WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representative Nancy Pelosi cautioned that if people persist in asking her whether aliens are real, she will order the mothership to blow up the earth with its superlaser.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — In an attempt to somehow garner even more foul calls, the Oklahoma City Thunder have replaced star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a wacky flailing inflatable tube man.
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View of the coastal artillery site Castillitos, Cartagena, Spain. It was built together with the coastal artillery Cenizas in order to protect the entrance to the Bay of Cartagena in the Mediterranean Sea. The construction took place between 1933 and 1936 following a project from 1926 during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. It’s a Spanish National Heritage Monument since 1985.
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Born May 10, 1900, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was also the first person to discover that stars are primarily made up of hydrogen and helium — a finding that took years to be acknowledged by the scientific community. Born in Wendover, England, Payne-Gaposchkin was an active student. She attended Cambridge University with an interest in science butContinue reading “May 10, 1900: The birth of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin”
The post May 10, 1900: The birth of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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On the night of April 18, federal agents intercepted Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles International Airport as she attempted to board a flight to Istanbul.
The post Iranian Agent in the U.S. Coordinates Arms Pipeline Fueling the Sudan War appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A pair of men in central India attacked a local pastor and his family, attempting to drive them from their home because of their Christian faith.
The post Mob Attacks Indian Pastor and His Family as Villagers Try to Drive Him Away from Home appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Jeffries was reacting to the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision blocking the state’s newly drawn congressional map, a ruling that delivered a major setback to Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The post Hakeem Jeffries Admits Democrats’ Real Plan: Rewrite the Courts When They Lose (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More![After stillbirth loss, mother of 7 returns to school to help others heal #Catholic After experiencing an unimaginable loss, Kelly Helsel felt called to begin a new chapter. Following 17 years as a stay-at-home mother, she returned to school to pursue her dream of becoming a counselor — hoping to offer others the same compassionate support and Catholic guidance that helped bring healing to her own life.In 2023 Helsel’s daughter, Mary Catherine, was stillborn. The experience and grief was ultimately “a huge catalyst to me going back to school,” Helsel told EWTN News.“I think death has an interesting way of snapping your priorities in line,” she said. “And through the death of our daughter, I understood that tomorrow was not promised. And I had been holding this dream very closely for 17 years, just trusting,” she said.“Much of my healing process after the stillbirth of our daughter was helped along by solid Catholic counseling,” she said. “So I just felt a whisper at first, and then I felt like, ‘I can turn around and be this for someone else in need.’ And so I did.”Path back to schoolA native of Arizona, Helsel met her now-husband, Doug, in high school. She then attended Northern Arizona University to receive a bachelorʼs degree in psychology with the hopes of becoming a counselor, but motherhood ultimately became her first priority.“My firstborn … was born during finals week of my bachelorʼs degree,” Helsel said. “I actually had a positive pregnancy test the day before I was scheduled to take the GRE [Graduate Record Examination].”“I just knew that motherhood was the priority and that Godʼs timing would take care of things. So I stayed at home,” she said.Helsel decided to put her plans of working as a counselor on the side and focus on her growing family. She and her husband had seven children over the next 17 years, but after the loss of their sixth child she felt called to switch her plans and return to school. “We just started taking one step in front of the other,” she said. Helsel started by applying to the University of Mary’s master’s program for counseling about six months after her daughter’s passing but was thrown an unexpected “curveball” during the process.“On the feast of the Annunciation, I got in. But then I also had a positive pregnancy test with my daughter, Isabel, on the very same day.”“I remember standing in the bathroom with my husband with my phone in one hand with an acceptance letter, and on the counter was a positive pregnancy test with our seventh baby.”Motherhood provided ‘the skills to be a fantastic student’Despite navigating grief, welcoming a new baby, and continuing to care for the rest of her family, Helsel not only decided to return to school but also opted for a five-semester accelerated program.She graduated on April 25 with a 4.0 GPA and her whole family by her side. It was all possible not in spite of her 17 years as a stay-at-home mom but because of the experience.
