“Rise,” the Artemis II zero gravity indicator, is seen sitting on the dais as the Artemis II astronauts speak with congressional staff, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington.
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LOS ANGELES, CA — Mayor Karen Bass struck back at mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt on Wednesday, warning the surviving Angelenos who hadn’t been stabbed to death by a hobo that his rhetoric was dangerous.
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U.S. — The results of a groundbreaking new study appear to show that the reason today’s children routinely struggle with mathematics is because they no longer play computer games from the bestselling Math Blaster! franchise.
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Operating an aerial camera Wild Heerbrugg from a biplane Häfeli DH-5 (military) for aeronautical photogrammetry. Image captured in 1930.
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The remains of the second missing US soldier who disappeared earlier this month during African Lion, a training exercise in Morocco, have been recovered.
The post Remains of Second Missing US Soldier Recovered in Morocco appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The CIA has significantly expanded covert operations against Mexican drug cartels, including alleged involvement in targeted lethal missions inside Mexico.
The post REPORT: CIA is Waging a Secret Assassination Campaign Against Mexican Cartels appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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“Contrary to news reports, Pope Leo has not bestowed an exclusive special honor on the Iranian ambassador to the Holy See,” the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See said.
![FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas promises pro-life agenda, calls advocates – #Catholic – Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas called pro-life organizations to offer reassurance about his commitment to life after some people in the movement raised concerns.“Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas is personally committed to delivering on President Trump’s pro-life and pro-family agenda at the FDA,” Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told EWTN News.“Both he and other administration officials will continue regularly interacting with stakeholders in this community to inform FDA decision-making,” he said.Diamantas is serving as acting commissioner after the May 12 resignation of Commissioner Marty Makary, who faced criticism from within the pro-life movement for failure to impose stricter regulations on the abortion drug mifepristone.Some pro-life leaders celebrated Makary’s departure but grew concerned about Diamantas because court records show him serving as legal counsel for a Planned Parenthood affiliate while working at the Baker Donelson law firm. The case was related to a property dispute.Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to President Donald Trump, dismissed the concern in a post on X, saying he was a junior associate assigned to the case but removed himself because of his pro-life beliefs.Within the past two days, Diamantas has reached out to some pro-life advocates, including March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter. A spokesperson for Live Action confirmed he had scheduled a conversation with Live Action President Lila Rose as well. “Within a few hours of being handed this big new job, he was getting on the phone with pro-life leaders and that in itself, I think, is a really encouraging sign of where his priorities are going to be,” Lichter told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” host Abigail Galván.Lichter said she spoke with Diamantas about her concerns with mifepristone, specifically about “the lack of safety, the lack of guardrails, [and] its easy availability.”Under Makary, the FDA launched a study to review the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone, but so far no action has been taken to increase restrictions. Rather, in that same month, the FDA approved a generic version of the drug.Based on her conversation, Lichter said, “I think weʼre going to see real movement” on that study and “I think that the cause of life is going to have, you know, a real champion at the FDA” under Diamantas’ leadership.“I feel really comfortable that he is bringing in strong pro-life commitments and a commitment to transparency and to moving with all deliberate speed to take a close look at mifepristone and then take decisive action based on what that study shows,” she said.Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, told EWTN News he had not received a call from Diamantas and expressed hesitations about his leadership of the FDA, saying his efforts “could just be viewed as nothing more than damage control.”“Talk is cheap,” he said. “But personnel is policy, and the fact that Diamantas [reportedly] represented Planned Parenthood makes me skeptical that he will advocate for the full mifepristone safety study. We will trust but verify. Action needs to be taken now on the abortion drug.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/fda-acting-commissioner-kyle-diamantas-promises-pro-life-agenda-calls-advocates-catholic-food-and-drug-administration-fda-acting-commissioner-kyle-diamantas-called-pro-life-organizations-to-of.jpg "FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas promises pro-life agenda, calls advocates – #Catholic – Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas called pro-life organizations to offer reassurance about his commitment to life after some people in the movement raised concerns.“Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas is personally committed to delivering on President Trump’s pro-life and pro-family agenda at the FDA,” Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told EWTN News.“Both he and other administration officials will continue regularly interacting with stakeholders in this community to inform FDA decision-making,” he said.Diamantas is serving as acting commissioner after the May 12 resignation of Commissioner Marty Makary, who faced criticism from within the pro-life movement for failure to impose stricter regulations on the abortion drug mifepristone.Some pro-life leaders celebrated Makary’s departure but grew concerned about Diamantas because court records show him serving as legal counsel for a Planned Parenthood affiliate while working at the Baker Donelson law firm. The case was related to a property dispute.Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to President Donald Trump, dismissed the concern in a post on X, saying he was a junior associate assigned to the case but removed himself because of his pro-life beliefs.Within the past two days, Diamantas has reached out to some pro-life advocates, including March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter. A spokesperson for Live Action confirmed he had scheduled a conversation with Live Action President Lila Rose as well. “Within a few hours of being handed this big new job, he was getting on the phone with pro-life leaders and that in itself, I think, is a really encouraging sign of where his priorities are going to be,” Lichter told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” host Abigail Galván.Lichter said she spoke with Diamantas about her concerns with mifepristone, specifically about “the lack of safety, the lack of guardrails, [and] its easy availability.”Under Makary, the FDA launched a study to review the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone, but so far no action has been taken to increase restrictions. Rather, in that same month, the FDA approved a generic version of the drug.Based on her conversation, Lichter said, “I think weʼre going to see real movement” on that study and “I think that the cause of life is going to have, you know, a real champion at the FDA” under Diamantas’ leadership.“I feel really comfortable that he is bringing in strong pro-life commitments and a commitment to transparency and to moving with all deliberate speed to take a close look at mifepristone and then take decisive action based on what that study shows,” she said.Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, told EWTN News he had not received a call from Diamantas and expressed hesitations about his leadership of the FDA, saying his efforts “could just be viewed as nothing more than damage control.”“Talk is cheap,” he said. “But personnel is policy, and the fact that Diamantas [reportedly] represented Planned Parenthood makes me skeptical that he will advocate for the full mifepristone safety study. We will trust but verify. Action needs to be taken now on the abortion drug.”")
![Legislation would ensure parents can arrange burial or cremation after pregnancy loss – #Catholic – Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, said he is introducing legislation to ensure hospitals and freestanding birth centers provide clear information about the rights that grieving parents have regarding the cremation or burial of their miscarried or stillborn child.Marshall, who practiced as an obstetrician-gynecologist for more than 25 years, said he is naming the bill the “Bereaved Parents Rights Act.” Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Florida, who personally suffered an ectopic pregnancy, said she is sponsoring a companion version in the House.Laws on the handling of fetal remains following a miscarriage or stillbirth vary state to state, and many states have no clear legal requirements regarding the disposition of remains, leaving hospitals to rely on internal policies and procedures, according to Marshall.Students for Life Action backs the measure and is leading lobbying on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to back it, said Kristan Hawkins, the organization’s president.The legislation would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act “to say that the hospital that she is birthing her child into, whether the childʼs born stillborn or miscarried … has to notify the parents no less than six hours after the event or before discharge“ and ”how she can get her babyʼs body to the funeral home to have a funeral if she would like to,” Hawkins said.A standardized form from the secretary of Health and Human Services would ensure a parent has the right to cremate the child after miscarriage or stillbirth, and it would apply in every state, Hawkins said.The legislation “is a no-brainer,” Cammack said. “This is very simple in my mind. Any parent who has lost a child needs the space, opportunity, and resources to properly grieve that child.”To “provide a burial for your child to recover the remains of your child” is “not a partisan issue,” she said. “I believe that is a human issue and something that, if we are serious about honoring life and protecting people, we really do champion and pass this legislation to give closure to so many families around the country.”Bill sponsors said they have been trying to find a Democratic cosponsor for the bill without success.“Thereʼs a culture around the issue that doesnʼt allow people to get to the facts. And while you are entitled, certainly, to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts,” Cammack said.“And the fact is that these are children, these are human beings that have heartbeats, and they deserve the same dignity that a child who was born and has been lost deserves," she said.“It should be something very simple that every woman, regardless of where you are in the country, what hospital you find yourself in, is given the exact same rights as a woman who is in a state that values and protects life,” she said.Personal testimonies“I see tremendous value in women coming together and reaching across the aisle saying, ‘Weʼve all experienced loss in some form or fashion, whether yourself personally or you know someone who has,’” Cammack said.A briefing by Students for Life Action on May 13 included numerous personal testimonials from women who have been affected by miscarriage and stillbirth who are urging lawmakers to advance the bill.Sarah Wirtz said: “I could not go to the hospital. I actually waited three days to go to the hospital because I just was trying to research … if I was going to be allowed to have my son," she said. "He had passed away, but I still had him inside of me."“I knew within at least the medical system, after 20 weeks I was afforded more protection” and “I was absolutely terrified what this meant legally for my baby,” she said.Wirtz said she was asking: “Would I be given my baby? When I went in to give birth, would they take him from me?”Wirtz said she risked her own health to spend time finding resources to ensure she was able to keep her sonʼs body. Once she found Heavenʼs Gain Ministries, a Catholic organization that helps families with pregnancy loss, she was told “Youʼre very blessed to be in Ohio,” because state law ensured she had the right to her baby.