneness, grounded in the Magisterium and the Papacy. He noted that the Church’s impulse is towards unity, while Protestantism tends to splinter.

He also spoke of the desire of Our Lord found in Sacred Scripture, in which He said, “That they all may be one” (John 17:21).

Discovering Faithful Catholics Amidst the Battle for Moral Values

Dr. Johnson highlighted that his work in pro-life and pro-family causes brought him into contact with many Catholics. The examples of these leaders played a significant role in helping him take the step to Catholicism.

As he concluded, he thanked the TFP not only for what the organization stands for, but also for what it stands against. He invited all to join with the TFP in the fight for the Faith by putting on the armor of God. n

Hail

Mother of Hope

Optimism,

pessimism, realism: what position should we take in the face of current events? Before answering this question, we need to give words their true meaning.

Strictly speaking, a realist is one who sees facts as they are. Therefore, an optimist would be one who, with a defective vision, imagines events with brighter appearance than they actually display; and a pessimist one who, on account of a symmetrical and opposite defect, sees them with darker colors than they actually display.

Thus, a doctor with an objective and true notion of his patient’s condition would be realistic; one who mistakenly diagnosed the illness as less serious than it actually is would be optimistic; and one who figured the illness was worse than it actually is, a pessimist.

A Healthy Realism

Once these various meanings are defined, it becomes easier and more accurate to say whether one should be optimistic, pessimistic or realistic. Obviously, in any case, one should be realistic.

For if realism is the exact vision of things, and on the contrary, optimism and pessimism are errors, one should prefer to stick with truth rather than error. So, when we hear talk of “healthy optimism” in chronic and necessary opposition to “unhealthy pessimism,” we often feel like smiling. If optimism is a bright but distorted vision of the truth, how can it be healthy? How can there be health in distortion?

But, someone could say, sound optimism consists in having a wholesome view of things in light colors when they are actually light. We agree. But in that case, one should not always speak of “unhealthy pessimism.” There should also be room for a “healthy pessimism” that would consist in seeing things dark when they actually are. Yet, for people who constantly talk about “healthy optimism,” pessimism is necessarily “unhealthy.” One is “healthy” whenever one is optimistic and “unhealthy” whenever one is pessimistic. The possibility of “healthy pessimism” is precisely what a lot of people want to deny at all costs.

In short, one must be always and unflinchingly realistic. When reality is good, one must draw from it optimistic omens in the good sense of the word. And—also in the good sense of the word—when reality is bad one should draw pessimistic forecasts from it. “Healthy optimism” and “healthy pessimism” are legitimate and reasonable expressions only if they always and inexorably identify with “absolute realism.”

That said, the question of whether we should be optimistic or realistic

about the present time translates into this: whether our time justifies good prognostics or bad. This is, therefore, what we will deal with.

Something which is in bad shape warrants bad prognoses. And something which is doing well justifies good prognoses. For an effect cannot have qualities that somehow are not contained in its cause. Consequently, we must ask whether things today are going well or badly.

The Fruits of Darkness Are Prevailing

If we want to know what prevails today, if it is the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ or the spirit of the world, it suffices to read Saint Paul.

According to the Apostle, the works of the flesh are “fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions,

sects, envies, murders, drunkenness, reveling and such like” (Gal. 5:19–21).

On the contrary, the fruit of the Spirit is “charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity (calm amidst suffering), mildness, faith, modesty, continence, chastity” (Gal. 5:22–23). No need to ask if what prevails in our century is the works of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit.

Let us take the same truth from another angle. Would we dare say that today’s civilization is still predominantly Christian? In that case, we should recognize that the corruption of customs, greed, rivalries, fights and the universal disorder that prevails in it are typical and specific fruits of the Church’s influence. Who does not see that we would blaspheme were we to say so? Thus, we must recognize the truth: our civilization is not informed by the spirit of Jesus Christ. It produces fruits typical of civilizations dominated by darkness.

Where Will We End Up?

What can we expect from this? Where are we going to end up within a few more decades of wars, strife and struggles between nations and classes? Where will we be fifty years from now if the corruption of morals keeps developing with the increasing speed it has been showing, for example, in matters of dance, immodest fashions and the homosexual and transgender movements?

If one wants to reason with all honesty, one must acknowledge that very little separates us from total catastrophe, and that if we continue along this line, in a short span of time we will suffer an eclipse of culture and civilization similar to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

And what will the future of the Church be in that world? Will she be condemned to live a few more centuries in the catacombs? Will the number of faithful be reduced to an insignificant little group?

God alone knows the future. No one

could reasonably be surprised if the whole structure of modern civilization thunderously and tragically crumbled in a great bloodbath. But there is a reason—and it is not the only one—to hope that Providence will not allow the Holy Church to return to the catacombs for long. It is that an omen of victory already exists amid the desolation of the present time: the visible action, so to speak, of the Blessed Virgin on earth.

Our Lady Steps In

From Lourdes to Fatima to this day, the more the universal crisis grows, the more Our Lady’s interventions become numerous and tangible. Devotion to Our Lady is fought—it is horrible to say it— not only outside the Church but even in supposedly Catholic circles. But to no avail. One can see that here and there the Blessed Mother continues to attract thousands of souls to her and to develop a regeneration plan that obviously leads to a grand and spectacular outcome.

All circumstances seem appropriate for an immense triumph of the Virgin. The crisis is tragic. It approaches an apex. To tell the truth, human means of salvation are zero. For our sins, we deserve no signal grace but only punishment and more punishment. All the characteristics of a humanly lost situation—not only typical but archetypical—seem to build up at present.

Who could save us? Only someone who has for us the boundless complacency of an exceedingly good, generous and compassionate Mother. But at the same time, that Mother would have to be more powerful than all the forces of the world, the devil and the flesh.

