Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium. The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.” If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter. In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.
Read More

Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium. The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.” If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter. In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.

unitedyam

The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia.

Read More
Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribing – #Catholic – Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribingA five-month-long investigation by Republicans in the U.S. Senate found that abortion pill manufacturing companies are falling short on critical oversight while bringing in millions of dollars in revenue.The manufacturers are not fulfilling their obligation to oversee prescribers while making tens of millions of dollars each year, according to the report, released by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).The investigation also found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “lack of guardrails ensuring a sufficient provider-patient relationship creates accountability gaps for a product that carries risks of significant adverse health outcomes,” according to the report.Three companies, Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro, and Evita Solutions, reportedly did not provide details on how they followed existing federal regulations, according to the report.Among its findings, the report cited an undercover investigation that found that a girl as young as 13 years old could buy abortion pills.Cassidy, a doctor and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, headed the investigation.“Abortion drug companies are putting mothers at risk through their failure to properly oversee the prescription and distribution of their products. We are seeing that the explosion in online sales of chemical abortion drugs has opened the door to coercion and abuse of women,” said Cassidy in a statement.“FDA and the sponsors of these drugs have a responsibility to the American people to crack down on these prescribers that violate the prescribing requirements and reinstate the safeguards that keep mothers and babies safe,” he continued.40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees for arrests over New Jersey protest lawThe pro-life group 40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees if protesters are arrested under New Jersey’s new abortion clinic buffer zone law.A new law signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Aug. 20 could lead to legal crackdowns on protests near abortion clinics. The law criminalizes “interference” with “reproductive” or “gender-affirming” care.The law further criminalizes inflicting “emotional harm” against those seeking or providing “reproductive health care services.” It also bans filming and sharing videos within 100 feet of an abortion clinic.40 Days for Life, a group that organizes prayer vigils outside abortion clinics, has pledged to cover legal fees for peaceful protesters should the law be used to target them.“If New Jersey — or anywhere else — targets a 40 Days for Life participant for peacefully and lawfully praying in public, our Institute of Law & Justice will have your back,” the group said on Aug. 28. The group’s CEO Shawn Carney told the New York Post, meanwhile, that the services would be covered “at no cost.” Catholic Virginians launch campaign against abortion ballot measureCatholic leaders in Virginia are launching a campaign to oppose a ballot measure that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state.The Protect Virginia 2026 campaign urges Catholics to vote against the state’s “Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment which will be on the ballot in November.Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout voiced opposition against the “radical” amendment in a letter to Catholics in the state.“Every life is sacred,” Knestout said. “The Church has always taught that abortion is an intrinsic evil. It takes one of God’s greatest gifts – a human life.”“No law can ever make right what is intrinsically wrong,” he continued. “Let us pray for the courage to confront this evil that threatens to destroy life, to be persistent yet compassionate in our advocacy, and to vote so that we stand up for the great good that God has given us.” “Let us commit ourselves to defending those who cannot speak for themselves and to witnessing to the Gospel of Life in both word and deed.”
Read More

Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribing – #Catholic – Senate GOP report finds dangerous lack of guardrails for abortion pill prescribingA five-month-long investigation by Republicans in the U.S. Senate found that abortion pill manufacturing companies are falling short on critical oversight while bringing in millions of dollars in revenue.The manufacturers are not fulfilling their obligation to oversee prescribers while making tens of millions of dollars each year, according to the report, released by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).The investigation also found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “lack of guardrails ensuring a sufficient provider-patient relationship creates accountability gaps for a product that carries risks of significant adverse health outcomes,” according to the report.Three companies, Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro, and Evita Solutions, reportedly did not provide details on how they followed existing federal regulations, according to the report.Among its findings, the report cited an undercover investigation that found that a girl as young as 13 years old could buy abortion pills.Cassidy, a doctor and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, headed the investigation.“Abortion drug companies are putting mothers at risk through their failure to properly oversee the prescription and distribution of their products. We are seeing that the explosion in online sales of chemical abortion drugs has opened the door to coercion and abuse of women,” said Cassidy in a statement.“FDA and the sponsors of these drugs have a responsibility to the American people to crack down on these prescribers that violate the prescribing requirements and reinstate the safeguards that keep mothers and babies safe,” he continued.40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees for arrests over New Jersey protest lawThe pro-life group 40 Days for Life says it will cover legal fees if protesters are arrested under New Jersey’s new abortion clinic buffer zone law.A new law signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Aug. 20 could lead to legal crackdowns on protests near abortion clinics. The law criminalizes “interference” with “reproductive” or “gender-affirming” care.The law further criminalizes inflicting “emotional harm” against those seeking or providing “reproductive health care services.” It also bans filming and sharing videos within 100 feet of an abortion clinic.40 Days for Life, a group that organizes prayer vigils outside abortion clinics, has pledged to cover legal fees for peaceful protesters should the law be used to target them.“If New Jersey — or anywhere else — targets a 40 Days for Life participant for peacefully and lawfully praying in public, our Institute of Law & Justice will have your back,” the group said on Aug. 28. The group’s CEO Shawn Carney told the New York Post, meanwhile, that the services would be covered “at no cost.” Catholic Virginians launch campaign against abortion ballot measureCatholic leaders in Virginia are launching a campaign to oppose a ballot measure that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state.The Protect Virginia 2026 campaign urges Catholics to vote against the state’s “Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment which will be on the ballot in November.Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout voiced opposition against the “radical” amendment in a letter to Catholics in the state.“Every life is sacred,” Knestout said. “The Church has always taught that abortion is an intrinsic evil. It takes one of God’s greatest gifts – a human life.”“No law can ever make right what is intrinsically wrong,” he continued. “Let us pray for the courage to confront this evil that threatens to destroy life, to be persistent yet compassionate in our advocacy, and to vote so that we stand up for the great good that God has given us.” “Let us commit ourselves to defending those who cannot speak for themselves and to witnessing to the Gospel of Life in both word and deed.”

unitedyam

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Read More
How one Lithuanian cardinal resisted Soviet persecution from a KGB prison cell – #Catholic – A new biography published in Lithuania recounts the life of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, SJ, one of the leading Catholic figures in the resistance to Soviet religious persecution. It details his work as editor of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania publication and his subsequent imprisonment by the KGB.Written by journalist Regina Statkuvienė and published by the DONUM Foundation, “In the Light of the Altar” draws on recent interviews she conducted with Tamkevičius. The book also includes his letters and diary entries alongside accounts of his childhood, priesthood, underground activities, imprisonment, exile, and later episcopal ministry.Tamkevičius was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to six years in a strict-regime labor camp followed by four years of exile in Siberia.His story offers an insight into the experience of Catholics who resisted the Soviet Unionʼs efforts to suppress religious life and impose state atheism. Sigitas Tamkevičius stands for a portrait during his military service in the Soviet Army in Khosta, Russia, in 1959. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius Catholic resistance in Soviet-occupied LithuaniaFounded by Tamkevičius in 1972, the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (“Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronika,” or “LKB Kronika”) was an underground publication documenting religious persecution and human rights abuses in Soviet-occupied Lithuania.The Kronika recorded arrests and interrogations of clergy and lay Catholics, confiscation of Church property, restrictions on religious practice, and attempts by Soviet authorities to infiltrate the Church. It was a strictly factual catalog of human rights violations, not a literary magazine or a platform for theological commentary.Its reports were secretly typed and reproduced, with editions being smuggled to Western diplomats and foreign journalists in Moscow, with activists often microfilming the pages and hiding the negatives inside everyday objects like book covers or flashlights.Once in the West, the material was translated and disseminated internationally, including through Vatican Radio and Radio Free Europe, directly challenging Soviet claims that religious freedom existed behind the Iron Curtain. Sigitas Tamkevičius, first from left, stands with fellow seminarians at his ordination to the priesthood in May 1962. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius In the bookʼs foreword, Archbishop Petar Rajič, current prefect of the Papal Household and former apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, described Tamkevičius as one of the most prominent witnesses to the Soviet era.“Every Catholic who loves the Church should read the Chronicle,” Rajič wrote, calling it a testimony to the spiritual strength and resistance of the Lithuanian people, rooted in the victory of the cross of Christ and offering lessons for Catholics today and future generations.Arrest and KGB interrogationThe Kronika not only exposed Soviet religious persecution to the outside world but also strengthened the underground Catholic resistance within Lithuania. The KGB consequently intensified efforts to identify and suppress those involved in producing and distributing the publication. Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius reaches into the hiding place in the altar of the church in Simnas, Lithuania, where he once concealed copies of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, in 2021. | Credit: Jūratė Tamošiūnytė-Karašauskienė Since Tamkevičius openly preached against state atheism and challenged Soviet restrictions on the Church, he was seen as a visible figure within the Catholic resistance movement.The Soviet authorities eventually arrested Tamkevičius in May 1983 and charged him with “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” After six months of pretrial detention in the KGB isolation prison in Vilnius, he was sentenced in December to six years in a strict-regime labor camp in the Ural Mountains, followed by four years of exile in Siberia.During his detention, Tamkevičius recalled psychological pressure from KGB interrogators. On one occasion, an interrogator offered him tea and biscuits. He drank the tea at around 2 p.m. and soon became extremely dizzy.His next clear memory came hours later, when he heard the interrogator angrily questioning him about a document concerning the underground seminary. He was then told that it was already 10 p.m. “Only then did I realize that after drinking the tea I had lost consciousness,” he recalled.Tamkevičius believed he had been drugged to extract information from him. The attempt failed. “Seeing how angry the interrogator was, I understood that he had managed to extract nothing from me,” he said.Life in the labor campTamkevičius recalled that his first assignment in the labor camp was peeling potatoes. “Each potato had to be taken out of almost ice-cold water,” he recalled. He feared that doing this for six years would make him ill, but after two weeks he was transferred to a metalworking workshop, where he collected metal shavings from lathes and carried them to containers.Prisoners worked eight hours a day and were allotted another eight hours for sleep. The food was poor, consisting largely of “thin soup and watery porridge.” Later, after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Tamkevičius was assigned to the camp kitchen and had to rise at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast.The ingredients were often badly preserved. Fish, he recalled, could be heavily salted and stored for years. He learned to make the most of what was available, washing the fish overnight and frying it separately so that prisoners could have a more edible meal.During more than five years in captivity, Tamkevičius was transferred under guard seven times and encountered prisoners ranging from teenagers to murderers. The experience became for him a reflection on human nature and the consequences of abandoning moral law.“A life without God, without the commandments of the Decalogue, a life without love,” he wrote, describing the selfishness, pride, lust, and greed that shaped much of prison life. His reflections ultimately turned toward his own imprisonment and vocation.“Lord, what was it that brought me behind bars and barbed wire?” he asked. “The affairs of the Church? Yes. Concern for people’s moral lives? Yes. Living according to my conscience? Yes. Thank you, Lord, that the answer was ‘yes.’” For Tamkevičius, imprisonment was ultimately the consequence of refusing to compromise his faith in the face of communist oppression. Bishop Sigitas Tamkevičius addresses young people gathered to meet Pope John Paul II at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania, in September 1993. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius From persecution to freedomTamkevičius was released in 1988 as Soviet repression began to weaken. He returned to Lithuania as the country moved toward independence, restored on March 11, 1990.Tamkevičius' story offers a firsthand account of the cost of defending the faith under communism and the role of ordinary believers in preserving the Church through decades of persecution.
Read More

How one Lithuanian cardinal resisted Soviet persecution from a KGB prison cell – #Catholic – A new biography published in Lithuania recounts the life of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, SJ, one of the leading Catholic figures in the resistance to Soviet religious persecution. It details his work as editor of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania publication and his subsequent imprisonment by the KGB.Written by journalist Regina Statkuvienė and published by the DONUM Foundation, “In the Light of the Altar” draws on recent interviews she conducted with Tamkevičius. The book also includes his letters and diary entries alongside accounts of his childhood, priesthood, underground activities, imprisonment, exile, and later episcopal ministry.Tamkevičius was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to six years in a strict-regime labor camp followed by four years of exile in Siberia.His story offers an insight into the experience of Catholics who resisted the Soviet Unionʼs efforts to suppress religious life and impose state atheism. Sigitas Tamkevičius stands for a portrait during his military service in the Soviet Army in Khosta, Russia, in 1959. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius Catholic resistance in Soviet-occupied LithuaniaFounded by Tamkevičius in 1972, the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (“Lietuvos katalikų bažnyčios kronika,” or “LKB Kronika”) was an underground publication documenting religious persecution and human rights abuses in Soviet-occupied Lithuania.The Kronika recorded arrests and interrogations of clergy and lay Catholics, confiscation of Church property, restrictions on religious practice, and attempts by Soviet authorities to infiltrate the Church. It was a strictly factual catalog of human rights violations, not a literary magazine or a platform for theological commentary.Its reports were secretly typed and reproduced, with editions being smuggled to Western diplomats and foreign journalists in Moscow, with activists often microfilming the pages and hiding the negatives inside everyday objects like book covers or flashlights.Once in the West, the material was translated and disseminated internationally, including through Vatican Radio and Radio Free Europe, directly challenging Soviet claims that religious freedom existed behind the Iron Curtain. Sigitas Tamkevičius, first from left, stands with fellow seminarians at his ordination to the priesthood in May 1962. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius In the bookʼs foreword, Archbishop Petar Rajič, current prefect of the Papal Household and former apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, described Tamkevičius as one of the most prominent witnesses to the Soviet era.“Every Catholic who loves the Church should read the Chronicle,” Rajič wrote, calling it a testimony to the spiritual strength and resistance of the Lithuanian people, rooted in the victory of the cross of Christ and offering lessons for Catholics today and future generations.Arrest and KGB interrogationThe Kronika not only exposed Soviet religious persecution to the outside world but also strengthened the underground Catholic resistance within Lithuania. The KGB consequently intensified efforts to identify and suppress those involved in producing and distributing the publication. Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius reaches into the hiding place in the altar of the church in Simnas, Lithuania, where he once concealed copies of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, in 2021. | Credit: Jūratė Tamošiūnytė-Karašauskienė Since Tamkevičius openly preached against state atheism and challenged Soviet restrictions on the Church, he was seen as a visible figure within the Catholic resistance movement.The Soviet authorities eventually arrested Tamkevičius in May 1983 and charged him with “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.” After six months of pretrial detention in the KGB isolation prison in Vilnius, he was sentenced in December to six years in a strict-regime labor camp in the Ural Mountains, followed by four years of exile in Siberia.During his detention, Tamkevičius recalled psychological pressure from KGB interrogators. On one occasion, an interrogator offered him tea and biscuits. He drank the tea at around 2 p.m. and soon became extremely dizzy.His next clear memory came hours later, when he heard the interrogator angrily questioning him about a document concerning the underground seminary. He was then told that it was already 10 p.m. “Only then did I realize that after drinking the tea I had lost consciousness,” he recalled.Tamkevičius believed he had been drugged to extract information from him. The attempt failed. “Seeing how angry the interrogator was, I understood that he had managed to extract nothing from me,” he said.Life in the labor campTamkevičius recalled that his first assignment in the labor camp was peeling potatoes. “Each potato had to be taken out of almost ice-cold water,” he recalled. He feared that doing this for six years would make him ill, but after two weeks he was transferred to a metalworking workshop, where he collected metal shavings from lathes and carried them to containers.Prisoners worked eight hours a day and were allotted another eight hours for sleep. The food was poor, consisting largely of “thin soup and watery porridge.” Later, after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Tamkevičius was assigned to the camp kitchen and had to rise at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast.The ingredients were often badly preserved. Fish, he recalled, could be heavily salted and stored for years. He learned to make the most of what was available, washing the fish overnight and frying it separately so that prisoners could have a more edible meal.During more than five years in captivity, Tamkevičius was transferred under guard seven times and encountered prisoners ranging from teenagers to murderers. The experience became for him a reflection on human nature and the consequences of abandoning moral law.“A life without God, without the commandments of the Decalogue, a life without love,” he wrote, describing the selfishness, pride, lust, and greed that shaped much of prison life. His reflections ultimately turned toward his own imprisonment and vocation.“Lord, what was it that brought me behind bars and barbed wire?” he asked. “The affairs of the Church? Yes. Concern for people’s moral lives? Yes. Living according to my conscience? Yes. Thank you, Lord, that the answer was ‘yes.’” For Tamkevičius, imprisonment was ultimately the consequence of refusing to compromise his faith in the face of communist oppression. Bishop Sigitas Tamkevičius addresses young people gathered to meet Pope John Paul II at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania, in September 1993. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius From persecution to freedomTamkevičius was released in 1988 as Soviet repression began to weaken. He returned to Lithuania as the country moved toward independence, restored on March 11, 1990.Tamkevičius' story offers a firsthand account of the cost of defending the faith under communism and the role of ordinary believers in preserving the Church through decades of persecution.

unitedyam

A new biography traces Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius’ imprisonment by the KGB and his decades leading Lithuania’s underground Catholic resistance to Soviet persecution.

Read More

The Sky Today on Saturday, August 29: Double star Zeta Lyrae

unitedyam

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 28: Vesta stands still You may have heard of Epsilon (ε) Lyrae, the famous Double Double star in the constellation Lyra, but it’s not the only fascinating pair this constellation holds. Tonight, let’s check out another multi-star system in the Lyre:Continue reading “The Sky Today on Saturday, August 29: Double star Zeta Lyrae”

The post The Sky Today on Saturday, August 29: Double star Zeta Lyrae appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Read More
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: September, 2026 #Catholic – 9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany. 9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic. 9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson. 9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown. 9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson. 9/10 Thu., 7 p.m. September 11 Memorial Mass – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC. 9/11 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – All Saints Academy, Parsippany; 11:30 a.m. Staff Mass – St. Paul’s Inside the Walls, Madison, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks; 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Pius X Parish, Montville. 9/12 Sat., 10:30 a.m. Confirmation – Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon; 2 p.m. Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Altar Servers Day – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison; 4 p.m. Installation Mass of Father Manuel Cuellar – St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) Parish, Paterson, St. Bonaventure Church, Paterson. 9/13 Sun., 10:30 a.m. Mass and the Rite of Veneration over the first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne. 9/14 Mon., 1 p.m. Dean’s meeting. 9/15 Tue., 12 p.m. Retired Priests’ Autumn Lunch – St. Ann’s Parish, Parsipany; 6 p.m. Confirmation – Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham. 9/16 Wed., 12 p.m. Mass celebrating Hispanic heritage – St. Joseph’s Health, Paterson. 9/17 Thu. Pastoral Care of Immigrant Communities – Villanova Cabrini Campus, Radnor, Pa. 9/18–21 Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chalco, Mexico. 9/22 Tue., 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne. 9/23 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Mass and profession of vows – Chapel of Sisters of Christian Charity, Mendham. 9/25 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; 7 p.m. Diocesan Emmaus Mass – the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson. 9/26 Sat., 11 a.m. Filipino Martyrs’ Mass – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; 1 p.m. Invocation – the Memorial for the Fallen from the global war on terror, County College of Morris, Randolph; 5 p.m. Mass – St. Mary Parish, Denville, for their 100th anniversary celebration. 9/27 Sun., 4 p.m. Confirmation – St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson. 9/28 Mon., 1 p.m. Presbyteral Council. 9/29 Tue., 9:20 a.m. Mass – Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown. 9/30 Wed., 6 p.m. Governor Thomas Kean Leadership Award Gala – Battello, Jersey City. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.  
Read More

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: September, 2026 #Catholic – 9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany. 9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic. 9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson. 9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown. 9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson. 9/10 Thu., 7 p.m. September 11 Memorial Mass – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC. 9/11 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – All Saints Academy, Parsippany; 11:30 a.m. Staff Mass – St. Paul’s Inside the Walls, Madison, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks; 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Pius X Parish, Montville. 9/12 Sat., 10:30 a.m. Confirmation – Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon; 2 p.m. Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Altar Servers Day – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison; 4 p.m. Installation Mass of Father Manuel Cuellar – St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) Parish, Paterson, St. Bonaventure Church, Paterson. 9/13 Sun., 10:30 a.m. Mass and the Rite of Veneration over the first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne. 9/14 Mon., 1 p.m. Dean’s meeting. 9/15 Tue., 12 p.m. Retired Priests’ Autumn Lunch – St. Ann’s Parish, Parsipany; 6 p.m. Confirmation – Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham. 9/16 Wed., 12 p.m. Mass celebrating Hispanic heritage – St. Joseph’s Health, Paterson. 9/17 Thu. Pastoral Care of Immigrant Communities – Villanova Cabrini Campus, Radnor, Pa. 9/18–21 Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chalco, Mexico. 9/22 Tue., 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne. 9/23 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Mass and profession of vows – Chapel of Sisters of Christian Charity, Mendham. 9/25 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; 7 p.m. Diocesan Emmaus Mass – the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson. 9/26 Sat., 11 a.m. Filipino Martyrs’ Mass – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; 1 p.m. Invocation – the Memorial for the Fallen from the global war on terror, County College of Morris, Randolph; 5 p.m. Mass – St. Mary Parish, Denville, for their 100th anniversary celebration. 9/27 Sun., 4 p.m. Confirmation – St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson. 9/28 Mon., 1 p.m. Presbyteral Council. 9/29 Tue., 9:20 a.m. Mass – Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown. 9/30 Wed., 6 p.m. Governor Thomas Kean Leadership Award Gala – Battello, Jersey City. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.  

unitedyam

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: September, 2026 #Catholic –

9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison.
9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany.
9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon.
9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic.
9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson.
9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown.
9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson.
9/10 Thu., 7 p.m. September 11 Memorial Mass – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC.
9/11 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – All Saints Academy, Parsippany; 11:30 a.m. Staff Mass – St. Paul’s Inside the Walls, Madison, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks; 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Pius X Parish, Montville.
9/12 Sat., 10:30 a.m. Confirmation – Our Lady of the Magnificat Parish, Kinnelon; 2 p.m. Mass and Eucharistic Procession for Altar Servers Day – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison; 4 p.m. Installation Mass of Father Manuel Cuellar – St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) Parish, Paterson, St. Bonaventure Church, Paterson.
9/13 Sun., 10:30 a.m. Mass and the Rite of Veneration over the first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne.
9/14 Mon., 1 p.m. Dean’s meeting.
9/15 Tue., 12 p.m. Retired Priests’ Autumn Lunch – St. Ann’s Parish, Parsipany; 6 p.m. Confirmation – Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham.
9/16 Wed., 12 p.m. Mass celebrating Hispanic heritage – St. Joseph’s Health, Paterson.
9/17 Thu. Pastoral Care of Immigrant Communities – Villanova Cabrini Campus, Radnor, Pa.
9/18–21 Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chalco, Mexico.
9/22 Tue., 7 p.m. Confirmation – St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne.
9/23 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Mass and profession of vows – Chapel of Sisters of Christian Charity, Mendham.
9/25 Fri., 9:30 a.m. Mass – DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; 7 p.m. Diocesan Emmaus Mass – the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson.
9/26 Sat., 11 a.m. Filipino Martyrs’ Mass – Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; 1 p.m. Invocation – the Memorial for the Fallen from the global war on terror, County College of Morris, Randolph; 5 p.m. Mass – St. Mary Parish, Denville, for their 100th anniversary celebration.
9/27 Sun., 4 p.m. Confirmation – St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson.
9/28 Mon., 1 p.m. Presbyteral Council.
9/29 Tue., 9:20 a.m. Mass – Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown.
9/30 Wed., 6 p.m. Governor Thomas Kean Leadership Award Gala – Battello, Jersey City.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

 

– 9/2 Wed.,1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 9/3 Thu., 7 p.m. DMA kick-off meeting with pastors and Lay Appeal chairpeople – All Saints Academy, Parsippany. 9/4 Fri., 4:30 p.m. Newer Religious Gathering – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 9/5 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Confirmation – Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic. 9/6 Sun., 12:30 p.m. St. Therese Parish, Paterson. 9/8 Tue., 10 a.m. Solemn vows – Discalced Carmelites, Morristown. 9/9 Wed., 10:30 a.m. Tri-County Scholarship Fund visit – St. Gerard

Read More

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Receives Congressional Space Medal of Honor – President Donald J. Trump awarded NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Aug. 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

unitedyam

President Donald J. Trump awarded NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Aug. 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Read More

Gospel and Word of the Day – 29 August 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 1:26-31 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.From the Gospel according to Mark 6:17-29 Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias,  the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, ?It is not lawful for you to have your brother?s wife.? Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias? own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, ?Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.? He even swore many things to her, ?I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.? She went out and said to her mother, ?What shall I ask for?? She replied, ?The head of John the Baptist.? The girl hurried back to the king?s presence and made her request, ?I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.? The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.As his last act the Baptist witnessed with his blood to faithfulness to God?s commandments, without giving in or withdrawing, carrying out his mission to the very end. (?) We see this great figure, this force in the Passion, in resistance to the powerful. We wonder: what gave birth to this life, to this interiority so strong, so upright, so consistent, spent so totally for God in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: it was born from the relationship with God, from prayer, which was the thread that guided him throughout his existence. (?) Celebrating the martyrdom of St John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises. The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises. Christian life demands, so to speak, the ?martyrdom? of daily fidelity to the Gospel, the courage, that is, to let Christ grow within us and let him be the One who guides our thought and our actions. However, this can happen in our life only if we have a solid relationship with God. Prayer is not time wasted, it does not take away time from our activities, even apostolic activities, but exactly the opposite is true: only if we are able to have a faithful, constant and trusting life of prayer will God himself give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to surmount difficulties and to witness courageously to him. St John the Baptist, intercede for us, that we may be ever able to preserve the primacy of God in our life. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 29 August 2012)

unitedyam

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
1:26-31

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

From the Gospel according to Mark
6:17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist
arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias, 
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
?It is not lawful for you to have your brother?s wife.?
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John,
knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod,
on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias? own daughter came in
and performed a dance that
delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
?Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.?
He even swore many things to her,
?I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.?
She went out and said to her mother,
?What shall I ask for??
She replied, ?The head of John the Baptist.?
The girl hurried back to the king?s presence
and made her request,
?I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.?
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

As his last act the Baptist witnessed with his blood to faithfulness to God?s commandments, without giving in or withdrawing, carrying out his mission to the very end. (?)

We see this great figure, this force in the Passion, in resistance to the powerful. We wonder: what gave birth to this life, to this interiority so strong, so upright, so consistent, spent so totally for God in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: it was born from the relationship with God, from prayer, which was the thread that guided him throughout his existence. (?)

