and party for Epiphany! - From the trending to the timeless, Refine offers inspiring articles and the best advice in style, health, food, culture, relationships, and more.
5 reasons to throw an Epiphany party
The 12 days of Christmas culminate with the feast of the Epiphany, which the Church celebrates this weekend. Here's why and how you can keep the holiday celebrations going!
What the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God teaches us about the Blessed Mother
Today's feast day for our Blessed Mother actually points to deep truths about our Savior. Makenna Snow offers a lovely reflection on why we should especially love starting our year with the Mother of God.
Everyone from podcasters to politicians has been expressing concern about the declining marriage and birth rates among young people, and author Ryan B. Anderson explains that young people equate marriage with a loss of freedom. Parents, he writes, have an obligation to show their children and community that marriage is fun.
The animated movie-musical about King David has drawn comparisons to The Lion King and The Prince of Egypt, promising an engaging watch for the whole family.
Monarch Money is a comprehensive budgeting app that is excellent for couples or families who want a budget but also need some big-picture financial tracking.
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The LOOP THURSDAY JANUARY 1 2025 SAW BIGGEST DROP IN HOMICIDE RATE EVER RECORDED "Based on a sampling of preliminary crime statistics from 550 U.S. law enforcement agencies, the year is expected to end with a roughly 20% decrease in homicides nationwide," ABC News reported yesterday, citing Jeff Asher, a national crime analyst. "So, even taking a conservative view, let's say its 17% or 16%, you're still looking at the largest one-year drop ever recorded in 2025," Asher said.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God
2025 SAW BIGGEST DROP IN HOMICIDE RATE EVER RECORDED "Based on a sampling of preliminary crime statistics from 550 U.S. law enforcement agencies, the year is expected to end with a roughly 20% decrease in homicides nationwide," ABC News reported yesterday, citing Jeff Asher, a national crime analyst. "So, even taking a conservative view, let's say its 17% or 16%, you're still looking at the largest one-year drop ever recorded in 2025," Asher said. READ
TRUMP TO PULL NATIONAL GUARD FROM BLUE CITIES FPresident Donald Trump yesterday announced plans to pull National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. "We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again," he warned. "Only a question of time!"READ
POPE LEO: HOPE IS IN THE HEARTS OF THE HUMBLE Presiding at the First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, coinciding with the final hours of 2025 and the conclusion of the Jubilee Year, Pope Leo reflected on the mystery of divine motherhood, the meaning of time fulfilled in Christ, and the quiet but decisive role of hope entrusted to the humble. Here are the Holy Father's inspiring words for the new year. READ
RUSSIA CLAIMS UKRAINE ATTACKED PUTIN RESIDENCE "Russia claims Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack early Monday against a presidential residence in the Novgorod region, involving 91 long-range drones that were intercepted by Russian air defenses," Fox News reports. "Ukraine has flatly denied responsibility for the alleged attack." READ
FEDERAL AGENCIES DESCEND ON MINNESOTA Multiple federal agencies have been surged into Minnesota to investigate the North Star State's sprawling fraud scandal. "President Trump is not going to let Governor Walz off the hook," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday. "People will be in handcuffs." READ
INSPIRING: CHAMPION BRINGS TROPHY TO NEWMAN CENTER On Christmas Eve, when Indiana University's campus had gone quiet after a long semester, the school's star quarterback arrived at the St. Paul Catholic Center carrying a cardboard box that looked like an ordinary Amazon package. Inside it was the Heisman Trophy.READ
DOJ SUES OVER IN-STATE TUITION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS "The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit accusing Virginia of unlawfully granting illegal aliens in-state resident discounts on college tuition," Jaryn Crouson reports at The Daily Signal. "The state's education code classifies illegal immigrants as Virginia residents, qualifying them for reduced in-state tuition costs, the lawsuit claims." READ
AD: ANSWER THE CALL Join a cell phone service that supports your pro-life values by switching to Charity Mobile today! LEARN MORE
5 REASONS TO THROW AN EPIPHANY PARTY Epiphany, which celebrates when the wise men arrived to worship the newborn Christ Child, is a beautiful day on the Church's calendar, and it deserves to be celebrated! Here are five reasons to consider hosting your own Epiphany party. READ
CATHOLIC 101 Today's solemnity recognizing Mary's divine maternity affirms a dogma central to the Christian understanding of the Incarnation: that Jesus is one Person, Who has both a divine nature and a human nature. This union of the two natures through Jesus' Incarnation is called the hypostatic union. CatholicVote's McKenna Snow explains the beautiful thinking behind today's feast day. READ
SAINT OF THE DAY Today the Church honors Mary under the title Mother of God. This is a Solemnity and a Holy Day of Obligation. See you at Mass! READ
DAILY PSALM "May God bless us in his mercy." (Psalm 67) READ
DEVOTION Reminder: CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt is calling on us all to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus by attending Mass every first Friday of the month throughout this year, the year of our nation's 250th anniversary. WATCH
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