Now then, we do have that Mother. She is our Mother and the Mother of God. How could one not realize that so many disasters and countless sins call out as it were, for the intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary? And how not to see that she will heed that cry?

[A]n omen of victory already exists amid the desolation of the present time: the visible action, so to speak, of the Blessed Virgin on earth.

When will that be? During the great drama that draws near? After it? We do not know. But one thing appears absolutely likely: that, as the outcome of this crisis, Mary Most Holy is preparing for Holy Mother Church not centuries of agony and pain but an era of universal triumph.

And so, in this month dedicated to Mary, with our eyes fixed on her and in all serenity, we can answer the question of whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic: a healthy pessimism should persuade us that we deserve everything and perhaps will suffer an awful lot; but a healthy and supernatural optimism should persuade us that the triumph of the Church is being prepared in today’s pains through a complete crushing of the mentality of our times. Both that pessimism and optimism are healthy realism because they take into account a great reality without which any vision of human problems is flawed: the Providence of Our Lady. n

The preceding article was originally published in Catolicismo, No. 17, May 1952. It has been translated and adapted for publication without the author’s revision. –Ed.

On special occasions like birthdays, we have a certain right to ask our mother for anything. We can invoke this child’s right and ask for everything.

What Should We Ask from Our Lady

on our

250th Birthday?

This year, we celebrate the 250th year of our nation’s birth. Over all those years, we have lived, suffered and triumphed together. We have known good times and bad. Overall, we have much to show for our efforts. Never has a more prosperous nation existed in history.

It helps that God gave us a richly endowed nation. We have a vast and bountiful land full of natural resources and fertile soil.

He also created us as a practical people. We have many natural skills that help us to exploit this God-given bounty. Our people are industrious, resourceful and organized. Add daring, courage and persistence, and you have a formula for success.

We are a generous people willing to

share the fruits of our labor with those in need, here and abroad. We have even shed our blood, fighting around the world to defend good causes and to suppress evil and injustice.

More importantly, we are a very religious people. Perhaps we don’t think of ourselves in these terms, but we like religious matters. Those outside America marvel at our appetite for spiritual things. Perhaps our excessive materialism makes us feel our spiritual impoverishment more. Thus, we crave spiritual fulfillment. The topic of God resonates with us.

Despite our many falls and sins, God has blessed America. His Blessed Mother has looked with favor upon us, since through her, we have received so

many graces and gifts.

All these factors come together to give us reason to celebrate our 250 years. We can present our accomplishments and generosity to Our Lady on the spreadsheet of our good stewardship. We have been given much, and have used it well.

The Other Column

However, another column on our report sheet is not so good. Our time together has not been without its problems. We suffered through the Civil War and the Great Depression. We are shackled today in political and other strife. Individualism has made us lonely. A sexual revolution overturned our morals. The profound crisis inside the Church emp-

tied our churches and suffocated vocations. A culture war now erodes what remains of our wholesome values. A new digital wasteland devastates our souls.

Today, we find ourselves in a great crisis, unlike any we have seen before. As we celebrate our 250th year, we find ourselves a disunited and polarized nation. There is no consensus about what we should do or where we should go.

Thus, we must also present these afflictions to Our Lady on this august anniversary. She will not despise these petitions, but in her mercy will “hear and answer us.”

A Child’s Right

The key to being heard and answered is to ask, even if it seems that we do not have the right to do so in light of our many sins and failings.

On special occasions like birthdays, we have a certain right to ask our mother for anything. We can invoke this child’s right and ask for everything. We should not limit ourselves to a few requests out of an ungrounded fear that we will disturb her or that our urgent and numerous needs will overwhelm her generosity. Like any mother, she takes delight in aiding those children who are most needy, especially if we present ourselves truly repentant and show her our love. Indeed, when kneeling before the Mother of Mercy, the more we ask, the better.

Thus, we should ask her to join us in celebrating our joy at reaching this milestone, of being together as one nation, under God, for so many years. We must thank her for so many blessings.

Despite our many falls and sins, God has blessed America. His Blessed Mother has looked with favor upon us, since through her, we have received so many graces and gifts.

However, we must also present the seemingly insurmountable problems we face with childlike simplicity. We must ask her to come urgently to help unite our shattered nation. We must appeal to her wisdom to show us a way out of our affliction.

Invoking this child’s right, we have a window of opportunity to correct and straighten our ways. We must remember that she is not only our mother but the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her power is not figurative but real. She can change things, not just for Catholics, but for the nation as a whole. She can

better represent our interests before her Divine Son than we can.

Asking for the Right Things

However, we must ask her for the right things. Let us not waste time by asking for material benefits, petty spiritual favors or superficial solutions to profound problems.

Let us rather focus on those things that lie at the core of our national disunity. We must address those existential problems that fester deep within our souls and clamor for solutions. Our request should help us change our lives to be more like hers.

This is the ideal time to ask for favors that will rally and unite the nation.

It is a time to consider where we went wrong and how to return to order.

A Broken Society

A debate now rages around these topics. We are witnessing the breakdown of the prevailing liberal order. The political systems, institutions and manners that long served us over these 250 years are no longer working as they once did.

In the words of noted Catholic writer and man of action, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, we have embraced a liberal mindset in which we feel entitled to “think, feel and do everything the unrestrained passions demand.”

Over time, this mindset has dominated our society, taking us farther and farther from God and His Law. Our unity is shattered; any national consensus from years past is in shreds. We have reached the point that our social world has become what Alasdair MacIntyre called “a meeting place for individual wills, each with its own set of attitudes and preferences and who understand the world solely as an arena for the achievement of their own satisfaction, who interpret reality as a series of opportunities for their enjoyment.”

