TALLAHASSEE, FL — Termites in a home on 54th street were excited this morning as a shiny yellow and red tent was placed over the house they’ve been living in.
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U.S. — Cities across the United States are placing Daniel Penny scarecrows around municipal transportation to scare off would-be criminals.
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Coral (Favia favus), Ras Muhammad National Park, Red Sea, Egypt. This species of stony corals is massive and forms thickly encrusting dome-shaped colonial corals. There is a great diversity of form even among the same species. The corallites project slightly above the surface of the coral and each has its own wall. The septa and costae linked to the corallite wall are well developed and covered by fine teeth. The polyps only extend and feed during the night. Each one has a small number of tapering tentacles which often have a darker coloured tip; these are called stinger tentacles, or sweeper tentacles. They use these to sweep the water to see if any other coral is in its area; if so, then they begin to sting the other coral. This is commonly known as coral war. Each coral is trying to make sure it has enough room around it so it can continue to grow and have more surface area for its offspring.
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Charlie Kirk is dead at 31, leaving behind his wife, two children, and millions of students he inspired.
The post Charlie Kirk Changed My Life and Millions of Others appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Champion Right to Life at Mass, March in Trenton – 
Join Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney to pray peacefully for the unborn during the 2nd Annual N.J. Bishops’ Mass for Life at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Trenton, N.J. Bishop Sweeney is scheduled to give the homily at the Mass, which will take place before the start of the 2nd Annual N.J. Rally and March for Life at the Statehouse Annex — a short walk from the cathedral. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese, will be the principal celebrant of the Mass, which Trenton is hosting. All
Faithful raise strong voices for unborn lives in Morristown – 
A cross-section of faithful from the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey — clergy, religious, and laity — joined Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and the community of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J., on Sept. 6, for the monthly Mass and Procession for Life to pray for and witness to a greater respect for every human life. The bishop celebrated a Mass that morning in St. Margaret of Scotland Church. The liturgy was followed by a peaceful, prayerful procession to a local Planned Parenthood office, concluding with Benediction and fellowship in the church. Click here to subscribe to
Church renovations dedicated to celebrate Pequannock parish’s 75th anniversary – 
The dedication of the newly renovated Holy Spirit Church in Pequannock, N.J., is “an opening of a new chapter in our storybook,” said Father Cesar D. Jaramillo, the parish’s pastor. On Sept. 6, Holy Spirit parishioners and community leaders gathered for Mass for the dedication of the renovations and the consecration of a new altar, as well as the celebration of the parish’s 75th anniversary. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the Mass, which was concelebrated by Father Jaramillo and former pastors of Holy Spirit, including Father Stephen Prisk, now pastor at St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne, N.J. He had envisioned
**PLEASE PRAY FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S BEAUTIFUL WIFE AND TWO YOUNG CHILDREN** FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that the subject taken into custody in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk just a couple of hours ago has been released.
The post BREAKING: Suspect Taken Into Custody in Charlie Kirk Assassination Has been Released After Interrogation: KASH PATEL appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Police officers are on the scene at Evergreen High School where a shooting occured earlier in the day, in Evergreen, Colorado, on Sept. 10, 2025. A shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado critically injured three studentsincluding the suspected shooter. Authorities say there is no longer an active threat. / Credit: CHET STRANGE/AFP via Getty Images
Denver, Colo., Sep 10, 2025 / 20:14 pm (CNA).
At least three teenagers, including the suspected shooter, are in critical condition after a shooting at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, on Wednesday.
One of the three students who has been hospitalized is the suspected shooter, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office confirmed in a post. The students are being treated at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado.
The shooting took place at midday about 30 miles southwest of Denver at a high school of 900 students. Hundreds of law enforcement rushed to the scene. The school has since been cleared by law enforcement and there is no longer an ongoing threat, according to local police.
“My heart is with the students, parents, and teachers at Evergreen High School. Today, we grieve for those critically shot and those left frightened and shaken,” Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver said in a statement.
“We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement on the scene, whose courage brought calm amid chaos, and for the doctors and medical teams working tirelessly to care for the injured,” he continued. “The victims have been taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital, a Catholic hospital, where they are receiving compassionate care.”
“To our young people, know that Jesus is near you, hears your cries, and his mother Mary holds you close,” Aquila said. “To hurting families, the Church is with you, and we lift you and your children up in prayer.”