Kelly Helsel, her husband Doug Helsel, and their children at her graduation a the University of Mary on April 25, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Kelly Helsel
“I actually think that motherhood, 17 years of motherhood, gave me the skills to be a fantastic student,” she said. “I learned time management. I learned prioritization. I learned how to ask for help. I learned all kinds of things in the trenches of motherhood that gave me the opportunity to really thrive at UMary.” “I guess the loss of my daughter really showed me that like all things are ‘figure-out-able,’” she said. “When youʼve gone through something like that, it makes you unafraid to do really big things.”“I knew that I could just cannonball into the deep end and we could do this. And my husband was an amazing support throughout the program. But, Isabel was the curveball of all curveballs,” she said.“She was born during Christmas break and I just jumped back in in January. I didnʼt take any time off,” she said. "I would be in a rocking chair breastfeeding her, and my laptop is sitting next to me and Iʼm listening to a lecture.”“I became a pro at using the dictation tool on Microsoft Word” so “I could hold my baby and dictate a paper,” she said. “It was just a really wild time. I learned to be extremely flexible and gentle with myself ... But I just knew God was like, ‘go, go right now.’”“It was super bumpy at some points,“ she said. ”But I chose the University of Mary because I feel like [University of Mary president] Monsignor [James] Shea and the university really put their money where their mouth is in terms of supporting nontraditional students — especially mothers.”“All of my professors were extremely accommodating with extensions if I needed one. A few professors gave me early finals because Isabel was born right at the end of that first semester,” she said. “So the University of Mary was really crucial to my success because everyone was behind me.” Helsel noted that her professors, especially counseling professor Olivia Wedel, and other facility members and students were champions in cheering her “all the way to the finish line.”Waddell “would always remind me that ‘Iʼm surrounded by support,’” Helsel said. “When youʼre super tired and youʼre on your fourth Crock-Pot meal of the week and you donʼt have anymore bandwidth left, I just thought, ‘I am surrounded by support.’”“Jesus is real and his promises are too,” Helsel said. “I just remember really having to trust the Lord in a new way and also having to be very open to my dream not looking exactly like I wanted.”“So yes, I went back to school and I got a masterʼs degree, but it looked absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to, but it was also better, just like he had promised me.”“Your dreams matter to him,“ she said. ”Trust him, and especially Our Lady, with your dreams. Because he wants both. He wants your motherhood and your dreams.”Catholic counseling offers ‘the keys to real human flourishing’Officially a licensed counselor, Helsel is ready to jump in headfirst to help others in need by utilizing the guidance offered by the Catholic Church.“I believe very deeply that the Catholic Church has the keys to real human flourishing,” she said. “So I knew I wanted to become a mental health professional with those guardrails in place, because I benefited so much from Catholic counseling.”“I want to turn back around and help the next woman or couple or … anyone in line that needs to hear the good news, coupled with solid mental health formation. Like St. Thomas Aquinas says, ‘faith and reason.’ We need both.”With her “perinatal mental health training,” Helsel hopes to primarily work in the womenʼs health category “to support other women, pregnant women, postpartum women,” she said. “And obviously I have a love for people who may have lost a child in a particular way.”Helsel is interested in helping those discerning vocations, as her oldest son plans to apply to the priesthood. She is also hoping to support the vocation of marriage as it is “under a particular attack at this time.”To accomplish all of this, Helsel has already started her own private practice called Concordia Counseling.“I chose Concordia because Mary Catherine had a congenital heart condition,” she said. “Concordia means heart to heart or to bring two hearts into harmony. I wanted to honor my baby in heaven and Our Lord with my work. And so I started Concordia Counseling.”“Iʼm just getting it started. I have a caseload of about 10 clients, but Iʼm hoping to accept more,“ Helsel said. ”I know that the work I want to do most of all involves not just mental health but the teachings of the Catholic Church.”“I just think the framework needs to be formed properly, and that is the Catholic understanding of the whole person. And from there we can jump off anywhere,” she said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/after-stillbirth-loss-mother-of-7-returns-to-school-to-help-others-heal-catholic-after-experiencing-an-unimaginable-loss-kelly-helsel-felt-called-to-begin-a-new-chapter-following-17-years-as-a-sta-scaled.jpg)
After navigating loss and grief, Kelly Helsel is officially now a licensed counselor thanks to the guidance given to her by the Catholic Church and her desire to use her experience to help others.