In The City of God, Saint Augustine of Hippo defines a people not merely as an assemblage of individuals, but as “an association of a multitude of rational beings united by a common agreement on the objects of their love.”

Thus, if we are to achieve our goal of asking Our Lady for what we need as a nation on our 250th birthday, we must start by asking that she help us change our mindset so that we might reunite as a people who agree to look

together upon the objects of our love.

Looking for Change

To do this, we must change.

Change is not easy. In this case, it involves recognizing our errors and putting in motion a transformation of ourselves and of society.

Some people propose complicated models, rigid ideologies and complex systems. Others have the strange idea that we can force people to practice virtue using the coercive power of government under a strong leader.

However, people are moved by people, not by governments. Neither the mechanical workings of cold bureaucracies nor the intricate arguments of strange ideologies move anyone. What moves us most is seeing the self-sacrificing action of others who respond to our personal needs. What moves us are the sublime, heroic and disinterested actions of others. We admire their unselfish good example, even while we struggle in our emulation. People move people, and when that other person is the Mother of God, nothing is impossible.

Our Lady is ideally suited to this role of changing souls. That is what she has always done. Thus, let us now

[P]eople are moved by people, not by governments. . . What moves us are the sublime, heroic and disinterested actions of others.

approach her with three petitions on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth.

Thus, we will present each petition, establish its urgency and explain how Our Lady can best address it. Finally, we will formulate an official request to her to come urgently to our country’s aid.

Extreme Individualism

Our first request to Our Lady for the nation is that she show us a way out of our extreme individualism that dominates our culture. We must rid ourselves of the absurd notion that we are the centers of our own little worlds, around which everything must revolve.

We feel the devastating consequences of this liberal mindset everywhere. Where self-interest and self-gratification dominate, we cannot think in terms of the common good or even of starting a family.

Thomas Hobbes called it “a war of every man against every man.” We adopt a self-serving “what’s-in-it-for-me” attitude. Power becomes the determining factor in relationships. Everyone has an agenda. In the words of sociologist Sherry Turkle, we live “alone together” in a polarized society that is turned in on itself.

Our Lady, Mother of Disinterested Love

Our Lady can address the issue of extreme individualism because she is the Mother of Disinterested Love. She gives herself entirely to her children with a completely selfless love. It is unconditional without seeking personal gain or comfort or expecting anything in return.

She does not have an agenda. When a devotee becomes the beneficiary of her goodness, it is hard not to be overwhelmed. She showers us with grace and favors. Her sanctuaries and shrines proclaim her mercy and innumerable miraculous cures. Devotional books are full of stories of the marvels she works for those who have recourse to her.

Her goodness can melt the cold selfishness of our modern dog-eat-dog world. Her solicitude touches the lost

souls wandering in the nihilism of our postmodern wasteland, giving them meaning and purpose.

She thinks not of herself but of how she might lead us on the surest path to her Son. She takes our part before Our Lord. The hymn “Ave Maris Stella” (Hail, Star of the Sea) expresses this tender love well, as one stanza says, “Show thyself a Mother, may the Word Divine, born for us thine infant, hear our prayers through thine.”

For those who think goodness is something impossible, she presents the anti-individualist model. We sense the joy of being like her and imitating her.

Thus, we might formulate our request: “O Mother, look with pity upon this nation and shower us with thy goodness, opening up our souls, so that we may change.”

This is what we need on our 250th birthday.

True Freedom

The second request we should present to Our Lady on this occasion is to remove our misdirected and erroneous concept of freedom that facilitates private, public and collective sin.

Most people equate freedom with choice, including sinful choices. However, they refuse to see how sin enslaves us, depriving us of our freedom.

This misguided notion of freedom is found in Justice Anthony Kennedy’s famous pro-abortion majority opinion in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania vs. Casey. It reads like a stanza of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It states: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe and of the mystery of human life.”

In this perverse sense, freedom means we can create our own reality regardless of what actually exists. It allows us to venture into the world of fantasy, self-gratification, pleasures and selfishness. It facilitates things like procured abortion, homosexual sin, transgenderism, drugs, pornography and so many other things that are part of life in America today.

We must admit that not all choices are equal. Some choices lead to less freedom and even slavery to sin and vice. Other choices facilitate individuals fulfilling their purpose in life and thus maximize their freedom.

We Are Called to Freedom and Truth

A bird by its nature, for example, is made to fly. Any choice that would thwart that aspiration would diminish the bird’s freedom of movement.

Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Libertas Praestantissimum, applies this idea to individuals. Our nature calls and attracts us to truth and goodness. Our fallen nature conspires against this call, but our inclination is to want to practice good like the bird that wants to fly. Virtue enables us to accomplish our purpose, which culminates in our salvation. Sin works against this purpose and, therefore, undermines our freedom.

Thus, Leo XIII says that true freedom is not doing whatever comes to mind, including sin. That is called license. Freedom consists in following that good impulse that propels us toward our true end. Virtue sets us free by resisting the things that keep us from flying toward our end.

The quest for truth leads us to seek its highest expression. Thus, we turn to others to guide and direct us on this path. True freedom consists of accepting the good advice, direction and experience of others, past and present, so that we can better pursue the whole and highest expressions of truth. True freedom can be found in duty, obedience and service toward those who see and understand more than we do. Like a guide charitably directing a blind man, others help us overcome the obstacles wrought by our fallen nature, so that we might be freer to reach our goals.

Consecration to Our Lady

Our Lady can address the issue of this liberal and distorted notion of freedom because she is the highest expression of our quest for truth. She leads us to Christ, “the Way, and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). We can do nothing better than to put ourselves under her protection and guidance so that we might reach this goal.