Celebrating the martyrdom of St John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises. The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises. Christian life demands, so to speak, the ?martyrdom? of daily fidelity to the Gospel, the courage, that is, to let Christ grow within us and let him be the One who guides our thought and our actions. However, this can happen in our life only if we have a solid relationship with God. Prayer is not time wasted, it does not take away time from our activities, even apostolic activities, but exactly the opposite is true: only if we are able to have a faithful, constant and trusting life of prayer will God himself give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to surmount difficulties and to witness courageously to him. St John the Baptist, intercede for us, that we may be ever able to preserve the primacy of God in our life. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 29 August 2012)

Read More
Student asks Supreme Court to overturn ruling blocking public aid for religious studies #Catholic Representatives for Liberty University student Bethany Hall have filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decades-old court decision that has been used to bar Catholic institutions from receiving state funds.The National Legal Foundation, Claybrook LLC, Troutman Pepper Locke, First Liberty Institute, and Alliance Defending Freedom filed the petition on Aug. 11. The filing follows a May 13 ruling by a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that rejected Hall’s attempt to sue Virginia officials for blocking her from using a ,000 Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant for a youth ministries degree, citing the 2004 Supreme Court decision Locke v. Davey.“It is odious to our Constitution for a state to fund a degree in music but refuse to fund a degree in music & worship,” Steven Fitschen of National Legal Foundation said in a press release announcing the petition. “The Free Exercise clause is meant to encourage and even prefer religion. But Virginia’s decision to deny funding based upon religious use is the type of hostility toward religion rejected by the First Amendment.”Diocese of Scranton reopens St. Pius X Seminary after over 20 yearsSt. Pius X Seminary in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has been reestablished 22 years after its closure in 2004 due to a declining number of vocations to the priesthood.Bishop Joseph Bambera presided over the seminary’s official opening on Aug. 23, welcoming four seminarians to the freshly renovated building that was formerly the Cathedral Convent building, according to a press release from the diocese.“As we re-establish the ministry of Saint Pius X Seminary, what an incredible gift this is,” Bambera said during his homily at the seminary’s first Mass, according to the release. Bambera had been a seminarian at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton 48 years ago.The release noted that the decision to reestablish the seminary came from Bambera’s wish “to make the first stage of priestly formation more closely connected to the Diocese of Scranton and the people the seminarians may one day serve.”“We are excited because it’s going to give these men, as they start seminary, an opportunity to get to know the Diocese better,” Father Alex Roche, diocesan secretary for clergy formation and rector of St. Pius X Seminary, said in the release. “It’s also going to give the people of the Diocese a chance to get to know our seminarians before they go elsewhere to continue their studies in theology.”Justice Barrett to speak at Benedictine College’s library dedicationSupreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett will deliver a speech at the upcoming dedication of Benedictine College’s Independence Hall-inspired library on Sept. 26.“This is an exciting milestone for Benedictine College,” Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis said in a press release on Aug. 25. “The library will not only demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, but it will also be a symbol of our love for this great country of ours.”“The college is pleased to have Justice Barrett as part of the dedication ceremony,” the press release said, noting that the dedication for the Moritz Library in D’Aniello Hall will be free and open to the public.Barrett earned her bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.Students revive 1982 robotic arm at Catholic University despite lost documentationA group of students from The Catholic University of America have brought to life a robotic space arm built in 1982 after documentation for the piece of technology has been lost for years.Originally developed by Engineering Dean Emeritus and Ordinary Professor Charles Cuong Nguyen, the arm had been part of a pioneering technological effort to build the International Space Station, according to the university’s press release on Aug. 12.The project to revive the arm, which is capable of a wide range of precise movements within a thousandth of an inch, was carried out by three students, including a high school Da Vinci Scholar, and was led by Nguyen. The students included Saliha Kavafogolu, an undergraduate intern from Yale University; Nathan Arega, a high school Da Vinci Scholar; and Ha (Jessica) Ngo-Tang, a biomedical engineering doctoral candidate.California parents ask Supreme Court to overturn ruling excluding them from state programThree California parents have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to exclude them from a state program over the religious materials they chose to home-school their children.“The Ninth Circuit declared the homes of these parents to be ‘public school programs’ in order to justify the state’s religious discrimination,” Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in an Aug. 20 press release. “Parents should not be punished for choosing quality religious curriculum meeting the state’s standard that they teach to their own children in their own home just because it’s religious.”The state of California’s tuition-free charter schools allow parents to home-school their children and have access to state funds to purchase curriculum. However, the press release notes, parents “can’t select a religious curriculum, even if they purchase it with their own funds, and their children’s work samples are rejected if they include religious wording or derive from materials created by religious publishers.”The petition states that “California’s policy singles out parents who wish to give their children a faith-based education and excludes them from homeschooling benefits and support extended to other California families.”
Read More

Student asks Supreme Court to overturn ruling blocking public aid for religious studies #Catholic Representatives for Liberty University student Bethany Hall have filed a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decades-old court decision that has been used to bar Catholic institutions from receiving state funds.The National Legal Foundation, Claybrook LLC, Troutman Pepper Locke, First Liberty Institute, and Alliance Defending Freedom filed the petition on Aug. 11. The filing follows a May 13 ruling by a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that rejected Hall’s attempt to sue Virginia officials for blocking her from using a $5,000 Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant for a youth ministries degree, citing the 2004 Supreme Court decision Locke v. Davey.“It is odious to our Constitution for a state to fund a degree in music but refuse to fund a degree in music & worship,” Steven Fitschen of National Legal Foundation said in a press release announcing the petition. “The Free Exercise clause is meant to encourage and even prefer religion. But Virginia’s decision to deny funding based upon religious use is the type of hostility toward religion rejected by the First Amendment.”Diocese of Scranton reopens St. Pius X Seminary after over 20 yearsSt. Pius X Seminary in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has been reestablished 22 years after its closure in 2004 due to a declining number of vocations to the priesthood.Bishop Joseph Bambera presided over the seminary’s official opening on Aug. 23, welcoming four seminarians to the freshly renovated building that was formerly the Cathedral Convent building, according to a press release from the diocese.“As we re-establish the ministry of Saint Pius X Seminary, what an incredible gift this is,” Bambera said during his homily at the seminary’s first Mass, according to the release. Bambera had been a seminarian at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton 48 years ago.The release noted that the decision to reestablish the seminary came from Bambera’s wish “to make the first stage of priestly formation more closely connected to the Diocese of Scranton and the people the seminarians may one day serve.”“We are excited because it’s going to give these men, as they start seminary, an opportunity to get to know the Diocese better,” Father Alex Roche, diocesan secretary for clergy formation and rector of St. Pius X Seminary, said in the release. “It’s also going to give the people of the Diocese a chance to get to know our seminarians before they go elsewhere to continue their studies in theology.”Justice Barrett to speak at Benedictine College’s library dedicationSupreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett will deliver a speech at the upcoming dedication of Benedictine College’s Independence Hall-inspired library on Sept. 26.“This is an exciting milestone for Benedictine College,” Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis said in a press release on Aug. 25. “The library will not only demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, but it will also be a symbol of our love for this great country of ours.”“The college is pleased to have Justice Barrett as part of the dedication ceremony,” the press release said, noting that the dedication for the Moritz Library in D’Aniello Hall will be free and open to the public.Barrett earned her bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College and her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.Students revive 1982 robotic arm at Catholic University despite lost documentationA group of students from The Catholic University of America have brought to life a robotic space arm built in 1982 after documentation for the piece of technology has been lost for years.Originally developed by Engineering Dean Emeritus and Ordinary Professor Charles Cuong Nguyen, the arm had been part of a pioneering technological effort to build the International Space Station, according to the university’s press release on Aug. 12.The project to revive the arm, which is capable of a wide range of precise movements within a thousandth of an inch, was carried out by three students, including a high school Da Vinci Scholar, and was led by Nguyen. The students included Saliha Kavafogolu, an undergraduate intern from Yale University; Nathan Arega, a high school Da Vinci Scholar; and Ha (Jessica) Ngo-Tang, a biomedical engineering doctoral candidate.California parents ask Supreme Court to overturn ruling excluding them from state programThree California parents have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to exclude them from a state program over the religious materials they chose to home-school their children.“The Ninth Circuit declared the homes of these parents to be ‘public school programs’ in order to justify the state’s religious discrimination,” Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in an Aug. 20 press release. “Parents should not be punished for choosing quality religious curriculum meeting the state’s standard that they teach to their own children in their own home just because it’s religious.”The state of California’s tuition-free charter schools allow parents to home-school their children and have access to state funds to purchase curriculum. However, the press release notes, parents “can’t select a religious curriculum, even if they purchase it with their own funds, and their children’s work samples are rejected if they include religious wording or derive from materials created by religious publishers.”The petition states that “California’s policy singles out parents who wish to give their children a faith-based education and excludes them from homeschooling benefits and support extended to other California families.”

unitedyam

A student challenges a 2004 Supreme Court decision, the Diocese of Scranton reopens its seminary, and Benedictine College names a speaker for its library dedication in this week’s education roundup.

Read More
Revival of Latin Mass spreads among Vietnamese Catholic youth #Catholic The Latin Mass and traditional Vietnamese prayers and catechetical texts written by missionaries prior to the Second Vatican Council are growing in popularity among young Vietnamese Catholics.“Few Catholic communities in Southeast Asia still possess such a rich heritage,” Joseph Christopher Nguyen Thien Tuan Hoang, the leader of a Latin Mass community in Vietnam, said in an Aug. 25 UCA News report.While there is no established parish dedicated to the Latin Mass according to the report, traditional communities are able to attend the liturgy when approval is granted and with the help of foreign visiting priests.“Our biggest challenge is not hostility, but misunderstanding,” Hoang said. “If more Church leaders understood why some young Catholics are drawn to the older liturgy, I believe more people would have the opportunity to experience this part of the Churchʼs tradition.”From Gaza to Taybeh, priests call for living Christian presence in Holy LandFather Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza City discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza during a video appearance at the Rimini Meeting, a signature event hosted by the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation.Romanelli described Gaza as a devastated territory where water, electricity, and basic necessities remain scarce. The priest said his decision to stay was rooted in pastoral duty: the parish could not abandon children, people with disabilities, or struggling families.ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 26 that Gaza’s Christian community now numbers 541 Catholics and Orthodox, and 60 members have died since the war began.Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, also spoke at the event, turning attention to the attacks facing the Christian town of Taybeh and called for concrete protection of fundamental rights. He also encouraged pilgrims to return, noting that their presence supports local Christians and strengthens their calling to care for the holy sites.10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines call for end to mining agreementBishops representing 10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines have issued a joint pastoral statement addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Environment Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna calling for an end to mining in the island of Sibuyan.The letter, titled “Let Sibuyan Live: A Joint Call to Initiate the Cancellation of APMC’s Mining Agreement,” urges political leaders to carry out a comprehensive review of a mining agreement with Altai Philippines Mining Corp (APMC) in Sibuyan to ensure compliance with environmental laws, according to an Aug. 24 report from Inquirer.net. The bishops expressed concern over the mining agreement’s threats to the island’s mountains, watersheds, rivers, coral reefs, and species unique to the island.Recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany makes first visitThe recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, completed his inaugural visit to the headquarters of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in Bonn this week, CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 28. During the meeting, van Megen presented his official assignment letter as nuncio to the DBK chairman signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. "It was the first visit of an apostolic nuncio to the Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference in more than 13 years,” the DBK noted in its announcement on social media. Van Megen has served as nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan and held various positions within United Nations institutions.UK member of Parliament calls for reforms before considering assisted suicideMember of Parliament Zubir Ahmed, a former health minister in the British Labour Party and National Health Service doctor, has backed calls from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a Catholic, to carry out health reforms before considering legislation on assisted suicide.“What kind of society are we building if, before we’ve fixed the systems designed to care for people, we introduce a system designed to help them die?” Ahmed asked in an Aug. 25 op-ed in The Guardian. “As a former health minister who has seen the system from the inside, I am able to say it is not ready or equipped to answer this question.” Ahmed’s remarks come after the prime minister said in July that debates on assisted suicide should be delayed until the country’s palliative and social care systems have been reformed.Syria’s Catholic schools seek to remain both strong and compassionateWith another school year approaching, Syria’s Christian schools are struggling to keep tuition affordable while covering salaries, taxes, electricity, books, and other rising expenses.Father Fadi Najjar, secretary-general of Catholic educational institutions in Syria, said no child should be forced out because a family cannot pay, ACI MENA reported Aug. 27. At the same time, he cautioned that schools cannot fulfill their educational mission if they are treated solely as charitable institutions. Najjar appealed to churches and aid organizations to support families in genuine need and help protect the future of Christian education in Syria.Catholic priest in Ghana suspended for ‘abandoning’ pastoral ministryGhana’s Diocese of Konongo-Mampong has imposed an indefinite canonical suspension on a priest of the diocese for taking a leave of absence and “abandoning his pastoral ministry” without legitimate permission.Bishop John Opoku-Agyemang announced the suspension of Father Samuel Adapore on Aug. 24, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported. The priest has been barred from administering any of the sacraments publicly, including the celebration of Mass, or officiating any other liturgical services. The bishop said he made the decision “with a heavy heart but a great sense of duty to Holy Mother Church” to suspend the priest, who he noted had left his parish without telling anyone where he was going, including immediate family members.Sierra Leonean priest cautions religious against shunning help for mental health strugglesThe president of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa has told members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life not to be ashamed of seeking psychological support, stressing that “mental-health struggles do not cancel their vocation,” ACI Africa reported Aug. 25.“Our priests and religious spend their lives caring for others. We must also care for them. They need trusted friends, safe spaces for honest conversation, regular medical and psychological support, sufficient rest, and communities that listen without judgment,” Father Peter Konteh said following the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of German’s Speyer Diocese over mental health struggles.Christian city of Qamishli, Syria, turns 100The city of Qamishli marked its centennial with a Christian community far smaller than the one that helped build the northeastern Syrian city.Founded in 1926 after Christians fled Ottoman-era massacres, the city once had a population that was nearly 90% Christian, ACI MENA reported Aug. 25. Father Samir Kanoun, priest of the church of St. Yacoub Al-Nusaibini in Qamishli, said decades of migration, intensified after the Syrian crisis began in 2011, have reduced that share to about 20%, leaving roughly 2,000 Christian families. Despite the decline, Qamishli retains a rich mix of Syriac, Armenian, Chaldean, Assyrian, and Protestant churches. Their cooperation grew stronger during the war through shared prayer, security coordination, and charitable work. Kanoun remains hopeful, pointing to the city’s active young Christians and the Church’s efforts to preserve their faith, heritage, and sense of belonging to Syria.
Read More

Revival of Latin Mass spreads among Vietnamese Catholic youth #Catholic The Latin Mass and traditional Vietnamese prayers and catechetical texts written by missionaries prior to the Second Vatican Council are growing in popularity among young Vietnamese Catholics.“Few Catholic communities in Southeast Asia still possess such a rich heritage,” Joseph Christopher Nguyen Thien Tuan Hoang, the leader of a Latin Mass community in Vietnam, said in an Aug. 25 UCA News report.While there is no established parish dedicated to the Latin Mass according to the report, traditional communities are able to attend the liturgy when approval is granted and with the help of foreign visiting priests.“Our biggest challenge is not hostility, but misunderstanding,” Hoang said. “If more Church leaders understood why some young Catholics are drawn to the older liturgy, I believe more people would have the opportunity to experience this part of the Churchʼs tradition.”From Gaza to Taybeh, priests call for living Christian presence in Holy LandFather Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish in Gaza City discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza during a video appearance at the Rimini Meeting, a signature event hosted by the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation.Romanelli described Gaza as a devastated territory where water, electricity, and basic necessities remain scarce. The priest said his decision to stay was rooted in pastoral duty: the parish could not abandon children, people with disabilities, or struggling families.ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 26 that Gaza’s Christian community now numbers 541 Catholics and Orthodox, and 60 members have died since the war began.Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, also spoke at the event, turning attention to the attacks facing the Christian town of Taybeh and called for concrete protection of fundamental rights. He also encouraged pilgrims to return, noting that their presence supports local Christians and strengthens their calling to care for the holy sites.10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines call for end to mining agreementBishops representing 10 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines have issued a joint pastoral statement addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Environment Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna calling for an end to mining in the island of Sibuyan.The letter, titled “Let Sibuyan Live: A Joint Call to Initiate the Cancellation of APMC’s Mining Agreement,” urges political leaders to carry out a comprehensive review of a mining agreement with Altai Philippines Mining Corp (APMC) in Sibuyan to ensure compliance with environmental laws, according to an Aug. 24 report from Inquirer.net. The bishops expressed concern over the mining agreement’s threats to the island’s mountains, watersheds, rivers, coral reefs, and species unique to the island.Recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany makes first visitThe recently appointed apostolic nuncio to Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, completed his inaugural visit to the headquarters of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) in Bonn this week, CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Aug. 28. During the meeting, van Megen presented his official assignment letter as nuncio to the DBK chairman signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. "It was the first visit of an apostolic nuncio to the Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference in more than 13 years,” the DBK noted in its announcement on social media. Van Megen has served as nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan and held various positions within United Nations institutions.UK member of Parliament calls for reforms before considering assisted suicideMember of Parliament Zubir Ahmed, a former health minister in the British Labour Party and National Health Service doctor, has backed calls from Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a Catholic, to carry out health reforms before considering legislation on assisted suicide.“What kind of society are we building if, before we’ve fixed the systems designed to care for people, we introduce a system designed to help them die?” Ahmed asked in an Aug. 25 op-ed in The Guardian. “As a former health minister who has seen the system from the inside, I am able to say it is not ready or equipped to answer this question.” Ahmed’s remarks come after the prime minister said in July that debates on assisted suicide should be delayed until the country’s palliative and social care systems have been reformed.Syria’s Catholic schools seek to remain both strong and compassionateWith another school year approaching, Syria’s Christian schools are struggling to keep tuition affordable while covering salaries, taxes, electricity, books, and other rising expenses.Father Fadi Najjar, secretary-general of Catholic educational institutions in Syria, said no child should be forced out because a family cannot pay, ACI MENA reported Aug. 27. At the same time, he cautioned that schools cannot fulfill their educational mission if they are treated solely as charitable institutions. Najjar appealed to churches and aid organizations to support families in genuine need and help protect the future of Christian education in Syria.Catholic priest in Ghana suspended for ‘abandoning’ pastoral ministryGhana’s Diocese of Konongo-Mampong has imposed an indefinite canonical suspension on a priest of the diocese for taking a leave of absence and “abandoning his pastoral ministry” without legitimate permission.Bishop John Opoku-Agyemang announced the suspension of Father Samuel Adapore on Aug. 24, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported. The priest has been barred from administering any of the sacraments publicly, including the celebration of Mass, or officiating any other liturgical services. The bishop said he made the decision “with a heavy heart but a great sense of duty to Holy Mother Church” to suspend the priest, who he noted had left his parish without telling anyone where he was going, including immediate family members.Sierra Leonean priest cautions religious against shunning help for mental health strugglesThe president of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa has told members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life not to be ashamed of seeking psychological support, stressing that “mental-health struggles do not cancel their vocation,” ACI Africa reported Aug. 25.“Our priests and religious spend their lives caring for others. We must also care for them. They need trusted friends, safe spaces for honest conversation, regular medical and psychological support, sufficient rest, and communities that listen without judgment,” Father Peter Konteh said following the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of German’s Speyer Diocese over mental health struggles.Christian city of Qamishli, Syria, turns 100The city of Qamishli marked its centennial with a Christian community far smaller than the one that helped build the northeastern Syrian city.Founded in 1926 after Christians fled Ottoman-era massacres, the city once had a population that was nearly 90% Christian, ACI MENA reported Aug. 25. Father Samir Kanoun, priest of the church of St. Yacoub Al-Nusaibini in Qamishli, said decades of migration, intensified after the Syrian crisis began in 2011, have reduced that share to about 20%, leaving roughly 2,000 Christian families. Despite the decline, Qamishli retains a rich mix of Syriac, Armenian, Chaldean, Assyrian, and Protestant churches. Their cooperation grew stronger during the war through shared prayer, security coordination, and charitable work. Kanoun remains hopeful, pointing to the city’s active young Christians and the Church’s efforts to preserve their faith, heritage, and sense of belonging to Syria.

unitedyam

Vietnamese youth drawn to the TLM, Holy Land priests highlight plight of Christian community, Philippine dioceses call for end of mining agreement, and more in this week’s world news roundup.

Read More
Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic – Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.  Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28).  Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Read More

Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic – Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.  Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28).  Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

unitedyam

Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic –

Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.)

Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are. 

Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28). 

Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.  Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took

Read More
Latin Patriarchate: Emergency relief alone will not secure a future for Holy Land Christians – #Catholic – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warned that the Christian presence in the Holy Land is going through one of the most critical moments in its 2,000-year history, calling for the transition from emergency response to investment in education, work, and special projects, giving families practical reasons to remain.In an article titled “Hope Demands Action” released on Aug. 21, the patriarchate said restrictions on movement, the cancellation of work permits, and the paralysis of the tourism sector have exacerbated the conditions of Christian families in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the villages scattered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and affected their ability to work and secure their needs.The Catholic diocese — whose territory includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine and is supported by six vicariates — highlighted that the unemployment rate in Christian communities in the Holy Land is 54%, which is about double the national average.The patriarchate also pointed out that artisans, hotel workers, shopkeepers, tour guides, drivers, and restaurant owners rely heavily on pilgrims and visitors, which have significantly declined over the years, threatening livelihoods.The patriarchate said the repercussions of the crisis extend to the younger generations, as limited job opportunities after university or vocational training may push young people to migrate, raising concerns for a generation that believes its future may be outside the land of its ancestors.Gaza at the heart of the crisisAccording to the patriarchate, only 541 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip, while others have been forced to flee and still others were killed in the war or lost their lives amid the collapse of medical care and lack of basic supplies. The patriarchate said the possibility that no more Christians will be left in the Holy Land does not represent just a demographic change but a “crisis in history, identity, and faith,” stressing that a living Christian presence should remain in a land where Christianity originated.The article called for international Christian solidarity to go beyond responding to emergency needs, including education, vocational training, special projects, and support for community institutions, allowing families to build a decent and sustainable life in their homeland.In this context, the article referred to a back-to-school initiative to cover basic educational expenses for children and families most in need, stressing that keeping schools open — and reopening them where possible — represents a message that destruction will not have the final say.The patriarchate stressed that the Christians of the Holy Land do not want to be a part of the past but desire the opportunity to live, work, raise their children, and exercise their faith in dignity in the land where Christianity began.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Read More

Latin Patriarchate: Emergency relief alone will not secure a future for Holy Land Christians – #Catholic – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warned that the Christian presence in the Holy Land is going through one of the most critical moments in its 2,000-year history, calling for the transition from emergency response to investment in education, work, and special projects, giving families practical reasons to remain.In an article titled “Hope Demands Action” released on Aug. 21, the patriarchate said restrictions on movement, the cancellation of work permits, and the paralysis of the tourism sector have exacerbated the conditions of Christian families in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the villages scattered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and affected their ability to work and secure their needs.The Catholic diocese — whose territory includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine and is supported by six vicariates — highlighted that the unemployment rate in Christian communities in the Holy Land is 54%, which is about double the national average.The patriarchate also pointed out that artisans, hotel workers, shopkeepers, tour guides, drivers, and restaurant owners rely heavily on pilgrims and visitors, which have significantly declined over the years, threatening livelihoods.The patriarchate said the repercussions of the crisis extend to the younger generations, as limited job opportunities after university or vocational training may push young people to migrate, raising concerns for a generation that believes its future may be outside the land of its ancestors.Gaza at the heart of the crisisAccording to the patriarchate, only 541 Christians remain in the Gaza Strip, while others have been forced to flee and still others were killed in the war or lost their lives amid the collapse of medical care and lack of basic supplies. The patriarchate said the possibility that no more Christians will be left in the Holy Land does not represent just a demographic change but a “crisis in history, identity, and faith,” stressing that a living Christian presence should remain in a land where Christianity originated.The article called for international Christian solidarity to go beyond responding to emergency needs, including education, vocational training, special projects, and support for community institutions, allowing families to build a decent and sustainable life in their homeland.In this context, the article referred to a back-to-school initiative to cover basic educational expenses for children and families most in need, stressing that keeping schools open — and reopening them where possible — represents a message that destruction will not have the final say.The patriarchate stressed that the Christians of the Holy Land do not want to be a part of the past but desire the opportunity to live, work, raise their children, and exercise their faith in dignity in the land where Christianity began.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has called for and investment in education, work, and special projects so Christian families can remain in the Holy Land.

