Catholics cannot be ‘unengaged spectators’ amid current events, pope says #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The faithful are called to leave behind “all passivity and indifference” toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the “rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience.

“We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved,” the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square.

“With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination and violence,” he said.

Pope Leo began a new series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” which examines the relationship between the Church and the modern world.

Recalling St. John XXIII’s warning against the “prophets of doom,” who regarded their own times as worse than the past, Pope Leo said Christians are instead called to share in the life of humanity as Christ did.

Such closeness to humanity, the pope said, also opens the way to a deeper understanding of events and of Revelation itself.

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“This is not, in fact, merely a moral imperative,” he said.

Addressing English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo said it is the Church’s pastoral responsibility to engage with the contemporary world, share in its joys and sorrows and advocate for the poor and marginalized.

The Church, he said, also must remain “attentive to the signs of the times,” confronting “pressing issues such as the technological progress that benefits only some and the persistence of widespread poverty.”

His remarks came months after the publication of his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” which detailed his account of the global implications of artificial intelligence and warned against allowing technological development to proceed without prioritizing human dignity.

“In our own day, marked by profound change and much injustice, each of us, then, is called to play our part in welcoming and listening to the deepest questions and longings of the human heart, making present to all the merciful love of Christ our Savior,” the pope told English speakers.

During a period of profound change that is producing “worrying imbalances,” Pope Leo said the Church is called to serve the human person by listening to “the deepest questions of their heart and the longings that dwell within them.”

The Church must point people toward Christ, he said, as “the key, the focal point and the goal of all human history.”

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The faithful are called to leave behind “all passivity and indifference” toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the “rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience. “We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved,” the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square. “With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are

Pope Leo says, ‘It is not yet too late’ to care for creation #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to “hear the melodious voice of creation,” stressing that “it is not yet too late” to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment.

Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it.

“Thus, as we become conscious of our shortcomings and failures, we can renew our commitment to restoring the relationships among all creatures according to the will of their Creator,” he said.

The theme chosen for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation echoes the biblical call to “beat swords into plowshares” and connects armed conflict with environmental destruction.

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In a June 2 statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that “the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully.”

In his homily during the Mass, Pope Leo said the call to transform weapons into instruments that sustain life remains urgent.

“What has been used for destruction can be redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation,” he said, quoting his message for the day.

Militaries account for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to water pollution, soil contamination and waste generation, according to a joint study by the UK-based Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Conflict and Environment Observatory. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimated that the first three years of the Russia-Ukraine war alone generated the equivalent of about 230 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas that traps heat from sunlight, warming the planet.

Pope Leo also focused on access to clean water in his September prayer intention, released Sept. 1 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

Thanking God for the gift of water, the pope prayed for the “right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality.”

“Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children,” he prayed. “We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.”

During the Mass, Pope Leo said passages from the Book of Wisdom and Psalm 18 encourage Christians to recognize God through the “beauty and power of creation.”

“All creation speaks to us of the greatness of its Creator, if only our eyes and hearts remain open to such a great mystery,” he said.

By looking with wonder at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, the pope said, Christians can better understand the greatness of God’s love for humanity.

“If the Lord does not fail to bestow such splendid beauty upon plants and animals and provide for all their needs, how much more attentive will he be to the needs of his beloved sons and daughters,” he said.

The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Catholic Church’s observance of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was established by Pope Francis in response to an initiative of Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church has observed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation since 1989.

The 2026 season will conclude as the Church marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology.

Pope Leo closed his homily by reciting portions of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures:

“Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire… Praised be you, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us.”

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to “hear the melodious voice of creation,” stressing that “it is not yet too late” to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment. Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it. “Thus,

A dream, strong faith and a health struggle inspire teen’s winning essay on priesthood #Catholic –

NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — Dominic Auricchio was 4 when he said he heard God’s voice in a dream telling him to become a priest.

The now-13-year-old does not remember the dream too well, but he has felt drawn to the Catholic priesthood ever since.

That dream, his strong faith and a struggle with a life-threatening health issue in recent months inspired his winning essay on the priesthood.

