Among the most populous nations, the U.S. ranks first in religious diversity. Singapore is the most religiously diverse country overall, and the U.S. ranks 32nd.
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. February 11: Ganymede’s shadow, Io cross Jupiter Asteroid 44 Nysa may be just past opposition, but it’s still placed perfectly for evening viewing in Cancer the Crab. Wait until a few hours after sunset, when Cancer is high in the eastern sky,Continue reading “The Sky Today on Thursday, February 12: Asteroid Nysa approaches a star”
The post The Sky Today on Thursday, February 12: Asteroid Nysa approaches a star appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew members – Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot – pose next to their mission insignia inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.
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Local experts share their top picks in the famous California wine region, from mud baths to special tastings.
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MILAN — In a move designed to boost the level of interest from viewers and athletes alike, the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics introduced an exciting new event in the Septuple Luge competition.
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The Winter Olympics have long labored in the shadows of the Summer Olympics, boring and under-loved. With just half the viewership of the Summer games, the Winter Olympics is in dire need of bold changes. Here are 9 easy fixes to instantly make it more entertaining:
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Southwest view of the Lutheran Fishermen’s Church in Born auf dem Darß, Germany
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The suspect who opened fire on a school in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as biological male 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender ex-student at the school who began transitioning at approximately 12 years old. Notably, this comes just months after a transgender shooter opened fire, shooting through the windows of the church at Annunciation Catholic School as students attended mass during the first week of the school year late last Summer.
The post CONFIRMED: Canada School Shooter who Killed 9, Injured 25 Identified as Transgender Ex-Student Despite Officials’ Attempts to Hide Biological Gender appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Britain’s wealthiest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said the country has been “colonized” by immigrants.
The post Britain’s Wealthiest Man, Manchester United Owner Says U.K. Has Been ‘Colonized’ by Mass Immigration (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday evening to once again pass the SAVE America Act, which will require proof of citizenship and voter ID to vote in federal elections.
The post BREAKING: US House Votes to Pass the SAVE Act to Require Voter ID and Proof of Citizenship in Elections – ONLY 1 Dem Votes Yes appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreFather, we beg Your blessing for the Right to Life, the Unborn, the weak, the sick and the old; all who are finding themselves being targets of the vicious culture of death; that our Lord Jesus bless and protect all who stand up for the Christian dignity of persons. That God enlighten those who are traveling down death’s highway by their involvement, in any way, with either the contemporary death culture, selfism, relativeism, or any of the new age errors of our times, that God envelop our …
Read MoreA reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 11:4-13
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
From the Gospel according to Mark
7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
That mother shows that she has perceived the goodness of the Most High God present in Jesus who is open to any of His creatures necessities. And this wisdom, filled with trust, touches Jesus’s heart and provokes words of admiration: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish” (v. 28). What type of faith is great? Great faith is that which brings its own story, marked even by wounds, and brings it to the Lord’s feet asking Him to heal them, to give them meaning.
Each one of us has our own story and it is not always a story “of export”, it is not always a clean story… Many times it is a difficult story, with a lot of pain, many misfortunes and many sins. (…) There are always ugly things in a story, always. Let us go to Jesus, knock on Jesus’s heart and say to Him: “Lord, if You will it, you can heal me!” And we can do this if we always have the face of Jesus before us, if we understand what Christ’s heart is like, what Jesus’s heart is like: a heart that feels compassion, that bears our pains, that bears our sins, our mistakes, our failures. But it is a heart that love us like that, as we are, without make-up. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 16 August 2020)
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At least 10 people are dead, including young teens, and many are wounded in a mass shooting in northern British Columbia, Canada.
Two indexes with 50 companies each that adhere to Catholic social teachings were announced by the Vatican Bank in order to promote ethical Catholic investing.
![China’s Catholic bishops back worship limits, prompting call for Vatican action – #Catholic – The state-sanctioned Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCC) backed the government’s ban on unregistered clergy engaging in pastoral work and using unapproved sites for worship.The BCCC said in a Feb. 4 statement that “religious groups must comply with relevant laws and regulations when conducting religious activities,” describing compliance as a matter of “national and public interest.” The statement aligned with the Chinese Communist Party’s controls over the region.Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow, called on Pope Leo XIV to summon the Chinese Catholic bishops’ conference for supporting the “suppression of Chinese Catholicism.”“That the heads of these entities are the bishops of Beijing and Shanghai, China’s most important dioceses, is shameful,” she told EWTN News. “Pope Leo should immediately summon them to Rome to review their episcopal authority.”Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls stipulate that religious activities occur in “registered” religious venues by “certified and registered religious personnel.”Though the bishops noted religious groups may request to carry out their activities in a temporary location with prior permission from the government, no unauthorized clergy may ever preside over such activities for any reason, according to Article 40 of the Regulations on Religious Affairs.Shea, who also directs the Center for Religious Freedom, said: “Supporting the CCP ban on unregistered clergy and churches directly conflicts with Vatican policy.”“[Pope Leo] should disclose the content of the Holy See’s provisional agreement with China and review whether this new Chinese policy constitutes a breach of the agreement’s terms or even of its spirit,” she said.Shea cited a 2007 letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the Chinese Catholic Church in which the late pontiff described the Chinese government’s bid to impose its own structure on the Church in China as “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”Shea said the Vatican’s 2019 pastoral guidance to members of the Chinese Catholic Church affirmed that a cleric had the right to “individually follow one’s conscience on whether to refuse to take the pledge renouncing foreign influence, such as papal influence — a pledge required to register with the state’s Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and its bishops’ conference.”