As we mark the national semiquincentennial on July 4, we might well reflect on Benjamin Franklin’s answer to Elizabeth Willing Powel, when the elderly sage left the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and the Philadelphia matron demanded, “Well, Dr. Franklin, what have we got, a republic, or a monarchy?”

“Alone” sends 10 trained survivalists into the wilderness to live off the land. Armed with strict limits on their gear, the individual who lasts the longest wins a $500,000 prize. Unlike other reality shows, the participants do their own camera work.

I was making coffee early on the Fourth of July when I heard the ping of a text message.

Hypothetically, would a vow renewal like this have any impact if a couple were to try for an annulment later?

Did she like mustard? We didn’t know. Did she want a stuffed mustard? Maybe not. But we had a feeling this was the right gift.

The short answer is that your priest isn’t offering Mass for the people of the parish because he personally wanted to or because he thought it was a good idea (although he probably is happy to do this and praying for the people of the parish is indeed a good idea)! Rather, he was offering this specific Mass intention because the Church’s canon law specifically requires him to do so.

Getting someone’s attention at the balloon counter was tricky, but when I finally found an employee, I asked her to fill up six red balloons.

On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate its 250th anniversary. This event will resonate in every corner of the land, but it has special significance for us in the Premier See, the Archdiocese of Baltimore. We are linked to this event both by history and by the virtue of patriotism.

The Kiplinger Program based at Ohio University in Athens each year hosts a fellowship with a different theme. This year, that was “Saving Local News,” with an emphasis on concrete solutions for community news outlets. Catholic Review editor Christopher Gunty was selected as a fellow for this year’s program.

The Holy See has declared that, if the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) proceeds with the ordination of bishops in July without a papal mandate, those involved in these illicit ordinations are automatically (latae sententiae) excommunicated – that is, excommunicated by their own acts.