“So I went to the hospital, I gave birth to my son Noah, and I was able to bury him,” she said. “But I was also told at the time, if [I] had been in California … I wouldnʼt be afforded the same rights under the law."“He would have been deemed as his gestational size, which is under 20 weeks, and I wouldnʼt have been guaranteed right to disposition and … what happened to his body,” she said.Language of miscarriageHawkins also noted the importance of the language when discussing abortion and miscarriage, and ensuring women know the difference and understand the procedures.“Something we saw in the fall of the Dobbs … was Planned Parenthood intentionally started changing the language around abortion, direct intentional abortion, and they started using the phrase ‘induced miscarriage,’” she said.“Thatʼs largely because of the invention and the shifting of the abortion industry to the chemical abortion pill, where we know at least 70% of these abortions, that are still killing about a million children a year, are being committed using these pills,” she said.“The way theyʼre framing these abortions to many young confused women, very scared women, is youʼre just going to ‘induce a miscarriage. Itʼs going to be just like a miscarriage,’” she said.“We know those are two very different things. And I think apart from the evil of Planned Parenthood killing children and harming women … this is the third greatest evil theyʼve ever committed, which is trying to use the pain and the tragedy of a miscarriage to then justify and try to change the hearts of millions of Americans on their issue, which is the intentional destruction of a human being,” Hawkins said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/legislation-would-ensure-parents-can-arrange-burial-or-cremation-after-pregnancy-loss-catholic-sen-roger-marshall-r-kansas-said-he-is-introducing-legislation-to-ensure-hospitals-and-freestandi-scaled.jpg "Legislation would ensure parents can arrange burial or cremation after pregnancy loss – #Catholic – Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, said he is introducing legislation to ensure hospitals and freestanding birth centers provide clear information about the rights that grieving parents have regarding the cremation or burial of their miscarried or stillborn child.Marshall, who practiced as an obstetrician-gynecologist for more than 25 years, said he is naming the bill the “Bereaved Parents Rights Act.” Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Florida, who personally suffered an ectopic pregnancy, said she is sponsoring a companion version in the House.Laws on the handling of fetal remains following a miscarriage or stillbirth vary state to state, and many states have no clear legal requirements regarding the disposition of remains, leaving hospitals to rely on internal policies and procedures, according to Marshall.Students for Life Action backs the measure and is leading lobbying on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to back it, said Kristan Hawkins, the organization’s president.The legislation would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act “to say that the hospital that she is birthing her child into, whether the childʼs born stillborn or miscarried … has to notify the parents no less than six hours after the event or before discharge“ and ”how she can get her babyʼs body to the funeral home to have a funeral if she would like to,” Hawkins said.A standardized form from the secretary of Health and Human Services would ensure a parent has the right to cremate the child after miscarriage or stillbirth, and it would apply in every state, Hawkins said.The legislation “is a no-brainer,” Cammack said. “This is very simple in my mind. Any parent who has lost a child needs the space, opportunity, and resources to properly grieve that child.”To “provide a burial for your child to recover the remains of your child” is “not a partisan issue,” she said. “I believe that is a human issue and something that, if we are serious about honoring life and protecting people, we really do champion and pass this legislation to give closure to so many families around the country.”Bill sponsors said they have been trying to find a Democratic cosponsor for the bill without success.“Thereʼs a culture around the issue that doesnʼt allow people to get to the facts. And while you are entitled, certainly, to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts,” Cammack said.“And the fact is that these are children, these are human beings that have heartbeats, and they deserve the same dignity that a child who was born and has been lost deserves,\" she said.“It should be something very simple that every woman, regardless of where you are in the country, what hospital you find yourself in, is given the exact same rights as a woman who is in a state that values and protects life,” she said.Personal testimonies“I see tremendous value in women coming together and reaching across the aisle saying, ‘Weʼve all experienced loss in some form or fashion, whether yourself personally or you know someone who has,’” Cammack said.A briefing by Students for Life Action on May 13 included numerous personal testimonials from women who have been affected by miscarriage and stillbirth who are urging lawmakers to advance the bill.Sarah Wirtz said: “I could not go to the hospital. I actually waited three days to go to the hospital because I just was trying to research … if I was going to be allowed to have my son,\" she said. \"He had passed away, but I still had him inside of me.\"“I knew within at least the medical system, after 20 weeks I was afforded more protection” and “I was absolutely terrified what this meant legally for my baby,” she said.Wirtz said she was asking: “Would I be given my baby? When I went in to give birth, would they take him from me?”Wirtz said she risked her own health to spend time finding resources to ensure she was able to keep her sonʼs body. Once she found Heavenʼs Gain Ministries, a Catholic organization that helps families with pregnancy loss, she was told “Youʼre very blessed to be in Ohio,” because state law ensured she had the right to her baby.“So I went to the hospital, I gave birth to my son Noah, and I was able to bury him,” she said. “But I was also told at the time, if [I] had been in California … I wouldnʼt be afforded the same rights under the law.\"“He would have been deemed as his gestational size, which is under 20 weeks, and I wouldnʼt have been guaranteed right to disposition and … what happened to his body,” she said.Language of miscarriageHawkins also noted the importance of the language when discussing abortion and miscarriage, and ensuring women know the difference and understand the procedures.“Something we saw in the fall of the Dobbs … was Planned Parenthood intentionally started changing the language around abortion, direct intentional abortion, and they started using the phrase ‘induced miscarriage,’” she said.“Thatʼs largely because of the invention and the shifting of the abortion industry to the chemical abortion pill, where we know at least 70% of these abortions, that are still killing about a million children a year, are being committed using these pills,” she said.“The way theyʼre framing these abortions to many young confused women, very scared women, is youʼre just going to ‘induce a miscarriage. Itʼs going to be just like a miscarriage,’” she said.“We know those are two very different things. And I think apart from the evil of Planned Parenthood killing children and harming women … this is the third greatest evil theyʼve ever committed, which is trying to use the pain and the tragedy of a miscarriage to then justify and try to change the hearts of millions of Americans on their issue, which is the intentional destruction of a human being,” Hawkins said.")
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, who practiced as an obstetrician-gynecologist for more than 25 years, said he is naming the bill the “Bereaved Parents Rights Act.”
The pope also accepted Wednesday the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who led the Diocese of Venice, Florida, since 2007.
The Ortega regime’s repression of the Catholic Church could not silence God’s call to Cristhian Mendieta. Having fled Nicaragua as a seminarian, the young man was ordained to the priesthood in Miami.
Humanity has spent eons looking up at the stars and wondering whether we’re alone, or if there are others like us out there in the vast unknown. Our curiosity has only increased as we have become a technological civilization capable of scanning the heavens for potential signs or signals from other civilizations, called technosignatures. ButContinue reading “Should we keep looking for ET?”
The post Should we keep looking for ET? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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8 men to be ordained permanent deacons May 30 #Catholic – 
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will ordain eight men of diverse backgrounds to the permanent diaconate of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., on Saturday, May 30, at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J.
This class of permanent deacons is the first to be ordained in the diocese since 2023.
The men received their spiritual and pastoral formation through the Paterson Diocese diaconate formation program and received their academic formation in theology from Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology in South Orange, N.J. Depending on their educational background at the start of formation, the men received a Master of Arts in Theology, and/or a Certificate in Diaconal Studies or a Certificate in Spirituality from the Seminary.
The men to be ordained are: Stephen Deehan of St. Luke Parish in the Long Valley of Washington Township, N.J., Paul DePinto of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park, N.J., Timothy P. Dunmyer of St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, N.J., James Gillespie of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J., Tobi Ippolito of Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, N.J., Tom Kimble of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., Gregory Marchesi of St. Therese Parish in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., Elmer Lopez Maximo of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, N.J.
“These are all men of deep faith and spiritual commitment,” said Deacon William Ruane, the director of the diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate. “They have studied and trained hard these past five years under the direction of the deacons in their formation team, led by Deacon John Mihalko. They will be a tremendous asset to the diocese and we take great joy in seeing them ordained to serve the Church of Paterson,” he said.
A permanent deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church, belonging to the clergy but often married and holding a secular job. As a permanent member of the hierarchy—not on the way to priesthood — he acts as a “servant” to the bishop and pastor, focusing on the ministry of liturgy, word, and charity, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
There are 125 active and retired permanent deacons serving 74 parishes in the diocese. The first were ordained in 1974. Since then, about 340 men have been ordained.
The permanent deacon candidates are:
DEEHAN
Stephen Deehan
Stephen Deehan, 59, belongs to St. Luke Parish in Washington Township. His faith journey started as an altar server and continued with years of ministry at St. Luke Parish. The call to pursue the diaconate grew in part from his and his family’s work establishing the St. Luke Food Pantry.
Deehan has been married to his wife, Yvonne, for 32 years, and together they are parents of four children: Patrick, 29, and his spouse, Nikki; Christian, 27; Stephen, 25, and his fiancée, Gillian; and Noelle, 22.
He graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, N.J. and Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. He then earned his doctorate from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–New Jersey Dental School in Newark, N.J.
Deehan has operated a private dental practice in Hackettstown, N.J., for 31 years.
“I look forward to the challenges and blessings of serving God and his Church on the path guided by the Holy Spirit,” Deehan said.
DEPINTO
Paul DePinto
Paul DePinto, 57, and his wife, Loren, have been married since 1997 and have lived in Lincoln Park for 25 years as members of St. Joseph Parish.
DePinto earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Rutgers University, a master’s in counseling from Montclair University, a master’s in educational leadership from St. Elizabeth University in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J.
Paul and Loren have two children: Gia, 26, and Alec, 23.
DePinto has worked for Strength For Change private counseling practice as a licensed professional counselor since 2004. He also spent more than 12 years in the public school system, serving as a student assistance counselor, psychology teacher, and vice principal from 2001 to 2014.