“May Christ bring comfort to your hearts and may Mary at the foot of the cross wrap you in her tender care,” he said.
The nearby parish, Christ the King Parish, is offering ministry for students, families, and staff amid the tragic event, according to the archdiocese.
A team of deacons “trained to serve in disasters and critical incidents” has also been put on alert.
“These deacons, who have partnered with the American Red Cross in past crises, stand ready to offer pastoral outreach and guidance should they be needed at the hospital or school,” read a statement from the archdiocese.
“Students should be able to attend school safely and without fear across our state and nation,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “We are all praying for the victims and the entire community.”
FBI Director Kash Patel posted about the tragedy, saying that the FBI was “on the scene and in full support of local authorities to ensure everyone’s safety.”
This is at least the seventh school shooting in Colorado since the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
The shooting took place within hours of the shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at a rally at Utah Valley University.
“In addition to praying for Charlie Kirk, please also pray for my hometown Evergreen, Colorado, where there is a school shooting and at least two students have been shot,” said Catholic commentator and Daily Wire show host Isabel Brown.
This is a developing story.
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Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians
Col 3:12-17
Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one Body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
From the Gospel according to Luke
6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
"To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."
“I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (vv. 27-38). And this is not optional, it is a command. It is not for everyone, but for the disciples, whom Jesus calls “you that hear”. He is well aware that loving enemies exceeds our possibilities, but this is why he became man: not to leave us as we are, but to transform us into men and women capable of a greater love, that of his Father and ours. This is the love that Jesus gives to those who ‘hear him’. Thus it becomes possible! With him, thanks to his love, to his Spirit, we are able to love even those who do not love us, even those who do us harm. In this way, Jesus wants God’s love to triumph over hatred and rancour in every heart. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 24 February 2019)
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Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk (pictured at the White House in May) was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking to college students in Utah. / Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 10, 2025 / 17:37 pm (CNA).
Charlie Kirk — founder of the conservative campus activist organization Turning Point USA and outspoken evangelical Christian — was shot dead in an apparent assassination during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 10.
The 31-year-old was fatally shot in the neck while taking questions from audience members during a stop at the university as part of his American Comeback Tour. He is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, and his 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
The shooting occurred when Kirk was answering a student’s question about transgenderism and gun violence at about 12:10 p.m. MST, shortly after the event began. Utah Valley University was Kirk’s first tour stop.
Kirk, who often debated students on campus, strongly defended free speech at colleges and was an outspoken critic of discrimination against Christians and gender ideology. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18 years old to promote free speech and conservative values on college campuses.
Vice President JD Vance posted on X that Kirk’s campus events “are one of the few places with open and honest dialogue between left and right,” noting that Kirk “would answer any question and talk to everyone.”
“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,” Vance said in a follow-up post.
Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump, who expressed sadness about his death in a Truth Social post and referred to Kirk as “great, and even legendary.”
“No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” he wrote. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Kirk has also been outspoken about his Christian faith on social media, in interviews, and on his previous campus tours.
In a post on X last week, Kirk expressed optimism about a “revival in the Christian church.”
“Churches are growing,” Kirk said. “Young people are flocking to faith in God. You do not want to live in a non-Christian country. Even the most hardened atheists or agnostics are blessed by the church’s influence.”
As of early Wednesday evening, the shooter has not yet been confirmed captured. The motive is not yet known.
Trump ordered all American flags in the United States to be flown at half-staff until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, to honor Kirk’s legacy. The president said Kirk was “ a truly Great American Patriot.”
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Academy of St. Elizabeth marks 165th anniversary with Mass – 
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped the Academy of St. Elizabeth in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J., celebrate its 165th anniversary during a Mass he celebrated on Sept. 4 in Holy Family Chapel for the opening of the school’s academic year. In a video on social media, Bishop Sweeney said, “My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the members of the Academy of St. Elizabeth, Congratulations. Happy 165th anniversary.” “As we mark this significant year in the history of the academy, we give thanks to God for the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, the foundation of
Charlie Kirk speaks with attendees at the 2025 Chapter Leadership Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. / Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 10, 2025 / 15:54 pm (CNA).
Founder and President of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk has been shot in an incident that took place at a Utah Valley University event earlier this afternoon.
Prayer requests for Kirk flooded across social media platforms after video footage depicting him being shot in the neck began to circulate on X. Kirk had been discussing the rising phenomenon of violent attacks perpetrated by trans-identifying individuals.
