Stephen K. Ray's Blog

Europe is full of magnificent churches—Gothic, Baroque and even modern. Their steeples and crosses still dominate much of the skyline. They stand as impressive monuments to the Christian faith that built the free world and brought beauty and justice out of a pagan, barbarian wilderness.

Today the churches in Europe are transformed into mosques or becoming museum pieces recalling the lost faith and  collapsing backbone of Europe. (Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral to left) 

Paganism is on the rise — and along with it something just as alarming. The skyline will soon change, not only for Europe but for the whole Western World, including the United States. You will soon see new structures piercing the sky!

But before I tell you how your view of today’s horizon will change, let me tell you about what happened to Turkey. Then you will see that it can happen—and if we don’t move quickly, it will happen again.

Janet and I were in Turkey with our Skyline Productions video crew working on our documentary Apostolic Fathers for the Footprints of God series. We are driving/flying with our crew from one Christian site to another. This country is often called the Second Holy Land—why? Because it contains more Christian sites than anywhere other than Israel.

For a few examples: Antioch is where we were first called Christians, Tarsus was the home town of St. Paul, and Lystra the home city of St. Timothy.

But, Turkey is also home to the Seven Church of Revelation. The Blessed Virgin Mary lived here with the Apostle St. John. Selçuk still boasts the tomb of St. John (see picture to right). Istanbul (Constantinople) was once a proud patriarchate of the Catholic Church and home to Ecumenical Councils.

Actually, the first Seven Ecumenical Councils were held here, including Constantinople, Chalcedon, and Nicea—from which we got Nicene Creed recited each Sunday. And don’t forget the Council of Ephesus which defined Mary as the Theotokos, the Mother of God.

And if you remember your New Testament, you will recognize cities that were in today’s Turkey: Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians. Turkey is also the land of martyrs, Fathers and Doctors of the Church like Sts. Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, and Basil the Great to name just a few.

So, when I looked out over the horizon from my hotel room window, did I see the beautiful churches that once marked the skyline of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey)?

Nope. Sorry. I saw something else.

From my window, I counted no less than nineteen minarets! What are minarets? They are the tall slender towers above an Islamic mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer (Notice two pictures from my hotel window–one wide shot with no less than five minarets; the second at the bottom of this blog showing a large mosque across the river. There is only one Catholic Church within a hundred miles of where I am now).

What happened to the churches? Let’s go to Istanbul together and I will show you! I have frequently visited the Hagia Sophia—the Church of Holy Wisdom. It was the glory of Christendom and for over a thousand years it had the largest dome — until St. Peter’s was built in Rome. Many people thought the dome stayed up by a direct miracle of God. How else could something so expansive stay up without crashing down?

But when the Muslims conquered Contantinople they defaced the church, painted over the golden icons of our Blessed Mother and turned the spectacular church into a mosque. The crosses came down and the minarets went up.

Today the Hagia Sophia is a museum! (picture of modern Hagia Sophia to left)

It has been predicted that within fifty years Europe’s skyline will change. It will become a Muslim empire. Steeples will come down and minarets will go up. No longer will you hear bells — you will hear muezzin wailing from the balconies of slender minarets.

And America? We are losing our faith too, and our backbone. Will we be far behind Europe? I don’t think so. Islam has 1 billion followers, many of who will stop at nothing short of world domination. They won’t call it that, of course. They will say the world is now as Allah willed it.

And like the Hagia Sophia—your church, and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC and St. Patrick’s in New York will still pierce the skyline, but no longer as steeples. They will sport the latest in minarets. And our grandchildren’s’ children will wonder why we caved in so easily—why we lost our faith and our backbone.

Oh, so you don’t believe it can happen to us? Neither did the Byzantine Empire, the powerhouse of Christianity in the East! But, the East fell to Islam and the West may fall as well. Maybe not by military might, but by religious indifference, population control, and secularism. Islam can overtake us by persistence, population growth, and religious fervor.

What was once part of a powerful Christian Empire is now 99% Muslim. Out of a population of about 85 million, there are only 60,000 Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestants, etc.). The past screams to us but will we listen. 

Prepare to see the new skyline; prepare to be awakened at 4 AM with the wail of the muezzin.

St. Ignatius, pray for us. Sts. Polycarp, Irenaeus and John Chysostom, pray for us!

The post Prepare for the Skyline of Tomorrow appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Our first two trips are already sold out (Dec 28, 2025-Jan 6, 2026, and February with Ave Maria University).

Jump on our April 2026 trip while there are still open seats — and while the holy sites will still be without crowds. The crowds will return in the 2nd half of 2026.