DUNMYER
Timothy P. Dunmyer
Timothy P. Dunmyer, 61, and his wife Lisa, married for 20 years, serve as lectors, catechists, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at St. Jude Parish in Hopatcong, N.J.
Dunmyer was grand knight and district deputy in the Knights of Columbus. He now belongs to the Hopatcong Knights of Columbus Council 9914.
Dunmyer is a recently retired police lieutenant with 36 years of service in the Livingston Police Department in New Jersey.
GILLESPIE
James Gillespie
James Gillespie, 60, and Beth, his wife of 30 years, have been members of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J., for 30 years. They have three adult children.
At St. Catherine, Gillespie has served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, a lector, and an usher. He is a member of the Lazarus ministry, the men’s group, and the Blessed Sacrament Society. He also belongs to Knights of Columbus Council 3359, which supports St. Catherine’s and other parishes in the diocese.
In 1984, Gillespie graduated from Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J. He earned an associate’s degree in business administration from the County College of Morris in Randolph.
For many years, Gillespie has worked with his father in a family-owned business in the flooring industry. For the past 28 years, he has also been a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 251. He installs commercial flooring in many hospitals, schools, and corporate office spaces.
About his journey to the permanent diaconate, Gillespie thanked his wife for her encouragement, support, and love. He acknowledged the bond he and his wife have created with the men and their wives in his cohort, “allowing us to be united in our shared love of the Church and our faith.”
“I have been truly humbled by the endless gifts of prayer and support my cohort and I have received during our faith journey,” Gillespie said. “As an ordained minister, I look forward to serving my parish and the Diocese of Paterson. I want to share my love of the faith and the knowledge I have gained during five years of formation,” he said.
IPPOLITO
Tobi Ippolito
Tobi Ippolito, 58, and his wife, Anne Brauner, married in 1995, belong to Holy Family Parish in Florham Park, N.J., where they are active in several ministries. They live in East Hanover with their three children: Toby, Michael, and Jessica.
Ippolito graduated from DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, N.J, where he met Brauner, and a doctor of medicine from Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School in Newark.
Ippolito completed an internal medicine residency and now practices with RWJ Barnabas Medical Group.
KIMBLE
Tom Kimble
Tom Kimble belongs to St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J., where he serves as pastoral ministries director and directs the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults’ (OCIA) catechesis.
Previously, Kimble was director for Men’s Cornerstone at St. Jude’s, a parish trustee, and Diocesan Ministries Appeal chairman.
Kimble has been married to his wife, Karla, for 32 years; they have three children: Alex, 32, Cassie, 28, and Samie, 26. He is a mechanical Engineer who has been employed with Sealed Air Corporation since 1989.
MARCHESI
Gregory Marchesi
Gregory Marchesi, 57, belongs to St. Therese Parish in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., where he serves as the faith-formation director and co-director of OCIA. He also serves as a lector, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and an acolyte.
For 29 years, Marchesi has been married to his wife, Jennifer; together they have three children: Alexander, 27, Nicholas, 23, and Madison, 21.
Marchesi graduated from Manalapan High School in Englishtown, N.J. He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Kean University, where he played men’s soccer and received Second Team honors. Marchesi also earned a certification for teaching of the handicapped from Kean and a master’s degree in education from Marygrove College in 2002.
Marchesi worked 29 years for the Board of Education of West Orange, N.J., before retiring in 2023. There, he coached baseball at various high school levels, concluding his career as the West Orange Boys’ varsity soccer assistant coach. He also coached with the Player Development Academy in Zarephath, N.J., where his team won the Under-19 State Championship.
MAXIMO
Elmer Lopez Maximo
Elmer Lopez Maximo, 58, was born and raised in the Philippines and now belongs to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, N.J. He serves as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, a lector, a liturgical coordinator, and a parish leader. He is also a member of the Rosary Society, the Pro-Life ministry, the Finance Board, and the Pastoral Council.
At the diocesan level, Maximo serves as president of the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries. This group supports the faith formation and community life of Filipinos in our diocese.
Maximo earned a bachelor’s in commerce, specializing in business management, from San Beda College, now San Beda University, in Manila, the Philippines.
For 28 years, Maximo has been senior managing director of HR and administration at Seven Seven Softwares, Inc., an IT and global services company.
Reflecting on his call to the permanent diaconate, Maximo said, “My vocation developed through prayer, service, and love for the Eucharist.”
“Guided by the Blessed Virgin Mary, I learned to trust in God’s will. Through both joy and suffering, I came to see the diaconate as a call to serve as a bridge between the Church and the world,” Maximo said. “With gratitude, holiness, and humility, I offer my life in service to Christ and His people. I trust in His grace,” he said.
– Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will ordain eight men of diverse backgrounds to the permanent diaconate of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., on Saturday, May 30, at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. This class of permanent deacons is the first to be ordained in the diocese since 2023. The men received their spiritual and pastoral formation through the Paterson Diocese diaconate formation program and received their academic formation in theology from Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology in South Orange, N.J. Depending on their educational background at the start of formation, the men received
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NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover recently took a self-portrait against a sweeping backdrop of ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls “Lac de Charmes.”
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SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego Padres organization is reportedly concerned about local sports fan Lonny Philbin for being more invested in the success of the team than even the actual players.
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NOT SATIRE: Help Share Genesis in Full Color Animation
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Platypus or Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) near Scottsadale, Tasmania, Australia.
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“We’re in a battle today with the Chinese Communist Party and their authoritarian view,” Former Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said at an event at the Hudson Institute.
![Pro-life groups praise FDA commissioner’s exit, flag acting leader’s Planned Parenthood role – #Catholic – Many pro-life advocates cheered Marty Makaryʼs resignation as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while raising concerns that the agencyʼs acting leader once represented a Planned Parenthood affiliate in court.Makary, who resigned on May 12, drew the ire of the pro-life community throughout his tenure for inaction to reimpose regulations on the abortion pill mifepristone.Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas will serve as the acting commissioner of the FDA until President Donald Trump nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. Some pro-life advocates lamented Diamantas' elevation to acting commissioner, saying he once served as counsel for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.Court documents show that while he worked at the Baker Donelson law firm, he was part of the legal team that represented the Planned Parenthood affiliate in a property dispute. He was not an employee of Planned Parenthood, and a Trump administration adviser says it was just an assignment that he eventually backed out of due to moral objections.Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins posted concerns about Diamantas on X, saying: “Quite frankly, this is why our team at Students for Life did not call for Dr. Makary to resign, because I know the FDA is filled with pro-abortion leftists.”“The new FDA commissioner must be 100% committed to protecting innocent children in the womb AND their mothers,” she said.Live Action President Lila Rose posted on X that “we cannot allow someone who represented Planned Parenthood to oversee rules surrounding the deadly abortion pill mifepristone that has killed MILLIONS of babies.”In response to the concerns, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz said in a post on X that Diamantas was working as a junior associate “but he later removed himself from the case because of his personal beliefs.”“Kyle is a good man, is pro-life, and he is focused on delivering on President Trump’s promise to MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN,” he said.Makary’s tenureDuring his tenure, Makary faced repeated criticism from pro-life advocates, who are expressing hope that Trump will nominate someone who will take stronger action against abortion.Makary launched a study in coordination with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to review the safety of the abortion drug mifepristone in September 2025. No action has been taken to restrict the drug, but the FDA did move in the opposite direction by approving a generic version of mifepristone that same month.The Department of Justice also filed a motion on behalf of the FDA in January asking a federal court to pause a lawsuit from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill that challenged the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone based on claims that it led to harm against residents.Marjorie Dannenfelser, who has been one of Makaryʼs top critics for months, said on X that “we must return immediately to the [first] Trump administration standard of in-person dispensing to protect women from coercion and abuse and allow the enforcement of pro-life state laws.”Live Action President Lila Rose similarly rejoiced about Makaryʼs exit, saying: “He tragically continued to allow sending the abortion pill through the mail and approved a new version of the abortion pill.”“The abortion pill has killed over 7 million preborn American children and harmed countless mothers,” she said and appealed to Trump to appoint a pro-life commissioner who will “ban the abortion pill now!”Some pro-life senators joined the voices cheering his resignation, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, who called the announcement “welcome news” in a post on X and accused Makary of being “uniquely destructive to the pro-life movement.”Hawley, who initially supported Makaryʼs nomination in January 2025, has been publicly critical of his leadership since December. In his post, he said Makary “slow walked” the mifepristone review while approving a generic version in spite of safety risks.The senator called Makary’s resignation “an opportunity for the FDA to reset.” Sarah Zagorski, senior director of public relations and communications for Americans United for Life, told EWTN News the Trump administration “has the opportunity to demonstrate real moral leadership by appointing a commissioner dedicated to protecting women and girls from the harms associated with abortion drugs” upon Makary’s resignation.“With these drugs increasingly available online, the risks of coercion, misuse, and medical complications have grown substantially. Strong oversight and patient safety must come first,” she said.Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, called Makary’s tenure “part of a broader symptom of an administration that has not paid attention to pro-life issues” in a post on X.“I care deeply about life, and I anticipate the next FDA nominee shall as well,” he said.Although many pro-life advocates see an opportunity for change, it’s unclear whether their criticisms contributed to Makary’s resignation, considering Trump himself committed during his campaign to ensuring the FDA would not threaten access to the abortion pill.Trump did not reference the life issue when asked by reporters about Makary’s resignation and declined to say whether he asked him to step down.“He was having some difficulty,” Trump said. “You know he’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well. We have — everybody wants that job, everybody.