Read More

The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still

unitedyam

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 27: A deep partial lunar eclipse Asteroid 9 Metis reaches opposition at 10 A.M. EDT. It is in the constellation Aquarius and rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. However, with the bright, nearly Full Moon still nearby this evening, theContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still”

The post The Sky Today on Friday, August 28: Vesta stands still appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Read More
Bishop prays for Norway’s King Harald V, hails ‘stable pillar’ #Catholic King Harald V of Norway, Europeʼs oldest reigning monarch, died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital. He was 89.A Requiem Mass for King Harald will be celebrated at St. Olavʼs Cathedral in Trondheim on Aug. 29 at noon, and Lauds and Vespers will also be offered for the late monarch.EWTN Norway is streaming the services on its website and YouTube channel.Within hours of the kingʼs death, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim published a tribute on behalf of Norwegian Catholics. He commended Harald to Godʼs mercy and offered prayers for Queen Sonja, the royal family, and the new King Haakon VIII.Varden, a Trappist monk who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø and president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, opened his reflection with the ninth-century Commendatio Animae — the Churchʼs prayer for the dying.“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who suffered for you; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you,” the prayer begins.Varden wrote that the prayer reminds the faithful that death is a transition “from life to Life.”Prayers for the new kingVarden described Harald as a monarch who embodied the nation in an exemplary way, giving Norwegians a sense of being seen and cared for.“He was so completely and utterly king, devoted to the people, that it was as if no ego stood in the way,” the bishop wrote. “In this way, he drew near to us in a comforting way.”Harald “has spoken wisely to us, with a subtle sense of humor that we will miss,” Varden added.The bishop placed the kingʼs passing in the context of the ancient acclamation “The King is dead; long live the King,” and wrote that the monarchy stands as “a stable pillar in society” that represents continuity.“In a time as uncertain as ours, that is a comfort,” he wrote.Varden called on Norwegian Catholics to pray for King Haakon VIII. He asked the faithful for “blessings and wisdom,” and called on Catholics to stand loyally by the new sovereign..Closing his tribute, the bishop invoked the intercession of St. Olav, Norwayʼs patron saint.King Haraldʼs reignHarald V was born on Feb. 21, 1937, and ascended the throne on Jan. 17, 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 35 years.A three-time Olympic yachtsman, Harald modernized the Norwegian royal house. Later in his life, he refused to abdicate, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.He had experienced multiple health problems in recent years.Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, 89, his wife of 57 years, and their two children: Princess Märtha Louise, 54, and the new King Haakon VIII, 53. His granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now next in line to the throne.This report draws on coverage by EWTN Norway and reporting by Pål Johannes Nes.
Read More

Bishop prays for Norway’s King Harald V, hails ‘stable pillar’ #Catholic King Harald V of Norway, Europeʼs oldest reigning monarch, died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital. He was 89.A Requiem Mass for King Harald will be celebrated at St. Olavʼs Cathedral in Trondheim on Aug. 29 at noon, and Lauds and Vespers will also be offered for the late monarch.EWTN Norway is streaming the services on its website and YouTube channel.Within hours of the kingʼs death, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim published a tribute on behalf of Norwegian Catholics. He commended Harald to Godʼs mercy and offered prayers for Queen Sonja, the royal family, and the new King Haakon VIII.Varden, a Trappist monk who also serves as apostolic administrator of Tromsø and president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, opened his reflection with the ninth-century Commendatio Animae — the Churchʼs prayer for the dying.“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the Almighty Father, who created you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, who suffered for you; and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you,” the prayer begins.Varden wrote that the prayer reminds the faithful that death is a transition “from life to Life.”Prayers for the new kingVarden described Harald as a monarch who embodied the nation in an exemplary way, giving Norwegians a sense of being seen and cared for.“He was so completely and utterly king, devoted to the people, that it was as if no ego stood in the way,” the bishop wrote. “In this way, he drew near to us in a comforting way.”Harald “has spoken wisely to us, with a subtle sense of humor that we will miss,” Varden added.The bishop placed the kingʼs passing in the context of the ancient acclamation “The King is dead; long live the King,” and wrote that the monarchy stands as “a stable pillar in society” that represents continuity.“In a time as uncertain as ours, that is a comfort,” he wrote.Varden called on Norwegian Catholics to pray for King Haakon VIII. He asked the faithful for “blessings and wisdom,” and called on Catholics to stand loyally by the new sovereign..Closing his tribute, the bishop invoked the intercession of St. Olav, Norwayʼs patron saint.King Haraldʼs reignHarald V was born on Feb. 21, 1937, and ascended the throne on Jan. 17, 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 35 years.A three-time Olympic yachtsman, Harald modernized the Norwegian royal house. Later in his life, he refused to abdicate, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.He had experienced multiple health problems in recent years.Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, 89, his wife of 57 years, and their two children: Princess Märtha Louise, 54, and the new King Haakon VIII, 53. His granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now next in line to the throne.This report draws on coverage by EWTN Norway and reporting by Pål Johannes Nes.

unitedyam

Bishop Erik Varden invoked a ninth-century prayer for the dying as he commended King Harald V to God’s mercy on behalf of Norwegian Catholics.

Read More
UPDATE: Nepal, China warn of second flood as Church launches relief efforts #Catholic Authorities are warning of a second flood after Wednesday’s devastating deluge on the Nepal-China border, which left more than 1,500 people missing, many presumed dead.Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a lake at the flood site was rising and at risk of bursting, raising the prospect of another deadly disaster.China’s Minister of Water Resources said the lake had formed inside Nepal and was already overflowing. A further 3 million cubic meters could flow in over three days, the ministry said, raising the risk of a breach during that window to a high level. Rain is forecast across the coming days.Catholic relief agencies immediately responded to the unfolding disaster, linking their efforts to the urgent needs created by the floods. Caritas Nepal said it had mobilized teams and begun operating community kitchens in areas where people lost their homes, while also distributing immediate relief supplies. Some Catholics who had been working in tourist areas remain unaccounted for, the agency said.Catholic Relief Services launched an emergency appeal, saying it was coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and support affected communities.Caritas Australia launched an urgent flood appeal, confirming teams are on the ground assessing the scale of the disaster and the needs it has created.The needs will most likely include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, food, and immediate and long-term recovery, the aid agency noted.The apostolic administrator of Nepal told Fides news agency on Thursday this was “the worst disaster in the country’s history.”“It was terrible. A flood coming from the mountains, and directed violently towards the valley, overwhelmed everything: people, homes, bridges, structures. Villages, markets, and roads were swept away. It is a serious wound for the nation,” Father Silas Krishna Bogati said.“We have about 25 Catholic families in the disaster area; they appear to be safe, but we are very worried about them,” he said. “We entrust them to God, we pray for their safety, and we will do everything we can to help them.”Bogati noted that Nepalese, as well as foreigners and tourists, were in the area at the time of the disaster.At least 392 people have been killed, 389 of them in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to Nepali authorities and Chinese state media. More than 900 remain unaccounted for in Nepal and more than 550 in Tibet; 466 people have been rescued.Pope Leo sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims on Thursday, expressing solidarity with those affected by the floods. In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of Leo, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was “saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation” caused by the floods.“Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy,” the telegram said.This story was updated on Aug. 28, 2026, with details from Caritas Nepal and Catholic Relief Services.
Read More

UPDATE: Nepal, China warn of second flood as Church launches relief efforts #Catholic Authorities are warning of a second flood after Wednesday’s devastating deluge on the Nepal-China border, which left more than 1,500 people missing, many presumed dead.Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said a lake at the flood site was rising and at risk of bursting, raising the prospect of another deadly disaster.China’s Minister of Water Resources said the lake had formed inside Nepal and was already overflowing. A further 3 million cubic meters could flow in over three days, the ministry said, raising the risk of a breach during that window to a high level. Rain is forecast across the coming days.Catholic relief agencies immediately responded to the unfolding disaster, linking their efforts to the urgent needs created by the floods. Caritas Nepal said it had mobilized teams and begun operating community kitchens in areas where people lost their homes, while also distributing immediate relief supplies. Some Catholics who had been working in tourist areas remain unaccounted for, the agency said.Catholic Relief Services launched an emergency appeal, saying it was coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and support affected communities.Caritas Australia launched an urgent flood appeal, confirming teams are on the ground assessing the scale of the disaster and the needs it has created.The needs will most likely include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation, food, and immediate and long-term recovery, the aid agency noted.The apostolic administrator of Nepal told Fides news agency on Thursday this was “the worst disaster in the country’s history.”“It was terrible. A flood coming from the mountains, and directed violently towards the valley, overwhelmed everything: people, homes, bridges, structures. Villages, markets, and roads were swept away. It is a serious wound for the nation,” Father Silas Krishna Bogati said.“We have about 25 Catholic families in the disaster area; they appear to be safe, but we are very worried about them,” he said. “We entrust them to God, we pray for their safety, and we will do everything we can to help them.”Bogati noted that Nepalese, as well as foreigners and tourists, were in the area at the time of the disaster.At least 392 people have been killed, 389 of them in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to Nepali authorities and Chinese state media. More than 900 remain unaccounted for in Nepal and more than 550 in Tibet; 466 people have been rescued.Pope Leo sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims on Thursday, expressing solidarity with those affected by the floods. In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of Leo, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was “saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation” caused by the floods.“Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy,” the telegram said.This story was updated on Aug. 28, 2026, with details from Caritas Nepal and Catholic Relief Services.

unitedyam

Caritas Nepal has begun distributing relief and operating community kitchens as authorities warn of a second flood following the deadliest natural disaster in Nepal’s recorded history.

Read More

Gospel and Word of the Day – 28 August 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 1:17-25 Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside. Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus told his disciples this parable: ?The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.  Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ?Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!?  Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ?Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.?  But the wise ones replied, ?No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.?  While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.  Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ?Lord, Lord, open the door for us!?  But he said in reply, ?Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.?  Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.?Today?s Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of ten maidens invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this ?oil?, the indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet? St Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves within one and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 6 November 2011)

unitedyam

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.
Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
?The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
?Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!? 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 
The foolish ones said to the wise,
?Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.? 
But the wise ones replied,
?No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.? 
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
?Lord, Lord, open the door for us!? 
But he said in reply,
?Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.? 
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.?

Today?s Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of ten maidens invited to a wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt 25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this ?oil?, the indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet?

St Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves within one and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible. When we are reawoken for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 6 November 2011)

Read More
AI at Catholic colleges: Institutions map policies guided by Magnifica Humanitas – #Catholic – Newman Guide institutions are shaping their classroom approach to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence through Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, emphasizing human dignity and guarding against the technology’s potential to weaken authentic learning.Five Catholic colleges and universities told EWTN News they are crafting classroom AI policies in light of the pope’s encyclical, as the University of Chicago moves — as first reported by the student newspaper The Chicago Maroon — to make social sciences classes fully analog this fall.Belmont Abbey College“The Chicago response in their core classes resonates strongly with where our thoughts are going, although theyʼre a bit ahead of us in formulating a general policy,” David Williams, dean of arts and sciences and professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, told EWTN News.“Discussions on the pedagogical response to AI have been ongoing for some time now, with new impetus as we absorb Pope Leoʼs encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas,” Williams said. “There’s a significant contingent among the faculty who prefer the all-analog approach, at least in our core curriculum classes, and are teaching accordingly as a matter of individual choice.”According to Williams, a faculty-led committee is expected to deliver a report to the university’s president and provost by the end of the fall 2026 semester.“I wouldnʼt be surprised at all to see a recommendation similar to Chicagoʼs for all our core curriculum courses; the core here is a substantial part of the overall degree program, so that would be more than 40% of a graduateʼs coursework,” he said.Ave Maria UniversityDaniel Davy, dean of faculty and associate professor of history at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, told EWTN News that Pope Leo’s “concern for preserving genuine human formation, rather than outsourcing it to a machine, is at the heart of AMUʼs approach to teaching and learning” but noted that the university does not have plans to institute a university-wide AI ban.“AMU approaches AI with what Pope Leo XIV calls in the encyclical a spirit of ‘prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace’ (par. 106), rather than either uncritical adoption or blanket prohibition,” Davy said in an email.“AMU does not have a university-wide AI ban comparable to the University of Chicagoʼs Social Sciences Core policy; academic policy here is set at the course and department level, since pedagogical needs vary by discipline,” he continued, noting that the university’s academic honor code bans use of generative AI in any part of the writing process and in all freshmen- and sophomore-level courses.“We are far less concerned with whether a student turns in a perfectly polished paper than with how the student grows through the act of trying to communicate an idea,” Davy said. “This is where generative AI poses its deepest danger, because it offloads the process of thinking onto a machine that cannot, in fact, think. Outsourcing that struggle diminishes a studentʼs own capacity to encounter truth more deeply in each discipline, and through that truth, ultimately, Christ, to whom every field of knowledge points.”University of Mary“Here at Mary, one of our charisms is Friendship with Truth,” David Echelbarger, vice president for academic affairs at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, told EWTN News in an email. “Because we are made in the image of a Triune God who is himself a communion of Persons,” he said, “we are not made to arrive at the truth alone. We come to it through dialogue and conversation with other people.” “One concern with AI, then, is that it turns learning into an isolated, impersonal endeavor,” he said. “To counter that, many of our professors are incorporating into their courses activities that require hard and rigorous thinking together.”Additionally, he said, all faculty members have been asked to place an AI policy on each of their assignments, clarifying the degree to which the technology is permitted for each individual assignment, “which is meant to help students understand when the use of AI is a hindrance to their intellectual formation and when it is a helpful learning tool.”Benedictine CollegeMariele Courtois, assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, told EWTN News that the college’s “Academic Misconduct” statement was recently updated “to clearly state that AI cannot be used ‘in place of a student’s own effort,’ in order to respect the learning process and the special connection between students and their academic work, which should reveal the students’ own personalities and convictions.”“While some classes, especially in the STEM fields, may utilize or learn about AI — including its function, risks, dangers, and potential promises — many professors choose to make their classes AI-free both in the lecture hall and for homework, especially in Theology and the humanities,” Courtois said in an email. “Benedictine College respects the prudential judgment of professors to make the pedagogical choices that are best suited to their particular class goals and the aims of their respective disciplines.”Courtois noted the college’s Center for Technology and Human Dignity was recently founded “to help guide discussions about rising biomedical and digital technologies in light of Catholic moral teaching.”In addition, she said, the theme of the college’s annual Symposium on Transforming Culture on Sept. 4–5 will be “The Church in an Algorithmic Age” and “will bring together intellectuals and students from many fields and business sectors to discuss the ethical questions and social implications for transformative technologies such as AI.”University of St. Thomas“With Pope Leo XIV, UST is alive both to the ways in which AI can serve the human and the ways in which the human can be made to serve the work of His hands,” Thomas Harmon, professor of theology and director of the University of St. Thomas’ honors program special projects, told EWTN News in an email.Harmon said the university, located in Houston, does not have a blanket ban on artificial intelligence but noted that many core courses prohibit screens and emphasize developing students’ own skills rather than relying on AI. “We regard AI as an important and potentially very useful technology that needs to be utilized in ways that serve rather than replace human excellence, which requires training, formation, practice, and guidance by faculty mentors who themselves have already cultivated the habits we want our students to develop,” he said.“Since it is so new, the ways in which it can be responsibly integrated into an excellent liberal education are not all clear yet, but we are confident that we will be able to integrate this new technology analogously to the ways in which we have integrated other useful technologies like books, pencils, white boards, and computers,” Harmon said.
Read More

AI at Catholic colleges: Institutions map policies guided by Magnifica Humanitas – #Catholic – Newman Guide institutions are shaping their classroom approach to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence through Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, emphasizing human dignity and guarding against the technology’s potential to weaken authentic learning.Five Catholic colleges and universities told EWTN News they are crafting classroom AI policies in light of the pope’s encyclical, as the University of Chicago moves — as first reported by the student newspaper The Chicago Maroon — to make social sciences classes fully analog this fall.Belmont Abbey College“The Chicago response in their core classes resonates strongly with where our thoughts are going, although theyʼre a bit ahead of us in formulating a general policy,” David Williams, dean of arts and sciences and professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, told EWTN News.“Discussions on the pedagogical response to AI have been ongoing for some time now, with new impetus as we absorb Pope Leoʼs encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas,” Williams said. “There’s a significant contingent among the faculty who prefer the all-analog approach, at least in our core curriculum classes, and are teaching accordingly as a matter of individual choice.”According to Williams, a faculty-led committee is expected to deliver a report to the university’s president and provost by the end of the fall 2026 semester.“I wouldnʼt be surprised at all to see a recommendation similar to Chicagoʼs for all our core curriculum courses; the core here is a substantial part of the overall degree program, so that would be more than 40% of a graduateʼs coursework,” he said.Ave Maria UniversityDaniel Davy, dean of faculty and associate professor of history at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, told EWTN News that Pope Leo’s “concern for preserving genuine human formation, rather than outsourcing it to a machine, is at the heart of AMUʼs approach to teaching and learning” but noted that the university does not have plans to institute a university-wide AI ban.“AMU approaches AI with what Pope Leo XIV calls in the encyclical a spirit of ‘prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace’ (par. 106), rather than either uncritical adoption or blanket prohibition,” Davy said in an email.“AMU does not have a university-wide AI ban comparable to the University of Chicagoʼs Social Sciences Core policy; academic policy here is set at the course and department level, since pedagogical needs vary by discipline,” he continued, noting that the university’s academic honor code bans use of generative AI in any part of the writing process and in all freshmen- and sophomore-level courses.“We are far less concerned with whether a student turns in a perfectly polished paper than with how the student grows through the act of trying to communicate an idea,” Davy said. “This is where generative AI poses its deepest danger, because it offloads the process of thinking onto a machine that cannot, in fact, think. Outsourcing that struggle diminishes a studentʼs own capacity to encounter truth more deeply in each discipline, and through that truth, ultimately, Christ, to whom every field of knowledge points.”University of Mary“Here at Mary, one of our charisms is Friendship with Truth,” David Echelbarger, vice president for academic affairs at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, told EWTN News in an email. “Because we are made in the image of a Triune God who is himself a communion of Persons,” he said, “we are not made to arrive at the truth alone. We come to it through dialogue and conversation with other people.” “One concern with AI, then, is that it turns learning into an isolated, impersonal endeavor,” he said. “To counter that, many of our professors are incorporating into their courses activities that require hard and rigorous thinking together.”Additionally, he said, all faculty members have been asked to place an AI policy on each of their assignments, clarifying the degree to which the technology is permitted for each individual assignment, “which is meant to help students understand when the use of AI is a hindrance to their intellectual formation and when it is a helpful learning tool.”Benedictine CollegeMariele Courtois, assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, told EWTN News that the college’s “Academic Misconduct” statement was recently updated “to clearly state that AI cannot be used ‘in place of a student’s own effort,’ in order to respect the learning process and the special connection between students and their academic work, which should reveal the students’ own personalities and convictions.”“While some classes, especially in the STEM fields, may utilize or learn about AI — including its function, risks, dangers, and potential promises — many professors choose to make their classes AI-free both in the lecture hall and for homework, especially in Theology and the humanities,” Courtois said in an email. “Benedictine College respects the prudential judgment of professors to make the pedagogical choices that are best suited to their particular class goals and the aims of their respective disciplines.”Courtois noted the college’s Center for Technology and Human Dignity was recently founded “to help guide discussions about rising biomedical and digital technologies in light of Catholic moral teaching.”In addition, she said, the theme of the college’s annual Symposium on Transforming Culture on Sept. 4–5 will be “The Church in an Algorithmic Age” and “will bring together intellectuals and students from many fields and business sectors to discuss the ethical questions and social implications for transformative technologies such as AI.”University of St. Thomas“With Pope Leo XIV, UST is alive both to the ways in which AI can serve the human and the ways in which the human can be made to serve the work of His hands,” Thomas Harmon, professor of theology and director of the University of St. Thomas’ honors program special projects, told EWTN News in an email.Harmon said the university, located in Houston, does not have a blanket ban on artificial intelligence but noted that many core courses prohibit screens and emphasize developing students’ own skills rather than relying on AI. “We regard AI as an important and potentially very useful technology that needs to be utilized in ways that serve rather than replace human excellence, which requires training, formation, practice, and guidance by faculty mentors who themselves have already cultivated the habits we want our students to develop,” he said.“Since it is so new, the ways in which it can be responsibly integrated into an excellent liberal education are not all clear yet, but we are confident that we will be able to integrate this new technology analogously to the ways in which we have integrated other useful technologies like books, pencils, white boards, and computers,” Harmon said.

unitedyam

Will Catholic colleges follow the University of Chicago as it shifts its social sciences classes to fully analog instruction this fall? At least one says it may.

Read More
New FDA nominee has a ‘pro-life heart,’ top advocate for life says – #Catholic – Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of a major pro-life advocacy group, said President Donald Trump’s new nominee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Heidi Overton, is “the right person for the job.”“Iʼm very impressed with her credentials and her pro-life heart,” Dannenfelser said in an Aug. 26 interview with “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” anchor Abigail Galván. “She, behind the scenes, was working very hard to make sure that the FDA was moving in the right direction on a new study to base further action on.”The position became vacant after Dr. Marty Makary was fired and is currently filled by acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas, whom Dannenfelser also described as “a very strong pro-life person.”“We’ve been extremely disappointed from the beginning of the administration with the direction of the FDA and the inaction from the Department of Justice, or the undermining of the pro-life priorities at the Department of Justice,” Dannenfelser said. “What I think is that her naming is an indication of the right direction that … this administration is now taking.”Confirmation hearings will begin as soon as the Senate is back in session. Dannenfelser said she anticipates the hearings “will probably go pretty well.”“Now, it doesnʼt mean that the hard questions shouldnʼt be asked,” she said. “They must be asked, and one of those questions would be the direction of the study: How long it will take? What do you see about preliminary findings come out that the court has ordered to be communicated in early October? And do you support the Department of Justice doing what it can to settle this case and get the drugs immediately out of the mail?”“Because there is a challenge from the state of Louisiana, representing many states, that are saying what we all know: They have basically nullified those state laws,” she continued. “Theyʼve put a burden on states to help women that should never have been in a horrible situation. So while itʼs a question about the Department of Justice, one should not claim that the FDA is the only entity that can do something about fixing this horrific problem that is occurring for children and women in this nation.”Dannenfelser called for a return to the first Trump administration policy on abortion drugs.“Weʼve been battling for quite some time from the beginning of this administration to get these drugs out of the mail, and all weʼre hoping for, and what all any sane voter wants to see, is that on the at least on the Republican side, that we return to the first Trump administration policy on the distribution of these drugs, that only in a Biden administration that put on an emergency cloak around the distribution around the COVID moment,” she said.“Itʼs time to restore the first Trump administration rules — no reason why we shouldnʼt,” she said. “The DOJ can act now and should.”
Read More

New FDA nominee has a ‘pro-life heart,’ top advocate for life says – #Catholic – Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of a major pro-life advocacy group, said President Donald Trump’s new nominee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Heidi Overton, is “the right person for the job.”“Iʼm very impressed with her credentials and her pro-life heart,” Dannenfelser said in an Aug. 26 interview with “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” anchor Abigail Galván. “She, behind the scenes, was working very hard to make sure that the FDA was moving in the right direction on a new study to base further action on.”The position became vacant after Dr. Marty Makary was fired and is currently filled by acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas, whom Dannenfelser also described as “a very strong pro-life person.”“We’ve been extremely disappointed from the beginning of the administration with the direction of the FDA and the inaction from the Department of Justice, or the undermining of the pro-life priorities at the Department of Justice,” Dannenfelser said. “What I think is that her naming is an indication of the right direction that … this administration is now taking.”Confirmation hearings will begin as soon as the Senate is back in session. Dannenfelser said she anticipates the hearings “will probably go pretty well.”“Now, it doesnʼt mean that the hard questions shouldnʼt be asked,” she said. “They must be asked, and one of those questions would be the direction of the study: How long it will take? What do you see about preliminary findings come out that the court has ordered to be communicated in early October? And do you support the Department of Justice doing what it can to settle this case and get the drugs immediately out of the mail?”“Because there is a challenge from the state of Louisiana, representing many states, that are saying what we all know: They have basically nullified those state laws,” she continued. “Theyʼve put a burden on states to help women that should never have been in a horrible situation. So while itʼs a question about the Department of Justice, one should not claim that the FDA is the only entity that can do something about fixing this horrific problem that is occurring for children and women in this nation.”Dannenfelser called for a return to the first Trump administration policy on abortion drugs.“Weʼve been battling for quite some time from the beginning of this administration to get these drugs out of the mail, and all weʼre hoping for, and what all any sane voter wants to see, is that on the at least on the Republican side, that we return to the first Trump administration policy on the distribution of these drugs, that only in a Biden administration that put on an emergency cloak around the distribution around the COVID moment,” she said.“Itʼs time to restore the first Trump administration rules — no reason why we shouldnʼt,” she said. “The DOJ can act now and should.”

unitedyam

Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, explains her support for Dr. Heidi Overton and previews the nominee’s confirmation battle on Capitol Hill.