“This new position in support of banning and criminalizing those clergy who refuse to take the pledge renouncing papal authority lays bare these entities as mere party tools for communist control and suppression of Chinese Catholicism,” Shea said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/chinas-catholic-bishops-back-worship-limits-prompting-call-for-vatican-action-catholic-the-state-sanctioned-bishops-conference-of-the-catholic-church-in-china-bccc-backed-the.jpg "China’s Catholic bishops back worship limits, prompting call for Vatican action – #Catholic – The state-sanctioned Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCC) backed the government’s ban on unregistered clergy engaging in pastoral work and using unapproved sites for worship.The BCCC said in a Feb. 4 statement that “religious groups must comply with relevant laws and regulations when conducting religious activities,” describing compliance as a matter of “national and public interest.” The statement aligned with the Chinese Communist Party’s controls over the region.Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow, called on Pope Leo XIV to summon the Chinese Catholic bishops’ conference for supporting the “suppression of Chinese Catholicism.”“That the heads of these entities are the bishops of Beijing and Shanghai, China’s most important dioceses, is shameful,” she told EWTN News. “Pope Leo should immediately summon them to Rome to review their episcopal authority.”Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls stipulate that religious activities occur in “registered” religious venues by “certified and registered religious personnel.”Though the bishops noted religious groups may request to carry out their activities in a temporary location with prior permission from the government, no unauthorized clergy may ever preside over such activities for any reason, according to Article 40 of the Regulations on Religious Affairs.Shea, who also directs the Center for Religious Freedom, said: “Supporting the CCP ban on unregistered clergy and churches directly conflicts with Vatican policy.”“[Pope Leo] should disclose the content of the Holy See’s provisional agreement with China and review whether this new Chinese policy constitutes a breach of the agreement’s terms or even of its spirit,” she said.Shea cited a 2007 letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the Chinese Catholic Church in which the late pontiff described the Chinese government’s bid to impose its own structure on the Church in China as “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”Shea said the Vatican’s 2019 pastoral guidance to members of the Chinese Catholic Church affirmed that a cleric had the right to “individually follow one’s conscience on whether to refuse to take the pledge renouncing foreign influence, such as papal influence — a pledge required to register with the state’s Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and its bishops’ conference.”“This new position in support of banning and criminalizing those clergy who refuse to take the pledge renouncing papal authority lays bare these entities as mere party tools for communist control and suppression of Chinese Catholicism,” Shea said.")
Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow, called on Pope Leo XIV to summon Chinese bishops to the Vatican for supporting the “suppression of Chinese Catholicism.”
Vatican aid a sign of Pope Leo’s closeness to suffering Ukrainians, papal almoner says #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — As a relentless winter descends upon wartorn Ukraine with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Holy See has intensified its humanitarian response to the nation’s energy and health crises.
According to a Feb. 9 report by Vatican News, three trucks carrying 80 electricity generators departed Rome’s Basilica of St. Sophia, known as the church of the Ukrainians, and arrived in Kyiv and Fastiv, located 45 miles southwest of the capital.
The delivery, which included food and medicine, was sent to the country at Pope Leo XIV’s request and coordinated by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.
In a telephone interview with OSV News Feb. 10, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner and prefect of the dicastery, said the aid mission was a tangible sign that the pope has not forgotten the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
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“The Holy Father is very, very attentive to everything that happens,” Cardinal Krajewski said, noting that one does not need a great imagination to understand the agony of a people living without electricity in the dead of winter. “The Church must be exactly where the people suffer”.
With the war now entering its fourth year, Russia has been focusing its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of innocent civilians without electricity and heat in the cold winter season.
According to the Reuters news agency, a Russian drone attack Feb. 9 struck energy facilities in the Odesa region, leaving an estimated 95,000 people without power.
Before concluding his weekly general audience Feb. 4, Pope Leo called on Catholics to “support with prayer our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are being severely tested by the consequences of the bombings which have resumed, also striking energy infrastructure.”
He also expressed his gratitude “for the solidarity initiatives promoted by Catholic dioceses in Poland and other countries, which are working to help the people endure this time of extreme cold.”
Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News that to ensure supplies are distributed to those in need, the dicastery works through local bishops and parish priests, including a Dominican-run center that dispatches high-power generators to high-need areas such as Odessa, Kharkiv and Kyiv.
The medicines sent by the dicastery, according to Vatican News, include antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and supplements, as well as melatonin to help people who, in a state of chronic insomnia and trauma, cannot sleep.
In sending such medicines and supplements, Cardinal Krajewski said the pope is addressing a hidden wound of war: the inability to find rest. “It is a sign of love, a sign that they are not alone, even if we are kilometers away from them,” he said.
“The Holy Father thinks of every small detail. I have been there many times, but I try to go because presence counts — to be with them, to live with them,” the cardinal continued. “I think for them it is a very important sign of solidarity.”
The papal almoner noted that the aid sent by the Vatican doesn’t just go to Catholics, but also to Greek Catholics, Orthodox and “those who do not commune with the Church.”
“This truly is pure Gospel: to love,” he said.
Cardinal Krajewski also noted the support of the Italian people who donated the generators and “do not tire of helping.”
“We are like the apostles in the early days of the Church, where the people brought their goods to the feet of the apostles because they were sure they would be well distributed,” he told OSV News. “We do the same: what people bring is distributed through the ecclesial and parochial (network), and this is what guarantees that everything reaches those in need.”
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News.
– (OSV News) — As a relentless winter descends upon wartorn Ukraine with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Holy See has intensified its humanitarian response to the nation’s energy and health crises. According to a Feb. 9 report by Vatican News, three trucks carrying 80 electricity generators departed Rome’s Basilica of St. Sophia, known as the church of the Ukrainians, and arrived in Kyiv and Fastiv, located 45 miles southwest of the capital. The delivery, which included food and medicine, was sent to the country at Pope Leo XIV’s request and coordinated by the Dicastery for the Service of
Vatican announces theme for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly #Catholic – 
VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced Feb. 10.
The day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, on July 26, and the pope invites everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of each individual diocese.
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Taken from the Book of Isaiah, the chosen verse is meant to be a message of consolation and hope for all grandparents and elderly people, especially those who live in loneliness or feel forgotten. At the same time, it is a reminder to families and ecclesial communities not to forget them, recognizing in them a precious presence and a blessing.
Pope Leo’s choice highlights how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the fragility of old age.