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pro-life-groups-praise-fda-commissioners-exit-flag-acting-leaders-planned-parenthood-role-catholic-many-pro-life-advocates-cheered-marty-makarycabcs-resignation-as-commission.jpg "Pro-life groups praise FDA commissioner’s exit, flag acting leader’s Planned Parenthood role – #Catholic – Many pro-life advocates cheered Marty Makaryʼs resignation as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while raising concerns that the agencyʼs acting leader once represented a Planned Parenthood affiliate in court.Makary, who resigned on May 12, drew the ire of the pro-life community throughout his tenure for inaction to reimpose regulations on the abortion pill mifepristone.Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas will serve as the acting commissioner of the FDA until President Donald Trump nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. Some pro-life advocates lamented Diamantas' elevation to acting commissioner, saying he once served as counsel for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.Court documents show that while he worked at the Baker Donelson law firm, he was part of the legal team that represented the Planned Parenthood affiliate in a property dispute. He was not an employee of Planned Parenthood, and a Trump administration adviser says it was just an assignment that he eventually backed out of due to moral objections.Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins posted concerns about Diamantas on X, saying: “Quite frankly, this is why our team at Students for Life did not call for Dr. Makary to resign, because I know the FDA is filled with pro-abortion leftists.”“The new FDA commissioner must be 100% committed to protecting innocent children in the womb AND their mothers,” she said.Live Action President Lila Rose posted on X that “we cannot allow someone who represented Planned Parenthood to oversee rules surrounding the deadly abortion pill mifepristone that has killed MILLIONS of babies.”In response to the concerns, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz said in a post on X that Diamantas was working as a junior associate “but he later removed himself from the case because of his personal beliefs.”“Kyle is a good man, is pro-life, and he is focused on delivering on President Trump’s promise to MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN,” he said.Makary’s tenureDuring his tenure, Makary faced repeated criticism from pro-life advocates, who are expressing hope that Trump will nominate someone who will take stronger action against abortion.Makary launched a study in coordination with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to review the safety of the abortion drug mifepristone in September 2025. No action has been taken to restrict the drug, but the FDA did move in the opposite direction by approving a generic version of mifepristone that same month.The Department of Justice also filed a motion on behalf of the FDA in January asking a federal court to pause a lawsuit from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill that challenged the 2023 deregulation of mifepristone based on claims that it led to harm against residents.Marjorie Dannenfelser, who has been one of Makaryʼs top critics for months, said on X that “we must return immediately to the [first] Trump administration standard of in-person dispensing to protect women from coercion and abuse and allow the enforcement of pro-life state laws.”Live Action President Lila Rose similarly rejoiced about Makaryʼs exit, saying: “He tragically continued to allow sending the abortion pill through the mail and approved a new version of the abortion pill.”“The abortion pill has killed over 7 million preborn American children and harmed countless mothers,” she said and appealed to Trump to appoint a pro-life commissioner who will “ban the abortion pill now!”Some pro-life senators joined the voices cheering his resignation, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, who called the announcement “welcome news” in a post on X and accused Makary of being “uniquely destructive to the pro-life movement.”Hawley, who initially supported Makaryʼs nomination in January 2025, has been publicly critical of his leadership since December. In his post, he said Makary “slow walked” the mifepristone review while approving a generic version in spite of safety risks.The senator called Makary’s resignation “an opportunity for the FDA to reset.” Sarah Zagorski, senior director of public relations and communications for Americans United for Life, told EWTN News the Trump administration “has the opportunity to demonstrate real moral leadership by appointing a commissioner dedicated to protecting women and girls from the harms associated with abortion drugs” upon Makary’s resignation.“With these drugs increasingly available online, the risks of coercion, misuse, and medical complications have grown substantially. Strong oversight and patient safety must come first,” she said.Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, called Makary’s tenure “part of a broader symptom of an administration that has not paid attention to pro-life issues” in a post on X.“I care deeply about life, and I anticipate the next FDA nominee shall as well,” he said.Although many pro-life advocates see an opportunity for change, it’s unclear whether their criticisms contributed to Makary’s resignation, considering Trump himself committed during his campaign to ensuring the FDA would not threaten access to the abortion pill.Trump did not reference the life issue when asked by reporters about Makary’s resignation and declined to say whether he asked him to step down.“He was having some difficulty,” Trump said. “You know he’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well. We have — everybody wants that job, everybody.”")
Pro-life advocates said they hope President Donald Trump replaces Marty Makary with someone who will further regulate the abortion pill mifepristone.
A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 17:15, 22—18:1
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
"You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead."
When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
"We should like to hear you on this some other time."
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
From the Gospel according to John
16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."
The Gospel of St John gives us part of the long farewell discourse pronounced by Jesus shortly before his Passion. In this discourse, he explains to the disciples the deepest truths about himself, and thus he outlines the relationship between Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus knows that the fulfillment of the Father’s plan is approaching and will be completed with his death and resurrection. Because of this he wants to assure his followers that he won’t abandon them, because his mission will be prolonged by the Holy Spirit. It will be the Holy Spirit who continues the mission of Jesus, that is, guide the Church forward. Jesus reveals what this mission is. In the first place, the Spirit guides us to understand the many things that Jesus himself still had to say (cf. Jn 16:12). This doesn’t refer to new or special doctrines, but to a full understanding of all that the Son has heard from the Father and has made known to the disciples (cf. v. 15). The Spirit guides us in new existential situations with a gaze fixed on Jesus and at the same time, open to events and to the future. He helps us to walk in history, firmly rooted in the Gospel and with dynamic fidelity to our traditions and customs. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 22 May 2016)
Read MoreJohn Vermette, taken from Starfront Observatory, Texas Lying 1,000 light-years away, NGC 1333 is the most active star-forming region in the Perseus molecular complex, producing newborn stars that carve cavities in the surrounding dust. The imager collected 8 hours of exposure with a one-shot color camera and a 4-inch f/5 refractor.
The post A stellar nursery in Perseus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![Venezuelan archbishop: Maduro’s gone, but the same people are still in charge – #Catholic – Four months after U.S. special forces captured and removed President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela remains trapped in a political no-manʼs-land.The leadership of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference updated the pope at the Vatican on May 4 about the situation: “Change has arrived, yes — but democracy has not yet," Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “Many unresolved questions remain regarding what Venezuela’s immediate future will be like,” Zárate explained, following the meeting with the leadership team held with Pope Leo XIV, to whom they laid out the complex and uncertain situation the country is currently facing.“Throughout these past months, we have asked ourselves many questions, and we still do not have sufficient answers,” he explained in a statement to ACI Prensa.The bishops “constantly” receive requests to mediate the release of political prisoners. However, “the channels are not always open,” Zárate said.More than 450 political prisoners remain behind bars, according to the count by Foro Penal, the promised amnesty has stalled, and fear of arbitrary detention persists in the streets.As pastors, he noted, the Venezuelan bishops “have highlighted the need to restore the primacy of human dignity, which is the fundamental point of the Church’s social doctrine.”“Upon this,” he clearly affirmed, “would rest the freedom of citizens, the right to participate, the paths toward democratization that we need, and overcoming of merely partisan or private interests for the sake of the common good.”Political continuity following Maduro’s departureAlthough he acknowledged that since Maduroʼs capture, “there is a change, a result of the fact that the person who previously held the highest office is no longer there,” he pointed out that “there is also continuity among the political actors,” which casts doubt on whether there will be political change.The prelate emphasized that the outlook remains uncertain: “More concrete decisions were expected in the political sphere, which have yet to materialize.”Relations with the United States have been normalized, but for Zárate, the advent of democracy does not appear to be imminent. “The reconstruction of political institutions, economic recovery, and the establishment of a new social dynamic constitute a slow, complex, and difficult undertaking,” he said.In this process, he insisted that “the participation of everyone is required,” particularly to overcome the “constant confrontation and conflict-ridden political rhetoric that have impoverished Venezuelan social life.”The prelate issued an urgent call to rebuild trust: “It is necessary to restore the population’s trust in institutions such as the National Electoral Council, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, and other state institutions” in order to reestablish “healthy democratic coexistence.”The National Electoral Council tallies and announces election results and declared Maduro the winner of the last presidential election despite strong evidence to the contrary.The amnesty law passed in February benefited 8,616 people. However, that process appears to have stalled since Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced that it had come to an end.For the Church, this represented a key opportunity to advance national reconciliation, even though the lawʼs implementation has been inconsistent. “What was particularly significant was the full liberty of political prisoners, not merely their release,” Zárate said.“Release would mean that they leave the detention facility, but their activities would still remain restricted; we are speaking of full liberty, that is, the recognition of full freedom for all,” the archbishop explained.The prelate acknowledged a loss of momentum after initial progress: “At first, there was greater diligence in the implementation of the amnesty law; subsequently, however, there has been something of a delay.”In light of this, he warned that as long as there remains a Venezuelan “imprisoned for their political ideas or personal opinions, we can hardly rest easy or build a better society in peace.”Víctor Hugo Quero, a Venezuelan political prisoner who died in custody, is one of many on a long list of citizens who have perished at the hands of the state over more than 25 years of authoritarian socialist rule.