AP News reported on X that Kirk has died.
“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vice President JD Vance wrote immediately after news broke of the attack.
Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour. pic.twitter.com/RqNYfHLs2b
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 10, 2025
“Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” Vance wrote in another post.
President Donald Trump also posted his platform Truth Social: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Kirk is married to his wife, Erika, and is the father of two children.
Police have reportedly arrested a man in connection with the attack, according to videos posted on social media. The man has not been identified.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill will host a prayer vigil for Kirk after its 5:15 p.m. Eucharistic adoration.
Kirk, who has described himself as evangelical, recently went viral on social media for his surprising take on the Virgin Mary, saying during an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” on the Real America’s Voice channel that he believed Protestants do not talk about or venerate Mary enough, adding that Mary “is the solution” to “toxic feminism in America.”
“Mary was clearly important to early Christians,” Kirk said. “Have more young ladies be pious, be reverent, be full of faith, slow to anger, slow to words at times. Mary is a phenomenal example, and I think a counter to so much of the toxicity of feminism in the modern era.”
Bishop Robert Barron was among those to post immediately after the attack, writing: “Please pray for Charlie Kirk.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said that “agents will be on the scene quickly,” and that the FBI would be standing “in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated: “I’ve been briefed on the shooting in Utah. Casey and I are praying for Charlie Kirk and his family.”
I’ve been briefed on the shooting in Utah. Casey and I are praying for Charlie Kirk and his family.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 10, 2025
“My heart is sick. Charlie is a friend. A good, courageous man. Who cares passionately and deeply about this country. Who loves life. A father and husband. Pray for him, pray earnestly. Pray for his family. Pray for our country. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy,” Live Action Founder Lila Rose wrote in a social media post.
This is a developing story. This story was last updated on Sept. 10, 2025, at 4:48 p.m. ET.
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Delegación de la Diócesis de Paterson acompañó en Colombia el funeral del Padre Rafael Ciro – 
El lunes 8 de septiembre de 2025, la comunidad de Alejandría (Antioquia) se congregó en la Parroquia San Pedro Alejandrino para despedir al Padre Rafael Ángel Ciro, sacerdote de la Diócesis de Paterson, NJ. El templo estuvo repleto con la presencia de familiares, amigos, conocidos y todo el pueblo que quiso darle el último adiós. La Eucaristía fue presidida por el Monseñor Juan Manuel Toro Vallejo, Obispo de la Diócesis de Girardota, y concelebrada por catorce sacerdotes, entre ellos seis de la Diócesis de Paterson. El Padre Duberney Villamizar, Vicario Episcopal para Asuntos Hispanos, encabezó la delegación y acompañó personalmente
Diocesan delegation attends Father Rafael Ciro’s funeral in Colombia – On Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, the community of Alejandría (Antioquia) gathered at San Pedro Alejandrino Parish in Colombia to bid farewell to Father Rafael Ángel Ciro, priest of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. The church was filled with family, friends, parishioners, and townspeople who came to offer him their final goodbye. The Eucharist was presided over by Monsignor Juan Manuel Toro Vallejo, Bishop of the Diocese of Girardota, and concelebrated by 14 priests, including six from the Diocese of Paterson. Father Duberney Villamizar, episcopal vicar for Hispanic Affairs, led the delegation and personally accompanied Father Ciro’s body to his native
Band helps Assumption School welcome students on first day – 
Staff and teachers of Assumption School in Morristown, N.J., and clergy of Assumption Parish welcomed 460 incoming students and families on the first day of school on Sept. 3. They received help with music from the Denville String Band. Among those welcoming the students were Sister of Charity Merris Larkin, the school’s principal; Msgr. John Hart, Assumption’s pastor, and Father Krzysztof Tyszko, the parish’s parochial vicar. On Sept. 5, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited Assumption to celebrate the school’s 175th anniversary during a Mass he celebrated in the church. BeaconNJ.org coverage of the school’s 175th anniversary will follow. Click here
Both countries offer amazing wildlife, sprawling game parks, and beautiful beaches. Our A-List Advisor shares his favorite things about each one.
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Police gather at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, following a mass shooting that killed two children and injured 17 others, 14 of them children. / Credit: Chad Davis, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
CNA Staff, Sep 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
“It would have to be studied.” That was President Donald Trump’s take on the proposal to arm teachers in schools in order to counteract mass shooters.
