SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 - FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION

TRUMP TOUTS FBI REPORT SHOWING RECORD CRIME DROP During a wide-ranging New York address yesterday, President Donald Trump highlighted newly released FBI data showing that in 2025, the U.S. recorded its largest year-to-year decline in violent crime on record. READ

VANCE: GOP MUST ADDRESS SOCIALISM'S APPEAL Vice President JD Vance told Republicans Aug. 13 not to blame young Americans for socialism’s growing appeal if the party fails to address the economic pressures that he said are fueling it. “You don’t stop socialism by throwing slogans at people about the free market,” he said. “You stop socialism by making people’s lives better.” READ

NEARLY 1 MILLION TO GAIN HEALTHCARE ACCESS WITH HHS PROGRAM The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Aug. 13 that it will invest $102 million to expand the federal Health Center Program, a move the Trump administration says will bring primary care services to nearly 1 million additional Americans. READ

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POPE LEO ENCOURAGES 'DIGNIFIED CELEBRATION' OF MASS Pope Leo XIV recently emphasized the importance of faithfully celebrating the Mass according to the approved texts, saying that reverent liturgy can help to form Catholics. "Through proper education and reverent worship, Catholics will be formed both for the liturgy and by the liturgy," he said. READ

FREEMASON FUNERAL REQUESTS SPARK CONCERN WITHIN CHURCH Catholic officials canceled two planned church funerals for prominent Italian Freemasons after learning of their affiliations, and a Catholic report warned that the requests may reflect a broader effort by Freemason lodges to normalize dual membership with the Church. READ

FATHER TOLTON'S SAINTHOOD CAUSE DRAWS GLOBAL INTEREST The cause for the canonization of Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, the first publicly recognized black Catholic priest in the U.S., is attracting worldwide interest, as many Catholics request prayer cards and relics. READ

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EXCLUSIVE: HOW THE ASSUMPTION AFFIRMS THE DIGNITY OF LIFE The rector of the only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the U.S. is inviting the faithful to look at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an enduring witness to the dignity of motherhood, the human body, and life itself. "The human body matters," Father Tony Stevens told Zeale News in an interview. READ

A RECIPE FOR MARIAN FEAST DAYS For the feast of the Assumption, try this fresh salad that honors the Blessed Mother's holiness through its symbolic ingredients. READ

THE NEWMAN GUIDE While college is most likely your child's first taste of true independence, it's also a time of continued intellectual, spiritual, and social formation. That's why Zeale recommends that Catholic high schoolers apply to Newman Guide schools, colleges that are devoted to teaching and embracing the teachings of the Magisterium. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY Today Catholics celebrate Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, body and soul, which points toward Christ’s victory and the faithful’s own hope of resurrection. READ

SATURDAY'S PSALM "The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold." (Psalm 45) READ

SATURDAY'S READINGS Today's Mass readings. READ

SUNDAY'S PSALM "O God, let all the nations praise you!" (Psalm 67) READ

SUNDAY'S READINGS Sunday's Mass readings. READ

ANSWER TO TRIVIA One — Pope Pius XII’s 1950 definition of the Assumption of Mary.

NEW EPISODE Americans are reading fewer books, and the consequences may go far beyond shrinking attention spans. In this episode of The Deep, Erika explores how the decline of sustained reading is reshaping the way we think, reason, and even govern ourselves. Check it out now on Zeale. WATCH

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