“Doubts therefore remain regarding the whereabouts of many others. At this moment, there is the open question whether those about whom there is no news may have met a similar fate,” he added.From initial hope to discouragementMaduro’s removal from power sparked a certain “hopeful expectation” among Venezuelans, he said, yet now there is growing frustration. “There is much talk of investments in oil, of better prices, and of agreements with various companies, but the concrete reality is the average Venezuelan continues to suffer from the same deprivations,” Zárate lamented.Among these difficulties, he cited “the constant rise in prices, the depreciation of buying power, the inability to access certain services, or the deficiencies within those very services” such as electricity or water supply. It’s a situation that “breeds discouragement.”The harsh reality of the Venezuelan diasporaAfter years of crisis, many who fled the country have been unable to return. “There are more than 8 million Venezuelans outside our country,” the archbishop noted.The impact of the diaspora is part of families' daily lives: “There are children who don’t have the opportunity to be close to their parents, and parents who cannot enjoy their children or their grandchildren.”This also impacts ecclesial life: “The migration of many Venezuelans also leaves parishes without catechists, without their ministers, and without the young people who were part of the youth ministry.” Economic deterioration further exacerbates this scenario. “The widespread impoverishment of the population — to which the Church has sought to respond through social programs [providing] food and healthcare — also affects the life of the Christian community,” he noted.Zárate said this reality even limits the Church’s pastoral outreach: “It finds itself weakened in its capacity to carry out its programs and to provide assistance to people.”The bishops’ priority: ‘Preserving internal unity’The president of the bishops’ conference stated that one of the episcopate’s constant efforts has been “to preserve internal unity."Unity was one of the key issues discussed during the meeting at the Vatican on May 4. The pope, he said, was “very attentive; he is well-informed about the reality in the country.”The pontiff centered his interest on the Church’s role as an agent of reconciliation: “His questions focused on the role we can play in the reunification of the Venezuelan people and in the internal unity of the Church.”Zárate emphasized that the credibility of the message depends on the witness: “We could hardly proclaim reunification, reconciliation, or harmonious coexistence if divergences were visible within the Church itself.”Some things never should have happenedZárate clarified that the Church’s message of reconciliation to Venezuelan society “is not that forgiving means forgetting.”“There are situations that never should have happened, and there are people who are responsible,” he pointed out.Nevertheless, Zárate emphasized that the response cannot be based on vengeance: “We cannot believe that revenge or retaliation will provide the answer. The healing of hearts must be based on the truth.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/venezuelan-archbishop-maduros-gone-but-the-same-people-are-still-in-charge-catholic-four-months-after-u-s-special-forces-captured-and-removed-president-nicolas-maduro-venezuela-remai.jpg "Venezuelan archbishop: Maduro’s gone, but the same people are still in charge – #Catholic – Four months after U.S. special forces captured and removed President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela remains trapped in a political no-manʼs-land.The leadership of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference updated the pope at the Vatican on May 4 about the situation: “Change has arrived, yes — but democracy has not yet,\" Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “Many unresolved questions remain regarding what Venezuela’s immediate future will be like,” Zárate explained, following the meeting with the leadership team held with Pope Leo XIV, to whom they laid out the complex and uncertain situation the country is currently facing.“Throughout these past months, we have asked ourselves many questions, and we still do not have sufficient answers,” he explained in a statement to ACI Prensa.The bishops “constantly” receive requests to mediate the release of political prisoners. However, “the channels are not always open,” Zárate said.More than 450 political prisoners remain behind bars, according to the count by Foro Penal, the promised amnesty has stalled, and fear of arbitrary detention persists in the streets.As pastors, he noted, the Venezuelan bishops “have highlighted the need to restore the primacy of human dignity, which is the fundamental point of the Church’s social doctrine.”“Upon this,” he clearly affirmed, “would rest the freedom of citizens, the right to participate, the paths toward democratization that we need, and overcoming of merely partisan or private interests for the sake of the common good.”Political continuity following Maduro’s departureAlthough he acknowledged that since Maduroʼs capture, “there is a change, a result of the fact that the person who previously held the highest office is no longer there,” he pointed out that “there is also continuity among the political actors,” which casts doubt on whether there will be political change.The prelate emphasized that the outlook remains uncertain: “More concrete decisions were expected in the political sphere, which have yet to materialize.”Relations with the United States have been normalized, but for Zárate, the advent of democracy does not appear to be imminent. “The reconstruction of political institutions, economic recovery, and the establishment of a new social dynamic constitute a slow, complex, and difficult undertaking,” he said.In this process, he insisted that “the participation of everyone is required,” particularly to overcome the “constant confrontation and conflict-ridden political rhetoric that have impoverished Venezuelan social life.”The prelate issued an urgent call to rebuild trust: “It is necessary to restore the population’s trust in institutions such as the National Electoral Council, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, and other state institutions” in order to reestablish “healthy democratic coexistence.”The National Electoral Council tallies and announces election results and declared Maduro the winner of the last presidential election despite strong evidence to the contrary.The amnesty law passed in February benefited 8,616 people. However, that process appears to have stalled since Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced that it had come to an end.For the Church, this represented a key opportunity to advance national reconciliation, even though the lawʼs implementation has been inconsistent. “What was particularly significant was the full liberty of political prisoners, not merely their release,” Zárate said.“Release would mean that they leave the detention facility, but their activities would still remain restricted; we are speaking of full liberty, that is, the recognition of full freedom for all,” the archbishop explained.The prelate acknowledged a loss of momentum after initial progress: “At first, there was greater diligence in the implementation of the amnesty law; subsequently, however, there has been something of a delay.”In light of this, he warned that as long as there remains a Venezuelan “imprisoned for their political ideas or personal opinions, we can hardly rest easy or build a better society in peace.”Víctor Hugo Quero, a Venezuelan political prisoner who died in custody, is one of many on a long list of citizens who have perished at the hands of the state over more than 25 years of authoritarian socialist rule.“Doubts therefore remain regarding the whereabouts of many others. At this moment, there is the open question whether those about whom there is no news may have met a similar fate,” he added.From initial hope to discouragementMaduro’s removal from power sparked a certain “hopeful expectation” among Venezuelans, he said, yet now there is growing frustration. “There is much talk of investments in oil, of better prices, and of agreements with various companies, but the concrete reality is the average Venezuelan continues to suffer from the same deprivations,” Zárate lamented.Among these difficulties, he cited “the constant rise in prices, the depreciation of buying power, the inability to access certain services, or the deficiencies within those very services” such as electricity or water supply. It’s a situation that “breeds discouragement.”The harsh reality of the Venezuelan diasporaAfter years of crisis, many who fled the country have been unable to return. “There are more than 8 million Venezuelans outside our country,” the archbishop noted.The impact of the diaspora is part of families' daily lives: “There are children who don’t have the opportunity to be close to their parents, and parents who cannot enjoy their children or their grandchildren.”This also impacts ecclesial life: “The migration of many Venezuelans also leaves parishes without catechists, without their ministers, and without the young people who were part of the youth ministry.” Economic deterioration further exacerbates this scenario. “The widespread impoverishment of the population — to which the Church has sought to respond through social programs [providing] food and healthcare — also affects the life of the Christian community,” he noted.Zárate said this reality even limits the Church’s pastoral outreach: “It finds itself weakened in its capacity to carry out its programs and to provide assistance to people.”The bishops’ priority: ‘Preserving internal unity’The president of the bishops’ conference stated that one of the episcopate’s constant efforts has been “to preserve internal unity.\"Unity was one of the key issues discussed during the meeting at the Vatican on May 4. The pope, he said, was “very attentive; he is well-informed about the reality in the country.”The pontiff centered his interest on the Church’s role as an agent of reconciliation: “His questions focused on the role we can play in the reunification of the Venezuelan people and in the internal unity of the Church.”Zárate emphasized that the credibility of the message depends on the witness: “We could hardly proclaim reunification, reconciliation, or harmonious coexistence if divergences were visible within the Church itself.”Some things never should have happenedZárate clarified that the Church’s message of reconciliation to Venezuelan society “is not that forgiving means forgetting.”“There are situations that never should have happened, and there are people who are responsible,” he pointed out.Nevertheless, Zárate emphasized that the response cannot be based on vengeance: “We cannot believe that revenge or retaliation will provide the answer. The healing of hearts must be based on the truth.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
The leadership of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference updated Pope Leo XIV on the political situation in the country, noting that only limited progress has been made and the economy hasn’t improved.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday went off on Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen during a fiery exchange over accusations of ‘excessive drinking.’ “Multiple reports, including by The Atlantic, have alleged episodes of excessive drinking, unexplained absences and behavior that concern current and former FBI and DOJ officials…” Van Hollen said to Patel.
The post Kash Patel SHREDS Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen in Fiery Exchange Over Accusations of “Excessive Drinking” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
The trespasser who walked in front of the Frontier Airlines plane on the Denver Airport runway has been identified a 41-year-old Michael Mott.
The post Man Who Was Sucked Into Engine of Frontier Airlines Plane on Denver Runway Identified appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
President Trump on Monday told reporters that the US ceasefire with Iran is in jeopardy, describing Tehran’s recent proposal to end the war as “garbage.” “I would say it’s one of the weakest right now; it’s on life support,” Trump said of the temporary truce between the US and Iran.
The post (VIDEO) Trump Says Iran Ceasefire on “Life Support” After “Garbage” Proposal from Iran appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More![The Solemnities of the Ascension and Pentecost #Catholic - “Accompany with your Blessing from this day forward O Lord those who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and nourished by the Sacrament of your Son. So that, with all trials overcome, they may gladden your Church by their holiness and, by their works and their charity foster her growth in the world. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
— Prayer after Communion, Ritual Mass of Confirmation
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
The Prayer cited above has become one of my favorite prayers. Often, as I say that prayer after Communion at a Mass when I have celebrated confirmation, I am tempted to give a “second homily.” As much as I love the prayer, I have not (yet) fallen to that temptation (one homily is enough). I am hoping that this column will give me the opportunity to say something I have been wanting to say about that prayer for the past few years.