The president made those remarks on Sept. 2, nearly a week after the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. That attack claimed the lives of two children, injured many others, and once again raised the question of whether or not teachers should be permitted to carry guns in schools.
Policymakers will likely debate the matter for some time. In some cases it has already been decided: A handful of states, including Florida, Idaho, and Texas, allow for public school teachers to carry guns in some circumstances.
Whether or not it will be adopted broadly in Catholic schools is another question. Although the debate is deeply, and at times bitterly, contentious, Catholic Church teaching would appear to allow it.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has never pronounced directly on the morality of carrying firearms, much less in a school environment. But the text does stipulate that “legitimate defense” can include the act of a “lethal blow,” though it must be done in defense of one’s life and not as an end to itself.
Perhaps most notably, the catechism stipulates that “legitimate defense” can “be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another’s life” (No. 2265).
“[T]hose holding legitimate authority have the right to repel by armed force aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their charge,” it states.
This would seem to at least allow for the possibility of arming teachers to counteract mass shooters. But whether or not this is a good or defensible idea is another matter.
“I’m not convinced we are in a social situation where arming teachers is justifiable,” Professor Jacob Kohlhaas told CNA.
Kohlhaas is a professor of moral theology at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He described himself as “not absolutely pacifist” but said the proposal to arm teachers is “profoundly misguided” and that it “utilizes some parts of the Catholic moral tradition while neglecting others.”
“I can actually imagine scenarios where armed teachers might be justifiable, but I can only imagine this in the context of widespread security issues or civil unrest,” he said.
“In a functioning democracy, increasing the capability for deadly response without questioning why such force is needed runs contrary to our obligations to the common good,” he said.
Kohlhaas said his own state has lately made gun ownership much more accessible, rendering it “more difficult to remove [firearms] from potentially violent individuals.”
“It is hard for me to imagine how a drastic response is justified when we are actively creating an environment that is more conducive to the underlying problem,” he said.
In contrast, Patrick Toner, a professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University, has argued that it is “not a bad idea” to put guns in the hands of teachers.
Following the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers, Toner wrote that laws prohibiting lawful gun carrying on school campuses means shooters can “generally assume that schools are truly gun-free zones,” making them “soft targets” for would-be killers.
“It’s unsettling to write about hardening up our schools. Don’t we wish there were no crazed murderers … looking to massacre harmless children?” Toner said. “And yet, in our depraved culture, unsurprisingly, we find no shortage of hopeful murderers.”
Toner told CNA that his beliefs on the matter “lie mainly in the realm of prudential judgment rather than in the direct application of any Church teachings.”
Still, he said, the Church does clearly state that Catholics “do indeed have a right to defend ourselves and a profound obligation to protect the helpless.”
Whether or not that obligation extends to carrying guns in schools is, of course, a matter of debate.
The catechism quotes St. Thomas Aquinas in saying that any self-defense that incorporates “more than necessary violence” is “unlawful” but that repelling an attack with “moderation” is appropriate (No. 2264).
Yet Aquinas further stipulates that in acts of self-defense it is not necessary to moderate one’s response solely “to avoid killing,” since “one is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.”
The saint further writes that those with “public authority” have more latitude to use lethal defense insofar as they “refer [the killing] to the public good.”
Though Church authorities in the U.S. have not explicitly weighed in on the question, some have expressed misgivings about the proposal to arm teachers.
Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement that the “idea of arming teachers seems to raise more concerns than it addresses.”
“We must always remember what is at stake as we take actions to safeguard our communities and honor human life,” the bishops said at the time.
Unsurprisingly, no pope has ever commented directly on the question, but popes have regularly spoken out against the proliferation of firearms.
Pope Francis was a consistent critic of the arms industry, though mostly in the context of war; following the Minneapolis shooting, meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV prayed for God “to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”
Kohlhaas, meanwhile, acknowledged that there are “people charged with protecting society who should possess and responsibly use firearms,” but he argued that “extending that to teachers without seriously asking why and how we got to this point is a problem.”
Gun violence, he said, is not inevitable, and humans have “an obligation to craft and adapt human products towards the common good.”
“[W]hen we simply give up and think that a particular form of violence that occurs in a very particular type of society is somehow beyond our control, we profoundly fail to acknowledge our responsibilities for assessing and reshaping that society,” he said.
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From left to right, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot; Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, suit up and walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. During a two-day operation, the Artemis II team practiced night-run demonstrations of different launch day scenarios for the Artemis II test flight.
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