The good news is that this act of putting ourselves under her is readily accessible. Countless American Catholics are familiar with Saint Louis de Montfort’s Consecration to Our Lady as a slave of love. It is a formula by which we put ourselves under her protection and enjoy an intense union with her so that we might be pleasing in the sight of her Son.

In his commentary on Saint Louis’s True Devotion to Mary, Professor Corrêa de Oliveira says that we accept this bond because: “We cherish her so much, we trust her so much, that we want to do whatever she wants, just as a slave wants to do everything that his master wants. However, it is a dependence of love, not one that is imposed by tyranny or force.”

Saint Louis outlines the benefits of this consecration. He explains how it increases our virtue, gives us a greater capacity to suffer, allows us to possess a great

intimacy with Our Lady and gives immeasurable value to our good works. We have everything to gain from this consecration.

Thus, we conclude that Our Lady is positioned to help us abandon the slavery to sin that troubles so many souls who surrender to their unbridled passions and fantasies.

By consecrating ourselves to Our Lady as a slave of love, we achieve the true freedom of reaching our purpose in this life and in the next.

Many Americans have already made this consecration, and the way is open for many more to implement this “easy, short, perfect and secure way” to Jesus Christ.

Thus, we might formulate our second request: “O Wise and Immaculate Heart of Mary, in these times when all consider themselves free to pursue their passions and fantasies, grant us the true freedom of putting ourselves under your maternal guidance and protection as we look beyond our nation’s 250th anniversary.”

A Final Request

Our final request to Our Lady for the nation must be an end to the secular dungeon that encloses us in a world without divine agency.

The modern mindset reduces God to a personal, subjective and even emotional being that corresponds to what each one imagines Him to be rather than who He actually is.

In our liberal society, God is not allowed to act in history. He is, for all practical purposes, dethroned and no longer recognized as the source of all authority. There is no recognized universal or divine narrative by which society can implore His protection or expect His aid. By adopting this attitude, we deprive ourselves of our most powerful source of assistance. God’s supernatural action is reduced to subjective or even sentimental experiences.

In this secular, naturalistic setting, God withdraws from a society that does not want Him, awaiting times

when He will once more be adored and welcomed.

Thus, many feel overwhelmed with anxiety and despair in this liberal system closed to divine action. This exclusion creates a void that can only be filled when Christ is accepted again as King.

Where She Is Queen

Our Lady can address the issue of this sterile secularism that shuts off divine agency. If there is anyone who can compel God to act, it is the Blessed Mother. Anything she asks from her Son is granted. She is all-powerful against the enemies of the Church, being “terrible as an army set in battle array” (Cant. 6:9). We can call upon her to reign once again so that He might reign.

Thus, we might formulate our final request: “Come, O Mother, Queen of all hearts, reign over our minds, wills and hearts, not through brute force, but through thy goodness and mercy. ”

Are These Requests Possible?

Someone might think that these three birthday requests amount to idle speculation. These are favors we would like to receive, but are impossible petitions in the real world, which excludes the supernatural.

However, with Our Lady, the impossible is always possible. Indeed, she specializes in the impossible. At her prayer, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, in her blessed womb. Nothing could have been more impossible in those brutal pagan Roman times than the marvel of the God-made-Man. Nothing was more unlikely than the victory of the Christian Faith over the mighty Roman Empire.

Likewise, no one ever thought that the present liberal order would ever be questioned, but that is now being done everywhere.

The frustrations and anxieties of our age have triggered this debate. Something is moving inside our society. People are searching for something beyond the materialistic, individualistic

and secular society that so suffocates us. People are converting in small but significant numbers. We can listen to their conversion stories and verify that miracles of grace have led these converts to embrace the Catholic Faith against all odds.

Perhaps more importantly, someone is moving that can change everything. Inside countless souls, Our Lady’s action is perceptible. She is acting almost without human agency due to the apocalyptic crisis within the Church. She does not need majority numbers. It is enough that there be a few chosen souls who look toward God and cry out with Saint Augustine, “Too late have I loved Thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new; late have I loved Thee!”

She will take care of the rest.

It is time to invite Our Lady into the discussion over our future. What better time than on this 250th anniversary? We must have recourse to her, for Christ is only King where she is Queen. n

America Needs Fatima ®

May/June 2026 PROGRESS

REPORT

From the Desk of Robert Ritchie

Dear Soldier of Our Lady, God holds children dear—they are so precious in His eyes! Yet, today they face an ideological assault driven by those promoting LGBTQ agendas at schools and libraries. It is heartbreaking to see them targeted by the homosexual agenda in spaces that ought to be safe and nurturing. Children are being exposed to transgenderism, immoral books and Drag Queen Story Hours in their classrooms, local bookstores and libraries. Their innocence is being hijacked by disturbingly explicit themes including pornography, homosexuality and gender confusion.

Through prayer, battles are won. Through prayer, victory is obtained for the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is the promise that Our Lady gave us at Fatima!

That’s why I pray you will join me. Gather your family and friends to pray a rosary in peaceful protest and public witness to reject the homosexual agenda promoted in curricula and library resources—an agenda that seeks to capture and pervert children’s innocence!

Sadly, thousands of schools and libraries across America offer LGBTQ materials and events. One may even be in your own neighborhood! Will you join me in opposing the homosexual agenda that normalizes an immoral lifestyle targeting our children and grandchildren?

Sign up to pray on any day in August at 12:00 noon, your local time. Gather your friends, family and community members and pray the rosary in peaceful, legal opposition to the exposure of children to transgenderism, immoral books and drag events. It’s easy to sign up. Just email Protest@TFP.org. Once we hear from you, we will provide specific recommendations for the event or location in your community.

Let us arm ourselves with the Holy Rosary and defend the innocence of our children. Let us courageously resist the normalization of lifestyles that offend God and contradict our Faith.