Read More
Padres afectados por el tiroteo de 2025 en la escuela Annunciation se reúnen para orar y reflexionar antes del nuevo año escolar #Catholic – EDINA, Minnesota — La iglesia católica Nuestra Señora de la Gracia se llenó hasta los topes durante la Misa del 19 de agosto, previa a “Una velada con los padres de la Anunciación: fe, esperanza y resiliencia”, un evento celebrado ocho días antes del primer aniversario del tiroteo mortal ocurrido en la cercana Annunciation Catholic School en Minneapolis. Tras la Misa vespertina de la parroquia, presidida por el arzobispo Bernard A. Hebda de St. Paul-Minneapolis, la reunión en el salón parroquial contó con una mesa redonda en la que participaron tres padres de alumnos de Annunciation y un recién graduado de esta escuela, que abarca desde preescolar hasta octavo grado. Relataron sus experiencias y lo que vivieron tras el tiroteo ocurrido en Annunciation Catholic Church (Iglesia Católica de la Anunciación) durante una Misa para toda la escuela el 27 de agosto de 2025, en el que murieron dos alumnos: Harper Moyski, de 10 años, y Fletcher Merkel, de 8. Los ponentes adultos fueron Laura Eiden, maestra de kindergarten de la escuela, y los padres de familia Tara Keegan y Dan Brady. Annunciation Light Alliance –un grupo de defensa liderado por padres– ayudó a organizar el evento. El padre Kevin Finnegan, párroco de Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, ayudó a moderar el debate y concelebró la Misa. El padre Dennis Zehren, párroco de Annunciation, fue uno de los concelebrantes. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. En su homilía, el arzobispo Hebda animó a todos a confiar en que Dios “nos trata como ese buen pastor”, un pastor con un gran amor por sus ovejas, “que se asegura de que no nos falte nada en esos verdes pastos a los que nos conduce”. “Ahora bien, hermanos y hermanas, hay momentos en los que los pastos no parecen tan verdes y, sin duda, para muchas familias de nuestra arquidiócesis ha sido difícil ver el verdor de los pastos desde el pasado 27 de agosto”, afirmó el arzobispo Hebda. “Y, sin embargo, también vemos bendiciones”, continuó. “Vemos esos indicios de la bondad de Dios, de su generosidad y de su corazón, y confiamos en que seguirá guiándonos hacia una visión más profunda de cómo es generoso con nosotros y de cómo nos ama con corazón de pastor”. Con el padre Finnegan como moderador, los cuatro ponentes compartieron su experiencia durante ese 27 de agosto. Algunos se encontraban en la iglesia durante el tiroteo, y otros se dirigían hacia allí tras enterarse de la noticia. Todos los ponentes compartieron su profundo dolor. Brady afirmó que encuentra esperanza en momentos como el evento celebrado en Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, donde “la gente sigue reuniéndose para escuchar estas historias, dar testimonio de ellas y actuar” con “la intención de hacerlo mejor”. Como profesora, Eiden comentó: “La gente me pregunta constantemente cómo estamos, cómo están los niños, cómo están los profesores”. “La realidad es que solo puedo responder a esa pregunta por mí misma”, explicó. “Dado que este camino hacia la sanación es increíblemente personal, ninguno tiene la misma experiencia de ese día, el camino (hacia la sanación) tampoco es el mismo. Lo que he podido ver por mí misma es que mi comunidad de Annunciation, mis niños y mis estudiantes me impulsan a seguir adelante. Me necesitan y yo los necesito”. Afirmo que los alumnos de Annunciation son una fuente de esperanza para ella. “¿Lo están pasando mal? Sí, la verdad es que sí. Y, sin embargo, se levantan cada día después de haber vivido lo que han vivido”, dijo. “Brillan, y siguen siendo la razón por la que estamos aquí y contamos estas historias”. Keegan habló de su lucha contra la ira y dijo que “cada vez que siento esa ira, me recuerdo a mí misma que lo que ocurrió no formaba parte del plan de Dios”. “Él no se quedó de brazos cruzados permitiendo que esto sucediera. Esto ocurrió a causa del mal, y por eso, cuando siento esa ira, cuando cualquiera de nosotros siente ira, depende de nosotros elegir qué vamos a hacer con esa ira”, afirmó. “El diablo, el mal, las tinieblas no desean otra cosa que no sea que nos enfademos con Dios”, continuó. “No desean otra cosa que no sea que le demos la espalda a Dios y que no volvamos a pisar una iglesia jamás. Depende de nosotros canalizar esa ira para hacer el bien. Tomar lo que el enemigo pretendía para el mal y convertirlo en algo bueno”. Poco a poco, contó Keegan, empezó a pasar más tiempo en la capilla de adoración eucarística. Rezaba un rosario todos los días y encontraba consuelo en la oración y en la presencia de Dios en la Misa y en la comunidad. “Es difícil, y cada día es diferente”, dijo Brady. “Creo que hay que ir paso a paso. A veces das pasos atrás. Pero esa es la realidad de lo que estamos intentando hacer aquí”. “Creo que una parte importante de ello es esta comunidad”, añadió Keegan. “No solo la de la Anunciación, sino más allá. La comunidad ha sido un gran apoyo para nosotros. Honestamente, sin ellos, no sé donde estaríamos. Cada día estoy agradecida por Annunciation”. El padre Finnegan dijo que estaba agradecido por la valentía y la sinceridad con las que los invitados habían compartido sus sentimientos. “Es un poderoso recordatorio de que todos llevamos el duelo, el sufrimiento y el dolor de manera diferente”, afirmó el padre Finnegan. “Pero también podemos aprender y crecer a partir de ello”. Joe Eiden, padre de un alumno de Annunciation, feligrés y esposo de Laura Eiden, habló en nombre de Annunciation Light Alliance (ALA). Afirmó que el grupo sigue recurriendo al personal y a los dirigentes de Annunciation en busca de orientación sobre “cómo encontrar la fuerza para avanzar hacia un futuro más seguro para todos ustedes”. En los últimos meses, la ALA ha establecido relaciones con legisladores de todo el espectro político, señaló. “Creemos que proteger a los niños de la violencia armada no es una cuestión política, sino una cuestión de conciencia”, afirmó Joe Eiden. “Seguimos creyendo que compartir nuestras experiencias puede conducir a la acción, y que la acción puede conducir al cambio. No podemos permitirnos creer que estas tragedias son inevitables. No lo son”. La velada concluyó con el arzobispo Hebda y el padre Finnegan encabezando una procesión desde el Cassidy Hall hasta la iglesia para dedicar un momento a la oración en silencio. Annunciation comienza el nuevo año escolar el 31 de agosto. Josh McGovern es reportero de The Catholic Spirit, periódico de la Arquidiócesis de St. Paul y Minneapolis. Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés por The Catholic Spirit y se distribuye a través de una colaboración con OSV News.  
Read More

Padres afectados por el tiroteo de 2025 en la escuela Annunciation se reúnen para orar y reflexionar antes del nuevo año escolar #Catholic – EDINA, Minnesota — La iglesia católica Nuestra Señora de la Gracia se llenó hasta los topes durante la Misa del 19 de agosto, previa a “Una velada con los padres de la Anunciación: fe, esperanza y resiliencia”, un evento celebrado ocho días antes del primer aniversario del tiroteo mortal ocurrido en la cercana Annunciation Catholic School en Minneapolis. Tras la Misa vespertina de la parroquia, presidida por el arzobispo Bernard A. Hebda de St. Paul-Minneapolis, la reunión en el salón parroquial contó con una mesa redonda en la que participaron tres padres de alumnos de Annunciation y un recién graduado de esta escuela, que abarca desde preescolar hasta octavo grado. Relataron sus experiencias y lo que vivieron tras el tiroteo ocurrido en Annunciation Catholic Church (Iglesia Católica de la Anunciación) durante una Misa para toda la escuela el 27 de agosto de 2025, en el que murieron dos alumnos: Harper Moyski, de 10 años, y Fletcher Merkel, de 8. Los ponentes adultos fueron Laura Eiden, maestra de kindergarten de la escuela, y los padres de familia Tara Keegan y Dan Brady. Annunciation Light Alliance –un grupo de defensa liderado por padres– ayudó a organizar el evento. El padre Kevin Finnegan, párroco de Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, ayudó a moderar el debate y concelebró la Misa. El padre Dennis Zehren, párroco de Annunciation, fue uno de los concelebrantes. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. En su homilía, el arzobispo Hebda animó a todos a confiar en que Dios “nos trata como ese buen pastor”, un pastor con un gran amor por sus ovejas, “que se asegura de que no nos falte nada en esos verdes pastos a los que nos conduce”. “Ahora bien, hermanos y hermanas, hay momentos en los que los pastos no parecen tan verdes y, sin duda, para muchas familias de nuestra arquidiócesis ha sido difícil ver el verdor de los pastos desde el pasado 27 de agosto”, afirmó el arzobispo Hebda. “Y, sin embargo, también vemos bendiciones”, continuó. “Vemos esos indicios de la bondad de Dios, de su generosidad y de su corazón, y confiamos en que seguirá guiándonos hacia una visión más profunda de cómo es generoso con nosotros y de cómo nos ama con corazón de pastor”. Con el padre Finnegan como moderador, los cuatro ponentes compartieron su experiencia durante ese 27 de agosto. Algunos se encontraban en la iglesia durante el tiroteo, y otros se dirigían hacia allí tras enterarse de la noticia. Todos los ponentes compartieron su profundo dolor. Brady afirmó que encuentra esperanza en momentos como el evento celebrado en Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, donde “la gente sigue reuniéndose para escuchar estas historias, dar testimonio de ellas y actuar” con “la intención de hacerlo mejor”. Como profesora, Eiden comentó: “La gente me pregunta constantemente cómo estamos, cómo están los niños, cómo están los profesores”. “La realidad es que solo puedo responder a esa pregunta por mí misma”, explicó. “Dado que este camino hacia la sanación es increíblemente personal, ninguno tiene la misma experiencia de ese día, el camino (hacia la sanación) tampoco es el mismo. Lo que he podido ver por mí misma es que mi comunidad de Annunciation, mis niños y mis estudiantes me impulsan a seguir adelante. Me necesitan y yo los necesito”. Afirmo que los alumnos de Annunciation son una fuente de esperanza para ella. “¿Lo están pasando mal? Sí, la verdad es que sí. Y, sin embargo, se levantan cada día después de haber vivido lo que han vivido”, dijo. “Brillan, y siguen siendo la razón por la que estamos aquí y contamos estas historias”. Keegan habló de su lucha contra la ira y dijo que “cada vez que siento esa ira, me recuerdo a mí misma que lo que ocurrió no formaba parte del plan de Dios”. “Él no se quedó de brazos cruzados permitiendo que esto sucediera. Esto ocurrió a causa del mal, y por eso, cuando siento esa ira, cuando cualquiera de nosotros siente ira, depende de nosotros elegir qué vamos a hacer con esa ira”, afirmó. “El diablo, el mal, las tinieblas no desean otra cosa que no sea que nos enfademos con Dios”, continuó. “No desean otra cosa que no sea que le demos la espalda a Dios y que no volvamos a pisar una iglesia jamás. Depende de nosotros canalizar esa ira para hacer el bien. Tomar lo que el enemigo pretendía para el mal y convertirlo en algo bueno”. Poco a poco, contó Keegan, empezó a pasar más tiempo en la capilla de adoración eucarística. Rezaba un rosario todos los días y encontraba consuelo en la oración y en la presencia de Dios en la Misa y en la comunidad. “Es difícil, y cada día es diferente”, dijo Brady. “Creo que hay que ir paso a paso. A veces das pasos atrás. Pero esa es la realidad de lo que estamos intentando hacer aquí”. “Creo que una parte importante de ello es esta comunidad”, añadió Keegan. “No solo la de la Anunciación, sino más allá. La comunidad ha sido un gran apoyo para nosotros. Honestamente, sin ellos, no sé donde estaríamos. Cada día estoy agradecida por Annunciation”. El padre Finnegan dijo que estaba agradecido por la valentía y la sinceridad con las que los invitados habían compartido sus sentimientos. “Es un poderoso recordatorio de que todos llevamos el duelo, el sufrimiento y el dolor de manera diferente”, afirmó el padre Finnegan. “Pero también podemos aprender y crecer a partir de ello”. Joe Eiden, padre de un alumno de Annunciation, feligrés y esposo de Laura Eiden, habló en nombre de Annunciation Light Alliance (ALA). Afirmó que el grupo sigue recurriendo al personal y a los dirigentes de Annunciation en busca de orientación sobre “cómo encontrar la fuerza para avanzar hacia un futuro más seguro para todos ustedes”. En los últimos meses, la ALA ha establecido relaciones con legisladores de todo el espectro político, señaló. “Creemos que proteger a los niños de la violencia armada no es una cuestión política, sino una cuestión de conciencia”, afirmó Joe Eiden. “Seguimos creyendo que compartir nuestras experiencias puede conducir a la acción, y que la acción puede conducir al cambio. No podemos permitirnos creer que estas tragedias son inevitables. No lo son”. La velada concluyó con el arzobispo Hebda y el padre Finnegan encabezando una procesión desde el Cassidy Hall hasta la iglesia para dedicar un momento a la oración en silencio. Annunciation comienza el nuevo año escolar el 31 de agosto. Josh McGovern es reportero de The Catholic Spirit, periódico de la Arquidiócesis de St. Paul y Minneapolis. Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés por The Catholic Spirit y se distribuye a través de una colaboración con OSV News.  

unitedyam

Padres afectados por el tiroteo de 2025 en la escuela Annunciation se reúnen para orar y reflexionar antes del nuevo año escolar #Catholic –

EDINA, Minnesota — La iglesia católica Nuestra Señora de la Gracia se llenó hasta los topes durante la Misa del 19 de agosto, previa a “Una velada con los padres de la Anunciación: fe, esperanza y resiliencia”, un evento celebrado ocho días antes del primer aniversario del tiroteo mortal ocurrido en la cercana Annunciation Catholic School en Minneapolis.

Tras la Misa vespertina de la parroquia, presidida por el arzobispo Bernard A. Hebda de St. Paul-Minneapolis, la reunión en el salón parroquial contó con una mesa redonda en la que participaron tres padres de alumnos de Annunciation y un recién graduado de esta escuela, que abarca desde preescolar hasta octavo grado.

Relataron sus experiencias y lo que vivieron tras el tiroteo ocurrido en Annunciation Catholic Church (Iglesia Católica de la Anunciación) durante una Misa para toda la escuela el 27 de agosto de 2025, en el que murieron dos alumnos: Harper Moyski, de 10 años, y Fletcher Merkel, de 8.

Los ponentes adultos fueron Laura Eiden, maestra de kindergarten de la escuela, y los padres de familia Tara Keegan y Dan Brady.

Annunciation Light Alliance –un grupo de defensa liderado por padres– ayudó a organizar el evento. El padre Kevin Finnegan, párroco de Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, ayudó a moderar el debate y concelebró la Misa. El padre Dennis Zehren, párroco de Annunciation, fue uno de los concelebrantes.

Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.

En su homilía, el arzobispo Hebda animó a todos a confiar en que Dios “nos trata como ese buen pastor”, un pastor con un gran amor por sus ovejas, “que se asegura de que no nos falte nada en esos verdes pastos a los que nos conduce”.

“Ahora bien, hermanos y hermanas, hay momentos en los que los pastos no parecen tan verdes y, sin duda, para muchas familias de nuestra arquidiócesis ha sido difícil ver el verdor de los pastos desde el pasado 27 de agosto”, afirmó el arzobispo Hebda.

“Y, sin embargo, también vemos bendiciones”, continuó. “Vemos esos indicios de la bondad de Dios, de su generosidad y de su corazón, y confiamos en que seguirá guiándonos hacia una visión más profunda de cómo es generoso con nosotros y de cómo nos ama con corazón de pastor”.

Con el padre Finnegan como moderador, los cuatro ponentes compartieron su experiencia durante ese 27 de agosto. Algunos se encontraban en la iglesia durante el tiroteo, y otros se dirigían hacia allí tras enterarse de la noticia. Todos los ponentes compartieron su profundo dolor.

Brady afirmó que encuentra esperanza en momentos como el evento celebrado en Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, donde “la gente sigue reuniéndose para escuchar estas historias, dar testimonio de ellas y actuar” con “la intención de hacerlo mejor”.

Como profesora, Eiden comentó: “La gente me pregunta constantemente cómo estamos, cómo están los niños, cómo están los profesores”.

“La realidad es que solo puedo responder a esa pregunta por mí misma”, explicó. “Dado que este camino hacia la sanación es increíblemente personal, ninguno tiene la misma experiencia de ese día, el camino (hacia la sanación) tampoco es el mismo. Lo que he podido ver por mí misma es que mi comunidad de Annunciation, mis niños y mis estudiantes me impulsan a seguir adelante. Me necesitan y yo los necesito”.

Afirmo que los alumnos de Annunciation son una fuente de esperanza para ella.

“¿Lo están pasando mal? Sí, la verdad es que sí. Y, sin embargo, se levantan cada día después de haber vivido lo que han vivido”, dijo. “Brillan, y siguen siendo la razón por la que estamos aquí y contamos estas historias”.

Keegan habló de su lucha contra la ira y dijo que “cada vez que siento esa ira, me recuerdo a mí misma que lo que ocurrió no formaba parte del plan de Dios”.

“Él no se quedó de brazos cruzados permitiendo que esto sucediera. Esto ocurrió a causa del mal, y por eso, cuando siento esa ira, cuando cualquiera de nosotros siente ira, depende de nosotros elegir qué vamos a hacer con esa ira”, afirmó.

“El diablo, el mal, las tinieblas no desean otra cosa que no sea que nos enfademos con Dios”, continuó. “No desean otra cosa que no sea que le demos la espalda a Dios y que no volvamos a pisar una iglesia jamás. Depende de nosotros canalizar esa ira para hacer el bien. Tomar lo que el enemigo pretendía para el mal y convertirlo en algo bueno”.

Poco a poco, contó Keegan, empezó a pasar más tiempo en la capilla de adoración eucarística. Rezaba un rosario todos los días y encontraba consuelo en la oración y en la presencia de Dios en la Misa y en la comunidad.

“Es difícil, y cada día es diferente”, dijo Brady. “Creo que hay que ir paso a paso. A veces das pasos atrás. Pero esa es la realidad de lo que estamos intentando hacer aquí”.

“Creo que una parte importante de ello es esta comunidad”, añadió Keegan. “No solo la de la Anunciación, sino más allá. La comunidad ha sido un gran apoyo para nosotros. Honestamente, sin ellos, no sé donde estaríamos. Cada día estoy agradecida por Annunciation”.

El padre Finnegan dijo que estaba agradecido por la valentía y la sinceridad con las que los invitados habían compartido sus sentimientos.

“Es un poderoso recordatorio de que todos llevamos el duelo, el sufrimiento y el dolor de manera diferente”, afirmó el padre Finnegan. “Pero también podemos aprender y crecer a partir de ello”.

Joe Eiden, padre de un alumno de Annunciation, feligrés y esposo de Laura Eiden, habló en nombre de Annunciation Light Alliance (ALA). Afirmó que el grupo sigue recurriendo al personal y a los dirigentes de Annunciation en busca de orientación sobre “cómo encontrar la fuerza para avanzar hacia un futuro más seguro para todos ustedes”.

En los últimos meses, la ALA ha establecido relaciones con legisladores de todo el espectro político, señaló.

“Creemos que proteger a los niños de la violencia armada no es una cuestión política, sino una cuestión de conciencia”, afirmó Joe Eiden. “Seguimos creyendo que compartir nuestras experiencias puede conducir a la acción, y que la acción puede conducir al cambio. No podemos permitirnos creer que estas tragedias son inevitables. No lo son”.

La velada concluyó con el arzobispo Hebda y el padre Finnegan encabezando una procesión desde el Cassidy Hall hasta la iglesia para dedicar un momento a la oración en silencio. Annunciation comienza el nuevo año escolar el 31 de agosto.

Josh McGovern es reportero de The Catholic Spirit, periódico de la Arquidiócesis de St. Paul y Minneapolis. Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés por The Catholic Spirit y se distribuye a través de una colaboración con OSV News.

 

– EDINA, Minnesota — La iglesia católica Nuestra Señora de la Gracia se llenó hasta los topes durante la Misa del 19 de agosto, previa a “Una velada con los padres de la Anunciación: fe, esperanza y resiliencia”, un evento celebrado ocho días antes del primer aniversario del tiroteo mortal ocurrido en la cercana Annunciation Catholic School en Minneapolis. Tras la Misa vespertina de la parroquia, presidida por el arzobispo Bernard A. Hebda de St. Paul-Minneapolis, la reunión en el salón parroquial contó con una mesa redonda en la que participaron tres padres de alumnos de Annunciation y un recién graduado

Read More
Para experimentar una verdadera relación con Dios en la liturgia, la participación de los fieles no puede ser pasiva, dice el Papa León #Catholic – CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — Situada “en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, la reforma litúrgica propuesta por el Concilio Vaticano II surgió de la necesidad de que los fieles celebraran la liturgia de manera más “consciente y activa”, y no “como extraños y mudos espectadores”, dijo el Papa León XIV. “Los fieles ‘no pueden ni deben permanecer mudos y pasivos. Su presencia material no puede conciliarse con su ausencia espiritual’”, dijo, citando al cardenal Giovanni Battista Montini de Milán, el futuro Papa Pablo VI y santo, quien asistía en ese momento a la primera sesión del concilio en 1962. Los Padres conciliares expresaron “una renovada conciencia del valor de la liturgia”, dijo el Papa León durante su discurso en la audiencia general en la Basílica de San Pedro el 26 de agosto, que se centró en la constitución sobre la liturgia sagrada, “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, y en las razones por las que el concilio buscó promover la reforma de la liturgia. Fue la última catequesis del Papa dedicada a la primera constitución del concilio tras haber iniciado el 7 de enero su nueva serie de charlas sobre los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, con el fin de que las personas se sintieran motivadas a releerlos y reflexionar sobre ellos, en lugar de basar su comprensión de los textos en “rumores” y en las interpretaciones de otros, según había señalado. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. Si bien la reforma litúrgica impulsada por el concilio “se sitúa, por lo tanto, en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, explicó el Papa León, la reforma también debe entenderse adecuadamente. “Su correcta comprensión permite también rechazar los abusos que se han verificado en algunos sectores de la Iglesia en la etapa postconciliar, y que lamentablemente a veces todavía hoy se verifican, absolutizando o comprendiendo mal algunos de los principios que estaban en la base de la misma reforma”, dijo. Durante la liturgia, “se realiza el memorial de la obra de la salvación”, y las acciones rituales de la Iglesia también brindan la oportunidad “de vivir la verdadera relación con Dios, entrando en contacto con el evento salvífico”, dijo el Papa. “Puesto que los gestos, las palabras de la sagrada liturgia son decisivos para realizar esta experiencia, la participación de los fieles no puede ser pasiva”. La reforma del concilio puso “en el centro lo que constituye el corazón de la experiencia eclesial”, señaló. Por lo tanto, la intención era “hacer resplandecer la liturgia como ‘la primera fuente de la vida divina que se nos comunica’”. Debido a la importancia del lenguaje, la enseñanza y la “inteligibilidad”, surgió “la exigencia de hacer más accesible a todos los fieles la riqueza de los textos bíblicos y de las oraciones, y de hacer más lineal el ordenamiento celebrativo respecto al previsto en los libros litúrgicos entonces vigentes”, afirmó. La liturgia es “una realidad viva”, señaló, y siempre ha estado sujeta a desarrollos y cambios a lo largo de los siglos. “No sorprende entonces que también el Concilio Vaticano II, con el máximo respeto por el patrimonio de la tradición, y precisamente con el fin de hacerlo más accesible, haya considerado necesaria una revisión de los libros litúrgicos”, dijo el Papa León. Citando la constitución conciliar, señaló: “Porque la Liturgia consta de una parte que es inmutable por ser la institución divina, y de otras partes sujetas a cambio, que en el decurso del tiempo pueden o incluso deben variar, si en ellas se han introducido elementos que no responden bien a la naturaleza íntima de la misma Liturgia o han llegado a ser menos apropiados”. Por lo tanto, los textos y los ritos se deben “ordenar de manera que expresen con mayor claridad las cosas santas que significan y, en lo posible, el pueblo cristiano pueda comprenderlas fácilmente y participar en ellas por medio de una celebración plena, activa y comunitaria”, dijo, citando la constitución. “De esta manera, el pueblo cristiano aprende a reconocer las realidades sagradas, a ofrecerse junto con el sacerdote y a través de sus manos, y a abrirse más a recibir la gracia de Dios”, afirmó en el resumen de su catequesis dirigido a los peregrinos de habla inglesa. En su catequesis principal en italiano, señaló que sigue siendo responsabilidad primordial de los obispos y sacerdotes “custodiar y promover una liturgia que, en el respeto de las normas litúrgicas, resplandezca por su noble sencillez y manifieste así a la Iglesia una, santa, católica y apostólica”. Tal como enseña el concilio, “las acciones litúrgicas no son acciones privadas”, sino celebraciones que atañen a todo el cuerpo de la Iglesia, “que es el ‘sacramento de unidad’, es decir, pueblo santo congregado y ordenado bajo la dirección de los obispos”, dijo, citando la constitución. “En cada celebración de los sacramentos, especialmente de la Eucaristía, pidamos la ayuda de Dios para fortalecernos en nuestro camino y entrar en una relación más profunda con el Señor”, dijo en su resumen en inglés.
Read More

Para experimentar una verdadera relación con Dios en la liturgia, la participación de los fieles no puede ser pasiva, dice el Papa León #Catholic – CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — Situada “en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, la reforma litúrgica propuesta por el Concilio Vaticano II surgió de la necesidad de que los fieles celebraran la liturgia de manera más “consciente y activa”, y no “como extraños y mudos espectadores”, dijo el Papa León XIV. “Los fieles ‘no pueden ni deben permanecer mudos y pasivos. Su presencia material no puede conciliarse con su ausencia espiritual’”, dijo, citando al cardenal Giovanni Battista Montini de Milán, el futuro Papa Pablo VI y santo, quien asistía en ese momento a la primera sesión del concilio en 1962. Los Padres conciliares expresaron “una renovada conciencia del valor de la liturgia”, dijo el Papa León durante su discurso en la audiencia general en la Basílica de San Pedro el 26 de agosto, que se centró en la constitución sobre la liturgia sagrada, “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, y en las razones por las que el concilio buscó promover la reforma de la liturgia. Fue la última catequesis del Papa dedicada a la primera constitución del concilio tras haber iniciado el 7 de enero su nueva serie de charlas sobre los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, con el fin de que las personas se sintieran motivadas a releerlos y reflexionar sobre ellos, en lugar de basar su comprensión de los textos en “rumores” y en las interpretaciones de otros, según había señalado. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. Si bien la reforma litúrgica impulsada por el concilio “se sitúa, por lo tanto, en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, explicó el Papa León, la reforma también debe entenderse adecuadamente. “Su correcta comprensión permite también rechazar los abusos que se han verificado en algunos sectores de la Iglesia en la etapa postconciliar, y que lamentablemente a veces todavía hoy se verifican, absolutizando o comprendiendo mal algunos de los principios que estaban en la base de la misma reforma”, dijo. Durante la liturgia, “se realiza el memorial de la obra de la salvación”, y las acciones rituales de la Iglesia también brindan la oportunidad “de vivir la verdadera relación con Dios, entrando en contacto con el evento salvífico”, dijo el Papa. “Puesto que los gestos, las palabras de la sagrada liturgia son decisivos para realizar esta experiencia, la participación de los fieles no puede ser pasiva”. La reforma del concilio puso “en el centro lo que constituye el corazón de la experiencia eclesial”, señaló. Por lo tanto, la intención era “hacer resplandecer la liturgia como ‘la primera fuente de la vida divina que se nos comunica’”. Debido a la importancia del lenguaje, la enseñanza y la “inteligibilidad”, surgió “la exigencia de hacer más accesible a todos los fieles la riqueza de los textos bíblicos y de las oraciones, y de hacer más lineal el ordenamiento celebrativo respecto al previsto en los libros litúrgicos entonces vigentes”, afirmó. La liturgia es “una realidad viva”, señaló, y siempre ha estado sujeta a desarrollos y cambios a lo largo de los siglos. “No sorprende entonces que también el Concilio Vaticano II, con el máximo respeto por el patrimonio de la tradición, y precisamente con el fin de hacerlo más accesible, haya considerado necesaria una revisión de los libros litúrgicos”, dijo el Papa León. Citando la constitución conciliar, señaló: “Porque la Liturgia consta de una parte que es inmutable por ser la institución divina, y de otras partes sujetas a cambio, que en el decurso del tiempo pueden o incluso deben variar, si en ellas se han introducido elementos que no responden bien a la naturaleza íntima de la misma Liturgia o han llegado a ser menos apropiados”. Por lo tanto, los textos y los ritos se deben “ordenar de manera que expresen con mayor claridad las cosas santas que significan y, en lo posible, el pueblo cristiano pueda comprenderlas fácilmente y participar en ellas por medio de una celebración plena, activa y comunitaria”, dijo, citando la constitución. “De esta manera, el pueblo cristiano aprende a reconocer las realidades sagradas, a ofrecerse junto con el sacerdote y a través de sus manos, y a abrirse más a recibir la gracia de Dios”, afirmó en el resumen de su catequesis dirigido a los peregrinos de habla inglesa. En su catequesis principal en italiano, señaló que sigue siendo responsabilidad primordial de los obispos y sacerdotes “custodiar y promover una liturgia que, en el respeto de las normas litúrgicas, resplandezca por su noble sencillez y manifieste así a la Iglesia una, santa, católica y apostólica”. Tal como enseña el concilio, “las acciones litúrgicas no son acciones privadas”, sino celebraciones que atañen a todo el cuerpo de la Iglesia, “que es el ‘sacramento de unidad’, es decir, pueblo santo congregado y ordenado bajo la dirección de los obispos”, dijo, citando la constitución. “En cada celebración de los sacramentos, especialmente de la Eucaristía, pidamos la ayuda de Dios para fortalecernos en nuestro camino y entrar en una relación más profunda con el Señor”, dijo en su resumen en inglés.

unitedyam

Para experimentar una verdadera relación con Dios en la liturgia, la participación de los fieles no puede ser pasiva, dice el Papa León #Catholic –

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — Situada “en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, la reforma litúrgica propuesta por el Concilio Vaticano II surgió de la necesidad de que los fieles celebraran la liturgia de manera más “consciente y activa”, y no “como extraños y mudos espectadores”, dijo el Papa León XIV.