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life encourages particular Churches, associations and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to promote and celebrate the day within their local contexts, and for this purpose it will later make available specific pastoral resources.
– VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced Feb. 10. The day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, on July 26, and
Parishioners learned that seven churches will be closed in March due to financial constraints and lower Mass attendance.
![BREAKING: Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to professor’s appointment at Notre Dame #Catholic Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a pro-abortion professor to a leadership position at the school, with the bishop urging the university to “make things right” and rescind the appointment. Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has regularly criticized the pro-life movement, up to and including linking it to white supremacy and misogyny. The university has come under fire for the appointment, including from Catholic advocates and pro-life students at Notre Dame. Bishop urges school to retract appointmentIn his Feb. 11 statement, Rhoades — whose diocesan territory includes the university — said that since the controversy began he has read many of Ostermann’s pro-abortion op-eds and was moved to “express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment,” which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Ostermann’s public support of abortion and her “disparaging and inflammatory” criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” the prelate said. The professor’s pro-abortion advocacy and her remarks about pro-life advocates “should disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.While expressing hope that Ostermann would “explicitly retract” her pro-abortion advocacy and change her mind on abortion, the bishop said that the appointment “understandably creates confusion” regarding Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity.Leadership appointments “have [a] profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.The bishop in issuing the letter cited the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which directs in part that bishops “have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity.”“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Rhoades said. Noting that Ostermann’s appointment is not scheduled to go into effect until July 1, the prelate wrote: “There is still time to make things right.”The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News. Yet the school has defended Ostermann’s appointment since the controversy erupted, telling media that she is “a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar” who is qualified to lead the Liu Institute. “Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said. Among criticism from both within and without the school, at least two scholars have resigned their position at the Asian studies institute in response to the appointment. Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/breaking-bishop-rhoades-expresses-strong-opposition-to-professors-appointment-at-notre-dame-catholic-fort-wayne-south-bend-indiana-bishop-kevin-rhoades-on-feb-11-expres-scaled.jpg "BREAKING: Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to professor’s appointment at Notre Dame #Catholic Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a pro-abortion professor to a leadership position at the school, with the bishop urging the university to “make things right” and rescind the appointment. Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has regularly criticized the pro-life movement, up to and including linking it to white supremacy and misogyny. The university has come under fire for the appointment, including from Catholic advocates and pro-life students at Notre Dame. Bishop urges school to retract appointmentIn his Feb. 11 statement, Rhoades — whose diocesan territory includes the university — said that since the controversy began he has read many of Ostermann’s pro-abortion op-eds and was moved to “express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment,” which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Ostermann’s public support of abortion and her “disparaging and inflammatory” criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” the prelate said. The professor’s pro-abortion advocacy and her remarks about pro-life advocates “should disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.While expressing hope that Ostermann would “explicitly retract” her pro-abortion advocacy and change her mind on abortion, the bishop said that the appointment “understandably creates confusion” regarding Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity.Leadership appointments “have [a] profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.The bishop in issuing the letter cited the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which directs in part that bishops “have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity.”“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Rhoades said. Noting that Ostermann’s appointment is not scheduled to go into effect until July 1, the prelate wrote: “There is still time to make things right.”The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News. Yet the school has defended Ostermann’s appointment since the controversy erupted, telling media that she is “a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar” who is qualified to lead the Liu Institute. “Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said. Among criticism from both within and without the school, at least two scholars have resigned their position at the Asian studies institute in response to the appointment. Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.")
Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
![Freezing temperatures fail to stop advocates attending Life Mass #Catholic - Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown.
Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop established the monthly devotion in October 2023.
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But on Feb. 7, Bishop Sweeney had a previous scheduling commitment that morning, so Father Sebastian Munoz, St. Margaret’s parochial vicar, celebrated the Mass for Life. The liturgy was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church while participants prayed the rosary.
The Mass and Rosary Procession for Life is held on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s. Priests and faithful from around the diocese are invited to join.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/freezing-temperatures-fail-to-stop-advocates-attending-life-mass-catholic-brutal-single-digit-temperatures-may-have-stopped-the-faithful-from-praying-the-monthly-rosary-procession-for-life-on-the-s.jpg)
Freezing temperatures fail to stop advocates attending Life Mass #Catholic – 
Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown.
Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop established the monthly devotion in October 2023.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
But on Feb. 7, Bishop Sweeney had a previous scheduling commitment that morning, so Father Sebastian Munoz, St. Margaret’s parochial vicar, celebrated the Mass for Life. The liturgy was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church while participants prayed the rosary.
The Mass and Rosary Procession for Life is held on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s. Priests and faithful from around the diocese are invited to join.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown. Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop
A pair of CubeSats designed by college students from around the world is deployed into Earth orbit from a small satellite orbital deployer on the outside of the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Students from Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan designed the shoe-boxed sized satellites for a series of Earth observations and technology demonstrations.
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From Renaissance art to gelato shops, here’s how locals recommend exploring the Tuscan capital.
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Bad Bunny broke down barriers at this year’s Super Bowl by putting on a show that only 15% of the viewing audience could understand, which has people wondering how the NFL will follow it up.
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HEAVEN — Old habits from life on Earth seemed to be challenging to break, as reports from Heaven indicated that Saint Peter was seen trying to explain to John the Baptist that he didn’t have to eat bugs anymore.
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The main altar of Santa Maria della Pace church in Brescia features the altarpiece Presentation at Temple by Pompeo Batoni. The tympanum sculptures are by Antonio Calegari. Celebrated as Candlemas in some places, this event in the life of Jesus is observed today in much of Eastern and Western Christianity.
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Lord, I believe:
I wish to believe in Thee.
Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved,
and let it penetrate my thought,
my way of judging Divine things and human things.
Lord, let my faith be joyful
and give peace and gladness to my spirit,
and dispose it for prayer with God
and conversation with men,
so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession
may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.
Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume
to be based on the …
Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel.
A reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 10:1-10
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame,
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.
When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
"The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.
"Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice."