When Dominic decided to enter the Archdiocese of Newark’s Cardinal Joseph Tobin Essay and Video Contest — which asks seventh graders to explain why priests are important — he knew exactly what to say: Priests are important because they share God’s Word, celebrate the sacraments, and love everyone as Jesus did.

The archdiocesan Office of Priestly Vocations, which administers the contest, said the judges stated Dominic’s work stood out among the 49 submissions they reviewed. He won first place, receiving a plaque and $1,500, presented to him this summer by Father Patrick Seo, director of priestly vocations, at a gathering attended by family and classmates.

“I was really happy when I won,” Dominic told Jersey Catholic, Newark’s archdiocesan news outlet. “Becoming a priest is important to me, so I worked hard on everything. Accepting the award in front of so many people made me feel very accomplished.”

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Dominic’s achievement came during a particularly trying time in his life. In December, he began experiencing seizures for which he is still seeking treatment. In fact, when he first learned about the contest, he was in the hospital.

Despite these struggles, Dominic was determined to do his best, writing and polishing his essay over a few weeks until he was sure every one of his 642 words conveyed his admiration for the priesthood. He even drew on his health issues to offer a unique perspective on the subject.

“(My medical problems) helped me understand how other people feel when they are scared, different, or going through something difficult,” Dominic wrote. “Because of this, I feel called to help people who are hurting. … A priest walks with people during sickness, grief and fear, and I want to be someone who brings comfort and hope.”

As required by the contest, Dominic, with the help of his mother, Maria, and brother Vincenzo, also crafted a four-minute video in which he shared that he was 9 years old when a mass developed on his brain.

While his doctors and parents contemplated the best treatment options, he says he experienced an apparition. Dominic believes that the woman who appeared in his bedroom, wearing blue and a head covering, was the Virgin Mary.

According to Dominic, she told him not to worry and that everything would be OK. Soon thereafter, a CAT scan revealed that his brain mass had begun to shrink.

Today, Dominic’s mass has shrunk to a tiny size. While his recovery cannot be confirmed as miraculous — because he was taking medication that may have caused the improvement — Maria believes God healed her son. She said the mass began shrinking immediately after Mary’s visit, a timing she believes is too remarkable to be mere coincidence.

Dominic, too, believes that something more than medicine was at work. He also feels fortunate to be able to share his experience with the world.

“I like telling other people because it reminds them that God is always there,” Dominic said. “It gives them hope.”

In his essay, he also explained how his time as an altar server at St. Helen’s Parish in Westfield has brought him close to the Eucharist and helped him “see how important the priest’s role is.”

He also talks about experiences such as giving alms during Lent and serving as a “buddy” to a young girl with autism during St. Helen’s inclusive Masses, which have taught him “patience and kindness,” qualities he believes all priests should possess.

“I think a priest should always make people feel like they belong,” Dominic wrote in his essay.

His pastor, Msgr. Thomas Nydegger, said that Dominic certainly possesses the empathy that is an essential quality of priests.

“From what I’ve seen of Dominic and the way he lives, he’d bring some very special gifts and talents to the priesthood,” Msgr. Nydegger said. “With his sensitivity and unique perspective, I think he’d be able to truly touch people’s lives in a deep way that we don’t often see in the world.”

Maria — who works in multiple roles at St. Helen Parish and Holy Trinity School — said she would feel “honored” to be the mother of a priest. At the same time, she said her son is the only one who can decide whether the priesthood is right for him. She has told him he should not feel obligated to become a priest if he ever changes his mind.

“I just want him to be happy and find where God is calling him to be,” said Maria, who noted that there are many ways to serve God.

Dominic, who also loves hockey and hopes to one day follow in his father’s and great-grandfather’s footsteps by enlisting in the Marines, wrote in his essay that “I do not know exactly where God will lead me, but I trust that He is guiding me step by step.”

Still, he strongly feels that he will ultimately fulfill his dream of becoming a priest.

“The Roman Catholic priesthood is a life of service, sacrifice, and joy centered on Jesus,” he writes. “That is why I believe God is calling me to become a priest, and why I hope to answer that call one day.”

Sean Quinn is on the communications staff of the Archdiocese of Newark and contributes to Jersey Catholic, the archdiocese’s news site.