“Los fieles ‘no pueden ni deben permanecer mudos y pasivos. Su presencia material no puede conciliarse con su ausencia espiritual’”, dijo, citando al cardenal Giovanni Battista Montini de Milán, el futuro Papa Pablo VI y santo, quien asistía en ese momento a la primera sesión del concilio en 1962.

Los Padres conciliares expresaron “una renovada conciencia del valor de la liturgia”, dijo el Papa León durante su discurso en la audiencia general en la Basílica de San Pedro el 26 de agosto, que se centró en la constitución sobre la liturgia sagrada, “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, y en las razones por las que el concilio buscó promover la reforma de la liturgia.

Fue la última catequesis del Papa dedicada a la primera constitución del concilio tras haber iniciado el 7 de enero su nueva serie de charlas sobre los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, con el fin de que las personas se sintieran motivadas a releerlos y reflexionar sobre ellos, en lugar de basar su comprensión de los textos en “rumores” y en las interpretaciones de otros, según había señalado.

Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.

Si bien la reforma litúrgica impulsada por el concilio “se sitúa, por lo tanto, en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, explicó el Papa León, la reforma también debe entenderse adecuadamente.

“Su correcta comprensión permite también rechazar los abusos que se han verificado en algunos sectores de la Iglesia en la etapa postconciliar, y que lamentablemente a veces todavía hoy se verifican, absolutizando o comprendiendo mal algunos de los principios que estaban en la base de la misma reforma”, dijo.

Durante la liturgia, “se realiza el memorial de la obra de la salvación”, y las acciones rituales de la Iglesia también brindan la oportunidad “de vivir la verdadera relación con Dios, entrando en contacto con el evento salvífico”, dijo el Papa. “Puesto que los gestos, las palabras de la sagrada liturgia son decisivos para realizar esta experiencia, la participación de los fieles no puede ser pasiva”.

La reforma del concilio puso “en el centro lo que constituye el corazón de la experiencia eclesial”, señaló. Por lo tanto, la intención era “hacer resplandecer la liturgia como ‘la primera fuente de la vida divina que se nos comunica’”.

Debido a la importancia del lenguaje, la enseñanza y la “inteligibilidad”, surgió “la exigencia de hacer más accesible a todos los fieles la riqueza de los textos bíblicos y de las oraciones, y de hacer más lineal el ordenamiento celebrativo respecto al previsto en los libros litúrgicos entonces vigentes”, afirmó.

La liturgia es “una realidad viva”, señaló, y siempre ha estado sujeta a desarrollos y cambios a lo largo de los siglos.

“No sorprende entonces que también el Concilio Vaticano II, con el máximo respeto por el patrimonio de la tradición, y precisamente con el fin de hacerlo más accesible, haya considerado necesaria una revisión de los libros litúrgicos”, dijo el Papa León.

Citando la constitución conciliar, señaló: “Porque la Liturgia consta de una parte que es inmutable por ser la institución divina, y de otras partes sujetas a cambio, que en el decurso del tiempo pueden o incluso deben variar, si en ellas se han introducido elementos que no responden bien a la naturaleza íntima de la misma Liturgia o han llegado a ser menos apropiados”.

Por lo tanto, los textos y los ritos se deben “ordenar de manera que expresen con mayor claridad las cosas santas que significan y, en lo posible, el pueblo cristiano pueda comprenderlas fácilmente y participar en ellas por medio de una celebración plena, activa y comunitaria”, dijo, citando la constitución.

“De esta manera, el pueblo cristiano aprende a reconocer las realidades sagradas, a ofrecerse junto con el sacerdote y a través de sus manos, y a abrirse más a recibir la gracia de Dios”, afirmó en el resumen de su catequesis dirigido a los peregrinos de habla inglesa.

En su catequesis principal en italiano, señaló que sigue siendo responsabilidad primordial de los obispos y sacerdotes “custodiar y promover una liturgia que, en el respeto de las normas litúrgicas, resplandezca por su noble sencillez y manifieste así a la Iglesia una, santa, católica y apostólica”.

Tal como enseña el concilio, “las acciones litúrgicas no son acciones privadas”, sino celebraciones que atañen a todo el cuerpo de la Iglesia, “que es el ‘sacramento de unidad’, es decir, pueblo santo congregado y ordenado bajo la dirección de los obispos”, dijo, citando la constitución.

“En cada celebración de los sacramentos, especialmente de la Eucaristía, pidamos la ayuda de Dios para fortalecernos en nuestro camino y entrar en una relación más profunda con el Señor”, dijo en su resumen en inglés.

– CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — Situada “en la línea de la tradición viva de la Iglesia”, la reforma litúrgica propuesta por el Concilio Vaticano II surgió de la necesidad de que los fieles celebraran la liturgia de manera más “consciente y activa”, y no “como extraños y mudos espectadores”, dijo el Papa León XIV. “Los fieles ‘no pueden ni deben permanecer mudos y pasivos. Su presencia material no puede conciliarse con su ausencia espiritual’”, dijo, citando al cardenal Giovanni Battista Montini de Milán, el futuro Papa Pablo VI y santo, quien asistía en ese momento a la primera sesión del

Read More
Hasan Piker Says Anyone Trying To Twist His Words As Antisemitic Is A Dirty Lying Jew #BabylonBee – WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — One of the nation’s loudest progressive voices issued a strong defense on his own behalf this week, as commentator Hasan Piker said anyone who tries to twist his words as being "antisemitic" is a dirty, lying Jew.
Read More

Hasan Piker Says Anyone Trying To Twist His Words As Antisemitic Is A Dirty Lying Jew #BabylonBee – WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — One of the nation’s loudest progressive voices issued a strong defense on his own behalf this week, as commentator Hasan Piker said anyone who tries to twist his words as being "antisemitic" is a dirty, lying Jew.

unitedyam

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — One of the nation’s loudest progressive voices issued a strong defense on his own behalf this week, as commentator Hasan Piker said anyone who tries to twist his words as being "antisemitic" is a dirty, lying Jew.

Read More
El-Sayed: Beheading Infidel With A Machete No Different Than A Haircut #BabylonBee – LANSING, MI — During a live interview on Fox News, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed forcefully defended the beheading of infidels, explaining it was really the same thing as a haircut.
Read More

El-Sayed: Beheading Infidel With A Machete No Different Than A Haircut #BabylonBee – LANSING, MI — During a live interview on Fox News, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed forcefully defended the beheading of infidels, explaining it was really the same thing as a haircut.

unitedyam

LANSING, MI — During a live interview on Fox News, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed forcefully defended the beheading of infidels, explaining it was really the same thing as a haircut.

Read More
Faithful across Honolulu Diocese rally after devastating hurricane #Catholic – NAALEHU, Hawaii (OSV News) — As Hurricane Lala barreled across the Hawaiian Islands Aug. 15-16, several Catholic organizations kept close watch over one of the hardest-hit areas — Hawaii Island’s Kau district, home to Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu and Holy Rosary Church in Pahala. Father William “Pila” Tulua — pastor of the two parishes, the southernmost on Hawaii island, also called the Big Island — stayed in touch with members of the Knights of Columbus, EPIC Ministry and the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. Father Tulua, who is also the senior chaplain for the Order of St. Lazarus, sent photos and provided an account of the devastation in the Kau district as it unfolded — until he ran out of power. “During the hurricane, we were on the phone with him (Father Tulua) and texting with him and seeing his pictures and the last thing we heard from him was, ‘It’s getting bad.’ Then he dropped off, which was very scary,” said Steve Brock, leader of the order’s Hawaii cadre and chief marshal in the order’s national office, known as the Grand Priory of America. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Through photos and other accounts, the groups learned that Sacred Heart’s parish office flooded, as did the local cemetery in Naalehu, resulting in unearthed coffins. “There are walls missing (in residents’ homes). There are houses that were moved and smashed into the neighbor’s house,” Father Tulua told the Hawaii Catholic Herald, news outlet of the Honolulu Diocese. “At the hotel, the rooms were destroyed. … The new cultural center for Naalehu, that was destroyed. They just built it.” Roads and bridges were washed away, with Highway 11 severely damaged; immediately after the storm rolled through, the area was completely inaccessible. Homes flooded, families were displaced, and residents faced shortages of potable water and electricity. They could not bathe or use their toilets, despite the heat and high humidity. Downed trees blocked the 12-mile road between the two parishes, creating a physical barrier for the peripatetic priest. Father Tulua had to rely on assistance from Michelle Andrade, Holy Rosary’s parish secretary, to organize the effort and maintain the Pahala church. EPIC Ministry member Tyler Johansen and his family, residents of Naalehu, began to rescue residents immediately. They used their farm tractors and bulldozers to begin the cleanup effort. “The driveways were full of (about eight inches of) mud,” Father Tulua said. “The Johansens brought their skid loader, and they cleaned out the driveway. Otherwise, I would have been stuck.” As soon as the Johansens freed Father Tulua’s car, the priest began assisting parishioners with rides. “We are incredibly grateful to Tyler, his family and all those in Kau who did not wait for outside help but immediately began taking care of their neighbors,” said Dallas Carter, president of EPIC Ministry, in an email to the lay organization’s members. After passing Hawaii island, Lala was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved beneath the island chain, according to AccuWeather. Heavy winds and rain pummeled Maui, Oahu and Kauai through early Aug. 17. During the storm, more than 25% of utility customers lost power statewide, with 65% losing power on Hawaii Island alone. Many people were left without power and internet access for most of the weekend; days after Lala’s worst impact, tens of thousands were still without power. On Aug. 26, President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii County — which covers Hawaii Island — making it eligible for federal assistance for storm recovery. While Hawaii Island bore the brunt of Lala’s fury Aug. 15, on Oahu, members of the three groups pooled their resources. They managed to raise ,000 within 48 hours. “They’re going to see about getting these things done,” Father Tulua told the Hawaii Catholic Herald of his friends on Oahu. For Anthony Selvanathan, a member of the Order of St. Lazarus, the disaster in the Kau district was deeply personal. “Father William isn’t simply a priest serving an affected area. He is a friend and someone whose ministry I have supported and worked alongside,” Selvanathan said. “Through the Order of St. Lazarus and our shared life in the Church in Hawaii, I have come to know his deep commitment to the people he serves in Kau. His parishioners aren’t statistics on a damage report to him — they are people he knows, loves and serves.” This is not the first time that members of these three fraternal and lay organizations came together to provide assistance during a disaster. The groups coordinated to gather much-needed immediate resources for survivors of the deadly Maui wildfires in 2023. They also provided help and resources in Waialua this past spring after back-to-back Kona low storms devastated the rural Oahu town — bringing generators, water, propane and satellite networks while providing physical cleanup and other assistance wherever they could. To assist during Hurricane Lala, Brock from the Order of St. Lazarus and John Fielding, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 5000, flew to Hawaii island Aug. 18 to gather up and transport five containers of supplies that included potable water, gas, propane and propane burners for cooking, flashlights, generators and Starlink internet connectivity. Brock drove to Holy Rosary Church in Pahala to drop off the supplies and set up the Starlink internet connection. He also brought a satellite phone for Father Tulua to use as emergency communication. “We want to make sure that he always has a lifeline out,” Brock said in a phone interview with the Herald before his flight. Brock also conducted a needs assessment to see how the groups could continue service until power is restored to the area and the community recovers. “We, as a people of God, will show the witness to the people in this community,” Father Tulua said. “We have been blessed. We’re still hurting, but it’s going to be OK. I think this is going to be a long journey in repair and healing.” While Hawaii Island saw the majority of Lala’s force, other islands also were significantly affected. In addition to widespread power outages, the relentless wind and rain wreaked havoc on communities on Maui, Oahu and Kauai. At St. Joseph Parish in Makawao, Maui, a tree fell through the roof of the two-story convent there, according to a Hawaii News Now report. Mass attendance was sparse across the diocese as wind, rain and loss of power kept parishioners away. (As Lala bore down on Hawaii, Honolulu Bishop Michael T.T. Castori granted a dispensation Aug. 13 for parishioners who would not be able to attend Mass due to the storm.) At Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu, Father Ese’ese “Ace” Tui said that the early morning Mass on Aug. 16 was canceled due to heavy rain. Father Tui, who is pastor of Sacred Heart, said conditions then improved, allowing the subsequent Sunday Masses to be celebrated. “One surprising thing during the storm was the power situation,” he added. “With all the outages in our area, the only building on our campus that did not lose power was the church. The hall attached to the church lost power, as did the rectory and the school buildings, but the church itself had power throughout the entire storm. “One parishioner asked me, ‘Father, why does the church still have power? Do we have a generator?’ I jokingly responded, ‘Yes,’ and pointed to the tabernacle. Apparently, we have a different kind of backup power!” Father Tui said. EPIC Ministry’s Carter, who works at St. Louis School in Kaimuki, said one storm event that hit particularly close to home for him was when a large portion of a student’s family’s roof in Kalihi Valley was torn off by the wind. “Seeing a disaster on the news is one thing; knowing personally one of the children who went through it is another,” Carter said in an email to the Herald. EPIC Ministry assisted the family, as well as that of another student whose home sustained damage, with a monetary donation for food and necessities. “There are undoubtedly many more families across Oahu with similar stories that we simply have not heard yet,” Carter said. EPIC Ministry has started a donation site for relief efforts at relief.raiselysite.com. Lisa Dahm is a reporter at the Hawaii Catholic Herald, news outlet of the Diocese of Honolulu. This story was originally published by the Hawaii Catholic Herald and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
Read More

Faithful across Honolulu Diocese rally after devastating hurricane #Catholic – NAALEHU, Hawaii (OSV News) — As Hurricane Lala barreled across the Hawaiian Islands Aug. 15-16, several Catholic organizations kept close watch over one of the hardest-hit areas — Hawaii Island’s Kau district, home to Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu and Holy Rosary Church in Pahala. Father William “Pila” Tulua — pastor of the two parishes, the southernmost on Hawaii island, also called the Big Island — stayed in touch with members of the Knights of Columbus, EPIC Ministry and the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. Father Tulua, who is also the senior chaplain for the Order of St. Lazarus, sent photos and provided an account of the devastation in the Kau district as it unfolded — until he ran out of power. “During the hurricane, we were on the phone with him (Father Tulua) and texting with him and seeing his pictures and the last thing we heard from him was, ‘It’s getting bad.’ Then he dropped off, which was very scary,” said Steve Brock, leader of the order’s Hawaii cadre and chief marshal in the order’s national office, known as the Grand Priory of America. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Through photos and other accounts, the groups learned that Sacred Heart’s parish office flooded, as did the local cemetery in Naalehu, resulting in unearthed coffins. “There are walls missing (in residents’ homes). There are houses that were moved and smashed into the neighbor’s house,” Father Tulua told the Hawaii Catholic Herald, news outlet of the Honolulu Diocese. “At the hotel, the rooms were destroyed. … The new cultural center for Naalehu, that was destroyed. They just built it.” Roads and bridges were washed away, with Highway 11 severely damaged; immediately after the storm rolled through, the area was completely inaccessible. Homes flooded, families were displaced, and residents faced shortages of potable water and electricity. They could not bathe or use their toilets, despite the heat and high humidity. Downed trees blocked the 12-mile road between the two parishes, creating a physical barrier for the peripatetic priest. Father Tulua had to rely on assistance from Michelle Andrade, Holy Rosary’s parish secretary, to organize the effort and maintain the Pahala church. EPIC Ministry member Tyler Johansen and his family, residents of Naalehu, began to rescue residents immediately. They used their farm tractors and bulldozers to begin the cleanup effort. “The driveways were full of (about eight inches of) mud,” Father Tulua said. “The Johansens brought their skid loader, and they cleaned out the driveway. Otherwise, I would have been stuck.” As soon as the Johansens freed Father Tulua’s car, the priest began assisting parishioners with rides. “We are incredibly grateful to Tyler, his family and all those in Kau who did not wait for outside help but immediately began taking care of their neighbors,” said Dallas Carter, president of EPIC Ministry, in an email to the lay organization’s members. After passing Hawaii island, Lala was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved beneath the island chain, according to AccuWeather. Heavy winds and rain pummeled Maui, Oahu and Kauai through early Aug. 17. During the storm, more than 25% of utility customers lost power statewide, with 65% losing power on Hawaii Island alone. Many people were left without power and internet access for most of the weekend; days after Lala’s worst impact, tens of thousands were still without power. On Aug. 26, President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii County — which covers Hawaii Island — making it eligible for federal assistance for storm recovery. While Hawaii Island bore the brunt of Lala’s fury Aug. 15, on Oahu, members of the three groups pooled their resources. They managed to raise $17,000 within 48 hours. “They’re going to see about getting these things done,” Father Tulua told the Hawaii Catholic Herald of his friends on Oahu. For Anthony Selvanathan, a member of the Order of St. Lazarus, the disaster in the Kau district was deeply personal. “Father William isn’t simply a priest serving an affected area. He is a friend and someone whose ministry I have supported and worked alongside,” Selvanathan said. “Through the Order of St. Lazarus and our shared life in the Church in Hawaii, I have come to know his deep commitment to the people he serves in Kau. His parishioners aren’t statistics on a damage report to him — they are people he knows, loves and serves.” This is not the first time that members of these three fraternal and lay organizations came together to provide assistance during a disaster. The groups coordinated to gather much-needed immediate resources for survivors of the deadly Maui wildfires in 2023. They also provided help and resources in Waialua this past spring after back-to-back Kona low storms devastated the rural Oahu town — bringing generators, water, propane and satellite networks while providing physical cleanup and other assistance wherever they could. To assist during Hurricane Lala, Brock from the Order of St. Lazarus and John Fielding, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 5000, flew to Hawaii island Aug. 18 to gather up and transport five containers of supplies that included potable water, gas, propane and propane burners for cooking, flashlights, generators and Starlink internet connectivity. Brock drove to Holy Rosary Church in Pahala to drop off the supplies and set up the Starlink internet connection. He also brought a satellite phone for Father Tulua to use as emergency communication. “We want to make sure that he always has a lifeline out,” Brock said in a phone interview with the Herald before his flight. Brock also conducted a needs assessment to see how the groups could continue service until power is restored to the area and the community recovers. “We, as a people of God, will show the witness to the people in this community,” Father Tulua said. “We have been blessed. We’re still hurting, but it’s going to be OK. I think this is going to be a long journey in repair and healing.” While Hawaii Island saw the majority of Lala’s force, other islands also were significantly affected. In addition to widespread power outages, the relentless wind and rain wreaked havoc on communities on Maui, Oahu and Kauai. At St. Joseph Parish in Makawao, Maui, a tree fell through the roof of the two-story convent there, according to a Hawaii News Now report. Mass attendance was sparse across the diocese as wind, rain and loss of power kept parishioners away. (As Lala bore down on Hawaii, Honolulu Bishop Michael T.T. Castori granted a dispensation Aug. 13 for parishioners who would not be able to attend Mass due to the storm.) At Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu, Father Ese’ese “Ace” Tui said that the early morning Mass on Aug. 16 was canceled due to heavy rain. Father Tui, who is pastor of Sacred Heart, said conditions then improved, allowing the subsequent Sunday Masses to be celebrated. “One surprising thing during the storm was the power situation,” he added. “With all the outages in our area, the only building on our campus that did not lose power was the church. The hall attached to the church lost power, as did the rectory and the school buildings, but the church itself had power throughout the entire storm. “One parishioner asked me, ‘Father, why does the church still have power? Do we have a generator?’ I jokingly responded, ‘Yes,’ and pointed to the tabernacle. Apparently, we have a different kind of backup power!” Father Tui said. EPIC Ministry’s Carter, who works at St. Louis School in Kaimuki, said one storm event that hit particularly close to home for him was when a large portion of a student’s family’s roof in Kalihi Valley was torn off by the wind. “Seeing a disaster on the news is one thing; knowing personally one of the children who went through it is another,” Carter said in an email to the Herald. EPIC Ministry assisted the family, as well as that of another student whose home sustained damage, with a monetary donation for food and necessities. “There are undoubtedly many more families across Oahu with similar stories that we simply have not heard yet,” Carter said. EPIC Ministry has started a donation site for relief efforts at relief.raiselysite.com. Lisa Dahm is a reporter at the Hawaii Catholic Herald, news outlet of the Diocese of Honolulu. This story was originally published by the Hawaii Catholic Herald and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

unitedyam

Faithful across Honolulu Diocese rally after devastating hurricane #Catholic –

NAALEHU, Hawaii (OSV News) — As Hurricane Lala barreled across the Hawaiian Islands Aug. 15-16, several Catholic organizations kept close watch over one of the hardest-hit areas — Hawaii Island’s Kau district, home to Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu and Holy Rosary Church in Pahala.

Father William “Pila” Tulua — pastor of the two parishes, the southernmost on Hawaii island, also called the Big Island — stayed in touch with members of the Knights of Columbus, EPIC Ministry and the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

Father Tulua, who is also the senior chaplain for the Order of St. Lazarus, sent photos and provided an account of the devastation in the Kau district as it unfolded — until he ran out of power.

“During the hurricane, we were on the phone with him (Father Tulua) and texting with him and seeing his pictures and the last thing we heard from him was, ‘It’s getting bad.’ Then he dropped off, which was very scary,” said Steve Brock, leader of the order’s Hawaii cadre and chief marshal in the order’s national office, known as the Grand Priory of America.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Through photos and other accounts, the groups learned that Sacred Heart’s parish office flooded, as did the local cemetery in Naalehu, resulting in unearthed coffins.

“There are walls missing (in residents’ homes). There are houses that were moved and smashed into the neighbor’s house,” Father Tulua told the Hawaii Catholic Herald, news outlet of the Honolulu Diocese. “At the hotel, the rooms were destroyed. … The new cultural center for Naalehu, that was destroyed. They just built it.”

Roads and bridges were washed away, with Highway 11 severely damaged; immediately after the storm rolled through, the area was completely inaccessible.

Homes flooded, families were displaced, and residents faced shortages of potable water and electricity. They could not bathe or use their toilets, despite the heat and high humidity.

Downed trees blocked the 12-mile road between the two parishes, creating a physical barrier for the peripatetic priest. Father Tulua had to rely on assistance from Michelle Andrade, Holy Rosary’s parish secretary, to organize the effort and maintain the Pahala church.

EPIC Ministry member Tyler Johansen and his family, residents of Naalehu, began to rescue residents immediately. They used their farm tractors and bulldozers to begin the cleanup effort.

“The driveways were full of (about eight inches of) mud,” Father Tulua said. “The Johansens brought their skid loader, and they cleaned out the driveway. Otherwise, I would have been stuck.”

As soon as the Johansens freed Father Tulua’s car, the priest began assisting parishioners with rides.

“We are incredibly grateful to Tyler, his family and all those in Kau who did not wait for outside help but immediately began taking care of their neighbors,” said Dallas Carter, president of EPIC Ministry, in an email to the lay organization’s members.

After passing Hawaii island, Lala was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved beneath the island chain, according to AccuWeather.

Heavy winds and rain pummeled Maui, Oahu and Kauai through early Aug. 17.

During the storm, more than 25% of utility customers lost power statewide, with 65% losing power on Hawaii Island alone. Many people were left without power and internet access for most of the weekend; days after Lala’s worst impact, tens of thousands were still without power.

On Aug. 26, President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii County — which covers Hawaii Island — making it eligible for federal assistance for storm recovery.

While Hawaii Island bore the brunt of Lala’s fury Aug. 15, on Oahu, members of the three groups pooled their resources. They managed to raise $17,000 within 48 hours.

“They’re going to see about getting these things done,” Father Tulua told the Hawaii Catholic Herald of his friends on Oahu.

For Anthony Selvanathan, a member of the Order of St. Lazarus, the disaster in the Kau district was deeply personal.

“Father William isn’t simply a priest serving an affected area. He is a friend and someone whose ministry I have supported and worked alongside,” Selvanathan said. “Through the Order of St. Lazarus and our shared life in the Church in Hawaii, I have come to know his deep commitment to the people he serves in Kau. His parishioners aren’t statistics on a damage report to him — they are people he knows, loves and serves.”

This is not the first time that members of these three fraternal and lay organizations came together to provide assistance during a disaster.

The groups coordinated to gather much-needed immediate resources for survivors of the deadly Maui wildfires in 2023. They also provided help and resources in Waialua this past spring after back-to-back Kona low storms devastated the rural Oahu town — bringing generators, water, propane and satellite networks while providing physical cleanup and other assistance wherever they could.

To assist during Hurricane Lala, Brock from the Order of St. Lazarus and John Fielding, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 5000, flew to Hawaii island Aug. 18 to gather up and transport five containers of supplies that included potable water, gas, propane and propane burners for cooking, flashlights, generators and Starlink internet connectivity.

Brock drove to Holy Rosary Church in Pahala to drop off the supplies and set up the Starlink internet connection. He also brought a satellite phone for Father Tulua to use as emergency communication.

“We want to make sure that he always has a lifeline out,” Brock said in a phone interview with the Herald before his flight.

Brock also conducted a needs assessment to see how the groups could continue service until power is restored to the area and the community recovers.

“We, as a people of God, will show the witness to the people in this community,” Father Tulua said. “We have been blessed. We’re still hurting, but it’s going to be OK. I think this is going to be a long journey in repair and healing.”

While Hawaii Island saw the majority of Lala’s force, other islands also were significantly affected. In addition to widespread power outages, the relentless wind and rain wreaked havoc on communities on Maui, Oahu and Kauai.

At St. Joseph Parish in Makawao, Maui, a tree fell through the roof of the two-story convent there, according to a Hawaii News Now report.

Mass attendance was sparse across the diocese as wind, rain and loss of power kept parishioners away. (As Lala bore down on Hawaii, Honolulu Bishop Michael T.T. Castori granted a dispensation Aug. 13 for parishioners who would not be able to attend Mass due to the storm.)

At Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu, Father Ese’ese “Ace” Tui said that the early morning Mass on Aug. 16 was canceled due to heavy rain.

Father Tui, who is pastor of Sacred Heart, said conditions then improved, allowing the subsequent Sunday Masses to be celebrated.

“One surprising thing during the storm was the power situation,” he added. “With all the outages in our area, the only building on our campus that did not lose power was the church. The hall attached to the church lost power, as did the rectory and the school buildings, but the church itself had power throughout the entire storm.