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
From the Gospel according to Mark
7:14-23
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
It is not the external things that make us holy or unholy, but the heart which expresses our intentions, our choices and the will to do all for the love of God. External behaviour is the result of what we decide in the heart, and not the contrary: with a change in external behaviour, but not a change of heart, we are not true Christians. The boundary between good and evil does not pass outside of us, but rather within us. We could ask ourselves: where is my heart? Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. What is my treasure? Is it Jesus, is it his teaching? If so, then the heart is good. Or is my treasure something else? Thus it is a heart which needs purification and conversion. Without a purified heart, one cannot have truly clean hands and lips which speak sincere words of love (…), of mercy, of forgiveness: only a sincere and purified heart can do this. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 August 2015)
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A Pew Research Center report examined how U.S. religious groups view President Donald Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics.
“I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.
Indicted Democrat Rep.
The post Indicted Dem Rep LaMonica McIver Accuses Acting ICE Director of Having Blood on His Hands, Asks Him If He’s Going to Hell (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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It’s worse than we thought.
The post It’s Worse Than We Thought… NFL Lost Nearly Half of Their Audience During Halftime Show! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Not a ‘conspiracy theory’ anymore.
The post Documents Show Epstein Bought 330 GALLONS of Sulfuric Acid in 2018, ON THE SAME DAY the FBI Launched Sex Trafficking Probe on Him appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More![Paterson shares in joy of New York archbishop’s installation #Catholic -
Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York.
From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide viewers through the religious significance of what they were hearing and seeing on the telecast of the bilingual liturgy.
Meanwhile, a few faithful representing the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, were feeling the excitement firsthand as Mass participants that Friday afternoon inside St. Patrick’s. Bishop Sweeney helped concelebrate the liturgy. Luisa Fernanda Torres, a St. Patrick’s cantor, led the congregation in singing Spanish and English hymns as lead cantor. Father Jaramillo and Torres became friends years ago in youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J.
“It was a beautiful day. Archbishop Hicks will use his talents and gifts to build on the great work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan [his predecessor] and those before him,” Father Jaramillo told BeaconNJ.org. after the installation Mass. “Archbishop Hicks not only speaks Spanish, but he also relates to the immigrant community in a radical and new way as its new shepherd.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Bishop Sweeney, who was originally a priest from the Brooklyn Diocese in New York, was among about 90 cardinals and bishops who processed into St. Patrick’s, also known as “America’s parish church.” A capacity crowd of 2,400 churchgoers, including many non-Catholics and leaders from other faith traditions, filled the cathedral for the installation Mass, which was also broadcast on XPIX 11 TV.
“It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate the Installation Mass for Archbishop Hicks. In his beautiful homily, in English and Spanish, he expressed gratitude and also spoke of the need to be a Missionary Church and for each of us to be Missionary Disciples. He also asked everyone to keep him in our prayers,” Bishop Sweeney shared on social media.
Also among the participants was Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.
A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor, according to Our Sunday Visitor (OSV).
For two hours on air, Father Jaramillo sought to capture the joy and importance of this blessed moment in the New York Archdiocese. He gave “shout-outs” to Torres during the broadcast. The priest also noted that the inclusion of Spanish hymns, such as “Alma Misionera” (Missionary Soul), shows Archbishop Hicks’ Latin American heart, like our bishop, Bishop Sweeney.”
“We all made the Paterson Diocese proud. I was proud of Bishop Sweeney and Luisa, who is one of the best bilingual cantors of sacred music in the area,” said Father Jaramillo, who thinks Telemundo 47 asked him to provide on-air commentary for the Mass because of his canon-law background. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Among Father Jaramillo’s favorite moments of the Mass was when Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., escorted Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair that represents his authority. During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre, with the choir, sang a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76, according to OSV.
Father Jaramillo was also moved when the new archbishop reminded New York’s 2.5 million faithful, “I love Jesus. I love the Church.”
“As priests, we don’t say that we love Jesus enough. Archbishop Hicks reminded us that we should be more vocal about our intimate friendship with the Lord,” Father Jaramillo said.
On social media before the start of the Mass on Feb. 6, Torres posted that she was “excited and honored” to be singing for the installation.
Also before the Mass, Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony’s in Passaic, posted on social media, “Way to go, Luisa Fernanda Torres & Fr. Cesar Dario Jaramillo! So proud of you! Thank you & blessings to Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his years of service & love. Blessings upon Archbishop Ronald Hicks as he begins this new ministry to God’s people.”
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among those from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey who participated in the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks as the 11th archbishop of New York on Feb. 6 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Bishop Sweeney captured the following photos with his cell phone during the historic Mass, which were also posted to his social media.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/paterson-shares-in-joy-of-new-york-archbishops-installation-catholic-even-from-a-tv-studio-a-block-away-father-cesar-jaramillo-could-feel-the-excitement-bursting-from-inside-st-patrick.jpg)
Paterson shares in joy of New York archbishop’s installation #Catholic – 
Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York.
From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide viewers through the religious significance of what they were hearing and seeing on the telecast of the bilingual liturgy.
Meanwhile, a few faithful representing the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, were feeling the excitement firsthand as Mass participants that Friday afternoon inside St. Patrick’s. Bishop Sweeney helped concelebrate the liturgy. Luisa Fernanda Torres, a St. Patrick’s cantor, led the congregation in singing Spanish and English hymns as lead cantor. Father Jaramillo and Torres became friends years ago in youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J.
“It was a beautiful day. Archbishop Hicks will use his talents and gifts to build on the great work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan [his predecessor] and those before him,” Father Jaramillo told BeaconNJ.org. after the installation Mass. “Archbishop Hicks not only speaks Spanish, but he also relates to the immigrant community in a radical and new way as its new shepherd.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Bishop Sweeney, who was originally a priest from the Brooklyn Diocese in New York, was among about 90 cardinals and bishops who processed into St. Patrick’s, also known as “America’s parish church.” A capacity crowd of 2,400 churchgoers, including many non-Catholics and leaders from other faith traditions, filled the cathedral for the installation Mass, which was also broadcast on XPIX 11 TV.