The post Back to the Holy Land – First two trips sold out, next open trip is April 2026 appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

My brother always thought more deeply than the rest of us. He mulled over things that we took for granted. He took a very different path than I did, and learned a lot  along the bends and curves in his unusual life.

But even knowing that, I never imagined all these philosophical, humorous, religious, biblical, political, and intellectual things were bouncing around in his head later in life. He managed to squeeze them all into this short little book, which draws you in, keeps you challenged, and makes you laugh.

He writes,

Using stories, old and new, to show the relevance of God in the 21st century, based on modern scientific evidence, in a simple and humorous style.”

Humorous indeed, with a bit of saucy irreverence. His chapter on “The Art of Stupidity” kept me laughing and was worth the price of the book.

My comments to future readers were:

 The book is clever, contemporary, astute and insightful, wide-ranging, humorous, quirky, biblical and entertaining. It really should have a wide readership because it is a good book.

He self-published his book under the pseudonym Windchaser. It can be purchased HERE or with the QR Code on the back cover below. For a $5.00 PDF copy, contact my brother at windchaser60@protonmail.com.

The post My ever inquisitive brother wrote a delightfully unusual book appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

I will be 71 years old in a few days. My older brother and sister died at 80. As my parents aged they told me that the older you get, the fewer friends you have — they start to die off. It is true.

We have had a good number of friends die in the last year or so—an unhappy sensation.

Today, we discovered our priest friend Fr. Daren Zehnle died at only 47 years old. That is too young. A stroke took him home to his Lord. He had been with us on pilgrimage, and we corresponded. Brilliant man, holy priest. God rest his soul!

One of the last entries on his X account (which I always read) discussed his desire to return to Manoppello to see the Volto Sancto, the Holy Face of Jesus. He wrote “The image of Manoppello … those living eyes not only have a miraculous origin but look for other eyes that are open to being searched, without screens and defenses, serene in affirming. I need to get back to see the Holy Face again soon.”

Little did he know he would see that face in only a few days. God rest the soul of a good man, a holy priest, and a friend.

Below Fr. Daren is in the center in the presence of the great relic and gift to the Church, the Facecloth of Christ in Manoppello.

The post A Good Priest Friend Died Yesterday… appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

6 Interesting Catholic Thanksgiving Facts You Need to Know
by Dr Taylor Marshall (Good website!)(http://taylormarshall.com/2013/11/6-i...)

When you’re sitting down for that wonderful feast on Thursday, here are 6 interesting Catholic Thanksgiving Facts you can share with your family. Print them out and read them aloud over some pumpkin (or pecan) pie!

The history books will tell you that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Protestant pilgrims of Massachusetts in 1621. Not so. There was the Catholic Thanksgiving of 1565 in Florida and another Catholic Thanksgiving of 1589 in Texas.

First Catholic Thanksgiving

The first American Thanksgiving was actually celebrated on September 8 (feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin) in 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida. The Native Americans and Spanish settlers held a feast and the Holy Mass was offered. This was 56 years before the Puritan pilgrims of Massachusetts.Don Pedro Menendez came ashore amid the sounding of trumpets, artillery salutes and the firing of cannons to claim the land for King Philip II and Spain.

The ship chaplain Fr. Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales chanted the Te Deum and presented a crucifix that Menendez ceremoniously kissed. Then the 500 soldiers, 200 sailors and 100 families and artisans, along with the Timucuan Indians celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in gratitude to God.

The Second American Thanksgiving

The second American Thanksgiving happened on April 30, 1598, when Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate requested the friars to say a Mass of Thanksgiving, after which he formally proclaimed “La Toma”, claiming the land north of the Rio Grande for the King of Spain. The men feasted on duck, goose, and fish from the river. The actors among them dressed and presented a play. All this took place twenty-three years before the Pilgrims set sail from England on the Mayflower.

The Puritan pilgrims were violently anti-Catholic. They left England because they thought that the Church of England was too Catholic. These Puritans were strict Calvinists. The pilgrims also opposed celebrating Christmas, dancing, musical instruments in church, and even hymns as papistical.

Squanto, the beloved hero of Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock, was Catholic! (Here’s my full article on the Catholicism of Squanto.) Squanto had been enslaved by the English but he was freed by Spanish Franciscans. Squanto thus received baptism and became a Catholic. So it was a baptized Catholic Native American who orchestrated what became known as Thanksgiving

So while Thanksgiving may celebrate the Calvinist Separatists who fled England, Catholics might remember the same unjust laws that granted the crown of martyrdom to Thomas More, John Fisher, Edmund Campion, et al. are the same injustices that led the Pilgrims to Plymouth.