“One parishioner asked me, ‘Father, why does the church still have power? Do we have a generator?’ I jokingly responded, ‘Yes,’ and pointed to the tabernacle. Apparently, we have a different kind of backup power!” Father Tui said.

EPIC Ministry’s Carter, who works at St. Louis School in Kaimuki, said one storm event that hit particularly close to home for him was when a large portion of a student’s family’s roof in Kalihi Valley was torn off by the wind.

“Seeing a disaster on the news is one thing; knowing personally one of the children who went through it is another,” Carter said in an email to the Herald.

EPIC Ministry assisted the family, as well as that of another student whose home sustained damage, with a monetary donation for food and necessities.

“There are undoubtedly many more families across Oahu with similar stories that we simply have not heard yet,” Carter said.

EPIC Ministry has started a donation site for relief efforts at relief.raiselysite.com.

Lisa Dahm is a reporter at the Hawaii Catholic Herald, news outlet of the Diocese of Honolulu. This story was originally published by the Hawaii Catholic Herald and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

– NAALEHU, Hawaii (OSV News) — As Hurricane Lala barreled across the Hawaiian Islands Aug. 15-16, several Catholic organizations kept close watch over one of the hardest-hit areas — Hawaii Island’s Kau district, home to Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu and Holy Rosary Church in Pahala. Father William “Pila” Tulua — pastor of the two parishes, the southernmost on Hawaii island, also called the Big Island — stayed in touch with members of the Knights of Columbus, EPIC Ministry and the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. Father Tulua, who is also the senior chaplain for the Order

Read More
East Tennessee diocese mourns Dolly Parton as ‘one of our own’ #Catholic – (OSV News) — The Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, is remembering the late Dolly Parton — whose career as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist spanned decades — as “one of our own.” Bishop Mark Beckman said he was “very sorry to hear of her passing” and “praying for those who are mourning her loss.” “She made a wonderful contribution to our world and our community, and she will be greatly missed,” said Bishop Beckman. The 80-year-old Parton, whose many honors included 10 competitive Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal of the Arts, died Aug. 25 at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, following what her representatives described as a “brief battle with cancer.” Her late husband of 58 years, Carl Thomas Dean — whom she met at a laundromat in 1964 on her first day in Nashville — died in 2025 at the age of 82. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Born in 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Parton — the fourth of 12 children — was “a daughter of Sevier County,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in an Aug. 26 statement. Parton spoke candidly about the poverty she and her family had experienced, as well as the faith and the musical gifts they shared in the heart of Appalachia. As a child, she sang in both church and on television, even debuting at the Grand Ole Opry — the self-described “mother church of country music” — in 1959 when she was just 13. “Dolly was born and raised in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in its statement. “She first sang in a small Pentecostal church, long before the world knew her name. She never hid her faith. It showed up in the hymns she recorded across six decades, in how openly she talked about God.” Parton’s choir-backed cover of Don Francisco’s song “He’s Alive” — which recounts the Resurrection from Peter’s perspective — galvanized fans at the 1989 Country Music Awards, with Parton often performing and posting the song on social media over the years. As she ascended in the entertainment industry — finding success in the fields of country and pop music, developing a career in film, launching multiple business enterprises and supporting numerous charitable efforts — Parton’s impact spread. “Her life carried the spirit of our mountain home far beyond the Smokies,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in its statement. In particular, the diocese noted Parton’s Imagination Library, which began in 1995 as an effort to provide books to children in Sevier County and now delivers free books to kids throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. As of 2025, the library had distributed close to 305 million books in total. Parton had launched the effort in honor of her father, a sharecropper who had never learned how to read or write. “East Tennessee knew Dolly Parton as more than a world-famous star,” said the diocese. “We knew her as one of our own. She was shaped by these hills and these churches. Her life shows what can grow from faith, perseverance, imagination, and love for one’s neighbors — even from humble beginnings.” Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
Read More

East Tennessee diocese mourns Dolly Parton as ‘one of our own’ #Catholic – (OSV News) — The Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, is remembering the late Dolly Parton — whose career as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist spanned decades — as “one of our own.” Bishop Mark Beckman said he was “very sorry to hear of her passing” and “praying for those who are mourning her loss.” “She made a wonderful contribution to our world and our community, and she will be greatly missed,” said Bishop Beckman. The 80-year-old Parton, whose many honors included 10 competitive Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal of the Arts, died Aug. 25 at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, following what her representatives described as a “brief battle with cancer.” Her late husband of 58 years, Carl Thomas Dean — whom she met at a laundromat in 1964 on her first day in Nashville — died in 2025 at the age of 82. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Born in 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Parton — the fourth of 12 children — was “a daughter of Sevier County,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in an Aug. 26 statement. Parton spoke candidly about the poverty she and her family had experienced, as well as the faith and the musical gifts they shared in the heart of Appalachia. As a child, she sang in both church and on television, even debuting at the Grand Ole Opry — the self-described “mother church of country music” — in 1959 when she was just 13. “Dolly was born and raised in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in its statement. “She first sang in a small Pentecostal church, long before the world knew her name. She never hid her faith. It showed up in the hymns she recorded across six decades, in how openly she talked about God.” Parton’s choir-backed cover of Don Francisco’s song “He’s Alive” — which recounts the Resurrection from Peter’s perspective — galvanized fans at the 1989 Country Music Awards, with Parton often performing and posting the song on social media over the years. As she ascended in the entertainment industry — finding success in the fields of country and pop music, developing a career in film, launching multiple business enterprises and supporting numerous charitable efforts — Parton’s impact spread. “Her life carried the spirit of our mountain home far beyond the Smokies,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in its statement. In particular, the diocese noted Parton’s Imagination Library, which began in 1995 as an effort to provide books to children in Sevier County and now delivers free books to kids throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. As of 2025, the library had distributed close to 305 million books in total. Parton had launched the effort in honor of her father, a sharecropper who had never learned how to read or write. “East Tennessee knew Dolly Parton as more than a world-famous star,” said the diocese. “We knew her as one of our own. She was shaped by these hills and these churches. Her life shows what can grow from faith, perseverance, imagination, and love for one’s neighbors — even from humble beginnings.” Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

unitedyam

East Tennessee diocese mourns Dolly Parton as ‘one of our own’ #Catholic –

(OSV News) — The Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, is remembering the late Dolly Parton — whose career as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist spanned decades — as “one of our own.”

Bishop Mark Beckman said he was “very sorry to hear of her passing” and “praying for those who are mourning her loss.”

“She made a wonderful contribution to our world and our community, and she will be greatly missed,” said Bishop Beckman.

The 80-year-old Parton, whose many honors included 10 competitive Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal of the Arts, died Aug. 25 at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, following what her representatives described as a “brief battle with cancer.”

Her late husband of 58 years, Carl Thomas Dean — whom she met at a laundromat in 1964 on her first day in Nashville — died in 2025 at the age of 82.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Born in 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, Parton — the fourth of 12 children — was “a daughter of Sevier County,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in an Aug. 26 statement.

Parton spoke candidly about the poverty she and her family had experienced, as well as the faith and the musical gifts they shared in the heart of Appalachia.

As a child, she sang in both church and on television, even debuting at the Grand Ole Opry — the self-described “mother church of country music” — in 1959 when she was just 13.

“Dolly was born and raised in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in its statement. “She first sang in a small Pentecostal church, long before the world knew her name. She never hid her faith. It showed up in the hymns she recorded across six decades, in how openly she talked about God.”

Parton’s choir-backed cover of Don Francisco’s song “He’s Alive” — which recounts the Resurrection from Peter’s perspective — galvanized fans at the 1989 Country Music Awards, with Parton often performing and posting the song on social media over the years.

As she ascended in the entertainment industry — finding success in the fields of country and pop music, developing a career in film, launching multiple business enterprises and supporting numerous charitable efforts — Parton’s impact spread.

“Her life carried the spirit of our mountain home far beyond the Smokies,” said the Diocese of Knoxville in its statement.

In particular, the diocese noted Parton’s Imagination Library, which began in 1995 as an effort to provide books to children in Sevier County and now delivers free books to kids throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. As of 2025, the library had distributed close to 305 million books in total.

Parton had launched the effort in honor of her father, a sharecropper who had never learned how to read or write.

“East Tennessee knew Dolly Parton as more than a world-famous star,” said the diocese. “We knew her as one of our own. She was shaped by these hills and these churches. Her life shows what can grow from faith, perseverance, imagination, and love for one’s neighbors — even from humble beginnings.”

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

– (OSV News) — The Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, is remembering the late Dolly Parton — whose career as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist spanned decades — as “one of our own.” Bishop Mark Beckman said he was “very sorry to hear of her passing” and “praying for those who are mourning her loss.” “She made a wonderful contribution to our world and our community, and she will be greatly missed,” said Bishop Beckman. The 80-year-old Parton, whose many honors included 10 competitive Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal of the Arts, died Aug.

Read More
Paulist Fathers launch Communion Project to heal ‘toxic polarization’ within U.S. Church – #Catholic – The Communion Project initiative hopes to repair polarization in the U.S. Church and aid the Church in offering a better and more joyful witness in a divided country, organizers said.“Unfortunately, too often Catholics and Catholic leaders are acting more like thermometers instead of thermostats,” Jonathan Lewis, mission strategy officer for the Paulist Fathers and co-director of the Communion Project, told EWTN News.“Weʼre reading the temperature of the room or the culture, instead of setting the temperature according to our values and the truths of the Church,” he said.“So, part of what this effort is aimed to do is to lower the temperature of division and distrust, starting with those of us Catholics who call ourselves brothers and sisters, who are a real spiritual family,” Lewis said.“As we approach any election season, thereʼs always a need to help lower the temperature, have more thoughtful conversations, discern our Catholic values,” he said.The Catholic initiative hopes to heal toxic polarization in the Church by creating dialogue, providing resources, promoting unity through national communication methods, and by aiding local communities to create unification at their level, organizers said. Exact plans are still being formed. Participants gather at the Communion Project “Building Catholic Communion” national leader summit in Washington, D.C., in June 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lewis “Weʼre just beginning … and trying to share,” Lewis said. “Weʼre starting with a lot of resources” and “adapting resources that already existed.”“Then weʼre planning, over the next year or two years, to develop programs for dioceses and organizations and religious communities, students in Catholic schools.”The movement to start the project began in 2022 at the Paulist Fathers’ general assembly.“One of the priorities of the Paulists is to read the signs of the times, like the Second Vatican Council tells us to do, so that we can respond in a spirit-filled way,” Lewis said.At the gathering, they discussed “the realities of the United States and the Church in the United States today that we need to respond to or engage,” he said. “And thatʼs when the topic of toxic polarization emerged.”"The polarization affecting the U.S. Catholic Church is not merely a matter of policy dispute or partisan loyalty,” said Father Ricky Manalo, CSP, co-director of the Communion Project. “It is a deeply spiritual and relational rupture, shaping how Catholics imagine moral life, celebrate the sacraments, interpret tradition, and remain in communion amid difference.”“Within Catholic life, polarization is more than disagreement; it is the loss of our capacity to remain in relationship, even amid difference, as one body in Christ,” he said.Inspired by Pope Francis, the group founded The Paulist Initiative on Polarization as a national partnership of Catholic leaders committed to strengthening unity across political, theological, and cultural divisions.In 2025, the effort was renamed the Communion Project following Pope Leo XIV’s public commitment to building communion in the Church.“This is really a priority of Pope Leo,” Lewis said. “In his first inaugural Mass, Pope Leo said his first great desire would be for a unified Church in communion. We really see this as an initiative that is trying to live out the message and the priority of the Holy Father.”Polarization in the U.S.When people think of polarization, they usually first think of “left and right politics, Republicans, Democrats,” Lewis said. “And certainly thatʼs one area, but I really see polarization showing up in a lot of different ways.”“This isnʼt only in public life or in politics, where one might expect, itʼs also in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States,” Lewis said.It can come up due to division surrounding the liturgy, or cultural or generational differences, but ultimately the goal is to remind Catholics of shared beliefs and values.The project hopes to help the faithful “see that while people might prioritize different dimensions of our Catholic social teaching, thereʼs unity within that work, and we need to bring people together,” Lewis said.For example, the Church has a mission to protect human dignity, and “some people focus on ending the death penalty,” while “other people might focus on ending abortion and the work of the pro-life movement,” Lewis explained. “Even if weʼre working in different areas, those areas are not in conflict.”Connection through communicationThe initiative’s resources and formation experiences are organized around three interconnected dimensions: the head, the heart, and the hands.The project offers a “development of resources that impact our head, meaning our knowledge and our self-awareness,” and “also our hearts in terms of our prayer and discernment,” Lewis said.There are also resources that impact “our hands,” which focus on “building skills and building relationships,” Lewis said.“So we want to help organizations and churches work with leaders in particular, to equip them with the resources and programming to help them make a positive impact in their local community,” he said.The resources can be found in the Communion Project’s “resource library” on its website, which offers a number of options for people to independently utilize or bring to a group. It also offers gatherings and workshops to aid its cause. In the online library, people can find upcoming events, online courses, prayers for communion, articles, learning sessions to be used in small groups, and a Communion Project podcast. It also has educational videos provided by outside organizations including Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, and Boston College.So far the podcast has included conversations with Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore on what happens when the faithful stop seeing one another as brothers and sisters, and University of Notre Dameʼs Tim O’Malley on liturgical division and what it means to live in communion with people.The first episode featured a conversation “with Tim Busch, founder of Napa Institute, and Father James Martin from America Media, two people who speak to very different parts of the Church … but have developed a personal friendship,” Lewis said.“It was a great opportunity to put people in the same place to talk about their friendship, of their shared faith, realizing that what unites us is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said.“What matters most is gathering around a particular Eucharistic table and a particular family table and having hard conversations or sitting in discomfort, because love compels us to do hard things,” Lewis said.The initiative is only “just beginning in terms of programming and trying to share.” But since starting, “thereʼs a great interest” among local communities wanting to be involved.“The path of healing begins not in dominating strength, but in shared vulnerability. When both Church and nation dare to move toward one another — wounded yet willing — they may discover that grace lives precisely in the places we thought were beyond repair,” Manalo said.
Read More

Paulist Fathers launch Communion Project to heal ‘toxic polarization’ within U.S. Church – #Catholic – The Communion Project initiative hopes to repair polarization in the U.S. Church and aid the Church in offering a better and more joyful witness in a divided country, organizers said.“Unfortunately, too often Catholics and Catholic leaders are acting more like thermometers instead of thermostats,” Jonathan Lewis, mission strategy officer for the Paulist Fathers and co-director of the Communion Project, told EWTN News.“Weʼre reading the temperature of the room or the culture, instead of setting the temperature according to our values and the truths of the Church,” he said.“So, part of what this effort is aimed to do is to lower the temperature of division and distrust, starting with those of us Catholics who call ourselves brothers and sisters, who are a real spiritual family,” Lewis said.“As we approach any election season, thereʼs always a need to help lower the temperature, have more thoughtful conversations, discern our Catholic values,” he said.The Catholic initiative hopes to heal toxic polarization in the Church by creating dialogue, providing resources, promoting unity through national communication methods, and by aiding local communities to create unification at their level, organizers said. Exact plans are still being formed. Participants gather at the Communion Project “Building Catholic Communion” national leader summit in Washington, D.C., in June 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lewis “Weʼre just beginning … and trying to share,” Lewis said. “Weʼre starting with a lot of resources” and “adapting resources that already existed.”“Then weʼre planning, over the next year or two years, to develop programs for dioceses and organizations and religious communities, students in Catholic schools.”The movement to start the project began in 2022 at the Paulist Fathers’ general assembly.“One of the priorities of the Paulists is to read the signs of the times, like the Second Vatican Council tells us to do, so that we can respond in a spirit-filled way,” Lewis said.At the gathering, they discussed “the realities of the United States and the Church in the United States today that we need to respond to or engage,” he said. “And thatʼs when the topic of toxic polarization emerged.”"The polarization affecting the U.S. Catholic Church is not merely a matter of policy dispute or partisan loyalty,” said Father Ricky Manalo, CSP, co-director of the Communion Project. “It is a deeply spiritual and relational rupture, shaping how Catholics imagine moral life, celebrate the sacraments, interpret tradition, and remain in communion amid difference.”“Within Catholic life, polarization is more than disagreement; it is the loss of our capacity to remain in relationship, even amid difference, as one body in Christ,” he said.Inspired by Pope Francis, the group founded The Paulist Initiative on Polarization as a national partnership of Catholic leaders committed to strengthening unity across political, theological, and cultural divisions.In 2025, the effort was renamed the Communion Project following Pope Leo XIV’s public commitment to building communion in the Church.“This is really a priority of Pope Leo,” Lewis said. “In his first inaugural Mass, Pope Leo said his first great desire would be for a unified Church in communion. We really see this as an initiative that is trying to live out the message and the priority of the Holy Father.”Polarization in the U.S.When people think of polarization, they usually first think of “left and right politics, Republicans, Democrats,” Lewis said. “And certainly thatʼs one area, but I really see polarization showing up in a lot of different ways.”“This isnʼt only in public life or in politics, where one might expect, itʼs also in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States,” Lewis said.It can come up due to division surrounding the liturgy, or cultural or generational differences, but ultimately the goal is to remind Catholics of shared beliefs and values.The project hopes to help the faithful “see that while people might prioritize different dimensions of our Catholic social teaching, thereʼs unity within that work, and we need to bring people together,” Lewis said.For example, the Church has a mission to protect human dignity, and “some people focus on ending the death penalty,” while “other people might focus on ending abortion and the work of the pro-life movement,” Lewis explained. “Even if weʼre working in different areas, those areas are not in conflict.”Connection through communicationThe initiative’s resources and formation experiences are organized around three interconnected dimensions: the head, the heart, and the hands.The project offers a “development of resources that impact our head, meaning our knowledge and our self-awareness,” and “also our hearts in terms of our prayer and discernment,” Lewis said.There are also resources that impact “our hands,” which focus on “building skills and building relationships,” Lewis said.“So we want to help organizations and churches work with leaders in particular, to equip them with the resources and programming to help them make a positive impact in their local community,” he said.The resources can be found in the Communion Project’s “resource library” on its website, which offers a number of options for people to independently utilize or bring to a group. It also offers gatherings and workshops to aid its cause. In the online library, people can find upcoming events, online courses, prayers for communion, articles, learning sessions to be used in small groups, and a Communion Project podcast. It also has educational videos provided by outside organizations including Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, and Boston College.So far the podcast has included conversations with Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore on what happens when the faithful stop seeing one another as brothers and sisters, and University of Notre Dameʼs Tim O’Malley on liturgical division and what it means to live in communion with people.The first episode featured a conversation “with Tim Busch, founder of Napa Institute, and Father James Martin from America Media, two people who speak to very different parts of the Church … but have developed a personal friendship,” Lewis said.“It was a great opportunity to put people in the same place to talk about their friendship, of their shared faith, realizing that what unites us is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said.“What matters most is gathering around a particular Eucharistic table and a particular family table and having hard conversations or sitting in discomfort, because love compels us to do hard things,” Lewis said.The initiative is only “just beginning in terms of programming and trying to share.” But since starting, “thereʼs a great interest” among local communities wanting to be involved.“The path of healing begins not in dominating strength, but in shared vulnerability. When both Church and nation dare to move toward one another — wounded yet willing — they may discover that grace lives precisely in the places we thought were beyond repair,” Manalo said.

unitedyam

Inspired by Pope Leo’s call for communion, the Catholic initiative is working to build unity in the Church and the nation.

Read More
Possible Eucharistic miracle in Guatemala: Church urges ‘prudence and restraint’ – #Catholic – An alleged “Eucharistic manifestation” has drawn the attention of the faithful in Guatemala, where a consecrated host reportedly remained intact inside a glass of water, bearing apparent stains of what “could be blood.”While the event has captured the attention of the Catholic community in the country, the Church has urged the faithful to exercise “prudence and restraint.”A consecrated host that reportedly failed to dissolveThe Niño Dios (Child God) Cathedral of the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima announced in a statement that the occurrence took place on July 30 during a Mass for Eucharistic Missionary Week held at a private school in Cuilapa, a city located approximately 40 miles southeast of Guatemala City.According to the statement, during Communion, the priest celebrating the Mass noticed that one of the young people who had received the Eucharist “was taking the sacred host out of his mouth; he quickly approached him and was able to prevent him from discarding it on the floor.”“Following the guidelines for such cases, the priest placed the sacred host in a glass vessel containing water in the rectory chapel,” the statement explained.The intention was for the host to dissolve naturally. However, according to the statement, “the following Thursday [Aug. 13], while cleaning the chapel, a parish volunteer noticed that the host had not dissolved and bore red stains that could be blood.”The discovery was reported to the parish priest, who questioned and took a statement from the volunteer who had noticed the situation. Subsequently, the matter was reported to Bishop José Cayetano Parra Novo of the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima.‘Prudence and restraint’The cathedral explicitly urged the faithful to exercise “prudence and restraint.”“Throughout history, the Church has received testimony regarding the real and substantial presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, under this unique form of manifestation,” the cathedral noted in its statement, cautioning that such cases “have been neither common nor easy to discern; therefore, they cannot be called miracles until a full investigation, which must be carried out and will take time, is concluded.”The cathedral also announced that the host is being reserved “in a special place and will not be on public display,” while Parra Novo is providing “guidelines for the necessary discernment and to enable a study of this possible Eucharistic manifestation” of the Real Presence.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Read More

Possible Eucharistic miracle in Guatemala: Church urges ‘prudence and restraint’ – #Catholic – An alleged “Eucharistic manifestation” has drawn the attention of the faithful in Guatemala, where a consecrated host reportedly remained intact inside a glass of water, bearing apparent stains of what “could be blood.”While the event has captured the attention of the Catholic community in the country, the Church has urged the faithful to exercise “prudence and restraint.”A consecrated host that reportedly failed to dissolveThe Niño Dios (Child God) Cathedral of the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima announced in a statement that the occurrence took place on July 30 during a Mass for Eucharistic Missionary Week held at a private school in Cuilapa, a city located approximately 40 miles southeast of Guatemala City.According to the statement, during Communion, the priest celebrating the Mass noticed that one of the young people who had received the Eucharist “was taking the sacred host out of his mouth; he quickly approached him and was able to prevent him from discarding it on the floor.”“Following the guidelines for such cases, the priest placed the sacred host in a glass vessel containing water in the rectory chapel,” the statement explained.The intention was for the host to dissolve naturally. However, according to the statement, “the following Thursday [Aug. 13], while cleaning the chapel, a parish volunteer noticed that the host had not dissolved and bore red stains that could be blood.”The discovery was reported to the parish priest, who questioned and took a statement from the volunteer who had noticed the situation. Subsequently, the matter was reported to Bishop José Cayetano Parra Novo of the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima.‘Prudence and restraint’The cathedral explicitly urged the faithful to exercise “prudence and restraint.”“Throughout history, the Church has received testimony regarding the real and substantial presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, under this unique form of manifestation,” the cathedral noted in its statement, cautioning that such cases “have been neither common nor easy to discern; therefore, they cannot be called miracles until a full investigation, which must be carried out and will take time, is concluded.”The cathedral also announced that the host is being reserved “in a special place and will not be on public display,” while Parra Novo is providing “guidelines for the necessary discernment and to enable a study of this possible Eucharistic manifestation” of the Real Presence.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam

As in all such cases of an apparent manifestation of the Real Presence, the local Church is duly investigating the phenomenon and urging the faithful not to draw any conclusions.