“It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate the Installation Mass for Archbishop Hicks. In his beautiful homily, in English and Spanish, he expressed gratitude and also spoke of the need to be a Missionary Church and for each of us to be Missionary Disciples. He also asked everyone to keep him in our prayers,” Bishop Sweeney shared on social media.
Also among the participants was Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.
A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor, according to Our Sunday Visitor (OSV).
For two hours on air, Father Jaramillo sought to capture the joy and importance of this blessed moment in the New York Archdiocese. He gave “shout-outs” to Torres during the broadcast. The priest also noted that the inclusion of Spanish hymns, such as “Alma Misionera” (Missionary Soul), shows Archbishop Hicks’ Latin American heart, like our bishop, Bishop Sweeney.”
“We all made the Paterson Diocese proud. I was proud of Bishop Sweeney and Luisa, who is one of the best bilingual cantors of sacred music in the area,” said Father Jaramillo, who thinks Telemundo 47 asked him to provide on-air commentary for the Mass because of his canon-law background. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Among Father Jaramillo’s favorite moments of the Mass was when Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., escorted Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair that represents his authority. During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre, with the choir, sang a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76, according to OSV.
Father Jaramillo was also moved when the new archbishop reminded New York’s 2.5 million faithful, “I love Jesus. I love the Church.”
“As priests, we don’t say that we love Jesus enough. Archbishop Hicks reminded us that we should be more vocal about our intimate friendship with the Lord,” Father Jaramillo said.
On social media before the start of the Mass on Feb. 6, Torres posted that she was “excited and honored” to be singing for the installation.
Also before the Mass, Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony’s in Passaic, posted on social media, “Way to go, Luisa Fernanda Torres & Fr. Cesar Dario Jaramillo! So proud of you! Thank you & blessings to Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his years of service & love. Blessings upon Archbishop Ronald Hicks as he begins this new ministry to God’s people.”
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among those from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey who participated in the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks as the 11th archbishop of New York on Feb. 6 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Bishop Sweeney captured the following photos with his cell phone during the historic Mass, which were also posted to his social media.
– Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York. From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide
Blue Origin announced on Jan. 30, 2026, that it will pause New Shepard flights for at least two years. The company, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is instead redirecting resources to lunar spaceflight. New Shepard is a reusable spaceflight system designed for vertical landings. It has completed 38 flights and carried 98 people aboveContinue reading “Blue Origin pauses New Shepard, shoots for the Moon”
The post Blue Origin pauses New Shepard, shoots for the Moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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A Hungarian think tank’s new paper “Migration and Ethics: The Axioms of a Christian Migration Policy” prompts a meeting of the minds.
The New York metropolitan area was showing the effects of a prolonged cold spell in late January 2026. During a stretch of frigid weather, ice choked the Hudson River along Manhattan’s western shore.
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Pope Leo XIV has indicated he intends to travel to Sydney in 2028 to preside over the International Eucharistic Congress, which will mark the 100th anniversary of Australia’s first such gathering.
![‘He did his best for Jesus’ #Catholic - Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz, the Sisters of Mary, and an invitation
“In 1989, he (Father Aloysius Schwartz) was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a fatal, degenerative condition. This cross marked his final years with patience and humility. In 1984, he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but as he was wasting away, he told his sister he would be happy if his gravestone read, “Here lies Father Al. He tried his best for Jesus.” He died at the Girlstown in Manila on March 16, 1992, and was declared venerable by Pope Francis on Jan. 22, 2015.”
Ven. Aloysius Schwartz: Modern Missionary to Korea
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
In late October of 2023, I wrote a column entitled: “Priest and Beggar: Have you ever heard of Fr. Aloysius Schwartz?.” I concluded that column with the quote (above) from an article about “Father Al”, written by Megan O’Neill and published in the National Catholic Reporter in December 2020. I wrote about Father Al and the Sisters of Mary again, in August of 2024, as I was preparing to visit an orphanage and school, “Villa de las Ninas” (Girlstown), run by the Sisters of Mary in Chalco, Mexico. Chalco is just outside Mexico City, so a visit to Chalco also provides an opportunity to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most popular (and beautiful) pilgrimage sites in the world, marking the place where our Blessed Mother, identifying herself as “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” appeared to St. Juan Diego in December of 1531.
As I was preparing to visit Chalco, I encouraged readers to read an article about Father Al and the Sisters of Mary, written by Kevin Wells, author of the powerful biography, “Priest and Beggar: The Heroic Life of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz.” I was very blessed to join Kevin and a group of pilgrims to visit Girlstown in Chalco and the Basilica of Guadalupe in August of 2024. It was so inspiring to see the ways in which the Gospel is lived out, day by day, in community, as 40 Sisters, along with staff and teachers, care for 3,000 young girls ages 12 to 18.
It was also amazing and inspiring for me to see the similarities between the life and ministry of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her Missionaries of Charity and the life and ministry of Father Al, which continues to be present in the loving, healing, and prayerful ministry of the Sisters of Mary. To learn and see more about the lives and ministry of the Sisters of Mary, I once again recommend Kevin Wells’ article, “Eight Apparitions, One Priest, and the Endless Miracle of the Sisters of Mary,” published in The Catholic World Report on August 9, 2024. You can also learn a great deal more about Father Al, the Sisters, and their work by going to the website of “World Villages for Children” where you can learn that:
“World Villages for Children supports the Sisters of Mary Boystowns and Girlstowns in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania. At these live-in schools, the Sisters educate and care for more than 20,000 children living in extreme poverty. This support is provided at no cost to their families.”
In addition, and, I believe, much more importantly than learning information and data, at the “World Villages” website, you can see the smiling faces of the Sisters and the children they care for, educate, and help to heal.
