Free Republic

A new tourist route called “The Christian Crimea” is being developed as part of the national tourist project "Tourism and the hospitality industry" in Crimea. This issue was discussed at a meeting between the Russian Federation Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Chernyshenko, and the Chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov, RIA Novosti reports. After the meeting, Dmitry Chernyshenko gave a number of directions, suggesting that a tourist and pilgrimage destination — a national tourist route called “the Christian Crimea” — should be developed as part of a large-scale tourist project in Crimea. For its...

Metropolitan Hilarion, in Bari for an honorary degree, talks about the relics of St Nicholas in Russia, and persecuted Christians in the Middle East and UkraineAfter the "complete liberation of Syria from the fighters", it will be necessary to "rebuild Churches and monasteries", "guarantee jobs to the population, especially to young people" and "recreate Syria's traditional economic infrastructure". The Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion Alfeev,"Foreign Minister" of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia, said this during a visit to Bari. After the relic of St. Nicholas - patron saint of Russia as well as of the Apulian capital -...

Father James E. Coyle, an extraordinary priest and Knight of Columbus in the early 20th century, courageously stood up against widely-held anti-Catholic views at the risk, and then cost, of his life.The Irish-born priest was scarcely in his 20s when, after his ordination in Rome, he was dispatched to Alabama to begin his priesthood. The Catholic population in Alabama had exploded with a promise of jobs, especially in and around Birmingham’s network of coal mines, steel mills and iron foundries. Father Coyle arrived in the city shortly before a wave of anti-Catholicism flooded the country, and the revived Ku...

Beer is another one of those testimonies to how the Catholic Church built European civilization. It is true that brewing was widely practiced in the ancient world, but the process was very primitive, even as simple as soaking a loaf of bread in water. Modern brewing practices grew up within Benedictine monasteries, where beer provided good sustenance, sanitary drink, and probably some mirth (at least for the pilgrims). The monks even created a special brew to sustain Lenten fasts, the double bock, classically seen in Paulaner’s Salvator (“The Savior”; look for St. Francis Paola on the Paulener label).The French Revolution...

LOUIS IX Also known asLouis Capet Memorial25 AugustProfileKing for 44 years, being crowned at age 12; his mother ruled as regent until he reached 22. Founded monasteries, built leper hospitals, and collected relics. Married at age 19, and father of eleven. Franciscan tertiary. Led two Crusades and died on one. Born25 April 1214 at Poissy, FranceDied25 August 1270 at Tunis, AlgeriaCanonized1297 Name Meaningfamous warrior Patronagearchdiocese of Saint Louis, Missouri, barbers, builders, button makers, construction workers, Crusaders, death of children, difficult marriages, distillers, embroiderers, French monarchs, grooms, haberdashers, hairdressers, hair stylists, kings, masons, needle workers, parenthood, parents of large families, prisoners, sculptors, sick people, soldiers, stone masons, stonecutters, tertiariesRepresentationcrown of thorns; king holding a cross king...