If you take some time to consider the words of the prayer above and the context in which the words are prayed, the bishop (or celebrant) is certainly asking God to bless those who have just received the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of confirmation and who have also received Jesus in Holy Communion – “…those who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and nourished by the Sacrament of you Son…”
Is the prayer asking God to bless ONLY the newly confirmed? Or, is the prayer not asking that the Lord’s blessing “accompany” ALL (especially those in church at that moment) who have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit and have received Jesus in Holy Communion? Something I do try to say during the homily at confirmation is that the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation is a “blessed moment” for all in attendance. Whether someone was confirmed in the past year or many years ago, attending the celebration of the sacrament can be a reminder that we should all be prayerfully asking every day for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and praying that we can “live” or use those gifts so that they “bear fruit” in our lives so that, as the prayer asks, “… with all trials overcome, they (we – you and I) may gladden your Church by their holiness and, by their works and their charity foster her growth in the world…”
As we approach, in the Church’s calendar, the conclusion of the 50 days of the Easter season, the Solemnities of the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost offer us a wonderful opportunity to consider the importance of the gifts and “fruits” of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I imagine that some readers of this column might continue to feel disappointed or upset by the decision of the bishops of New Jersey to “transfer” the Solemnity of the Ascension from a Thursday (10 days before Pentecost) to a Sunday (seven days before Pentecost). For those who may still have those feelings, I would ask your patience and understanding – a “fruit” and a gift of the Holy Spirit. I also invite you to try to “see the positive,” such as the beauty of the Solemnity of the Ascension, leading us to Pentecost, regardless of whether it is celebrated on a Thursday or Sunday.
As I ask for “patience and understanding,” I hope that provides an example of the circumstances and situations in which we find ourselves in our “day to day” lives when we need to ask that the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit be “enflamed” in our lives so that our “works and charity” can “foster the growth of the Church in the world” by producing and sharing the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit.
One of the blessings of my ministry as bishop, especially during this time of year, is the opportunity to frequently celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. In the Prayer of Confirmation by which the bishop (or celebrant) “calls down” the gifts of the Holy Spirit on those being confirmed, the sevenfold Gifts are named: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude, Counsel, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Can you recall the last time that you asked for or needed one of those gifts in particular? If you are not regularly in the habit of asking for or thinking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these days leading up to Pentecost are a great time to be reflecting upon and asking for the gifts of the Spirit in prayer.
I found a very interesting, informative, and thought-provoking article, available online, from the website “Catholic Answers,” with the subtitle: “What are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and why do they matter?” After a brief description of each of the seven gifts, it says this:
“These are heroic character traits that Jesus Christ alone possesses in their plenitude but that he freely shares with the members of his mystical body (i.e., his Church). These traits are infused into every Christian as a permanent endowment at his baptism, nurtured by the practice of the seven virtues, and sealed in the sacrament of confirmation. They are also known as the sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, because they serve the purpose of rendering their recipients docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in their lives, helping them to grow in holiness and making them fit for heaven…” The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
I hope that most readers are aware that, as we speak of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Church also identifies 12 “fruits” of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church names the gifts in articles 1830-31, fruits of the Holy Spirit in article 1832: “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. the tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.” [ See: The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit.]
Father Mike Schmitz offers a very good (19-minute) summary of the gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit in a chapter/episode of his Catechism in a Year podcast that can be found on YouTube here.
One way to meditate and reflect on the importance of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is to just slowly read the list of those 12 virtues or character-traits and ask how needed (and valued?) they are in our world and culture today. We might also review the list and choose to reflect on one or two each day as we move toward the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost, or choose one, two, or three of the fruits that you may want to “practice” or live out in your life and relationships?
With each Confirmation Mass I celebrate, and each time I pray that beautiful Prayer after Communion, I am more convinced that each of us should be asking for the grace to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, day by day, so that we may “produce” and share the fruits of the Holy Spirit. So that, “with all trials overcome, (we) may gladden (the) Church by (our) holiness and, by (our) works and charity foster her growth in the world.”
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The Solemnities of the Ascension and Pentecost #Catholic – 
“Accompany with your Blessing from this day forward O Lord those who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and nourished by the Sacrament of your Son. So that, with all trials overcome, they may gladden your Church by their holiness and, by their works and their charity foster her growth in the world. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
— Prayer after Communion, Ritual Mass of Confirmation
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
The Prayer cited above has become one of my favorite prayers. Often, as I say that prayer after Communion at a Mass when I have celebrated confirmation, I am tempted to give a “second homily.” As much as I love the prayer, I have not (yet) fallen to that temptation (one homily is enough). I am hoping that this column will give me the opportunity to say something I have been wanting to say about that prayer for the past few years.
If you take some time to consider the words of the prayer above and the context in which the words are prayed, the bishop (or celebrant) is certainly asking God to bless those who have just received the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of confirmation and who have also received Jesus in Holy Communion – “…those who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and nourished by the Sacrament of you Son…”
Is the prayer asking God to bless ONLY the newly confirmed? Or, is the prayer not asking that the Lord’s blessing “accompany” ALL (especially those in church at that moment) who have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit and have received Jesus in Holy Communion? Something I do try to say during the homily at confirmation is that the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation is a “blessed moment” for all in attendance. Whether someone was confirmed in the past year or many years ago, attending the celebration of the sacrament can be a reminder that we should all be prayerfully asking every day for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and praying that we can “live” or use those gifts so that they “bear fruit” in our lives so that, as the prayer asks, “… with all trials overcome, they (we – you and I) may gladden your Church by their holiness and, by their works and their charity foster her growth in the world…”
As we approach, in the Church’s calendar, the conclusion of the 50 days of the Easter season, the Solemnities of the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost offer us a wonderful opportunity to consider the importance of the gifts and “fruits” of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I imagine that some readers of this column might continue to feel disappointed or upset by the decision of the bishops of New Jersey to “transfer” the Solemnity of the Ascension from a Thursday (10 days before Pentecost) to a Sunday (seven days before Pentecost). For those who may still have those feelings, I would ask your patience and understanding – a “fruit” and a gift of the Holy Spirit. I also invite you to try to “see the positive,” such as the beauty of the Solemnity of the Ascension, leading us to Pentecost, regardless of whether it is celebrated on a Thursday or Sunday.
As I ask for “patience and understanding,” I hope that provides an example of the circumstances and situations in which we find ourselves in our “day to day” lives when we need to ask that the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit be “enflamed” in our lives so that our “works and charity” can “foster the growth of the Church in the world” by producing and sharing the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit.
One of the blessings of my ministry as bishop, especially during this time of year, is the opportunity to frequently celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. In the Prayer of Confirmation by which the bishop (or celebrant) “calls down” the gifts of the Holy Spirit on those being confirmed, the sevenfold Gifts are named: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude, Counsel, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Can you recall the last time that you asked for or needed one of those gifts in particular? If you are not regularly in the habit of asking for or thinking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these days leading up to Pentecost are a great time to be reflecting upon and asking for the gifts of the Spirit in prayer.
I found a very interesting, informative, and thought-provoking article, available online, from the website “Catholic Answers,” with the subtitle: “What are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and why do they matter?” After a brief description of each of the seven gifts, it says this:
“These are heroic character traits that Jesus Christ alone possesses in their plenitude but that he freely shares with the members of his mystical body (i.e., his Church). These traits are infused into every Christian as a permanent endowment at his baptism, nurtured by the practice of the seven virtues, and sealed in the sacrament of confirmation. They are also known as the sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, because they serve the purpose of rendering their recipients docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in their lives, helping them to grow in holiness and making them fit for heaven…” The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
I hope that most readers are aware that, as we speak of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Church also identifies 12 “fruits” of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church names the gifts in articles 1830-31, fruits of the Holy Spirit in article 1832: “The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. the tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.” [ See: The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit.]
Father Mike Schmitz offers a very good (19-minute) summary of the gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit in a chapter/episode of his Catechism in a Year podcast that can be found on YouTube here.
One way to meditate and reflect on the importance of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is to just slowly read the list of those 12 virtues or character-traits and ask how needed (and valued?) they are in our world and culture today. We might also review the list and choose to reflect on one or two each day as we move toward the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost, or choose one, two, or three of the fruits that you may want to “practice” or live out in your life and relationships?
With each Confirmation Mass I celebrate, and each time I pray that beautiful Prayer after Communion, I am more convinced that each of us should be asking for the grace to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, day by day, so that we may “produce” and share the fruits of the Holy Spirit. So that, “with all trials overcome, (we) may gladden (the) Church by (our) holiness and, by (our) works and charity foster her growth in the world.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
– “Accompany with your Blessing from this day forward O Lord those who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and nourished by the Sacrament of your Son. So that, with all trials overcome, they may gladden your Church by their holiness and, by their works and their charity foster her growth in the world. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen. — Prayer after Communion, Ritual Mass of Confirmation BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY The Prayer cited above has become one of my favorite prayers. Often, as I say that prayer after Communion at a Mass when I have celebrated confirmation, I am
Cardinal Blase Cupich said Father Jose Molina was accused of “improper communications” and was barred from ministering in Chicago.
The Vatican’s message for Vesak calls Buddhists and Christians to promote an “unarmed and disarming” peace rooted in truth, compassion, and mutual trust.
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NASA astronaut Jessica Meir poses with an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit during an official portrait session at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Read More
ROCKVILLE, MD — Hantavirus has quickly become the biggest viral threat to humanity since COVID and as luck would have it, Dr. Fauci has announced that he has been working on a hantavirus vaccine this entire time. How convenient!
Read More
MIAMI, FL — A newly christened golden statue of President Donald Trump may have healing powers, as sources confirmed a woman who had touched it was miraculously healed of her liberalism.