– NEWARK, N.J. (OSV News) — Dominic Auricchio was 4 when he said he heard God’s voice in a dream telling him to become a priest. The now-13-year-old does not remember the dream too well, but he has felt drawn to the Catholic priesthood ever since. That dream, his strong faith and a struggle with a life-threatening health issue in recent months inspired his winning essay on the priesthood. When Dominic decided to enter the Archdiocese of Newark’s Cardinal Joseph Tobin Essay and Video Contest — which asks seventh graders to explain why priests are important — he knew exactly what

‘I remember like it was yesterday’: Catholics describe ministering in aftermath of 9/11 #Catholic –

(OSV News) — On Sept. 11, 2001 — the date of the worst terrorist attack in American history, when four hijacked jets became deadly weapons — there was no shortage of heroic first responders who confronted danger instead of avoiding it.

Many Catholic clergy and religious ministered among them — including priests, friars and sisters. Some of their stories are perhaps less well known — but the help and healing they also brought to those who experienced the devastating losses of 9/11 are worth remembrance as the 25th anniversary approaches.

“I remember like it was yesterday,” Father Brian Jordan told OSV News.

A Franciscan friar of his order’s Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the priest is the current pastor of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street in New York City.

That morning, Father Jordan was at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Hearing of the strike, he returned to the Franciscan friary on 31st Street — attached to St. Francis of Assisi Parish — where he lived, determined to go to the disaster site.

Uncertain what he might find — but expecting both victims and perpetrators — he retrieved holy water and a pair of brass knuckles. “I said, ‘I’ll bless them with one hand, and just in case there’s any bad guys, I’ll bless them with the other hand.”

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Before he left, another friar had devastating news: Their fellow Franciscan, Father Mychal Judge, was dead. Still, Father Jordan knew what Father Judge would want him to do — go help.

After stopping at Manhattan’s St. Vincent’s Hospital — the only patients were those being treated for dust inhalation after the Twin Towers collapsed — Father Jordan headed to ground zero, encountering a police captain he knew.

“He gave me a mask; he gave me a pair of gloves. He said, ‘Father, put the mask on, put on the gloves and go to work.’ And so I went up and down for a couple blocks, and there were bodies and body parts. I just blessed them all.”

On Sept. 16, Father Jordan said his first Mass at ground zero; he would continue to have Mass there for nearly 10 months.

Then on Sept. 23, there was a surprise.

“A big burly construction worker from Local 731 comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, Father, you want to see God’s house?’”

“So we go into the ruins of 6 World Trade Center,” recalled Father Jordan. “I had like 25 fighters next to me, and the construction worker says, ‘What do you see there, Father, right in the middle?’ I said, ‘I can’t believe this … I see a cross.’”

Two intersecting steel beams had been sheared into a crucifix, as 6 WTC was struck by debris from the collapse of the North Tower.

The stunning artifact became known as the “Cross at Ground Zero” and eventually became part of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum collection.

It was excavated, placed on a concrete abutment, and blessed. On Oct. 7, a Mass was celebrated near it, at the corner of Vesey and West streets.

“It gave a boost of energy to people at the time,” explained Father Jordan, who wrote his own memoir — “The Ground Zero Cross” (Xlibris) — and was given the distinction of being its unofficial guardian.

On 9/11, Sister Margaret O’ Brien, a Sister of Charity working in the Sisters of Charity Health Care System, was in her office at the Bayley Seton Hospital on Staten Island, briefing a colleague just returned from vacation.

“Her secretary came in and said, ‘I just got a call. A plane went into the World Trade Center,’” Sister Margaret remembered. “We went down the hall to a window we could see from, and we realized, this is going to be bad.”

The sisters quickly prepared to go to St. Vincent’s Hospital “to set up the emergency and trauma response,” explained Sister Margaret. “And the doctors were there, the stretchers were there, all waiting at the entrance — but after a short while, nobody came.”

Sister Margaret worked the hotline in the sisters’ hospital command center, taking calls from people searching for loved ones.

“The telephone was really hard,” she reflected. “Because people would give you a name and you’d check your list, and you didn’t have them. … It was very, very emotional the whole time — and for the first couple of days, the phone just kept ringing.”