At the Regina Caeli, the pope also thanked the Canary Islands for welcoming a cruise ship with passengers sick with hantavirus.
![‘Love is stronger’: How a Catholic woman saved tens of thousands of orphans - #Catholic - In a chapel in Burundi in 1993, after she saw 72 of her friends, family, and colleagues executed, Marguerite Barankitse told God she no longer believed he was love.“How could God create those killers?” she recalled asking through her tears.As mass killings and ethnic violence tore apart her home country after a coup, Barankitse fled with 25 children, both Hutu and Tutsi, to the safest place she could think of — a Catholic church.But her faith had been challenged.“I felt broken,” she told EWTN News. “After witnessing continued massacres and the deaths of my friends and family, I lost my voice and spirit.”“[I] told God I no longer believed he was love because I could not understand how he could have created such hatred and killers,” she said.Then, she heard the voice of a little girl — one of the first children she had rescued.“We’re still in life,” little Chloe said. “We are here.”“In this moment, I was reminded and saw that God is love,” Barankitse said.She prayed for the strength “to go and shine in his glory.”“I knew God had not abandoned me,” she said.This wasn’t the only moment that shook Barankitse’s faith to her core. She would see more violence and death over the years. But it would become a defining moment for her.Beginning with the 25 children she saved, Barankitse would go on to rescue and raise tens of thousands of children, eventually formally creating an organization called Maison Shalom.Maison Shalom didn’t just provide for the children’s practical needs like shelter, education, and healthcare. Barankitse wanted to teach them to love and forgive, across ethnic barriers.It was the children who came up with the name.“We took the name ‘Shalom’ because my children heard on the radio that shalom meant peace, and that is our dream,” she explained.
Marguerite Barankitse with kids in the École Sainte Anne de Kigali program in Rwanda in 2023. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Maison Shalom
“From the beginning, Maison Shalom was more than a shelter — it was a community where every child could belong, regardless of ethnicity,” she said.Barankitse had seen firsthand the destruction of hate, and she wanted to break the cycle.“Hate destroys not only its victims but also those who carry it,” she said.“It is not entire ethnic groups that hate each other; it is individuals who choose hatred,” she said. “I refused to make that choice.”“I asked myself, what could I do to raise children who would break this cycle?” Barankitse continued. “My answer was to raise children with compassion, forgiveness, and love.”“My strategy has always been to love, because love is creative and transformative,” she said. “Through this love, I choose to respond to violence with compassion, protection, and reconciliation.”“Love made me an inventor, and I sought to build a community infused with compassion.”“Forgiveness, as taught by the Church, is radical — it asks us to break the cycle of vengeance and hatred, even when it seems justified,” Barankitse said.“Love is not just a feeling; it is a force that builds futures out of the rubble of war,” she said.“And I know that I can never give up because the children I help give me the strength and courage to always stand up, their resilience inspiring me every day,” Barankitse said.Walking through war zonesBarankitse would walk through war zones to save orphans — even those other people thought weren’t worth saving.“As the brutal violence and killings continued, I fought for the safety of these children,” she said. “More and more children continued to find refuge with me.”“I walked directly into war zones and picked children out amid piles of dead bodies because these children deserved the opportunity to live, be treated with dignity, and build peace,” she said.Barankitse fought for those who other people thought weren’t worth saving.“One day, I came across a mother who had been killed in a grenade attack with her 4-month-old baby strapped to her back,” she recalled. “The baby was severely injured and people told me to leave him, but I knew I could not give up.”“I chose to protect him and find medical help for him,” Barankitse said.In spite of his injuries, the 4-month-old baby would live.“I am proud to say that he survived and has grown up into a successful young man,” Barankitse said.Baranktise still remembers another harrowing moment when she had to fight to get medical help for a child who was injured with a deep gash in her neck.She took her to the airport to bring her to a hospital that could treat her — but other passengers “were refusing to let me aboard due to her condition,” she said.“They were afraid,” Barankitse said. “I said, ‘No, you have no compassion. You will help me.’”