Kevin Wells was recently a guest on our “Beyond the Beacon” podcast and he speaks eloquently of the ways in which the young girls, many of whom have suffered greatly from physical abuse, trauma, poverty and/or neglect, are “brought back to life” by the care and love they receive from the Sisters. One of the reasons that Kevin was on the podcast was to offer an invitation to listeners and viewers, the same invitation that I would like to extend to you, dear reader.
Kevin and I, along with Kevin’s younger brother, Father David Wells, will be making a “return trip” to Girlstown in Chalco and to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe this coming Sept. 18-21, 2026. Those who join us for this pilgrimage will be able to see what I and all those who visit Girlstown in Chalco are able to see: the Sisters of Mary continuing the life-saving ministry of Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz. Spending one day at Girlstown, Chalco, is a spiritual experience that can stand alone. However, the experience of being able to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Girlstown on back-to-back days has the potential to be a life-changing experience. It will surely be an experience of the Joy and Peace of the Gospel. For more information and to register for the Pilgrimage, you can go to A Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
As I return again to the story and witness of Father Al, the Sisters of Mary, their vocations and ministry, in closing, I would ask that you take a moment to pray for the Beatification and Canonization of Father Al:
PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE ALOYSIUS SCHWARTZ
Almighty, ever living God, giver of all good gifts, You have filled Venerable Al with an ardent love for you and for souls. You have inspired him to dedicate his life to relieve the sufferings of the orphans, the abandoned, the sick and the poor especially the youth, which he did with all humility and courage until the end of his life. May his holy life of love and service to the poor be recognized by the Church through his beatification and canonization.
For Your honor and glory, we pray that the life of Venerable Al will be an inspiration for us in striving for perfection in the love of God and service to others.
Bestow on us, through his intercession.. (mention the favors or intentions here). We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son and the maternal aid of Mary, the Virgin of the Poor. Amen.
[Please, Pray and Share this Beautiful Prayer]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/he-did-his-best-for-jesus-catholic-venerable-father-aloysius-schwartz-the-sisters-of-mary-and-an-invitationin-1989-he-father-aloysius-schwartz-was-diagnosed-with-am.jpg)
‘He did his best for Jesus’ #Catholic – 
Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz, the Sisters of Mary, and an invitation
“In 1989, he (Father Aloysius Schwartz) was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a fatal, degenerative condition. This cross marked his final years with patience and humility. In 1984, he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but as he was wasting away, he told his sister he would be happy if his gravestone read, “Here lies Father Al. He tried his best for Jesus.” He died at the Girlstown in Manila on March 16, 1992, and was declared venerable by Pope Francis on Jan. 22, 2015.”
Ven. Aloysius Schwartz: Modern Missionary to Korea
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
In late October of 2023, I wrote a column entitled: “Priest and Beggar: Have you ever heard of Fr. Aloysius Schwartz?.” I concluded that column with the quote (above) from an article about “Father Al”, written by Megan O’Neill and published in the National Catholic Reporter in December 2020. I wrote about Father Al and the Sisters of Mary again, in August of 2024, as I was preparing to visit an orphanage and school, “Villa de las Ninas” (Girlstown), run by the Sisters of Mary in Chalco, Mexico. Chalco is just outside Mexico City, so a visit to Chalco also provides an opportunity to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most popular (and beautiful) pilgrimage sites in the world, marking the place where our Blessed Mother, identifying herself as “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” appeared to St. Juan Diego in December of 1531.
As I was preparing to visit Chalco, I encouraged readers to read an article about Father Al and the Sisters of Mary, written by Kevin Wells, author of the powerful biography, “Priest and Beggar: The Heroic Life of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz.” I was very blessed to join Kevin and a group of pilgrims to visit Girlstown in Chalco and the Basilica of Guadalupe in August of 2024. It was so inspiring to see the ways in which the Gospel is lived out, day by day, in community, as 40 Sisters, along with staff and teachers, care for 3,000 young girls ages 12 to 18.
It was also amazing and inspiring for me to see the similarities between the life and ministry of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her Missionaries of Charity and the life and ministry of Father Al, which continues to be present in the loving, healing, and prayerful ministry of the Sisters of Mary. To learn and see more about the lives and ministry of the Sisters of Mary, I once again recommend Kevin Wells’ article, “Eight Apparitions, One Priest, and the Endless Miracle of the Sisters of Mary,” published in The Catholic World Report on August 9, 2024. You can also learn a great deal more about Father Al, the Sisters, and their work by going to the website of “World Villages for Children” where you can learn that:
“World Villages for Children supports the Sisters of Mary Boystowns and Girlstowns in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania. At these live-in schools, the Sisters educate and care for more than 20,000 children living in extreme poverty. This support is provided at no cost to their families.”
In addition, and, I believe, much more importantly than learning information and data, at the “World Villages” website, you can see the smiling faces of the Sisters and the children they care for, educate, and help to heal.
Kevin Wells was recently a guest on our “Beyond the Beacon” podcast and he speaks eloquently of the ways in which the young girls, many of whom have suffered greatly from physical abuse, trauma, poverty and/or neglect, are “brought back to life” by the care and love they receive from the Sisters. One of the reasons that Kevin was on the podcast was to offer an invitation to listeners and viewers, the same invitation that I would like to extend to you, dear reader.
Kevin and I, along with Kevin’s younger brother, Father David Wells, will be making a “return trip” to Girlstown in Chalco and to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe this coming Sept. 18-21, 2026. Those who join us for this pilgrimage will be able to see what I and all those who visit Girlstown in Chalco are able to see: the Sisters of Mary continuing the life-saving ministry of Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz. Spending one day at Girlstown, Chalco, is a spiritual experience that can stand alone. However, the experience of being able to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Girlstown on back-to-back days has the potential to be a life-changing experience. It will surely be an experience of the Joy and Peace of the Gospel. For more information and to register for the Pilgrimage, you can go to A Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
As I return again to the story and witness of Father Al, the Sisters of Mary, their vocations and ministry, in closing, I would ask that you take a moment to pray for the Beatification and Canonization of Father Al:
PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE ALOYSIUS SCHWARTZ
Almighty, ever living God, giver of all good gifts, You have filled Venerable Al with an ardent love for you and for souls. You have inspired him to dedicate his life to relieve the sufferings of the orphans, the abandoned, the sick and the poor especially the youth, which he did with all humility and courage until the end of his life. May his holy life of love and service to the poor be recognized by the Church through his beatification and canonization.