Nonetheless, she found a reason to be thankful.

“I remember being so grateful I had something to be part of, to help,” said Sister Margaret, now assistant to the president of the Sisters of Charity New York.

Trauma was a persistent feature of the sisters’ shifts — especially for one colleague who assisted first responders sent for care from recovery work at ground zero.

“Sometimes people would talk, but most of the time they just couldn’t,” Sister O’Brien explained. Her colleague “remembered one person — he was very quiet — and then he said, ‘I can take the arms and the legs. But when I turned over a stone and saw a face, just a head, flattened into the ground.’”

“He lost it,” said Sister O’Brien.

Father Stephen McGraw — at the time a priest in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington — also saw unspeakable sights.

On the morning of 9/11, he had just concluded a school Mass — and was on his way to Arlington National Cemetery for a burial when he missed the appropriate exit.

“I remember about 9:35, I’m just sitting in this traffic, right in front of the Pentagon.”

He was distressed that he would now almost certainly be late for the burial.

“And then without warning, the plane came roaring right over the tops of our cars — very, very low,” Father McGraw said. “I can’t say which of my senses was most impacted — there was the vibration and roar of the plane, and a light pole was clipped and fell over on a taxi driver’s car just a few cars away.”

Looking to his right, he watched as American Airlines Flight 77 plowed into the Pentagon.

“I saw it crashing, disappearing, with a huge fireball billowing out from the building in the moment after the crash.”

Because his radio wasn’t on to hear what was happening in New York City, “I just assumed it was a terrible, tragic accident.”

Commuters came to a frozen stop, and Father McGraw leapt from his car — stole, anointing oils and prayer book in hand — vaulting the highway guardrail to the lawn of the Pentagon to reach the victims.

“Basically, my message to them was, ‘Jesus is with you.’ That’s what I kept saying to the several victims I attended,” said Father McGraw.

One victim who identified himself as Catholic — Juan Cruz, the civilian accounting division manager in the Office of the Administrative Assistant for the Secretary of the Army — was given the sacraments.

Another — Antoinette Sherman, an Army budget analyst, who later died — lay face down on the grass, severely burned on her back, a single shoe on one foot. Father McGraw gently removed it at her request.

“Then she just said, to perhaps whomever could hear her, ‘Tell my mother and father that I love them.’ And so I assured her that I would.”

Father McGraw — now a missionary priest and church pastor in the Diocese of Arlington’s Bánica Mission in the Dominican Republic — doesn’t think his unplanned detour was a coincidence.

“I had a strong sense of divine providence,” he told OSV News. “I was meant to be there.”

The attacks killed 2,977 people and injured thousands more: 2,753 people died in the Twin Towers collapse, brought down by two hijacked commercial airliners; 184 people died when a third hijacked airliner flew into the Pentagon; and 40 people died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, when passengers and crew fought back against hijackers on a fourth airliner, forcing it to crash in a field near Shanksville. Officials believe the fourth plane was headed for the U.S. Capitol or the White House.

The 25th anniversary of 9/11 will not only be a time of solemn remembrance — it also leaves some longing for the national unity Americans once demonstrated.

“We saw evil at its worst,” declared Father Jordan. “But we also saw goodness at its best. New York City came together. The country came together. The world came together.”

Kimberley Heatherington is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Virginia.

– (OSV News) — On Sept. 11, 2001 — the date of the worst terrorist attack in American history, when four hijacked jets became deadly weapons — there was no shortage of heroic first responders who confronted danger instead of avoiding it. Many Catholic clergy and religious ministered among them — including priests, friars and sisters. Some of their stories are perhaps less well known — but the help and healing they also brought to those who experienced the devastating losses of 9/11 are worth remembrance as the 25th anniversary approaches. “I remember like it was yesterday,” Father Brian Jordan told

Hanover priests rejoice bringing Christ to others on mission #Catholic –

This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places.

On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time.

A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams to build three homes for three families in need. Father Vidal Gonzales, Jr., Notre Dame’s pastor, accompanied the group, sharing in the hard work, fellowship, and encounters that made the journey meaningful.

Though the missions were thousands of miles apart and the work was different, both journeys shared the same heart: to go where the Lord was calling, to serve his people, and to discover that in giving ourselves, we often receive far more than we could ever give.

