MLB Strikes Out on Pride Punishment?

Vatican REJECTS German Lay Homilies

June 24th, 2026 - Happy feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist! Multiple socialist candidates endorsed by Zohran Mamdani won their Democrat primaries in New York last night, among them Claire Valdez, who has called for a Trans Bill of Rights, national rent control, and unlimited refugees. The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to terminate $67 million in teen pregnancy prevention grants due to a department review. The Trump administration saw two immigration enforcement victories yesterday: The Supreme Court ruled that green card holders can lose their admission status based on pending criminal charges and the D.C. Circuit cleared the way for nationwide expedited removal of noncitizens. A United Nations inquiry accused Israeli authorities and security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, concluding that the alleged conduct amounted to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments told the president of the German Bishops’ Conference that laypeople may not, even in exceptional circumstances, give the homily during Mass. Controversy recently erupted after Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, former head of the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family Life, said that the changes he made during his tenure aimed to start a “profound reform” of the idea of natural law. Pete Hegseth has requested General CD Donahue, the top U.S. Army officer in Europe, to resign. Donahue will reportedly resign today. Donahue has been critical of the lack of U.S. assistance to Ukraine; he was the last U.S. soldier to depart Afghanistan in 2021. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

MLB Strikes Out on Pride Punishment?

June 23rd, 2026 - Happy St. John's Eve and the feast of St. Giuseppe Cafasso! Major League Baseball appears to be backtracking regarding the San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps. The players will not face discipline. Federal Judge Sparkle Sooknanan yesterday blocked the Trump administration’s creation of a citizen database to ensure no noncitizens could vote in U.S. elections. Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem (Theophilos III) arrived in Gaza yesterday for a pastoral visit. Cardinal Pizzaballa spoke of “the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem toward the local churches and toward the whole population of Gaza”. Bishop Daniel Thomas of the U.S. Bishops' pro-life committee marked the fourth anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade yesterday by warning that the pro-life victory "risks being undone by the massive influx of abortion pills" that federal law continues to allow under the Trump administration. Pope Leo XIV sent a message to participants in the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Summer Youth Conferences, telling young people that true joy and peace will not be found in “doom scrolling”.  Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

Peace Plans Proceeding

June 22nd, 2026 - Happy feast of Ss. Alban, John Fisher and Thomas More! Pakistan and Qatar, the two countries mediating talks between the U.S. and Iran, announced that the nations have formed an oversight committee and agreed to a “roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days”. Tickets for the Sept. 24 beatification Mass of Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen are available this week. The number of countries experiencing high or very high levels of religious social hostility increased for the third consecutive year, according to a new report released by the Pew Research Center. British PM Kier Starmer announced his resignation. He hopes a replacement Labour leader can be chosen and appointed by the end of the summer. The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee will open nominations on July 9th. The DOJ is challenging a New York law in court, which mandates long-term care facilities to house transgenders based on so-called “gender identity.” Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

Can Trump & Leo Get Along?

June 19th, 2026 - Happy feasts of Ss. Romuald & Juliana Falconieri! President Donald Trump yesterday renewed his call for peace across the Middle East, urging all parties to uphold ongoing negotiations as Israel moved to deepen its military presence inside southern Lebanon. Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Lebanon in the past few hours, with one Israeli minister declaring: “For each tear an Israeli mother sheds, a thousand Lebanese mothers must cry. All of Lebanon must burn.” Vice President JD Vance warned Israeli critics of the U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement yesterday, saying President Donald Trump is "the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time." Pope Leo approved updated governing rules for the Vatican's child protection commission, replacing the original 2015 statutes with new measures meant to strengthen safety, boost accountability, and better integrate the body into the broader Roman Curia. The Department of Justice warned Major League Baseball (MLB) that it may have violated federal civil rights law by threatening to discipline San Francisco Giants pitchers who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps. The Archdiocese of San Francisco issued a statement backing the three Giants pitchers who wrote a Genesis reference on their rainbow Pride Night caps, saying athletes "should not be asked to check their faith at the clubhouse door." Kaiser Permanente has agreed to implement corrective measures to resolve religious discrimination charges surrounding their denying of religious exemptions to employees who refused the COVID-19 vaccine. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

Life & Children Under Attack Again

June 18th, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Ephrem the Syrian! President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance signed a preliminary U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding while attending the Group of Seven summit in France, the White House announced, even as Israel signaled it would not abide by key provisions calling for an end to military operations in Lebanon. The Holy Father has praised the upcoming agreement, stating, “I welcome with satisfaction the agreement reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, which is to be signed on Friday, as an encouraging outcome of patient dialogue and negotiation.” Archbishop Hubertus van Megen touched down in Berlin this week to begin his new assignment as the apostolic nuncio to Germany – pray for him! A Louisiana teenager and her baby survived after she was given abortion drugs without her consent and delivered the child at 23 weeks gestation. A Christian high school student who honored Charlie Kirk with a Bible verse on a boulder used to share messages on campus has been officially exonerated after a legal battle over free speech and religious expression. More details are still emerging over the planned attack at the UFC event that President Trump and others are attending. The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event before shooting at those fleeing. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]