Read More| Picture of the day |
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Boat poled through a mangrove arch, Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam, Kerala, India
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In a video message, Archbishop Alexander Sample reflected on the meaning and history of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 16:22-34
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
From the Gospel according to John
16:5-11
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
The Gospel passage takes us today to the Upper Room where, after the Last Supper, a sense of loss has saddened the Apostles. This is due to the fact that Jesus’ words arouse disturbing questions: He spoke of the world’s hatred of him and of his own, he spoke of his mysterious departure; and there were still many other things to be said, but for the time being the Apostles were not able to bear the weight (cf. Jn 16: 12). To console them, he explains the meaning of his departure: he will go, but he will return; meanwhile, he will not abandon them, will not leave them orphans. He will send the Consoler, the Spirit of the Father, and the Spirit will enable them to understand that Christ’s work is a work of love: love of the One who gave himself, love of the Father who has given him. (…) The Holy Spirit illuminates the human spirit and, by revealing Christ Crucified and Risen, indicates the way to become more like him, that is, to be "the image and instrument of the love which flows from Christ" (Deus Caritas Est, n. 33). (Benedict XVI, Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, 4 June 2006)
Read MoreWinter hibernation is officially over. Spring has arrived. Warmer nights make this a great time to pull out your binoculars and enjoy everything the season offers. So, here are 10 great targets to get you started tonight. And because springtime for Northern Hemisphere amateur astronomers means it’s also galaxy season, half the objects I’ve chosenContinue reading “10 great spring binocular sights”
The post 10 great spring binocular sights appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![Pope warns main threat common to religion and science is denial of objective truth – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV said the principal threat facing both religion and science today is the denial of the existence of objective truth. He made this statement on May 11 during an audience granted to members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, which supports the work of the observatory located in Castel Gandolfo.“Today, however, science and religion face a different, and perhaps more insidious, threat: those who deny the very existence of objective truth,” the pontiff said.During his address, he recalled that his predecessor Pope Leo XIII refounded the Vatican Observatory in 1891 in a context where science was beginning to emerge as a rival source of truth to religion. Because of this, he said, the Church felt the “urgent need to counter the growing perception that faith and science were enemies.” Exploitation of natural resources“Too many in our world refuse to acknowledge what both science and the Church clearly teach: that we bear a solemn responsibility for the care of our planet and for the well-being of those who inhabit it, especially the most vulnerable, whose lives are threatened by the irresponsible exploitation of both people and the natural world,” Leo said.He underscored that the Church’s commitment to “rigorous and honest science remains not only valuable but essential.”The pope also highlighted the unique role of astronomy within this context. “It occupies a particular place in this mission,” he affirmed while emphasizing its capacity to evoke wonder and a sense of proportion in human beings: “It awakens in us both admiration and a healthy sense of proportion.” “Contemplating the heavens invites us to view our fears and failures in the light of God’s immensity,” he noted.However, he lamented, “this gift is today threatened” by light pollution. “To paraphrase Pope Benedict [XVI], we have filled our skies with artificial light that blinds us to the lights God has placed in them — an eloquent image,” he suggested, “of sin itself,” citing a 2012 homily by the German pontiff.Gratitude for scientific workThe pope expressed his gratitude to the scientists and benefactors associated with the foundation, whose work sustains the activities of the Vatican Observatory.“Your generosity makes it possible for the Vatican Observatory to share the wonder of astronomy with students around the world and to offer workshops and summer courses to those working in Catholic schools and parishes," he said. "Ultimately, it is your dedication that keeps the observatory’s telescopes and laboratories faithful to their original purpose: to be places where the glory of God’s creation is encountered with reverence, depth, and joy,” he added.Finally, the pontiff exhorted them to “never lose sight of the theological vision that animates all of this."“It’s not surprising that people of deep faith feel called to explore the origins and workings of the universe," he said. "The desire to better understand creation is but a reflection of that restless yearning for God that dwells in the heart of every human being."This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pope-warns-main-threat-common-to-religion-and-science-is-denial-of-objective-truth-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-said-the-principal-threat-facing-both-religion-and-science-today-is-the-denial-of-the-exis.webp "Pope warns main threat common to religion and science is denial of objective truth – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV said the principal threat facing both religion and science today is the denial of the existence of objective truth. He made this statement on May 11 during an audience granted to members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, which supports the work of the observatory located in Castel Gandolfo.“Today, however, science and religion face a different, and perhaps more insidious, threat: those who deny the very existence of objective truth,” the pontiff said.During his address, he recalled that his predecessor Pope Leo XIII refounded the Vatican Observatory in 1891 in a context where science was beginning to emerge as a rival source of truth to religion. Because of this, he said, the Church felt the “urgent need to counter the growing perception that faith and science were enemies.” Exploitation of natural resources“Too many in our world refuse to acknowledge what both science and the Church clearly teach: that we bear a solemn responsibility for the care of our planet and for the well-being of those who inhabit it, especially the most vulnerable, whose lives are threatened by the irresponsible exploitation of both people and the natural world,” Leo said.He underscored that the Church’s commitment to “rigorous and honest science remains not only valuable but essential.”The pope also highlighted the unique role of astronomy within this context. “It occupies a particular place in this mission,” he affirmed while emphasizing its capacity to evoke wonder and a sense of proportion in human beings: “It awakens in us both admiration and a healthy sense of proportion.” “Contemplating the heavens invites us to view our fears and failures in the light of God’s immensity,” he noted.However, he lamented, “this gift is today threatened” by light pollution. “To paraphrase Pope Benedict [XVI], we have filled our skies with artificial light that blinds us to the lights God has placed in them — an eloquent image,” he suggested, “of sin itself,” citing a 2012 homily by the German pontiff.Gratitude for scientific workThe pope expressed his gratitude to the scientists and benefactors associated with the foundation, whose work sustains the activities of the Vatican Observatory.“Your generosity makes it possible for the Vatican Observatory to share the wonder of astronomy with students around the world and to offer workshops and summer courses to those working in Catholic schools and parishes,\" he said. \"Ultimately, it is your dedication that keeps the observatory’s telescopes and laboratories faithful to their original purpose: to be places where the glory of God’s creation is encountered with reverence, depth, and joy,” he added.Finally, the pontiff exhorted them to “never lose sight of the theological vision that animates all of this.\"“It’s not surprising that people of deep faith feel called to explore the origins and workings of the universe,\" he said. \"The desire to better understand creation is but a reflection of that restless yearning for God that dwells in the heart of every human being.\"This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
Pope Leo XIV pointed out that both science and the Church clearly teach that caring for the planet is threatened by the irresponsible exploitation of both people and the natural world.
The drug will continue to be available at pharmacies or through mail, and it can be obtained without an in-person visit to a doctor.
Let’s not forget licorice ice cream, recycled jeans, and a museum devoted to Volvo automobiles.
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Caritas Chamber Chorale presents ‘A Heart at Peace’ to benefit Adorno Fathers’ African mission #Catholic – 
The Caritas Chamber Chorale will present a series of three a cappella choral concerts titled A Heart at Peace on June 12, 13, and 14 at three locations in northern N.J. The program seeks to find mercy and peace through music, and there will be a freewill offering to benefit the Adorno Fathers’ African Mission.
The concerts will include works ranging from 16th-century English motets to early American sacred music and choral works by living composers.
Featured works include local composer Mark A. Miller’s “Dona Nobis Pacem,” Caritas Composer in Residence Wayne Dietterick’s “The Peace-Pipe” on a Longfellow poem, and an original three-part work on the peace of one’s later years by Caritas charter member Chris Rath, “Let in the Grace.” Also included will be Martin Åsander’s “Peace,” Lucy Walker’s “Give Me Your Stars,” and Dan Forrest’s “Good Night Dear Heart,” among many others.
A Heart at Peace will be presented on:
- Friday, June 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Church of St. Ann, 1253 Lawrenceville Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648;
- Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Church, 250 Bebout Ave., Stirling (Long Hill Township), NJ 07980;
- Sunday, June 14, at 4 p.m. at Mount St. Mary’s Academy Chapel, 1645 Rt. 22 W., Watchung, NJ 07069. This concert will feature a women’s ensemble from Mount St. Mary’s Academy.
The concerts are free and open to the public. The entirety of the freewill offering will benefit the Pierluigi Fabbiani Nursery School, the Gianni Diurni Primary School, and the Foyer de l’Enfance Paolo Di Nardo Orphanage, run by the Adorno Fathers’ St. Francis Caracciolo Mission in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.
Caritas Chamber Chorale, founded in 2005, is a community choir of approximately 20 singers who are dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor through the art of sacred music. Caritas’ audiences have supported the Adorno Fathers’ St. Francis Caracciolo Mission in DRC, Africa, through freewill offerings.
The Chorale is directed by Barbara Sanderman and assisted by Wayne Dietterick.
For more information, visit them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify, at www.caritaschamberchorale.org, or contact director@caritaschamberchorale.org.
– The Caritas Chamber Chorale will present a series of three a cappella choral concerts titled A Heart at Peace on June 12, 13, and 14 at three locations in northern N.J. The program seeks to find mercy and peace through music, and there will be a freewill offering to benefit the Adorno Fathers’ African Mission. The concerts will include works ranging from 16th-century English motets to early American sacred music and choral works by living composers. Featured works include local composer Mark A. Miller’s “Dona Nobis Pacem,” Caritas Composer in Residence Wayne Dietterick’s “The Peace-Pipe” on a Longfellow poem, and
![Jay Wright shares proven leadership lessons for Church renewal #Catholic - By all rights, Jalen Brunson, a star point guard for Villanova men’s basketball, could have played with swagger in the Wildcats’ final game of the NCAA national championships in 2018. He had just collected most of the major awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, the day before facing Michigan on April 2.