Sincerely, In Jesus

and Mary,

Robert E. Ritchie Executive Director

Rose’s Prayerful Stand for Innocence in Brooklyn

Every time we pray the Holy Rosary in public, we are reminded of the ultimate truth: God and Our Lady will always triumph over evil. Rose, a rally captain in Brooklyn, N.Y., lives this truth through action.

Rose organized a peaceful, public rosary rally, bringing her friends together to storm Heaven with prayer. While the group prayed for many intentions, they also gathered to make a public stand. Their presence served as a peaceful protest against a local bar for hosting drag events open to children.

Rose and her friends remind us that public prayer is our most powerful weapon in protecting the innocence of the next generation. “I felt that we honored God and Our Lady by holding this rally and I am looking forward to leading the next rally,” she shared. “We had about fifteen people attend. I was hoping for more, but it was a very cold day and many were not able to be outside for too long. But we felt God’s presence with us as we prayed.”

Soraya’s Prayerful Stand Against the “Paranormal

Cirque”

Soraya, a rally captain, understands the power of saying “yes” to God. To combat the influence of satanic events like the Paranormal Cirque, she organized a peaceful, legal rosary rally in Oviedo, Fla.

Despite the unprecedented winter weather and vocal op-

position, the group remained determined to pray for attendees who may be unaware of the event’s blasphemous nature. Soraya was happy to answer God’s call to pray.

“It is truly worthwhile to pray the rosary in public. It brings light to those who need it, and allows us to contribute at least a small seed to the service of God,” she affirmed. “Praying the rosary in public gave us a sense of joy that we were making amends for the pain caused to Jesus and Our Lady by the Satanism attacking our families. The Holy Spirit definitely accompanied us, providing all the strength we needed.”

The battle for the hearts and minds of our families is won through prayer and public witness. We invite you to follow in Soraya’s footsteps and lead a rally in your own community.

A Prayerful Stand Against the Moral Assault on Our Children

Across the nation, children are facing an unprecedented moral assault. This agenda is being pushed into the hearts and minds of the youth through Drag Queen Story Hour events and the availability of sexually explicit LGBTQ materials in our schools and libraries.

When José, a rally captain, heard about a Drag Queen Story Hour at a bookstore in Indianapolis, Ind., he gathered

BeCome a loCal RosaRy Rally leadeR

You can start a rally in your own neighborhood.

Contact José at (844) 830-3570 or email Protest@TFP.org today to become a rally captain and receive your free banner and manual.

“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matt. 18:20).

friends and family to pray in public and call for God’s mercy to put an end to these immoral events.

Despite the freezing weather and other challenges, José was proud that the group was there to defend children. He found it particularly disheartening that an event encouraging gender fluidity in minors was promoted as a “family-friendly, all-ages” affair.

“It was important to us to counteract these attacks from the devil on our children,” he explained. “We faced insults from some passersby who were upset because we were praying, but we continued because we could feel the love of Our Mother.”

Defending the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Our Lady

When the blasphemous Paranormal Cirque visited Lubbock, Tex., Raquel, a rally captain, wanted to make reparation against the sacrilege committed against Our Savior’s Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.

Although it was thirty degrees with high winds, that didn’t discourage Raquel and her friends from praying. She said several cars stopped and acknowledged their support with a favorable comment or thumbs up.

Raquel said it was an honor to profess the message and encouraged others to host a rally.

“We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who do not know His love or mercy, who deny Him, or have fallen away. It’s my little token to what Our Lord and Our Lady have done for me. I will do my best to spread Their message,” she said. “Live your calling to be the hands and feet for Our Mother. All

we have to do is say ‘yes’ and she will do the rest at the rally.”

Faithful Catholics Brave Sub-Zero Temperatures

On February 7, faithful Catholics gathered outside Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic Church in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., where “the Rainbow Priest,” Fr. James Martin, S.J., was scheduled to speak.

Despite wind chills plunging to negative sixteen degrees and gusts nearing forty-five miles per hour, approximately thirty-five prayerful protesters stood firm in defense of the Catholic Faith. Leo, a rally captain, organized the event, contacting local Catholics and leading the protest rosary rally with steadfast determination. Speaking through an ice-covered mustache, he declared, “We need to show people that faithful Catholics are willing to fight and even die for their Catholic Faith.”

Nine TFP members joined the local faithful. One woman briefly warmed up in her car before returning to remain until the end. A pro-life activist in his late sixties arrived by bicycle, stood throughout the rally and rode home afterward in the freezing darkness.

After the protest, a supporter hosted several participants for a warm dinner, providing much needed nourishment to cap off an evening defined by courage and the conviction to reject Father Martin’s efforts to normalize homosexuality. n

Our Readers and Viewers Write

FroM our readers:

ANF Apostolate

“Thank you eternally for all the good that you do—all the good you have done and all the good you will continue to do. People need to be reminded that we were born to stand out, to set ourselves apart from this corrupt generation, which you and everyone there at ANF do admirably, including the formation of those good young men with the bagpipes in the traditional Catholic Faith, which breeds courage. We are at war with the most evil and insidious enemy that has ever faced humanity in his long climb from the swamp to the stars. We have the most to lose; we cannot be the ones who did the least to prevent a collapse. Arise, America! We have a rendezvous with destiny!”

E.A., Sykesville, Md.

“I thank God for you, ANF, and all those that work with you that invite us and encourage us to seek the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima for our familes, ourselves, America and the world. May God continue to empower you and increase your anointing as you continue with your ministry with zeal and valor! Please keep me in your prayers asking that God perfect my healing and give me a heart of total obedience to God for whatever direction He is leading me to serve Him. Thank you, ANF!”

V.T., Brooklyn, N.Y.

