SWASHBUCKLING MULLIGAN WRITES...
A picture tells a thousand words.
MISSION STATEMENT ... To celebrate where it's deserved! ... To take the Michael out of institutions and individuals where it's deserved! ... Recently I had occasion to prepare my gravestone epitaph: GENE... Educator, Novelist, Humanitarian and Humorist - TO KNOW HIM WAS TO LOVE HIM - Rest in Peace ....... But while I am still walking the earth do not hesitate to contact me at: bobbyslingshot8@gmail.com
We have known since the 1980s, when Stanley Rothman published the first of his research on media elites, that those who occupy the command posts in the media are overwhelmingly on the abortion-rights side. That is why they are already lionizing Gloria Steinem, who died at 92. But there is another side to her, one that the media will not discuss.
Is it possible to be “pro-choice” and not anti-Catholic? Of course. Is it possible to be a rabid “pro-choice” activist and not anti-Catholic? Possible, but not likely. That’s because these activists see the Catholic Church as the enemy—they are right about that—and most of them allow their disagreements to spill into bigotry. Steinem was one of them.
Pope John Paul II said Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1995. I was inside. Outside there were more than 1,000 anti-Catholic protesters. They carried signs bashing the pope; they also had signs bashing the Catholic League. Many of the protesters hurled obscenities. This bigoted exercise was led by Steinem and Olympia Dukakis.
Steinem held a press conference, telling the media, “We will live to see the day that St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to the skirt that he has on.”
Steinem put the lie to the notion that “no one is really pro-abortion.” She liked abortion. In fact, she loved it. That is why she happily endorsed a book by atheist and anti-Catholic activist Anne Nicol Gaylor titled, Abortion Is A Blessing. Did she consider it a “blessing” when she aborted her baby at age 22? Not sure, but it would not surprise to learn that she did. After all, she called “National Abortion Providers Appreciation Day” an occasion that recognizes “acts of kindness.”
She was more than pro-abortion—she hated marriage and the family. She made it her ambition to “abolish and reform the institution of marriage.” Anyone who thinks it is a good idea to raise kids absent the institution of marriage is either ignorant of the psychological and social consequences it engenders, or is morally debased beyond recognition.
The other side of Gloria Steinem is not pretty. Indeed, it is quite ugly.
by sd
As you can watch in the short but powerful video below, at age five, Carlo Acutis experienced a profound vision of his maternal grandfather, who had died unexpectedly a few months prior.
Carlo described seeing his grandfather with a sorrowful expression; he explicitly told Carlo that he was in purgatory and urgently needed prayers to be freed.
The experience was far too vivid and detailed to be a simple dream or a child’s way of processing grief. Because Carlo had never heard talk of purgatory at home, the precise details and the sudden request left his mother, Antonia—who was a non-practicing Catholic with a fragile faith—deeply shaken.
Convinced that her five-year-old child could not have invented such concepts on his own, she viewed the vision as tangible proof of an active afterlife. Struck by the clarity of the encounter, she began praying for her father’s soul, investigating Catholic theology, and ultimately returning to her faith with Carlo acting as her young catechist.
This early vision shaped Carlo’s life and inspired him to dedicate himself to supporting the souls in purgatory. He understood the Church as a unified body across Heaven, earth, and purgatory, drawing on the biblical tradition in Maccabees of offering sacrifices for the deceased.
Carlo created a “spiritual piggy bank,” routinely offering up daily prayers, acts of self-denial, and small sacrifices for specific souls. He viewed this as one of the best investments possible, explaining to friends that helping souls reach heaven gained powerful heavenly intercessors who would not forget those who aided them. Central to his mission was his devotion to the Eucharist; he regularly attended Mass and offered Holy Communion for the dead, regarding the Eucharist as the ultimate act of charity and purification.
When Carlo was diagnosed with aggressive acute promyelocytic leukemia at age 15, he maintained remarkable serenity and care for others, never complaining about his condition. In his hospital bed, he deliberately offered up his physical suffering for the Pope and the Church, while also asking God that this earthly suffering serve as his final purification so he would not have to go to purgatory and could go straight to heaven. He received the Anointing of the Sick and final Communion before passing away on October 12, 2006.
Carlo’s life bridges ancient doctrine with modern living, demonstrating how traditional practices—such as offering Mass, praying the Rosary, and making personal sacrifices—can be actively integrated into daily life. His story serves as a reminder of the power of praying for the dead and illustrates that the path to holiness is open to everyone.

The first concert will be on 29 October
St Paul's Cathedral has signed a four-year deal with the London nightclub Fabric to stage music events inside the building.
Under the partnership, Fabric will be the cathedral's exclusive partner for such events until 2030. The first concert is due to take place on 29 October, although the artist has not been announced.
Fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie called the deal "an extraordinary and unexpected coming together of two very different parts of London".
Sandra Lynes Timbrell, the cathedral's director of visitor engagement, said she hoped a "carefully curated programme of exceptional concerts" would draw people who had not visited before.

Artists RY X played at St Paul's Cathedral in 2024
"These events showcase world-class talent and create unforgettable experiences for audiences within one of London's most iconic spaces," she said.
She added that the cathedral wanted to encourage people "to discover and engage with this historic building in new and exciting ways".
Mr Leslie said Fabric had "always been about bringing people together through music", and that the club was looking to create "something genuinely special and befitting of this incredible space".
The organisers said the programme would feature artists "from different musical backgrounds and disciplines whose work responds to the Cathedral's distinctive atmosphere, acoustics and architectural heritage".
St Paul's has previously held concerts by the artists RY X in 2024 and Patti Smith in 2025.
Music events in cathedrals have proved contentious elsewhere.
Silent discos held at Canterbury Cathedral in 2024 were dubbed a "rave in the nave" by critics, and a petition calling for them to be stopped attracted more than 1,600 signatures.
Its organiser, Cajetan Skowronski, said at the time that such events would "not bring young people closer to Christ" and would instead suggest "that entertainment deserves our attention more than God".
Fabric, in Farringdon, had its licence revoked in 2016 after Islington Council found what it described as a culture of drug use at the venue.
Two 18-year-olds had died earlier that year in separate incidents after taking drugs at the club.
The venue reopened in January 2017 after agreeing new licensing conditions with the council and the Metropolitan Police, including a higher minimum entry age and tighter security.