Instead, Brunson let his teammates shine, making it easier for them to score and passing the ball rather than taking shots himself. The Wildcats beat Michigan 79-62 for their second championship since 2016. Brunson scored only nine points — well below his 16-point season average.
Jay Wright, Villanova men’s basketball head coach for 21 seasons, illustrated the success and generosity of Brunson and other former players both on and off the court during his May 6 talk, “Winning and Losing as Disciples and as a Team.” He used their examples to foster teamwork as life lessons — what he called “attitude” — as he addressed parish leaders, coaches, young adults, and others seeking to live their faith with courage and purpose in the packed auditorium at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
“Jalen had the opportunity to be the star during that championship game. Instead, he showed his teammates he would stay true to the team’s core values. He said, ‘It’s not about me. It’s about the team,’” said Wright, who retired in 2022 as the William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach of Villanova, a Catholic institution. Brunson is now a guard for the N.Y. Nicks in the NBA. “We want our leaders to be the most selfless and lead a team by example. Success isn’t just wins and losses. It’s about living together and treating each other well,” Wright said.
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Wright encouraged audience members to apply those core values — which he and his team summarized in the buzzword “attitude” — when building teams in their parishes or dioceses or revitalizing the Church. He said that people with “attitude” focus on teamwork, mission, dedication, work ethic, and supporting one another. Wright illustrated these principles with examples from games during his distinguished career.
“You will succeed if it’s God’s plan, but all you can control is your attitude and faith,” said Wright, who now gives motivational talks.
In addition to notching NCAA national championships in 2016 and 2018, Wright’s Villanova teams made four appearances in the NCAA Final Four.
Among his many accolades, he became the first man in BIG EAST history to be selected as the league’s Coach of the Year six times in 2018-19 and was named Associated Press men’s college basketball Coach of the Decade in 2020.
Wright and his wife, Patricia Reilly, received the St. Augustine Medal in 2017. Wright’s 2017 book, “Attitude,” was a New York Times bestseller.
Father Paddy O’Donovan, retired priest and former pastor in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., invited his friend Wright to speak at St. Paul’s. Father O’Donovan said publicly that Wright’s wisdom helped him understand leadership amid Church renewal and evangelization while leading parishes.
Wright “lives the reality” practicing the faith and evangelizing “in a very public way but also a deeply religious and personal way,” said Father O’Donovan, adding he is devoted to his wife and three children. “Jay is deeply committed to the life and mission of the Church,” Father O’Donovan said.
Villanova alumni filled St. Paul’s auditorium and posed many questions to Wright during a Q&A session after his talk. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, a sports fan, then offered a prayer.
“We have such a great team in the diocese. Tonight, as we give thanks to God for the witness [of Wright], we also pray that we have that attitude, which is Christ: to love as he loves,” Bishop Sweeney said.
Afterwards, Paul Pomykala, head coach of Passaic High School’s men’s basketball team and parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, N.J., said Wright focused on the “bigger picture.”
“Success comes when people share a mission, form a bond, and play for the team, not their own glory. It’s also about what God has in store,” Pomykala said.
Noah Anderson, a third-grader at St. Patrick School in Chatham, N.J., who plays baseball and runs track, said Wright emphasized a “positive attitude.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/jay-wright-shares-proven-leadership-lessons-for-church-renewal-catholic-by-all-rights-jalen-brunson-a-star-point-guard-for-villanova-mens-basketball-could-have-played-with-swagger-in-th.jpg)
Jay Wright shares proven leadership lessons for Church renewal #Catholic – 
By all rights, Jalen Brunson, a star point guard for Villanova men’s basketball, could have played with swagger in the Wildcats’ final game of the NCAA national championships in 2018. He had just collected most of the major awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, the day before facing Michigan on April 2.
Instead, Brunson let his teammates shine, making it easier for them to score and passing the ball rather than taking shots himself. The Wildcats beat Michigan 79-62 for their second championship since 2016. Brunson scored only nine points — well below his 16-point season average.
Jay Wright, Villanova men’s basketball head coach for 21 seasons, illustrated the success and generosity of Brunson and other former players both on and off the court during his May 6 talk, “Winning and Losing as Disciples and as a Team.” He used their examples to foster teamwork as life lessons — what he called “attitude” — as he addressed parish leaders, coaches, young adults, and others seeking to live their faith with courage and purpose in the packed auditorium at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
“Jalen had the opportunity to be the star during that championship game. Instead, he showed his teammates he would stay true to the team’s core values. He said, ‘It’s not about me. It’s about the team,’” said Wright, who retired in 2022 as the William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach of Villanova, a Catholic institution. Brunson is now a guard for the N.Y. Nicks in the NBA. “We want our leaders to be the most selfless and lead a team by example. Success isn’t just wins and losses. It’s about living together and treating each other well,” Wright said.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Wright encouraged audience members to apply those core values — which he and his team summarized in the buzzword “attitude” — when building teams in their parishes or dioceses or revitalizing the Church. He said that people with “attitude” focus on teamwork, mission, dedication, work ethic, and supporting one another. Wright illustrated these principles with examples from games during his distinguished career.
“You will succeed if it’s God’s plan, but all you can control is your attitude and faith,” said Wright, who now gives motivational talks.
In addition to notching NCAA national championships in 2016 and 2018, Wright’s Villanova teams made four appearances in the NCAA Final Four.
Among his many accolades, he became the first man in BIG EAST history to be selected as the league’s Coach of the Year six times in 2018-19 and was named Associated Press men’s college basketball Coach of the Decade in 2020.
Wright and his wife, Patricia Reilly, received the St. Augustine Medal in 2017. Wright’s 2017 book, “Attitude,” was a New York Times bestseller.
Father Paddy O’Donovan, retired priest and former pastor in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., invited his friend Wright to speak at St. Paul’s. Father O’Donovan said publicly that Wright’s wisdom helped him understand leadership amid Church renewal and evangelization while leading parishes.
Wright “lives the reality” practicing the faith and evangelizing “in a very public way but also a deeply religious and personal way,” said Father O’Donovan, adding he is devoted to his wife and three children. “Jay is deeply committed to the life and mission of the Church,” Father O’Donovan said.
Villanova alumni filled St. Paul’s auditorium and posed many questions to Wright during a Q&A session after his talk. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, a sports fan, then offered a prayer.
“We have such a great team in the diocese. Tonight, as we give thanks to God for the witness [of Wright], we also pray that we have that attitude, which is Christ: to love as he loves,” Bishop Sweeney said.
Afterwards, Paul Pomykala, head coach of Passaic High School’s men’s basketball team and parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, N.J., said Wright focused on the “bigger picture.”
“Success comes when people share a mission, form a bond, and play for the team, not their own glory. It’s also about what God has in store,” Pomykala said.
Noah Anderson, a third-grader at St. Patrick School in Chatham, N.J., who plays baseball and runs track, said Wright emphasized a “positive attitude.”
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
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Local volunteers help feed the hungry in Manhattan #Catholic – 
A group of volunteers woke up early on a rainy Saturday morning, April 25, and while it was still dark headed out to New York City to feed the hungry. A long running tradition of the youth/young adult ministries at St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J. and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in the Oak Ridge neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., the group collaborates with the volunteer organization Midnight Run to participate in their Breakfast Run program in lower Manhattan. Midnight Run coordinates more than a thousand relief missions every year in which volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor.
Local volunteer participants included an eighth-grader, high school sophomores, young adult alumni of the parishes’ shared youth ministry program, parents, and other parishioners. Additional volunteers gathered at St. John Vianney’s Madonna Hall at 6 a.m. to assist in preparing breakfast, which included French toast sticks, sausage, tater tots, and scrambled eggs. In addition to a hot breakfast, the group kept warm on the drive into the city with coolers and hot bricks. Volunteers made to-go options like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sliced oranges, and hygiene kits.
The group gathered for prayer in Madonna Hall before their caravan of cars left Stockholm for their destination, 28th street. They served more than 75 meals and handed out basics like socks, tees, and underwear in addition to breakfast.
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– A group of volunteers woke up early on a rainy Saturday morning, April 25, and while it was still dark headed out to New York City to feed the hungry. A long running tradition of the youth/young adult ministries at St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J. and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in the Oak Ridge neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., the group collaborates with the volunteer organization Midnight Run to participate in their Breakfast Run program in lower Manhattan. Midnight Run coordinates more than a thousand relief missions every year in which volunteers from
Diaconal Wives Community hosts day of reflection at Cedar Knolls parish #Catholic – 
The newly formed Diaconal Wives Community at Notre Dame Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., hosted an initial day of reflection titled “Walking the Journey Together, A Morning of Reflection for Deacons’ Wives” on April 25. Jean Mindingall, catechetical minister at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., led a discussion about the call of a deacon’s wife and a Scriptural reflection. The event ended with daily Mass. There was time to reflect, share stories, meet new wives, nurture current, and renew relationships. The group hopes to host additional events in the future.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
– The newly formed Diaconal Wives Community at Notre Dame Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., hosted an initial day of reflection titled “Walking the Journey Together, A Morning of Reflection for Deacons’ Wives” on April 25. Jean Mindingall, catechetical minister at Resurrection Parish in Randolph, N.J., led a discussion about the call of a deacon’s wife and a Scriptural reflection. The event ended with daily Mass. There was time to reflect, share stories, meet new wives, nurture current, and renew relationships. The group hopes to host additional events in the future. Click here to subscribe to