2026 Fatima Calendar

“We are very blessed and thankful to hang this 2026 calendar in my son’s room. He is very devoted to Mary under all her titles, particularly Fatima. Thanks!”

J.R., San Fernando, Calif.

“Thank you for the very meaningful calendar, Mr. Ritchie. The calendar sent is really of good quality and very beautiful, per usual. It gives me strong feel-

ings! God bless, and more power to your chosen apostolate. May God keep you extra strong to keep going in the face of the adversities that I know accompany your mission.”

P.S., Walnut, Calif.

Crusade Magazine

Thank you for the article about the underground Catholics in Japan [January/ February 2026]. After reading it, I realized how the Japanese people suffered under the bad Japanese government. I can apply this to my life so that I remember to always do apostolate, even if it means death. I did not know that the Japanese were so courageous and gave their lives for the faith for so many years. The faithful kept the Faith alive without priests or bishops. In our world today, the traditional Latin Mass is being shut down. I hope we are able to imitate the Catholic Japanese if we have to face the same situation someday.

C.F. and J.M.F. (thirteen and fourteen years old), Chesterland, Ohio

2025 Christmas Rosary

“I will carry this beautiful Christmas rosary with pride, ANF! I also thank you a bunch for the wonderful The Secret of the Rosary book by the great Saint Louis de Montfort!”

T.O., Mondovi, Wisc.

“What a beautifully crafted rosary! The Holy Family focus must surely be dear to Mary’s Immaculate loving Heart! You are all in my prayers and I thank you for yours. I know they carry much weight before Mary’s throne. Please accept this donation to help spread Mary’s loving reach into and through our hearts—no exceptions!”

J.B., Sequim, Wash.

FroM our Viewers:

“Every year I look for the videos to be uploaded of those scarlet banners flut-

tering in the wintery D.C. air at the March for Life—and every year I am not disappointed! All the intrepid warriors for truth for the unborn, marching year after year no matter the administration, will be rewarded in the end! Thank you for keeping the Catholic content coming on your social media accounts!”

Anonymous, Santa Clarita, Calif.

“Thank you TFP Student Action for protesting and speaking up against the LBGTQ speaker, Fr. James Martin, S.J. May Mary have all of you under her mantle. I will add you to my prayers!” @dianefrank3688

“Young Catholics are the hope for a healed Catholic Church. Viva Cristo Rey! Salve Maria!” @fsartori1554

“God bless you, young people. You are being let down, led astray and wronged in so many ways by contemporary culture (of death and inversion) and then on top of everything, heretics (in highly influential positions at that!) come along and support it and worse still, Church authorities do not punish them. These are dark times and Catholics, especially the youth (at large), do not deserve these insufferable scandals, heresies, lies and confusion. At the very least, can one understand such abhorrence for Our Holy Mother Church, founded by Our Lord Christ Himself, in her glory and sacred teaching?”

@IllustratedTheory

“She

Called Him to Come Home”

Our Lady touches countless souls through the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima. When an America Needs Fatima (ANF) custodian brings her to visit a home, she pours graces over those dwelling there, often in the form of answered prayers, healings, conversions or miracles. In the story detailed in the letter below, Our Lady favored Ron to such a degree that his wife wrote to tell ANF about the miracle that changed their lives.

Dear Custodian José,

I want to thank you again for the wonderful visit we had with the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima and for the extra pleasure of having her live in our home for a week. It was truly a wonderful experience and brought forth a miracle that I would like to relay to you.

I don’t know if you remember us; you have so many visits to make. I am sure, after a while, they all run together. However, you asked us to keep the Blessed Statue while you flew back to Pennsylvania to visit with your son. We were more than delighted to do so.

For the time that you were in Penn., the beautiful Virgin Statue of Fatima was enthroned in our living room on a table resplendent with a white lace tablecloth, flowers and candles. I need to interject here that my husband, Ron, had been away from the Church for over thirty years, although I go to Mass daily. One morning, my husband asked if I said “Good Morning” to the Blessed Virgin, and I said that I

Are you wondering if a Fatima Home Visit is for you?

Just scan this QR code for a video showing what will happen when Our Lady enters your home.

hadn’t even thought about it. He then told me he talked with her every morning. This was a surprise to me because I had to coerce him to attend the Fatima home visit as that was his poker night.

On the Saturday before Palm Sunday while the statue was still in our home, my husband told me he was going to Confession! I was floored! Ron went to Confession on Saturday and returned to Holy Mass and the Catholic Faith on Palm Sunday and is now steeped in faith and belief in the miracle of the Blessed Mother. He said she called him to come home. Thank you, dear Lady of Fatima: that’s my miracle!

I thought you might like to know the glorious work you are doing, and the miracle you are bringing to others.

Yours in Christ, D. R. E.

New Port Richey, Fla.

If you would like to have a Fatima Custodian visit your home or school with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, please contact America Needs Fatima’s scheduling department at (888) 460-7371. This is a FREE service provided by ANF to achieve its mission of winning the heart and soul of America for Our Lady.

Defending God’s Marriage: 1,160 Rosary Rallies Take Place in America’s Public Square

Despite negative cultural pressures, the defense of marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman remains vital for America’s future. In late March, thousands of Catholics gathered to defend this institution by participating in 1,160 pro-marriage rosary rallies to publicly pray for the protection of the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. Rally-goers held up banners that proclaimed to those walking or driving by: “God’s Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman.” They also followed a prayer program developed by America Needs Fatima for organizers of the rallies, which included the rosary, intentions, litanies and other prayers.