Read More
Parish pays tribute to Annunciation shooting victims through sacred fresco – #Catholic – When a deadly shooting devastated Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, a neighboring Catholic parish quietly provided support to the school, opening its doors for the parish school’s needs.Now, Our Lady of Grace is memorializing that connection in a fresco by Minnesota-based artist Mark Balma.Balma is in the process of painting two large frescoes at the altar of Our Lady of Grace. On the right, already finished, is an image of Mary and the angel at the Annunciation. Green and blue ribbons painted in the bottom-right corner pay tribute to the school and the community. Our Lady of Guadalupe with the unfinished fresco, left, and the completed Annunciation fresco, right. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell “In the centuries-old tradition of Catholic sacred art, images have always carried more than beauty — they carry the prayers, memories, and stories of the communities who create and encounter them,” Rámond Mitchell, director of liturgy for Our Lady of Grace, told EWTN News.“Sacred art has a unique ability to hold memory, communicate faith, and invite people into prayer,” Mitchell continued.“Because our two communities had walked so closely with one another through such a difficult time, we wanted to create a lasting remembrance within our own sacred space as a reminder of the people we accompanied, the lives that were forever changed, and the hope and faith that sustained us,” Mitchell said.Meaning of the ribbonsBalma painted blue-and-green ribbons onto a vase within his Annunciation fresco as a tribute to the community of Annunciation Church and School.Mitchell explained how blue-and-green ribbons were an important symbol to the community after the shooting.“Following the shooting, people throughout the surrounding community tied blue-and-green ribbons to doors, trees, lampposts, fences, and other places as a visible sign of solidarity and remembrance,” Mitchell said.“In the fresco, the ribbons are tied around a water jug beside Mary. We wanted the ribbons to feel integrated into the scene rather than separate from it,” Mitchell continued. “The water jug is an ordinary object, much like the ordinary details of daily life that surrounded Mary when the angel appeared to her.” Close-up of Mark Balma’s Annunciation fresco. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell “In that way, the ribbons become part of an ordinary moment that has been transformed by the presence of God and a reminder of the Annunciation community and of the sacredness of their lives and stories,” Mitchell continued.Balma, who was in the Twin Cities at the time of the shooting, was asked to “find a way to honor the Annunciation community.”“This tragedy really touched me and I prayed for guidance at how to best honor the children and families,” Balma told EWTN News.“As a painter I try to find within Scriptures a word or concept that might help me unlock a vision to reveal a fresh way to transform the words into images,” Balma said. “For instance in the Annunciation fresco, the line ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord’ became the focal point of the imagery.”“My concept for the Annunciation fresco is different than most historical depictions. They usually place an older-looking Mary in a room or cloister visited by Gabriel and the Holy Spirit,” Balma said. “As I studied the Scriptures, I found no reference to her being in a room.”Balma pointed out that at the time of the Annunciation, Mary “was not that much older than the children” of Annunciation School.“I imagined the 14-year-old Mary as carrying on her daily chores like going to the well for water,” Balma said. “So full of beautiful symbolism, the water vase then became the place I could attach the ribbons that were placed in the community in remembrance of the children.”“Water is healing, and tying the ribbons around the vase seemed to be the heartfelt way to honor the children,” Balma said. A detail in a fresco by Mark Balma pays tribute to victims of the Annunciation school shooting. |Credit: Courtesy of Our Lady of Grace Parish Sister communitiesThe community at Our Lady of Grace stepped up after the shooting; it was a tragedy that struck them deeply.“Annunciation is not far from Our Lady of Grace, and there have long been many connections between our two communities,” Mitchell said. “Some of our parishioners attended Annunciation themselves, while others have children or grandchildren who attended the school. Our teachers knew teachers there, and some members of our parish community were neighbors or friends of students, staff, and families affected by the shooting.” Study of vase by Mark Balma at the altar at Our Lady of Guadalupe. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell “Because of those relationships, the tragedy was felt very deeply at Our Lady of Grace,” Mitchell said. “In the aftermath, our parish and school community was able to offer a place of safety, hospitality, prayer, and support. Our campus became a place where members of the Annunciation community could simply be together when so much of their world had been disrupted.”The principal of Annunciation was present at the live painting session when Balma painted the ribbons into the fresco, which was a particularly significant moment, Mitchell said.“Having members of the Annunciation community participate in and witness the creation of the work has made the memorial even more meaningful,” Mitchell said. Other artwork by Mark Balma. | Credit: Courtesy of Mark Balma Triptych by Mark Balma. | Credit: Courtesy of Mark Balma
Read More

Parish pays tribute to Annunciation shooting victims through sacred fresco – #Catholic – When a deadly shooting devastated Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, a neighboring Catholic parish quietly provided support to the school, opening its doors for the parish school’s needs.Now, Our Lady of Grace is memorializing that connection in a fresco by Minnesota-based artist Mark Balma.Balma is in the process of painting two large frescoes at the altar of Our Lady of Grace. On the right, already finished, is an image of Mary and the angel at the Annunciation. Green and blue ribbons painted in the bottom-right corner pay tribute to the school and the community. Our Lady of Guadalupe with the unfinished fresco, left, and the completed Annunciation fresco, right. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell “In the centuries-old tradition of Catholic sacred art, images have always carried more than beauty — they carry the prayers, memories, and stories of the communities who create and encounter them,” Rámond Mitchell, director of liturgy for Our Lady of Grace, told EWTN News.“Sacred art has a unique ability to hold memory, communicate faith, and invite people into prayer,” Mitchell continued.“Because our two communities had walked so closely with one another through such a difficult time, we wanted to create a lasting remembrance within our own sacred space as a reminder of the people we accompanied, the lives that were forever changed, and the hope and faith that sustained us,” Mitchell said.Meaning of the ribbonsBalma painted blue-and-green ribbons onto a vase within his Annunciation fresco as a tribute to the community of Annunciation Church and School.Mitchell explained how blue-and-green ribbons were an important symbol to the community after the shooting.“Following the shooting, people throughout the surrounding community tied blue-and-green ribbons to doors, trees, lampposts, fences, and other places as a visible sign of solidarity and remembrance,” Mitchell said.“In the fresco, the ribbons are tied around a water jug beside Mary. We wanted the ribbons to feel integrated into the scene rather than separate from it,” Mitchell continued. “The water jug is an ordinary object, much like the ordinary details of daily life that surrounded Mary when the angel appeared to her.” Close-up of Mark Balma’s Annunciation fresco. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell “In that way, the ribbons become part of an ordinary moment that has been transformed by the presence of God and a reminder of the Annunciation community and of the sacredness of their lives and stories,” Mitchell continued.Balma, who was in the Twin Cities at the time of the shooting, was asked to “find a way to honor the Annunciation community.”“This tragedy really touched me and I prayed for guidance at how to best honor the children and families,” Balma told EWTN News.“As a painter I try to find within Scriptures a word or concept that might help me unlock a vision to reveal a fresh way to transform the words into images,” Balma said. “For instance in the Annunciation fresco, the line ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord’ became the focal point of the imagery.”“My concept for the Annunciation fresco is different than most historical depictions. They usually place an older-looking Mary in a room or cloister visited by Gabriel and the Holy Spirit,” Balma said. “As I studied the Scriptures, I found no reference to her being in a room.”Balma pointed out that at the time of the Annunciation, Mary “was not that much older than the children” of Annunciation School.“I imagined the 14-year-old Mary as carrying on her daily chores like going to the well for water,” Balma said. “So full of beautiful symbolism, the water vase then became the place I could attach the ribbons that were placed in the community in remembrance of the children.”“Water is healing, and tying the ribbons around the vase seemed to be the heartfelt way to honor the children,” Balma said. A detail in a fresco by Mark Balma pays tribute to victims of the Annunciation school shooting. |Credit: Courtesy of Our Lady of Grace Parish Sister communitiesThe community at Our Lady of Grace stepped up after the shooting; it was a tragedy that struck them deeply.“Annunciation is not far from Our Lady of Grace, and there have long been many connections between our two communities,” Mitchell said. “Some of our parishioners attended Annunciation themselves, while others have children or grandchildren who attended the school. Our teachers knew teachers there, and some members of our parish community were neighbors or friends of students, staff, and families affected by the shooting.” Study of vase by Mark Balma at the altar at Our Lady of Guadalupe. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell “Because of those relationships, the tragedy was felt very deeply at Our Lady of Grace,” Mitchell said. “In the aftermath, our parish and school community was able to offer a place of safety, hospitality, prayer, and support. Our campus became a place where members of the Annunciation community could simply be together when so much of their world had been disrupted.”The principal of Annunciation was present at the live painting session when Balma painted the ribbons into the fresco, which was a particularly significant moment, Mitchell said.“Having members of the Annunciation community participate in and witness the creation of the work has made the memorial even more meaningful,” Mitchell said. Other artwork by Mark Balma. | Credit: Courtesy of Mark Balma Triptych by Mark Balma. | Credit: Courtesy of Mark Balma

unitedyam

Through sacred art, a neighboring parish is paying tribute to the Annunciation parish community in Minneapolis after the deadly shooting last year.

Read More

The Sky Today on Thursday, August 27: A deep partial lunar eclipse

unitedyam

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 26: Catch Barnard’s star A partial eclipse of the Moon occurs tonight, following August 12th’s total eclipse of the Sun. The deep lunar eclipse is visible across North and South America, Africa, and western Europe. The Moon rises around 7:30 P.M.Continue reading “The Sky Today on Thursday, August 27: A deep partial lunar eclipse”

The post The Sky Today on Thursday, August 27: A deep partial lunar eclipse appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Read More
Augustinian priests: St. Monica had ‘great interior strength’ #Catholic Since the fourth century, Christians have revered St. Monica, the mother of Church Father St. Augustine, as a woman of unwavering faith in God.In an interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato, two Augustinian priests living in Rome explained why the woman they refer to as their “grandmother” continues to be a source of hope and inspiration, especially for Catholic wives and mothers.Augustinian Father Angelo Di Berardino, who has worked and lived at the Augustinian International College of Santa Monica in Rome for 50 years, said St. Monica had a great interior strength that influenced all members of her family.“Respecting her husband, she was able to convert him,” Di Berardino told EWTN News. “Then, she was a strong woman to educate her three children, especially Augustine.”“I think she was so strong in her life, in her prayer, that she had a great influence on the great theologian Augustine,” he added.According to Augustinian Father Edward Daleng Daniang, vice regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household and former general counsellor and procurator general of the Order of St. Augustine, St. Monica is the saint to turn to for spouses who feel alone in their desire to create a Christian family home.“St. Monica did not have it easy with her husband Patrick,” he said. “She tried to win him with her love, with her patience and endurance and tolerance and, above all, bringing her husband to God through prayer.”Describing the ancient saint as a “living example” of a mother who does not give up on her children, Daniang said those struggling with their children can have hope that their prayers, and tears, are never wasted.“St. Monica was struggling with her son St. Augustine who wandered away from home,” he said. “He left Monica, his mother, to come to Italy in those days and Monica did not give up.”“He left the faith which she tried to transmit to him but she did not give up,” he emphasized.Following her son to Italy, Daniang said her main intention of leaving Africa was not to bring her son back home but to lead her son to Jesus Christ for the salvation of his soul.“St. Monica stands as someone who led her husband to God, to Christ, and also brought her son St. Augustine to Christ,” he said.“That’s bringing the unity of family together,” he added.This story was first published on Aug. 27, 2025, and has been updated.
Read More

Augustinian priests: St. Monica had ‘great interior strength’ #Catholic Since the fourth century, Christians have revered St. Monica, the mother of Church Father St. Augustine, as a woman of unwavering faith in God.In an interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato, two Augustinian priests living in Rome explained why the woman they refer to as their “grandmother” continues to be a source of hope and inspiration, especially for Catholic wives and mothers.Augustinian Father Angelo Di Berardino, who has worked and lived at the Augustinian International College of Santa Monica in Rome for 50 years, said St. Monica had a great interior strength that influenced all members of her family.“Respecting her husband, she was able to convert him,” Di Berardino told EWTN News. “Then, she was a strong woman to educate her three children, especially Augustine.”“I think she was so strong in her life, in her prayer, that she had a great influence on the great theologian Augustine,” he added.According to Augustinian Father Edward Daleng Daniang, vice regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household and former general counsellor and procurator general of the Order of St. Augustine, St. Monica is the saint to turn to for spouses who feel alone in their desire to create a Christian family home.“St. Monica did not have it easy with her husband Patrick,” he said. “She tried to win him with her love, with her patience and endurance and tolerance and, above all, bringing her husband to God through prayer.”Describing the ancient saint as a “living example” of a mother who does not give up on her children, Daniang said those struggling with their children can have hope that their prayers, and tears, are never wasted.“St. Monica was struggling with her son St. Augustine who wandered away from home,” he said. “He left Monica, his mother, to come to Italy in those days and Monica did not give up.”“He left the faith which she tried to transmit to him but she did not give up,” he emphasized.Following her son to Italy, Daniang said her main intention of leaving Africa was not to bring her son back home but to lead her son to Jesus Christ for the salvation of his soul.“St. Monica stands as someone who led her husband to God, to Christ, and also brought her son St. Augustine to Christ,” he said.“That’s bringing the unity of family together,” he added.This story was first published on Aug. 27, 2025, and has been updated.

unitedyam

Two Augustinian priests living in Rome explain why the woman they refer to as their “grandmother” continues to be a source of hope and inspiration.

Read More
New Details Emerge About Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s California Golf Course Earlier This Month (VIDEO) – New details are being reported about Jeanine John Taele, the heavily armed man who was arrested earlier this month at Trump’s golf course in California shortly before a planned visit by the President. The post New Details Emerge About Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s California Golf Course Earlier This Month (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More

New Details Emerge About Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s California Golf Course Earlier This Month (VIDEO) – New details are being reported about Jeanine John Taele, the heavily armed man who was arrested earlier this month at Trump’s golf course in California shortly before a planned visit by the President. The post New Details Emerge About Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s California Golf Course Earlier This Month (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam

New details are being reported about Jeanine John Taele, the heavily armed man who was arrested earlier this month at Trump’s golf course in California shortly before a planned visit by the President.

The post New Details Emerge About Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s California Golf Course Earlier This Month (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Read More
Frustrated FOX News Liberal Jessica Tarlov Now Says She Wishes Trump Had Won in 2020 (VIDEO) – Jessica Tarlov, one the liberal contributors on FOX News, is now saying that she wishes Trump had won the 2020 election. The post Frustrated FOX News Liberal Jessica Tarlov Now Says She Wishes Trump Had Won in 2020 (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More

Frustrated FOX News Liberal Jessica Tarlov Now Says She Wishes Trump Had Won in 2020 (VIDEO) – Jessica Tarlov, one the liberal contributors on FOX News, is now saying that she wishes Trump had won the 2020 election. The post Frustrated FOX News Liberal Jessica Tarlov Now Says She Wishes Trump Had Won in 2020 (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam

Jessica Tarlov, one the liberal contributors on FOX News, is now saying that she wishes Trump had won the 2020 election.

The post Frustrated FOX News Liberal Jessica Tarlov Now Says She Wishes Trump Had Won in 2020 (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Read More
Los Angeles Residents Disgusted by Their Choices for Mayor: ‘I Wish They Could Both Lose’ – Lots of people who live in Los Angeles are disgusted by the two choices they have for mayor this year, Democrat incumbent Karen Bass and radical DSA candidate Nithya Raman. The post Los Angeles Residents Disgusted by Their Choices for Mayor: ‘I Wish They Could Both Lose’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More

Los Angeles Residents Disgusted by Their Choices for Mayor: ‘I Wish They Could Both Lose’ – Lots of people who live in Los Angeles are disgusted by the two choices they have for mayor this year, Democrat incumbent Karen Bass and radical DSA candidate Nithya Raman. The post Los Angeles Residents Disgusted by Their Choices for Mayor: ‘I Wish They Could Both Lose’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam

Lots of people who live in Los Angeles are disgusted by the two choices they have for mayor this year, Democrat incumbent Karen Bass and radical DSA candidate Nithya Raman.

The post Los Angeles Residents Disgusted by Their Choices for Mayor: ‘I Wish They Could Both Lose’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Read More

Prayer for Choosing a State of Life: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, August 27, 2026 – #Prayer – From all eternity, O Lord, You planned my very existence and my destiny. You wrapped me in Your love in baptism and gave me the Faith to lead me to an eternal life of happiness with You. You have showered me with Your graces and You have been always ready with Your mercy and forgiveness when I have fallen. Now I beg You for the light I so earnestly need that I may find the way of life in which lies the best fulfillment of Your will. Whatever state this may be, give me the grace necessary to …

unitedyam

From all eternity, O Lord, You planned my very existence and my destiny. You wrapped me in Your love in baptism and gave me the Faith to lead me to an eternal life of happiness with You. You have showered me with Your graces and You have been always ready with Your mercy and forgiveness when I have fallen. Now I beg You for the light I so earnestly need that I may find the way of life in which lies the best fulfillment of Your will. Whatever state this may be, give me the grace necessary to …

Read More
Israeli court acquits nun’s attacker, orders up to 6 years in psychiatric care #Catholic An Israeli court has acquitted a West Bank settler who assaulted a French Catholic sister near Mount Zion in Jerusalem earlier this year, ordering up to six years in a psychiatric facility, Israeli media reported.Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Ophir Tischler acquitted Yona Schreiber citing an assessment from a district psychiatrist that found Schreiber was experiencing a psychotic episode during the attack and could not be found criminally responsible, according to The Jerusalem Post.The Aug. 26 ruling ordered Schreiber to be committed to an inpatient treatment facility for a maximum six years, though he may be released early if a psychiatric council determines his mental condition to be improved.The psychiatric assessment further diagnosed Schreiber with schizophrenia, media reports said. The assessment noted that a lack of conclusive evidence showing how Schreiber’s mental state led him to carry out the attack on the religious sister but said the illness influenced his actions nonetheless.Schreiber was arrested and charged in April with assault and hostility toward a religious group for pushing a Catholic sister to the ground and kicking her in the head. The April 28 assault took place on Mount Zion near King David’s Tomb, steps from Dormition Abbey.Videos of the attack circulated on social media, fueling a backlash and further outrage over persistent attacks against Christians in Israel and the West Bank.At the time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned Schreiber’s actions, writing in an April 29 social media post: “Israel remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths, and to ensuring that Jerusalem remains a city where every community can live, pray, and practice its faith in safety and dignity.”
Read More

Israeli court acquits nun’s attacker, orders up to 6 years in psychiatric care #Catholic An Israeli court has acquitted a West Bank settler who assaulted a French Catholic sister near Mount Zion in Jerusalem earlier this year, ordering up to six years in a psychiatric facility, Israeli media reported.Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Ophir Tischler acquitted Yona Schreiber citing an assessment from a district psychiatrist that found Schreiber was experiencing a psychotic episode during the attack and could not be found criminally responsible, according to The Jerusalem Post.The Aug. 26 ruling ordered Schreiber to be committed to an inpatient treatment facility for a maximum six years, though he may be released early if a psychiatric council determines his mental condition to be improved.The psychiatric assessment further diagnosed Schreiber with schizophrenia, media reports said. The assessment noted that a lack of conclusive evidence showing how Schreiber’s mental state led him to carry out the attack on the religious sister but said the illness influenced his actions nonetheless.Schreiber was arrested and charged in April with assault and hostility toward a religious group for pushing a Catholic sister to the ground and kicking her in the head. The April 28 assault took place on Mount Zion near King David’s Tomb, steps from Dormition Abbey.Videos of the attack circulated on social media, fueling a backlash and further outrage over persistent attacks against Christians in Israel and the West Bank.At the time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned Schreiber’s actions, writing in an April 29 social media post: “Israel remains firmly committed to safeguarding freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all faiths, and to ensuring that Jerusalem remains a city where every community can live, pray, and practice its faith in safety and dignity.”

unitedyam

The Aug. 26 ruling ordered Yona Schreiber to be committed to an inpatient treatment facility for a maximum six years, though he may be released early at the discretion of the facility.

Read More
Catholic Hispanics welcome Bishop Sweeney for Mass in Branchville #Catholic – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish in Branchville, N.J., on Aug. 23 to celebrate a Spanish Mass for the Hispanic community. Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of OLQP and an advocate in the Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and Father Dailon Lisabet, who provides pastoral care for the Spanish-speaking community in Sussex County, concelebrated the Mass. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney preached about the importance of the Church and the sacraments and emphasized the Church’s and diocese’s commitment to welcoming and serving the Hispanic people. A feast was held in OLQP’s parish hall after the Mass. OLQP has a Hispanic Ministry, which aims to integrate Spanish-speaking people into all aspects of the Sussex County parish’s life. The parish has been holding events that bring together English and Spanish communities so they become more acquainted. BEACON PHOTOS | DENNIS DALELIO [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
Read More

Catholic Hispanics welcome Bishop Sweeney for Mass in Branchville #Catholic – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish in Branchville, N.J., on Aug. 23 to celebrate a Spanish Mass for the Hispanic community. Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of OLQP and an advocate in the Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and Father Dailon Lisabet, who provides pastoral care for the Spanish-speaking community in Sussex County, concelebrated the Mass. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney preached about the importance of the Church and the sacraments and emphasized the Church’s and diocese’s commitment to welcoming and serving the Hispanic people. A feast was held in OLQP’s parish hall after the Mass. OLQP has a Hispanic Ministry, which aims to integrate Spanish-speaking people into all aspects of the Sussex County parish’s life. The parish has been holding events that bring together English and Spanish communities so they become more acquainted. BEACON PHOTOS | DENNIS DALELIO [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

unitedyam

Catholic Hispanics welcome Bishop Sweeney for Mass in Branchville #Catholic –

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish in Branchville, N.J., on Aug. 23 to celebrate a Spanish Mass for the Hispanic community.

Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of OLQP and an advocate in the Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and Father Dailon Lisabet, who provides pastoral care for the Spanish-speaking community in Sussex County, concelebrated the Mass.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Bishop Sweeney preached about the importance of the Church and the sacraments and emphasized the Church’s and diocese’s commitment to welcoming and serving the Hispanic people.

A feast was held in OLQP’s parish hall after the Mass.

OLQP has a Hispanic Ministry, which aims to integrate Spanish-speaking people into all aspects of the Sussex County parish’s life. The parish has been holding events that bring together English and Spanish communities so they become more acquainted.

BEACON PHOTOS | DENNIS DALELIO

– Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish in Branchville, N.J., on Aug. 23 to celebrate a Spanish Mass for the Hispanic community. Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of OLQP and an advocate in the Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and Father Dailon Lisabet, who provides pastoral care for the Spanish-speaking community in Sussex County, concelebrated the Mass. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney preached about the importance of the Church and the sacraments and emphasized the Church’s and diocese’s commitment to welcoming and serving the Hispanic people. A feast was held

Read More
Obituary: Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock served at Wayne Catholic school, 82 #Catholic – A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Aug. 19 at St. Joseph Villa in Flourtown, Penn., for Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, who died on Aug. 9. She was 82. Sister Sherlock’s extensive teaching ministry included Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) School in Wayne, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese. Formerly Sister Margaret Andrew, Sister Sherlock also ministered in numerous schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. They include St. Bartholomew School, Corpus Christi School, Our Mother of Sorrows School, St. Timothy School, St. Ambrose School, and Christ the King School (Morrell Park), all in Philadelphia; St. Matthew School in Conshohocken; and Nativity of Our Lord School in Warminster. Including OLV in Wayne, Sister Sherlock also served the following schools outside the Philadelphia Archdiocese: Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna, Va., in the Arlington Diocese; St. Mary School in Lebanon, Penn., in the Harrisburg Diocese; and St. Ambrose School in Schuylkill Haven, Penn., in the Allentown Diocese. Sister Sherlock also ministered at the Sisters’ motherhouse in Philadelphia. Sister Sherlock is preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Margaret Sherlock (nee Davis), and her brothers, Andrew, James, John, and Michael Sherlock. She is survived by her sisters, Margaret Weir, Rosemary “Suzy” Graf, and Nancy Carey; her brother, Fred Sherlock; and their extended families. Members of her congregation also survive her: the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia. Please send memorial donations in Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock’s name to St. Joseph Villa, 110 W. Wissahickon Ave., Flourtown, Penn. 19031. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Read More

Obituary: Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock served at Wayne Catholic school, 82 #Catholic – A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Aug. 19 at St. Joseph Villa in Flourtown, Penn., for Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, who died on Aug. 9. She was 82. Sister Sherlock’s extensive teaching ministry included Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) School in Wayne, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese. Formerly Sister Margaret Andrew, Sister Sherlock also ministered in numerous schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. They include St. Bartholomew School, Corpus Christi School, Our Mother of Sorrows School, St. Timothy School, St. Ambrose School, and Christ the King School (Morrell Park), all in Philadelphia; St. Matthew School in Conshohocken; and Nativity of Our Lord School in Warminster. Including OLV in Wayne, Sister Sherlock also served the following schools outside the Philadelphia Archdiocese: Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna, Va., in the Arlington Diocese; St. Mary School in Lebanon, Penn., in the Harrisburg Diocese; and St. Ambrose School in Schuylkill Haven, Penn., in the Allentown Diocese. Sister Sherlock also ministered at the Sisters’ motherhouse in Philadelphia. Sister Sherlock is preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Margaret Sherlock (nee Davis), and her brothers, Andrew, James, John, and Michael Sherlock. She is survived by her sisters, Margaret Weir, Rosemary “Suzy” Graf, and Nancy Carey; her brother, Fred Sherlock; and their extended families. Members of her congregation also survive her: the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia. Please send memorial donations in Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock’s name to St. Joseph Villa, 110 W. Wissahickon Ave., Flourtown, Penn. 19031. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

unitedyam

Obituary: Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock served at Wayne Catholic school, 82 #Catholic –

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Aug. 19 at St. Joseph Villa in Flourtown, Penn., for Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, who died on Aug. 9. She was 82.

Sister Sherlock’s extensive teaching ministry included Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) School in Wayne, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese.

Formerly Sister Margaret Andrew, Sister Sherlock also ministered in numerous schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. They include St. Bartholomew School, Corpus Christi School, Our Mother of Sorrows School, St. Timothy School, St. Ambrose School, and Christ the King School (Morrell Park), all in Philadelphia; St. Matthew School in Conshohocken; and Nativity of Our Lord School in Warminster.

Including OLV in Wayne, Sister Sherlock also served the following schools outside the Philadelphia Archdiocese: Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna, Va., in the Arlington Diocese; St. Mary School in Lebanon, Penn., in the Harrisburg Diocese; and St. Ambrose School in Schuylkill Haven, Penn., in the Allentown Diocese.

Sister Sherlock also ministered at the Sisters’ motherhouse in Philadelphia.

Sister Sherlock is preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Margaret Sherlock (nee Davis), and her brothers, Andrew, James, John, and Michael Sherlock.

She is survived by her sisters, Margaret Weir, Rosemary “Suzy” Graf, and Nancy Carey; her brother, Fred Sherlock; and their extended families. Members of her congregation also survive her: the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia.