For Father Francisco, the Operation Appalachia mission began each morning before the work even started. He would walk to the cemetery beside the camp, pray the rosary, reflect on the Gospel, and meditate in silence.

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Then, at 7 a.m., team members gathered for Mass. Their altar was a simple tree stump with the morning sun rising through the trees behind it. As he celebrated the Eucharist, Father Francisco thought: “Before we repaired a single porch, painted a single wall, or drove a single nail, Christ was already repairing us.”

The work that followed was demanding. Teams rebuilt porches, replaced floors, built ramps, reinforced roofs, and made repairs that homeowners had been unable to undertake themselves.

But something else happened along the way. When some teams completed their projects early, they didn’t stop. They loaded their tools and went to help the teams that still had work to do. They asked, “Where can we help next?” For Father Francisco, that was the Gospel in action.

“We weren’t just several work crews. We were one family,” Father Francisco said.

That same spirit was evident in Guatemala. Over five days, three teams worked alongside From Houses to Homes workers to construct simple but sturdy homes of cinderblock, concrete flooring, metal roofing, a window, and a door. The work was physically demanding, but Father Gonzalez witnessed how the families themselves became a source of renewed energy and purpose.

“Seeing the families whose houses we were building gave us renewed energy and a deeper sense of purpose,” Father Gonzalez said.

While the physical work was important, both priests recognized that the deeper mission was about people.

Father Francisco said the homeowners in Appalachia reminded the team that they were never repairing wood or concrete.

“We were entering people’s lives,” Father Francisco said.

Father Gonzalez expressed that same truth from Guatemala.

“Outreach is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the relationships we build along the way,” Father Francisco said.

In both places, homes became a doorway to encounter — to listen to people’s stories, share meals, laugh together, and recognize the dignity and worth of every person.

During Operation Appalachia, Father Francisco didn’t just talk about what the Church is, but experienced the Church.

“As a priest, I often tell people that the Church is not simply a building. During Operation Appalachia, I didn’t just preach those words — I lived them,” Father Francisco said.

In Guatemala, the Church crossed borders and cultures, bringing together people who might otherwise never have met.

“When people from different communities, cultures, and backgrounds come together with open hearts and willing hands, borders become smaller, and humanity becomes bigger,” Father Gonzalez said.

The most profound commonality between these two missions is that the blessings didn’t flow in only one direction. The families received homes. They received repairs. They received help and the reassurance that they were seen and valued.

But those who served received something as well. Father Gonzalez and the team returned to Notre Dame with “tired bodies but grateful hearts,” carrying memories of the families they encountered. They also gained a deeper understanding that “service is not only about what we give but also about what we receive.” The priest also saw in the families lessons in “courage, resilience, generosity, hope, and faith.”

Father Francisco experienced the same transformation. What he expected to be a week of service became, unexpectedly, a week that “renewed my own priesthood.”

Perhaps that is one of the great revelations of missionary work: we go believing that we are bringing Christ to others, only to discover Christ waiting for us there.

This summer reminded the Notre Dame participants that mission takes many forms. It may mean rebuilding a porch in West Virginia, laying a cinderblock in Guatemala, preparing a meal, offering a skill, giving financially, or simply saying yes when the Lord places an opportunity before us.

“There is always a way to contribute.” Some give financially. Others offer their time, skills, supplies, prayers, encouragement, or presence,” Father Gonzalez said. “Each of these seemingly individual acts becomes part of something much greater. Together, these individual acts of generosity become a powerful witness to what can happen when people come together with a common purpose and willing hearts,” he said.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – This summer, the missionary heart of Notre Dame Mount Carmel Parish, located in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., came alive in two very different places. On July 26, a team of nearly 50 Notre Dame parishioners and friends traveled to Preston County, W.V., for Operation Appalachia, serving families in need by repairing and restoring their homes. Father Emerson Francisco, the parish’s parochial vicar, accompanied them, experiencing the mission trip for the first time. A few weeks later, on Aug. 7, Notre Dame’s Guatemala Outreach Ministry traveled to Guatemala, where 15 parishioners and friends divided into three teams