Public support for the homosexual agenda is waning even among youth and liberals.1 There is a growing desire to bring marriage back to God’s design for the good of society. It is encouraging to know that lawmakers in several states are seeking ways to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that allowed for same-sex “marriages.”2

News like this offers a bright spot in the idea of returning to God’s design for marriage and the family. Another bright spot is seeing so many people show up in public to visibly remind their communities that marriage is from God. Here are a few testimonials shared by rally captains from across the country:

“There was a chowder cook-off right next door, so we had plenty of people in the area,” said Claudia from Merritt, N.C. “We received many thumbs up and honks from passersby (speed limit is only 10 MPH, so we were quite visible). One man walking by even mouthed the words to the Hail Mary

along with us. Super great! No protesters in sight either.”

“We’ve held a public rosary rally on the second Saturday of every month for three years this spring,” said Lori from Eolia, Mo. “We used to only hold a rally in October, as requested by America Needs Fatima, but we started doing it monthly, at your encouragement. Thank you for the awesome banners you provide. We also use a microphone, since outdoor rosaries are so loud. God bless ANF and all our rosary warriors nationwide!”

“Our church is located just outside a small but popular lake destination. We have a lot of Pittsburgh people during the spring and summer visiting the town and our church. We are blessed to have a core group that is out there every month praying, rain or shine,” said Mary from Meadville, Pa. “We love Our Lady and we know that we and our parish are being showered with blessings.”

“Our event was very successful and a lot of people joined us,” said Carol from Clearwater, Fla. “We used pro-life banners along with the banner for traditional marriage. A few people gave us some bad gestures and some people yelled and honked at us angrily, but we also had a lot of good honks. After saying the rosary, all the litanies and praying to Saint Michael, a woman drove up and called to me. She had a child in her car that she told me she once considered aborting. She even went to the abortion clinic and then said ‘no’ and walked out. She now is in love with her son and is pro-life. We prayed for her and she hopefully will join us next month because she said she loves what we are doing.”

“We know Our Lord’s teaching on

marriage as a pillar of society is unchangeable and must be defended always, most importantly in the public square,” said Robert E. Ritchie, Executive Director of America Needs Fatima. “Once marriage and family are undermined, society crumbles. That is why we are so thankful for each of the 1,160 rally captains who led thousands of Americans to stand for God’s marriage last weekend.”

This year, America Needs Fatima is challenging every person to become a rosary rally captain in honor of a loved one who is sick, has passed away or is facing difficult circumstances. To join thousands of Catholics in this endeavor for Our Lady, visit Rosary Rally Central to sign up as a captain for any of the many themed rosary rallies being held in 2026.3

“Have ye not read, that He who made man from the beginning, made them male and female? And He said: For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore, now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matt. 19: 4–6). n

Notes:

1. Tessa E.S. Charlesworth and Eli J. Finkel, “Americans Are Turning Against Gay People,” The New York Times , January 19, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/opinion /heated-rivalry-gay-prejudice.html

2. Jenna Sundel, “Conservatives Launch New Plan To Overturn Gay Marriage in Supreme Court,” Newsweek , January 30, 2026, https://www.newsweek.com/conservatives -launch-new-plan-to-overturn-gay-marriage -in-supreme-court-11443333

3. Rosary Rally Central: https://america needsfatima.org/rosary-rally-central

TFP in Action

Fighting the good fight for moral values

TFP Marches Alongside Determined Pro-Lifers in New York City

The pro-abortion movement would like to think that New York City is its untouchable stronghold, where pro-lifers hold no sway or influence.

But much to their chagrin, the International Gift of Life Walk marched down Broadway on March 25, 2026. The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and its TFP-staffed St. Louis de Montfort Academy joined the event.

The Feast of the Annunciation was an appropriate date for this march, because it commemorates Our Lord’s Incarnation in the womb of Our Lady.

This symbolism was echoed during the event’s opening remarks. The speakers included Auxiliary Bishop Peter Byrne of New York, rally organizer Dawn Eskew and TFP Student Action director John Ritchie.

The speeches set the tone for the march ahead, letting participants know it is not simply a get-together for good people. It is a clarion call for all pro-lifers to engage in the battle for the unborn.

It is with this spirit that the march began.

The TFP marching band led the way, making the pro-life message impossible to ignore. While Marian and patriotic hymns drew attention to the march, students from the St. Louis de Montfort Academy handed out hundreds of flyers. Some of the pedestrians received them graciously, while others expressed disdain.

Signs, banners and crimson TFP

standards also graced the march, ensuring that the pro-life message was present everywhere.

However, the focal point of the march was the beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima, carried on a litter by TFP volunteers. She is the Queen of the pro-life movement, and it was only fitting that she oversaw the battle herself.

As the marchers made their way down Broadway, they cried out vigorous slogans and prayers, letting everyone know that the pro-life movement is alive and thriving—even in New York City. Their enthusiasm was contagious.

There are few things more beautiful to witness than devout Catholics united together to fight against grave sin and defending the unborn.

Is There Hope? Even for New York City?

One could wonder why the pro-lifers were so joyful. After all, New York City is one of the most dangerous places for unborn children in America.

Indeed, the city's socialist mayor effectively declared war on the pro-life movement as evidenced by the following declaration from his mayoral campaign ("Trump-Proofing NYC"): “The Mamdani administration will protect New Yorkers from false or deceptive information spread by Crisis Pregnancy Centers, including lies about abortion safety and medications.”

The pro-life movement is an energetic, thriving reality—a reality that paints a grim picture of the abortion movement’s future.

The evidence speaks for itself: Planned Parenthood’s Manhattan headquarters on Bleecker Street closed down last year. This means that there are no longer any Planned Parenthood clinics open in Manhattan.

With these prospects, it would be foolish to give up hope. As TFP Student Action director John Ritchie said in his speech:

“Who will win this battle? It depends . . . it depends on who leads us. Saint Michael has the best track record. He never lost a battle—and he is not about to start now.” n

Why the TFP Protest at the Religious Education Congress Matters

Onceagain, thousands of Catholics gathered for the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress (REC). It was America’s largest Catholic religious educational conference of the year, and this year marked its seventieth anniversary.