Please send memorial donations in Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock’s name to St. Joseph Villa, 110 W. Wissahickon Ave., Flourtown, Penn. 19031.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Aug. 19 at St. Joseph Villa in Flourtown, Penn., for Sister Margaret Andrew Sherlock, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, who died on Aug. 9. She was 82. Sister Sherlock’s extensive teaching ministry included Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) School in Wayne, N.J., in the Paterson Diocese. Formerly Sister Margaret Andrew, Sister Sherlock also ministered in numerous schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. They include St. Bartholomew School, Corpus Christi School, Our Mother of Sorrows School, St. Timothy School, St. Ambrose School, and Christ the King School (Morrell Park), all in

Read More

NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman at Freedom 250 Grand Prix – NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, is seen in the two-seat IndyCar as he prepares for driver Conor Daly to take him on a lap in the fastest seat in sport ahead of the start of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

unitedyam

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, is seen in the two-seat IndyCar as he prepares for driver Conor Daly to take him on a lap in the fastest seat in sport ahead of the start of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Read More
Diocese in Brazil to become 36th consecrated to St. Michael the Archangel – #Catholic – On Aug. 30, the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná state in southern Brazil will become the 36th diocese in the country to be consecrated to St. Michael the Archangel. The consecration will take place during the 20th diocesan pilgrimage with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Sergio de Deus Borges at Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral.The consecration of Brazilian dioceses to St. Michael the Archangel is part of the “Great Reconquest” initiative promoted by the Hesed Institute, a religious institute “dedicated to perpetual adoration and devotion to the blood of Christ, whose charism is to experience, live, and sing of Godʼs mercy through prayer and humble, simple works that transform into powerful intercession.” The initiative began in July 2025 with the arrival in Brazil of the pilgrim statue of St. Michael from the shrine dedicated to the archangel on Monte Gargano in Italy, the site of the archangelʼs apparitions. To date, 35 Brazilian dioceses have been consecrated.“Consecrating the diocese to the archangel aims to renew faith and seek spiritual protection against adversities,” Borges explained on the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu’s website. The diocese noted that the consecration is in response to a request from the bishop.Diocesan pilgrimageThe 20th diocesan pilgrimage aims “to bring the Catholic community together for a moment of faith and devotion to the Most Holy Mother of God,” the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu stated.The event begins with a triduum Aug. 26–28 held across 30 parishes in 14 cities within the diocese.On Aug. 29, the day the Church commemorates the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu, a Mass with the participation of the youth ministry will be celebrated at 7 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Parish in downtown Foz.On Aug. 30, the day of consecration, the program begins with a gathering at 7 a.m. at Mitre Square. At 7:30 a.m., pilgrims will walk in procession to the cathedral carrying the pilgrim images of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the cathedralʼs patron saint) and St. John the Baptist.The Mass consecrating the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu to St. Michael the Archangel will take place at 9:30 a.m.Afterward, there will be the recitation of the rosary and confessions. The Mass for the Sick will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Starting at 3 p.m., the Hesed Institute will lead a time of praise, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the “Combat Rosary.”The Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu invited everyone to donate "clothing in good condition, nonperishable food, and personal hygiene and cleaning products for those in need.This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Read More

Diocese in Brazil to become 36th consecrated to St. Michael the Archangel – #Catholic – On Aug. 30, the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná state in southern Brazil will become the 36th diocese in the country to be consecrated to St. Michael the Archangel. The consecration will take place during the 20th diocesan pilgrimage with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Sergio de Deus Borges at Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral.The consecration of Brazilian dioceses to St. Michael the Archangel is part of the “Great Reconquest” initiative promoted by the Hesed Institute, a religious institute “dedicated to perpetual adoration and devotion to the blood of Christ, whose charism is to experience, live, and sing of Godʼs mercy through prayer and humble, simple works that transform into powerful intercession.” The initiative began in July 2025 with the arrival in Brazil of the pilgrim statue of St. Michael from the shrine dedicated to the archangel on Monte Gargano in Italy, the site of the archangelʼs apparitions. To date, 35 Brazilian dioceses have been consecrated.“Consecrating the diocese to the archangel aims to renew faith and seek spiritual protection against adversities,” Borges explained on the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu’s website. The diocese noted that the consecration is in response to a request from the bishop.Diocesan pilgrimageThe 20th diocesan pilgrimage aims “to bring the Catholic community together for a moment of faith and devotion to the Most Holy Mother of God,” the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu stated.The event begins with a triduum Aug. 26–28 held across 30 parishes in 14 cities within the diocese.On Aug. 29, the day the Church commemorates the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu, a Mass with the participation of the youth ministry will be celebrated at 7 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Parish in downtown Foz.On Aug. 30, the day of consecration, the program begins with a gathering at 7 a.m. at Mitre Square. At 7:30 a.m., pilgrims will walk in procession to the cathedral carrying the pilgrim images of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the cathedralʼs patron saint) and St. John the Baptist.The Mass consecrating the Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu to St. Michael the Archangel will take place at 9:30 a.m.Afterward, there will be the recitation of the rosary and confessions. The Mass for the Sick will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Starting at 3 p.m., the Hesed Institute will lead a time of praise, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the “Combat Rosary.”The Diocese of Foz do Iguaçu invited everyone to donate "clothing in good condition, nonperishable food, and personal hygiene and cleaning products for those in need.This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam

The consecration to be carried out by the bishop is part of the “Great Reconquest” initiative promoted by the Hesed Institute with the arrival in Brazil of the pilgrim statue of St. Michael.

Read More
Pope Leo: Vatican II reformed the liturgy to promote active participation – #Catholic – VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has described the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council as necessary to encourage active participation by the faithful.“Since the gestures and words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive,” Leo said. “The liturgical reform promoted by the Second Vatican Council is thus firmly rooted in the living tradition of the Church.”During his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 26, the pontiff concluded his summer catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. The audience was held in St. Peter’s Basilica because of Rome’s high summer temperatures.The faithful cannot be passive during the liturgyLeo defended the Council Fathers’ decision at the Second Vatican Council to reform the liturgy, citing a letter St. Paul VI wrote as Archbishop of Milan to encourage the faithful’s participation.“Motivated by these convictions, the future Pope Saint Paul VI affirmed that the faithful ‘cannot and must no longer remain silent and passive. Their physical presence cannot be reconciled with their spiritual absence,’” Leo said. The pope also explained that the liturgy has divine aspects that cannot change and human elements that can change to promote the faithful’s participation.“When the Church carries out a reform of the liturgy — a constant process of development across the centuries — there is an important distinction to be made between the divine, immutable elements, and the human elements, which may undergo various modifications.”“The need arose for the faithful to celebrate the liturgies more consciously and actively, not ‘as strangers and silent spectators,’ but participating fully in the salvific mystery,” Leo addedLiturgical reform began long before Vatican IIThe church’s present liturgy was established in 1969 following the Second Vatican Council. It replaced the older Tridentine liturgy, standardized since the Council of Trent in 1570.The Tridentine liturgy, also called the Traditional Latin Mass, was largely replaced after the council. Pope Benedict XVI allowed greater access to it in 2007, but Pope Francis restricted access in 2021.The pope also explained that the liturgical reform began long before the Second Vatican Council, under several popes.“The assertion that the faithful should not attend celebrations ’as strangers or silent spectators’ had already been raised in Pius XI’s Apostolic Constitution Divini Cultus.” TweetLeo also recalled Pope Pius XII’s reform of the Tridentine Holy Week liturgy in 1955, in which he “rescheduled to the hours corresponding to the events of Easter, after they had for centuries been brought forward to the morning hours.”The pope also recalled the interventions of St. John XXIII, who called for the Second Vatican Council in 1959. Leo explained that John XXIII contributed to the church’s liturgical reform by simplifying “the rubrics of the Breviary and the Missal,… in which he referred the proposal of fundamental principles for a reform of the liturgy.”“Indeed, since the liturgy is a living entity, throughout the centuries it has always been subject to developments and changes,” Leo added.
Read More

Pope Leo: Vatican II reformed the liturgy to promote active participation – #Catholic – VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has described the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council as necessary to encourage active participation by the faithful.“Since the gestures and words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive,” Leo said. “The liturgical reform promoted by the Second Vatican Council is thus firmly rooted in the living tradition of the Church.”During his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 26, the pontiff concluded his summer catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. The audience was held in St. Peter’s Basilica because of Rome’s high summer temperatures.The faithful cannot be passive during the liturgyLeo defended the Council Fathers’ decision at the Second Vatican Council to reform the liturgy, citing a letter St. Paul VI wrote as Archbishop of Milan to encourage the faithful’s participation.“Motivated by these convictions, the future Pope Saint Paul VI affirmed that the faithful ‘cannot and must no longer remain silent and passive. Their physical presence cannot be reconciled with their spiritual absence,’” Leo said. The pope also explained that the liturgy has divine aspects that cannot change and human elements that can change to promote the faithful’s participation.“When the Church carries out a reform of the liturgy — a constant process of development across the centuries — there is an important distinction to be made between the divine, immutable elements, and the human elements, which may undergo various modifications.”“The need arose for the faithful to celebrate the liturgies more consciously and actively, not ‘as strangers and silent spectators,’ but participating fully in the salvific mystery,” Leo addedLiturgical reform began long before Vatican IIThe church’s present liturgy was established in 1969 following the Second Vatican Council. It replaced the older Tridentine liturgy, standardized since the Council of Trent in 1570.The Tridentine liturgy, also called the Traditional Latin Mass, was largely replaced after the council. Pope Benedict XVI allowed greater access to it in 2007, but Pope Francis restricted access in 2021.The pope also explained that the liturgical reform began long before the Second Vatican Council, under several popes.“The assertion that the faithful should not attend celebrations ’as strangers or silent spectators’ had already been raised in Pius XI’s Apostolic Constitution Divini Cultus.” TweetLeo also recalled Pope Pius XII’s reform of the Tridentine Holy Week liturgy in 1955, in which he “rescheduled to the hours corresponding to the events of Easter, after they had for centuries been brought forward to the morning hours.”The pope also recalled the interventions of St. John XXIII, who called for the Second Vatican Council in 1959. Leo explained that John XXIII contributed to the church’s liturgical reform by simplifying “the rubrics of the Breviary and the Missal,… in which he referred the proposal of fundamental principles for a reform of the liturgy.”“Indeed, since the liturgy is a living entity, throughout the centuries it has always been subject to developments and changes,” Leo added.

unitedyam

The pontiff’s Aug. 26 general audience addressed the reasons for the church’s recent liturgical reforms.

Read More
Symposium in Brazil addresses the devil’s existence as part of Catholic doctrine – #Catholic – A recent symposium in Fortaleza, Brazil, on demonology and exorcism “focused on the theological affirmation of the devil’s existence as part of Catholic doctrine,” Father Diogo Jairo Rebouças told ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. The priest is an exorcist for the Diocese of Limoeiro do Norte in Ceará state and coordinator of the gathering held Aug. 18–19.The symposium drew 240 participants, 76% of whom were laypeople. According to Rebouças, the event was open to this audience because its goal was not “to provide training for performing exorcisms” but rather “to reflect theologically in light of Scripture, tradition, and the magisterium on the reality of the angelic beings who chose damnation.”“We are convinced that this perspective is highly beneficial for deepening the faith of any and every Christian,” he said.The gathering was organized by Marian Community Oasis of Peace with the support of the Archdiocese of Fortaleza and took place in the central auditorium of the Catholic College of Fortaleza.Among the speakers were Bishop André Vital of Limoeiro do Norte in Ceará state; Father Pedro Paulo Alexandre, exorcist from the Archdiocese of Florianópolis in Santa Catarina state and member of the International Association of Exorcists (AIE, by its Portuguese acronym); Father Fellinto de Oliveira Britto, exorcist from the Diocese of Tianguá in Ceará state and a psychologist; Father Antônio Gomes Macedo Júnior, assistant exorcist; medical doctor Mauro Martins, also an assistant exorcist; and Father David Piter, exorcist from the Diocese of Quixadá in Ceará state and Rebouças.The lectures dealt, among other topics, with demonology in the Gospels and the liberating ministry of Christ, the Churchʼs guidelines for the ministry of exorcisms, the distinction between prayer for deliverance and exorcism, and the discernment between psychiatric pathologies and possible spiritual phenomena.Appointment by the bishop requiredAccording to Rebouças, the meeting presented the AIE’s guidelines to “make it clear that only priests duly appointed by the bishop may perform solemn exorcisms.”The priest stated that the guidance highlights “the Catholic Church’s commitment to pastoral ministry focused on discernment and mercy, rather than fear and sensationalism.”The symposium also addressed the necessary precautions during prayer for healing and deliverance, particularly regarding individuals who become highly distressed during such prayer.“Talks by both exorcists and mental health professionals addressed the need for prudence during prayer for healing and deliverance as it is frequently observed that highly suggestible individuals become emotionally destabilized during events that strongly appeal to the emotions,” Rebouças said.According to him, participants were instructed on “what procedure to follow when a member of the faithful experiences a crisis during [such prayer], in order to protect him from unnecessary exposure and avoid leading to hasty conclusions about possible activity by the evil one.”Moral certainty requiredAnother topic addressed was the discernment between possible extraordinary action by the devil and illnesses or other conditions of natural origin.“The guidelines for the exorcism ministry state that it is not permissible to perform an exorcism on a member of the faithful until the exorcist possesses moral certainty that the case involves extraordinary action by the evil one, rather than merely an illness or condition of natural origin,” Rebouças explained.Therefore, according to him, “mutual collaboration among the exorcist, family members, and healthcare professionals, especially mental health professionals, is extremely important.”“It is certainly not the exorcist’s role to provide a psychiatric diagnosis for the person nor is it the role of scientists to say whether the devil exists or not,” he said. “Each performs their respective role, observing signs of improvement or deterioration in the person throughout the process of accompaniment.”“Sometimes, a deeply devout but mentally ill believer refuses to take their medication until the priest comforts them by saying, ‘I will bless your medicines!’” he said. “And faith encourages the person to follow the treatment and therapies through which they find healing.”“An exorcist will never discourage a believer from making use of scientific therapeutic resources,” the priest added.“It is also not uncommon, in cases of genuine extraordinary demonic activity, for a doctor to tell the family: ‘We have done everything within our power!’ or even: ‘This defies scientific explanation!’” he said.“In this sense, the Church’s faith offers an explanation that addresses the human need regarding spiritual realities,” Rebouças said.The priest highlighted the importance of the training sessions for assistant exorcists offered by the Portuguese-language secretariat of the AIE in which laypeople and healthcare professionals may participate. The next training session will take place Nov. 27–29 at St. Benedict Monastery in Rio de Janeiro.This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Read More

Symposium in Brazil addresses the devil’s existence as part of Catholic doctrine – #Catholic – A recent symposium in Fortaleza, Brazil, on demonology and exorcism “focused on the theological affirmation of the devil’s existence as part of Catholic doctrine,” Father Diogo Jairo Rebouças told ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. The priest is an exorcist for the Diocese of Limoeiro do Norte in Ceará state and coordinator of the gathering held Aug. 18–19.The symposium drew 240 participants, 76% of whom were laypeople. According to Rebouças, the event was open to this audience because its goal was not “to provide training for performing exorcisms” but rather “to reflect theologically in light of Scripture, tradition, and the magisterium on the reality of the angelic beings who chose damnation.”“We are convinced that this perspective is highly beneficial for deepening the faith of any and every Christian,” he said.The gathering was organized by Marian Community Oasis of Peace with the support of the Archdiocese of Fortaleza and took place in the central auditorium of the Catholic College of Fortaleza.Among the speakers were Bishop André Vital of Limoeiro do Norte in Ceará state; Father Pedro Paulo Alexandre, exorcist from the Archdiocese of Florianópolis in Santa Catarina state and member of the International Association of Exorcists (AIE, by its Portuguese acronym); Father Fellinto de Oliveira Britto, exorcist from the Diocese of Tianguá in Ceará state and a psychologist; Father Antônio Gomes Macedo Júnior, assistant exorcist; medical doctor Mauro Martins, also an assistant exorcist; and Father David Piter, exorcist from the Diocese of Quixadá in Ceará state and Rebouças.The lectures dealt, among other topics, with demonology in the Gospels and the liberating ministry of Christ, the Churchʼs guidelines for the ministry of exorcisms, the distinction between prayer for deliverance and exorcism, and the discernment between psychiatric pathologies and possible spiritual phenomena.Appointment by the bishop requiredAccording to Rebouças, the meeting presented the AIE’s guidelines to “make it clear that only priests duly appointed by the bishop may perform solemn exorcisms.”The priest stated that the guidance highlights “the Catholic Church’s commitment to pastoral ministry focused on discernment and mercy, rather than fear and sensationalism.”The symposium also addressed the necessary precautions during prayer for healing and deliverance, particularly regarding individuals who become highly distressed during such prayer.“Talks by both exorcists and mental health professionals addressed the need for prudence during prayer for healing and deliverance as it is frequently observed that highly suggestible individuals become emotionally destabilized during events that strongly appeal to the emotions,” Rebouças said.According to him, participants were instructed on “what procedure to follow when a member of the faithful experiences a crisis during [such prayer], in order to protect him from unnecessary exposure and avoid leading to hasty conclusions about possible activity by the evil one.”Moral certainty requiredAnother topic addressed was the discernment between possible extraordinary action by the devil and illnesses or other conditions of natural origin.“The guidelines for the exorcism ministry state that it is not permissible to perform an exorcism on a member of the faithful until the exorcist possesses moral certainty that the case involves extraordinary action by the evil one, rather than merely an illness or condition of natural origin,” Rebouças explained.Therefore, according to him, “mutual collaboration among the exorcist, family members, and healthcare professionals, especially mental health professionals, is extremely important.”“It is certainly not the exorcist’s role to provide a psychiatric diagnosis for the person nor is it the role of scientists to say whether the devil exists or not,” he said. “Each performs their respective role, observing signs of improvement or deterioration in the person throughout the process of accompaniment.”“Sometimes, a deeply devout but mentally ill believer refuses to take their medication until the priest comforts them by saying, ‘I will bless your medicines!’” he said. “And faith encourages the person to follow the treatment and therapies through which they find healing.”“An exorcist will never discourage a believer from making use of scientific therapeutic resources,” the priest added.“It is also not uncommon, in cases of genuine extraordinary demonic activity, for a doctor to tell the family: ‘We have done everything within our power!’ or even: ‘This defies scientific explanation!’” he said.“In this sense, the Church’s faith offers an explanation that addresses the human need regarding spiritual realities,” Rebouças said.The priest highlighted the importance of the training sessions for assistant exorcists offered by the Portuguese-language secretariat of the AIE in which laypeople and healthcare professionals may participate. The next training session will take place Nov. 27–29 at St. Benedict Monastery in Rio de Janeiro.This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam

Besides affirming the existence of demons based on Scripture, tradition, and the magisterium, the symposium emphasized the need to discern between genuine demonic activity and mental illness.

Read More

The Sky Today on Wednesday, August 26: Catch Barnard’s star

unitedyam

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 25: Messier 73 One of the most famous stars in the sky lies in Ophiuchus the Serpent-bearer, still high in the west and southwest (it’s a big constellation) two hours after sunset. In its northeastern corner is Barnard’s star — althoughContinue reading “The Sky Today on Wednesday, August 26: Catch Barnard’s star”

The post The Sky Today on Wednesday, August 26: Catch Barnard’s star appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Read More
Chicago priest reinstated after being cleared in sex abuse investigation #Catholic Father Michael Pfleger, a priest known for his activism in Chicago, has been cleared by the archdiocese of an accusation of sex abuse.In July, the Archdiocese of Chicago withdrew Pfleger — longtime pastor of St. Sabina Church — from ministry to review an allegation of sexual abuse. A woman claimed that Pfleger abused her when she was a child more than 30 years ago. This is the fifth of several accusations of sexual abuse against Pfleger, all of which the archdiocese has cleared him of.After reviewing a joint investigation, Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, has approved Pfleger to return to ministry “effective immediately.”The archdiocese announced that “there is no reason to believe Father Pfleger is guilty of this allegation.”“The Independent Review Board, assisted by our Office of Child Protection and outside investigators, thoroughly reviewed the allegation,” Cupich’s letter, addressed to the St. Sabina Parish community, read.“An independent inquiry assures the public and the person making the accusation of a fair and impartial review of all matters related to such cases,” the letter continued. “It also protects the rights and interests of the accused cleric, especially if the board concludes there is no reason to believe the accused is guilty of the allegation. In that case, the cleric has the freedom to return to ministry without a cloud of suspicion over him.”“In short, no one should underestimate the value of an independent and disciplined inquiry, even if it is made public and requires a substantial amount of time,” the letter continued.“Thank you God,” Pfleger wrote in a Facebook post. “And thanks to all who have stood with me.”Cupich also wrote about suffering in his letter and thanked the parish for its “prayers and support” for Pfleger.“This coming weekend, Jesus tells us that being a disciple is about taking up our crosses and following him,” Cupich wrote. “Notice that Jesus redefines our sufferings in life. Sufferings are not punishments or even tests of our endurance for pain. Rather, Jesus calls them crosses and thus associates them with his own,” Cupich pointed out.“He wants us to see discipleship as participating in the salvation of the world; discipleship involves joining our sufferings, our crosses to His on Calvary. Following Him, being a disciple, is then not a demanding chore, but a great gift. As we carry our crosses alongside Jesus, He transforms our sufferings into something much bigger than we ever imagined,” Cupich continued.“It is in this spirit that I want to recognize the suffering you and Father Mike have endured, for I know his absence has been real and painful,” Cupich said.Pfleger has pastored the predominantly Black parish St. Sabina, located on the South Side of Chicago, since 1981. While most priest’s assignments last about seven years, Pfleger’s has lasted 45 years.Pfleger has a storied history in Chicago, leading fierce activism against drugs and guns along with outreach to prostitutes and drug dealers.Some of the priest’s words and actions have put him at the center of controversy. The late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago suspended Pfleger in 2011 after the priest threatened to leave the priesthood if George reassigned him. The cardinal reinstated him as St. Sabina’s pastor after Pfleger apologized. In 2019, Cupich publicly denounced Pfleger’s decision to invite Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to speak at St. Sabina.“Remember your dignity as disciples, those who can claim that Jesus joins your sufferings to His for the salvation of the world,” Cupich concluded in his letter to the parish. “You will have my support and prayers as you continue to be a light in the community, a great witness that has distinguished St. Sabina’s for generations.”The parish will hold a press conference on Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. Pfleger did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Read More

Chicago priest reinstated after being cleared in sex abuse investigation #Catholic Father Michael Pfleger, a priest known for his activism in Chicago, has been cleared by the archdiocese of an accusation of sex abuse.In July, the Archdiocese of Chicago withdrew Pfleger — longtime pastor of St. Sabina Church — from ministry to review an allegation of sexual abuse. A woman claimed that Pfleger abused her when she was a child more than 30 years ago. This is the fifth of several accusations of sexual abuse against Pfleger, all of which the archdiocese has cleared him of.After reviewing a joint investigation, Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, has approved Pfleger to return to ministry “effective immediately.”The archdiocese announced that “there is no reason to believe Father Pfleger is guilty of this allegation.”“The Independent Review Board, assisted by our Office of Child Protection and outside investigators, thoroughly reviewed the allegation,” Cupich’s letter, addressed to the St. Sabina Parish community, read.“An independent inquiry assures the public and the person making the accusation of a fair and impartial review of all matters related to such cases,” the letter continued. “It also protects the rights and interests of the accused cleric, especially if the board concludes there is no reason to believe the accused is guilty of the allegation. In that case, the cleric has the freedom to return to ministry without a cloud of suspicion over him.”“In short, no one should underestimate the value of an independent and disciplined inquiry, even if it is made public and requires a substantial amount of time,” the letter continued.“Thank you God,” Pfleger wrote in a Facebook post. “And thanks to all who have stood with me.”Cupich also wrote about suffering in his letter and thanked the parish for its “prayers and support” for Pfleger.“This coming weekend, Jesus tells us that being a disciple is about taking up our crosses and following him,” Cupich wrote. “Notice that Jesus redefines our sufferings in life. Sufferings are not punishments or even tests of our endurance for pain. Rather, Jesus calls them crosses and thus associates them with his own,” Cupich pointed out.“He wants us to see discipleship as participating in the salvation of the world; discipleship involves joining our sufferings, our crosses to His on Calvary. Following Him, being a disciple, is then not a demanding chore, but a great gift. As we carry our crosses alongside Jesus, He transforms our sufferings into something much bigger than we ever imagined,” Cupich continued.“It is in this spirit that I want to recognize the suffering you and Father Mike have endured, for I know his absence has been real and painful,” Cupich said.Pfleger has pastored the predominantly Black parish St. Sabina, located on the South Side of Chicago, since 1981. While most priest’s assignments last about seven years, Pfleger’s has lasted 45 years.Pfleger has a storied history in Chicago, leading fierce activism against drugs and guns along with outreach to prostitutes and drug dealers.Some of the priest’s words and actions have put him at the center of controversy. The late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago suspended Pfleger in 2011 after the priest threatened to leave the priesthood if George reassigned him. The cardinal reinstated him as St. Sabina’s pastor after Pfleger apologized. In 2019, Cupich publicly denounced Pfleger’s decision to invite Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to speak at St. Sabina.“Remember your dignity as disciples, those who can claim that Jesus joins your sufferings to His for the salvation of the world,” Cupich concluded in his letter to the parish. “You will have my support and prayers as you continue to be a light in the community, a great witness that has distinguished St. Sabina’s for generations.”The parish will hold a press conference on Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. Pfleger did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

unitedyam

After reviewing a joint investigation, Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, has approved Father Michael Pfleger to return to ministry “effective immediately.”

Read More

Gospel and Word of the Day – 26 August 2026 – A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18 We instruct you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who walks in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us. For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. This greeting is in my own hand, Paul?s. This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.From the Gospel according to Matthew 23:27-32 Jesus said, ?Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men?s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. ?Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,  and you say, ?If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets? blood.? Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!?The hearts of these people, of this small group, had hardened so much over time that it was impossible for them to listen to the Lord?s voice. And from being sinners, they had slipped further and become corrupt. It is very difficult for a corrupt person to change his ways. A sinner can, because the Lord is merciful and awaits us all. But the corrupt are set in their ways, and these people were corrupt. And that is why they justify themselves: because Jesus, with His simplicity, yet with the power of God, annoyed them. (?) They rejected the Lord?s love, and this rejection meant they were on a path that was not that of the dialectic of freedom offered by the Lord, but that of the logic of necessity, where there is no place for the Lord. In the dialectic of freedom there is the good Lord, who loves us, who loves us a great deal! Instead, in the logic of necessity there is no place for God: one must do, this, one must do that, one must? They have become mere creatures of habit. Men of good manners and bad habits. Jesus calls them ?whited sepulchres?. (?) Those who justify themselves understand neither mercy nor compassion. Instead, those people who loved Jesus so much needed mercy and compassion, so they went to the Lord to ask for them. (Pope Francis, Homily, Holy Mass for Italian Parliamentarians, 27 March 2014)

unitedyam

A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians
3:6-10, 16-18

We instruct you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother
who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked,
so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that
if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.

May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.

This greeting is in my own hand, Paul?s.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
23:27-32

Jesus said,
?Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs,
which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men?s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

?Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 
and you say, ?If we had lived
in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them
in shedding the prophets? blood.?
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those
who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!?

The hearts of these people, of this small group, had hardened so much over time that it was impossible for them to listen to the Lord?s voice. And from being sinners, they had slipped further and become corrupt. It is very difficult for a corrupt person to change his ways. A sinner can, because the Lord is merciful and awaits us all. But the corrupt are set in their ways, and these people were corrupt. And that is why they justify themselves: because Jesus, with His simplicity, yet with the power of God, annoyed them. (?) They rejected the Lord?s love, and this rejection meant they were on a path that was not that of the dialectic of freedom offered by the Lord, but that of the logic of necessity, where there is no place for the Lord. In the dialectic of freedom there is the good Lord, who loves us, who loves us a great deal! Instead, in the logic of necessity there is no place for God: one must do, this, one must do that, one must? They have become mere creatures of habit. Men of good manners and bad habits. Jesus calls them ?whited sepulchres?. (?) Those who justify themselves understand neither mercy nor compassion. Instead, those people who loved Jesus so much needed mercy and compassion, so they went to the Lord to ask for them. (Pope Francis, Homily, Holy Mass for Italian Parliamentarians, 27 March 2014)

Read More
Picture of the day Altar of the church of the Monastery of Jesus, Setúbal, Portugal. The monastery, founded in 1490, is one of the oldest buildings in Manueline style (Portuguese version of Gothic) and served as a monastery of Poor Clare nuns. #ImageOfTheDay
Read More

Picture of the day Altar of the church of the Monastery of Jesus, Setúbal, Portugal. The monastery, founded in 1490, is one of the oldest buildings in Manueline style (Portuguese version of Gothic) and served as a monastery of Poor Clare nuns. #ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam
Picture of the day
Altar of the church of the Monastery of Jesus, Setúbal, Portugal. The monastery, founded in 1490, is one of the oldest buildings in Manueline style (Portuguese version of Gothic) and served as a monastery of Poor Clare nuns.
Read More
Older Posts