For Your honor and glory, we pray that the life of Venerable Al will be an inspiration for us in striving for perfection in the love of God and service to others.
Bestow on us, through his intercession.. (mention the favors or intentions here). We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son and the maternal aid of Mary, the Virgin of the Poor. Amen.
[Please, Pray and Share this Beautiful Prayer]
– Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz, the Sisters of Mary, and an invitation “In 1989, he (Father Aloysius Schwartz) was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a fatal, degenerative condition. This cross marked his final years with patience and humility. In 1984, he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but as he was wasting away, he told his sister he would be happy if his gravestone read, “Here lies Father Al. He tried his best for Jesus.” He died at the Girlstown in Manila on March 16, 1992, and was declared venerable by
May the offering of our service and the prayer of the blessed Archangel Gabriel be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord; that he whom we venerate on earth, may be our advocate before Thee in heaven. Through Our Lord. Amen.
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Pope Leo XIV approved the new statutes of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, founded to promote and coordinate Mariological and Marian studies worldwide.
A reading from the Fisrt Book of Kings
1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,
he said, “LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
“Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”
From the Gospel according to Mark
7:1-13
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things."
Clear and emphatic words! ‘Hypocrite’ is, so to speak, one of the strongest adjectives that Jesus uses in the Gospel, and he speaks them as he addresses the teachers of religion: doctors of the law, scribes…. ‘Hypocrite’, Jesus says.
Indeed, Jesus wants to rouse the scribes and Pharisees from the error they have fallen into, and what is this error? That of distorting God’s will, neglecting his commandments in order to observe human traditions. Jesus’ reaction is severe because something great is at stake: it concerns the truth of the relationship between man and God, the authenticity of religious life. A hypocrite is a liar; he is not authentic.
Today too, the Lord invites us to avoid the danger of giving more importance to form than to substance. He calls us to recognize, ever anew, what is the true core of the experience of faith, that is, love of God and love of neighbour, by purifying it of the hypocrisy of legalism and ritualism. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 2 September 2018)
Read More![Catholic leaders express sorrow over racist Trump post; bishops demand apology – #Catholic – U.S. Catholic bishops condemned President Donald Trump’s social media post that showed the faces of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama superimposed on cartoon apes.Trump has since deleted the Feb. 5 Truth Social post, said he did not intend to post a depiction of the Obamas as apes, and condemned the racist part of the video. He refused to apologize for posting it.In a statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on X, Bishop Daniel Garcia, chair of the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, said he was “glad to see that the egregious post has been taken down” and reposted part of the USCCB’s 2018 pastoral letter against racism.“Every racist act — every such comment, every joke, every disparaging look as a reaction to the color of skin, ethnicity, or place of origin — is a failure to acknowledge another person as a brother or sister, created in the image of God,” the 2018 statement said.Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, issued a statement Feb. 9 calling on Trump to immediately issue an apology, regardless of whether it was intentional, saying the post showed that “such blatant racism is not merely a practice of the past.”“Either way he should apologize,” he said. “Our shock is real. So is our outrage. Nothing less than an unequivocal apology — to the nation and to the persons demeaned — is acceptable. And it must come immediately.”Cupich said the trope of “portraying human beings as animals — less than human — is not new” and that it was commonly used to “demean immigrant groups.” He said it “immunized the national conscience when we turned away shiploads of refugees, lynched thousands, and doomed generations to poverty.”“If the president intentionally approved the message containing viciously racist images, he should admit it. If he did not know of it originally, he should explain why he let his staff describe the public outcry over their transmission as fake outrage,” Cupich said.Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger issued a statement calling the depiction “a racist meme” and said it’s “disturbing” if either Trump or a staff member views racist memes “as humorous or appropriate expressions of political discourse.”“They are deeply offensive and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he said. “I join my voice to the many calling for a public apology with full acceptance of responsibility, and I also bristle at claims from the White House that the rage many of us feel is ‘fake.’”“Beyond the necessary apology, I also believe that we all must examine our conscience, individually and collectively,” he said. “We need to recognize and acknowledge how prevalent racism continues to be in our society and commit ourselves to vigilance in counteracting its harm.”Sister Josephine Garrett of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth posted on Instagram that the depiction is “an age-old racist trope” and said “what a time to be alive,” in reference to the president posting it on social media.Garrett, who is Black, said she is not Democrat or Republican and posted a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama, saying: “Since these faces will be degraded in the timelines today, I’m adding something to the timeline that honors the dignity of this couple and their family — and also, it’s Black History Month.”The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish-American Catholic fraternal organization, also issued a statement against Trump’s social media post, saying: “We recognize this tactic because it was used against us as Irish Americans.”“The claim that this video was merely an ‘internet meme’ or that critics were engaging in ‘fake outrage’ is both morally bankrupt and historically ignorant,” the statement said. “There is nothing lighthearted about reducing any people to apes. This imagery has been used for centuries as a tool of oppression, designed to dehumanize and justify subjugation. It is not humor; it is bigotry.”Trump’s social media postLate Thursday, Feb. 5, around 11:45 p.m. ET, Trump posted a video that was one minute and two seconds long.The bulk of the video reiterated claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. At the 59-second mark, it depicts the Obamas as apes.When reporters asked him about it, Trump said: “I just looked at the first part” about voter fraud and “I didn’t see the whole thing.” When asked whether he condemns the racist part of the video, he said “of course I do.”“I guess during the end of it, there was some picture that people don’t like,” he said. “I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it.”Trump refused to apologize for the post when asked, saying: “No; I didn’t make a mistake.” He said he looks at “thousands of things” and only “looked at the beginning of it [and that part] was fine.”The Obamas have not publicly commented on the video.