The idea of any religious educational conference should be to help people learn how to teach fellow Catholics to grow in their faith and become closer to God.

However, many were disappointed to find out about speakers who did not promote orthodox Catholic teaching at the event.

On February 21, 2026, members and supporters of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) protested the REC at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. In this way, many faithful Catholics became aware of the errors promoted at the event. It is important because it was a public testimony of Catholics affirming the Faith.

Several Dangerous Speakers

With the TFP’s large red standard, bagpipes and drum in hand, those at the rally handed out the flyer titled “Catholics Reject Unorthodox Speakers at the REC.” They also prayed in reparation for

Mr.

the promotion of errors at the event.

Fr. James Martin, S.J., was the REC’s most well-known speaker, because of his strong promotion of his LGBTQ ministries. For example, he has said that Catholics must “reverence” homosexual unions. He has also supported transgenderism for children and favored homosexual kissing at the kiss of peace during Holy Mass. Unfortunately, this activist priest was joined by many other speakers with scandalous views.

These other speakers are on record as denying or casting doubt upon Original Sin, the Redemption, the existence of Limbo, priestly ordination for men only, priestly celibacy and many other doctrines traditionally affirmed by the Church.

Many were shocked to learn about the subjects being promoted inside. Attendance at the REC is required for all Catholic educators within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, meaning some participants were unaware of the event’s agenda beforehand.

Upon discovering that some speakers were pro-homosexual and supported women’s ordination, many attendees expressed support for the TFP and immediate outrage over the selection of speakers.

Catholics Join the Protest

As usual, many Catholics showed their support and thanked the TFP members for standing up for the truth and warning them to avoid the unorthodox speakers. There were two ladies who joined the TFP in praying the rosary. They went to the conference a few years ago to visit the Catholic booths, and were shocked

Members of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) joined local residents to protest the infiltration of a woke agenda at the annual Religious Education Congress.

by some of the anti-Catholic material they encountered. They were profusely grateful to see that the TFP was there protesting the evils of the REC.

Another man went up to thank one of the TFP members. He told the member that for several years, he had been trying to get a booth at the REC to display his Catholic wood art shop, Old School Catholic Traditions. The man said, “Finally, after six or seven years, they let me have a booth. I’m probably too traditional for them.”

Once he set up, he was shocked to find that the booth next to him was promoting ordination of women to the diaconate.

While the members were praying the rosary, they noticed that many people were mouthing the prayers as they walked by.

The TFP distributed leaflets to a good number of those attending, thus ensuring that many REC attendees were warned about the subversive doctrines being promoted inside.

By protesting in front of the convention center, faithful Catholics stood as witnesses, offering reparation for the offenses against God being committed at the event.

The protest in Anaheim was a powerful act of atonement. Our Lord was surely consoled by the devotion and courage of those who participated in the public rally. They were not concerned with being shamed or ridiculed. They understood that a public act of reparation was necessary, no matter how “uncomfortable” it might be. n

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front and Our Lord following, the pilgrims were motivated to push ahead.

Christian, one of the pilgrims carrying Our Lord, stated, “We have to defend the truths of our Faith regarding holy images! We see the destruction of many holy images and churches in our days, and bringing images to the public square is a way to defend and promote them.”

He continued, “Living our Faith in public is so important! Many only want to live the Faith in private. Living our Faith in private is great, but living it in public is

just as important, if not more important.”

During the whole pilgrimage, pilgrims recited the Holy Rosary, sang many hymns and prayed litanies to Our Lady and the saints. At the Catholic Calvary Cemetery, the pilgrims paid their respects to the faithful departed and prayed for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

After visiting the cemetery, the group arrived at Saint James Catholic Church, where they prayed the Stations of the Cross. The Most Reverend David L. Toups, Bishop of Beaumont,

joined the pilgrims at Saint James and led the pilgrimage to the final shrine, the Queen of Peace Shrine.

As the pilgrims arrived at the end, a light drizzle fell over them. Having reached their final destination, the pilgrims received a final blessing from Bishop Toups.

“Our Faith is being so persecuted in our days,” said Elvia, one of the pilgrims. “That’s why we must bring our Faith to the public square where everyone can see us. Just today, I saw many bystanders who saw us and made the Sign of the Cross. It is proof that this pilgrimage is having an effect and that these types of events can influence and ultimately change society.”

Indeed, this pilgrimage was a true example of putting faith into action during the Lenten season. n

Faith Is Put into Action During Lenten Pilgrimage in Port Arthur

OnMarch 7, 2026, Catholics gathered in Port Arthur, Tex., for the fourteenth Annual Lenten Pilgrimage of Southeast Texas. The pilgrimage is a five-mile course visiting two churches, two shrines and one cemetery. Amid constant threat of rainfall and occasional fierce winds, many saw the occasion as a chance to join their sufferings with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Members of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) were present at the pilgrimage wearing their red capes. Battling the wind, the TFP volunteers carried their iconic eighteen-foot red standard from start to finish.

Starting at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church and Shrine, the pilgrims gathered before a seventeen-foot statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A priest led the crowd in opening prayers, followed by a pilgrim blessing.

With the pilgrimage officially

started, the pilgrims marched to their first stop, Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. During this stop, there was a short fish fry lunch break, which helped to tide over the pilgrims for the rest of the trek.

New to this year’s pilgrimage was the presence of two statues brought by TFP volunteers. The first was a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima, carried on a litter and adorned with flowers. The second was an impressive statue of Our Lord scourged and crowned with thorns. With Our Lady in

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