And let everyone remember that “Thanksgiving” in Greek is Eucharistia. Thus, the Body and Blood of Christ is the true “Thanksgiving Meal”.
And don’t forget to raise your wine glass and recite the wonderful limerick of Hilaire Belloc:

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!”

? Hilaire Belloc

The post 6 Interesting Catholic Thanksgiving Facts You Need to Know appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Yes, we’re heading back to the Holy Land at the end of this year! Our bus is sold out and our trip with Ave Maria University in February is also sold out.

If you want to join us next year, April is our next tripApril is our next trip. It’s filling fast with Bishop Joseph Coffey.

Join us in April before the crowds return!

We also have pilgrimages planned in November and over Christmas break in December 2026.

Also, Lourdes and Fatima, Ireland and our very popular St. Paul Mediterranean Cruise.

Janet and I will be slowing down over the next few years for these may be our last trips to these non-Israel sites.

The post Yes, Heading Back to Holy Land this Year! appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

Paul Badde was a friend.

We conversed by email a lot and met up with each other and our wives every time we are in Italy. He often addressed our groups with his contagious passion for Our Lord, Our Lady and the Church.

He is the one who introduced Janet and and I to the Volto Santo (Holy Face) in Manoppello Italy. Every time we led a group through Italy, we’d stop and have Mass at this great gift to the Church.

Janet and I stayed at a bed-and-breakfast in Manoppello for a week, attending daily Mass at the Church of the Holy Face and reading Paul Badde’s exciting adventure following the Volto Santo from the tomb of Christ until today.

He died yesterday of a long lasting illness. A short notice was sent out by Catholic News Agency. Our favorite book of his is “The Face of God” published by Ignatius Press.

The post Lost a Good Friend on Monday appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

As a former Protestant, I would have rejected all the Marian apparitions, along with what we thought was the cult of Mary. But having discovered the rich and beautiful teachings of the Catholic Church, my views on Mary and Marian apparitions have done a 180° turn.

Recently, I was interviewed by Brandon Wallace on his Truth and Shadow podcast. The topic was new to me — Marian Apparitions.

Janet and I have been to most of the famous apparition sites, including Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, La Sallette, Pontmain, Our Lady of Pillar, Knock, Our Lady of Champion, and more. We have led pilgrimage groups to many of these sites. So, I agreed to an interview to share our conclusions and experiences and to consolidate my thoughts into a coherent hour-long presentation.

I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful and informative. My interview begins at 13:15.

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

This show features a conversation between host BT, and Steve Ray, exploring themes of spirituality, faith, and the supernatural. They discuss the impact of science and technology on humanity, the importance of unique beliefs, and delve into supernatural topics through the “Truth in Shadow” podcast. Steve Ray shares his experiences with Marian apparitions, the role of the Catholic Church, and the significance of pilgrimages. The dialogue emphasizes the intersection of the spiritual and physical realms, discussing divine councils, angels, and demons. The conversation concludes with a call to prioritize scripture and known revelations over speculative spiritual experiences, highlighting the importance of maintaining faith and devotion in modern times.

00:00:00 Introduction to Truth in Shadow
00:05:00 Science, Technology, and Humanity
00:10:00 Unique Beliefs and Spirituality
00:15:00 Supernatural Realms and Divine Councils
00:20:00 Marian Apparitions and Catholic Traditions
00:25:00 Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare
00:30:00 Role of the Catholic Church
00:35:00 Pilgrimages and Personal Experiences
00:40:00 Maintaining Faith in Modern Times
00:45:00 Conclusion and Call to Action

The post My Thoughts and Comments on Marian Apparitions appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

20 Things TO DO And NOT DO at Mass. These are not rules that will get you banished from the Church, but things that are mostly common sense — polite conduct to enhance our worship and that of those around us.

1. Fast before Mass. It is required that one fasts for at least 1 hour before receiving Holy Communion. The only exceptions are medicine, water or unless someone is ill and needs to eat sooner.

2. No Food and Drink in Church. The only exceptions would be milk for infants, water for the priest or choir (if discreet) and water for those who are ill. You may sip water just before you enter the church.

3. Men take your hats off. It is impolite to wear a hat into any church for a man. Additionally,  ladies and men, do not use sun glasses inside the church. You are in the presence of our Lord & God.

4. Never chew gum in church! It breaks your fast, it’s rude and it’s distracting!

5. Cross yourself with Holy Water on entering and leaving the church. This is a reminder of our Baptism, which made us members of Christ’s Church.

6. Dress modestly and appropriately. As Catholics we believe that God comes down to meet us at every Mass. Won’t you dress well to meet a king? That said remember that the mass is not a fashion show. And Christmas and Easter masses are not Milan Fashion week. Dress in a way that gives witness to your faith.