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/catholic-leaders-express-sorrow-over-racist-trump-post-bishops-demand-apology-catholic-u-s-catholic-bishops-condemned-president-donald-trumps-social-media-post-that-showed-the-faces-of.jpg "Catholic leaders express sorrow over racist Trump post; bishops demand apology – #Catholic – U.S. Catholic bishops condemned President Donald Trump’s social media post that showed the faces of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama superimposed on cartoon apes.Trump has since deleted the Feb. 5 Truth Social post, said he did not intend to post a depiction of the Obamas as apes, and condemned the racist part of the video. He refused to apologize for posting it.In a statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on X, Bishop Daniel Garcia, chair of the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, said he was “glad to see that the egregious post has been taken down” and reposted part of the USCCB’s 2018 pastoral letter against racism.“Every racist act — every such comment, every joke, every disparaging look as a reaction to the color of skin, ethnicity, or place of origin — is a failure to acknowledge another person as a brother or sister, created in the image of God,” the 2018 statement said.Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, issued a statement Feb. 9 calling on Trump to immediately issue an apology, regardless of whether it was intentional, saying the post showed that “such blatant racism is not merely a practice of the past.”“Either way he should apologize,” he said. “Our shock is real. So is our outrage. Nothing less than an unequivocal apology — to the nation and to the persons demeaned — is acceptable. And it must come immediately.”Cupich said the trope of “portraying human beings as animals — less than human — is not new” and that it was commonly used to “demean immigrant groups.” He said it “immunized the national conscience when we turned away shiploads of refugees, lynched thousands, and doomed generations to poverty.”“If the president intentionally approved the message containing viciously racist images, he should admit it. If he did not know of it originally, he should explain why he let his staff describe the public outcry over their transmission as fake outrage,” Cupich said.Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger issued a statement calling the depiction “a racist meme” and said it’s “disturbing” if either Trump or a staff member views racist memes “as humorous or appropriate expressions of political discourse.”“They are deeply offensive and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he said. “I join my voice to the many calling for a public apology with full acceptance of responsibility, and I also bristle at claims from the White House that the rage many of us feel is ‘fake.’”“Beyond the necessary apology, I also believe that we all must examine our conscience, individually and collectively,” he said. “We need to recognize and acknowledge how prevalent racism continues to be in our society and commit ourselves to vigilance in counteracting its harm.”Sister Josephine Garrett of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth posted on Instagram that the depiction is “an age-old racist trope” and said “what a time to be alive,” in reference to the president posting it on social media.Garrett, who is Black, said she is not Democrat or Republican and posted a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama, saying: “Since these faces will be degraded in the timelines today, I’m adding something to the timeline that honors the dignity of this couple and their family — and also, it’s Black History Month.”The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish-American Catholic fraternal organization, also issued a statement against Trump’s social media post, saying: “We recognize this tactic because it was used against us as Irish Americans.”“The claim that this video was merely an ‘internet meme’ or that critics were engaging in ‘fake outrage’ is both morally bankrupt and historically ignorant,” the statement said. “There is nothing lighthearted about reducing any people to apes. This imagery has been used for centuries as a tool of oppression, designed to dehumanize and justify subjugation. It is not humor; it is bigotry.”Trump’s social media postLate Thursday, Feb. 5, around 11:45 p.m. ET, Trump posted a video that was one minute and two seconds long.The bulk of the video reiterated claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. At the 59-second mark, it depicts the Obamas as apes.When reporters asked him about it, Trump said: “I just looked at the first part” about voter fraud and “I didn’t see the whole thing.” When asked whether he condemns the racist part of the video, he said “of course I do.”“I guess during the end of it, there was some picture that people don’t like,” he said. “I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it.”Trump refused to apologize for the post when asked, saying: “No; I didn’t make a mistake.” He said he looks at “thousands of things” and only “looked at the beginning of it [and that part] was fine.”The Obamas have not publicly commented on the video.")
U.S. Catholic Bishops Garcia and Weisenburger, with Cardinal Cupich, condemned President Trump’s social media post. Trump denied it was intentional and refused to apologize.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Sunday told “those unaware” — which would seem to be anyone outside the company, its investors, and perhaps Musk’s inner circle — that SpaceX has “already shifted focus” away from colonizing Mars in favor of building a “self-growing city” on the Moon. The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that SpaceX told investors itContinue reading “Musk in about-face says SpaceX ‘shifted focus’ from Mars to Moon”
The post Musk in about-face says SpaceX ‘shifted focus’ from Mars to Moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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WORLD — The 2026 Winter Olympics marks the 25th time that the world has gathered together to watch a bunch of sports and also figure skating.
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ROCHESTER, MN — The relationship between Dave Fromm and his daughter Lucille may have been irreparably annihilated, but at least the math homework is finally finished, say sources close to the situation.
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Isambard Kingdom Brunel standing before the launching chains of the SS Great Eastern. The ship was launched on this day in 1858.
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In spite of opposition from Catholic bishops and patient advocate groups, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law physician-assisted suicide in New York.
St. Therese School celebrates community service during Catholic Schools Week #Catholic – 
On Feb. 2, students and faculty at St. Therese School in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., celebrated community service as part of Catholic Schools Week. The students, who wore blue to show their support for law enforcement, collected donations for Troopers United, a non-profit organization that brings together families, friends, supporters, and law-enforcement personnel to assist those in need. In addition, several students were selected to have lunch with Roxbury Police Department members Chief Matt Holland, Captain Sean Hefferon, Lieutenant Billy Manisa, and Detective Nicole Parichuck.
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– On Feb. 2, students and faculty at St. Therese School in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J., celebrated community service as part of Catholic Schools Week. The students, who wore blue to show their support for law enforcement, collected donations for Troopers United, a non-profit organization that brings together families, friends, supporters, and law-enforcement personnel to assist those in need. In addition, several students were selected to have lunch with Roxbury Police Department members Chief Matt Holland, Captain Sean Hefferon, Lieutenant Billy Manisa, and Detective Nicole Parichuck. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.