7. Show up at least a few minutes early and try coming as close to the altar as possible.  If you can’t be on time, then sit in the back so you don’t disturb others.

8. Cell phones should never be used in Mass for calls or texting. The ONLY exceptions are emergencies (big ones, not everyday ones) and if you are using the phone for readings the lectionary or the said prayers/ responses.

9. Gentlemen offer their seats to any lady who is standing. Some churches get packed. 

10. When we enter and leave Church, genuflect (bow your knee) toward the Tabernacle. Christ is present for our sake. By allowing our right knee to hit the floor, we acknowledge He is our Lord and God. If someone is physically unable to genuflect, then a bow is sufficient. During Mass, if you pass in front of the altar or tabernacle, bow reverently.

11. Sit quietly while in church. If you must talk do so as quietly and briefly as possible. Remember that your conversation might be disturbing someone who is in prayer. Sssshhhhhhhh. Most churches now have gathering spaces in the back for conversation.

12. Take loud children to the back. Every parent knows that sometimes the baby is going to have a bad day. Parents with young kids should sit on the end of a pew, if you can, so that you can take the kid to the back quickly. There is no reason to be embarrassed about having to quiet your child. Take the child to the back of the church immediately. It is worse to allow them to disturb others during Mass.

13. Prepare your offering before Mass. Christ tells us not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing when you make your offering. Keeping the basket while you get your wallet out can be quite a scene. Digging the basket for change is a big no no. Come to Mass with your offering prepared.

14. It is best not to read the bulletin during the actual Mass. Imagine if you invited a guest to your house and before dinner (or during) they decided to read a magazine instead of talking to you.

15. Respect the worship. Stand during the gospel reading and other set time during worship. Kneel at the consecration. It is part of worship. The only exceptions are fir the sick, people with knee problems, aged and those with infants. If you can’t kneel occupy a pew that does not obstruct the view of the Lord from those who do kneel.

16. Bow before receiving Holy Communion. Remember that you are before your Lord, show your respect with a profound bow from the hip.

17. Do not receive from the chalice if you are sick. This is an act of charity. Try to receive communion on the tongue. If you receive on the hand, check your hands after receiving the Lord so that no crumbs may fall to the ground.

18. Do not leave early unless there is an urgent issue. We should stay to the end of the recession and the hymn that accompanies it, if there is one. Remember who left the last supper early (Judas). We should show respect for God, for the priest and our fellow worshipers. 

19. Pray after Mass, if you can. It is a good custom, though not required. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving after Mass is over.

20. Leave quietly. We encourage you to visit others especially your pastors as a part of Christian fellowship, but do so once you are outside of the main sanctuary of the church so you won’t disturb others who want to stay and pray.

The post Etiquette at Mass: Reasonable Do’s and Don’ts for Polite and Proper Worship appeared first on Defenders of the Catholic Faith.

“Who really died at Auschwitz?

My friend from the UK sent me the following article by Spanish writer Sebastian Vilar Rodriguez, published in a Spanish newspaper. It doesn’t take much imagination to extrapolate the message to the rest of Europe – and possibly to the rest of the world.

“I walked down the streets in Barcelona and suddenly discovered a terrible truth – Europe died in Auschwitz . . . We killed six million Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims. In Auschwitz we burned a group of people who represented culture, thought, creativity, talent. We destroyed the chosen people, truly chosen, because they produced great and wonderful people who made great contributions to the world, and thus changed the world.

The contribution of today’s Jewish people is felt in all areas of life: science, art, international trade, and above all, as the conscience of the world. Look at any donors’ board at any symphony, art museum, theatre, art gallery, science centre, etc.  You will see many, many, Jewish surnames. These are the people who were burned. Of the 6,000,000 who died, how many would have grown up to be gifted musicians, doctors, artists, philanthropists?

And under the pretence of tolerance, and because we wanted to prove to ourselves that we were cured of the diseases of racism and bigotry, Europe opened our gates to 20 million Muslims, who brought us stupidity and ignorance, religious extremism and lack of tolerance, crime and poverty, due to an unwillingness to work and support their families with pride.

They have blown up our trains and turned our beautiful Spanish cities into the third world, drowning in filth and crime. Shut up in the apartments, they receive free money from the government, they plan the murder and destruction of their naive hosts.

And thus, in our misery, we have exchanged culture for fanatical hatred, creative skill for destructive skill, intelligence for backwardness and superstition. We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of the Jews of Europe and their talent for a better future for their children, their determined clinging to life because life is holy, for those who pursue death, for people consumed by the desire for death for themselves and others, for our children and theirs. What a terrible mistake was made by miserable Europe.”

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