“Eventually, they listened to me and let me on the plane, putting a curtain between myself and the child and the other passengers,” Barankitse said.The little girl survived. Now she is married with two children of her own.“Sometimes love means standing strong for those who need help,” Barankitse said. “Nobody can stop love, and it remains my way of remaining strong against violence and hatred to this day.”Barankitse had another “deep spiritual crisis” in 1996 after another wave of killings in which she witnessed the death of one of her best friends.“I spent a month in prayer and returned humbled, realizing I am just a small instrument in God’s hands,” she said. “That is why I continue to pray to God to give me enough strength to continue doing his work.”“Faith does not shield you from suffering; it walks with you through it,” she said.“My strength comes from my faith and from the children themselves,” Barankitse said.“Even as a child, I was troubled by violence and dreamed of becoming a teacher to change the world by teaching children compassion and love,” she said. “Throughout my childhood, my mother taught me that God is love, and when we are created, he gives us strength.”Faith amid violenceEven after being forced out of her home nation in 2015 due to threats of violence, Barankitse has continued her work, relying on her faith to motivate her.She left Burundi for Rwanda, where she created Oasis of Peace, which served more than 70,000 Burundian refugees.“My faith taught me that we are created in love and that God gives us enough strength — ‘Do not be afraid, I will be with you until the end of the world,’” Barankitse said. “That is where I found my smile and my joy, even in the darkest moments.”Barankitse’s work is founded in her Catholic faith.“Being Christian is not just about going to church and praying; it is about restoring dignity to every human being,” Barankitse said.“You can give someone food or clothes, but if they have no dignity, they have nothing,” Barankitse said. “By showing my love to the people around me, I seek to give back dignity to all — deciding to see the humanity in everyone, even those who have hurt you most.”
Marguerite Barankitse at the Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum in Los Angeles in 2025. | Credit: Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
“This is how I build a future where no child has to suffer as my family and friends did,” she said. “Hate will never have the last word. Not as long as we practice love.”“Catholic teaching tells us that every person is made in the image of God and deserves reverence and love,” she said. “This belief is a foundation for all of my work.”Oasis of Peace offers counseling for victims of torture and rape, as well as education, vocational training, and micro-financing “so families can rebuild their lives with dignity,” Barankitse said. Oasis of Peace also provides education for children. The recently launched École Sainte-Anne de Kigali initiative helps in “bringing together children from both underprivileged and more privileged backgrounds in a shared space of learning, growth, and dignity,” according to Barankitse.“When I see a child orphaned by violence, I see a child of God. When I meet a woman who has survived rape, I see a person of infinite worth,” Barankitse said. “I believe in celebrating differences because this reminds us of how we are all created uniquely. We all deserve to feel love, compassion, and dignity.”Barankitse continues her work every day, expanding Oasis of Peace, and speaking internationally about her story and the needs of the people she helps.“Every day is full and purposeful,” she said.“My hope is to continue sharing my story and the stories of Mason Shalom, inspiring others by showing them the power of love. My days are spent listening, organizing, and dreaming with those I serve.”Barankitse won the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, which provided her with funding to help more refugee children.
Marguerite Barankitse at the 2025 Aurora Prize Ceremony in Ellis Island, New York, on Nov. 6, 2025. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
“My dream is to create Shalom Houses everywhere, so every person knows they belong,” she said.When asked what message she wanted to share, Barankitse said: “Do not give up.”“The world can show you things that make you want to despair — I have seen them,” she said. “I have been forced to watch friends be murdered, held mutilated children, and fled my country as a refugee. Yet I still believe love is stronger."To support or learn more about Barankitseʼs work, visit https://maisonshalom.org/.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/love-is-stronger-how-a-catholic-woman-saved-tens-of-thousands-of-orphans-catholic-in-a-chapel-in-burundi-in-1993-after-she-saw-72-of-her-friends-family-and-colleagues-execut.jpg)
Out of the horrors of the Burundian Civil War and the Rwandan genocide emerged a woman willing to risk her life for peace.
![How Christ transformed 2 young converts from Islam - #Catholic - For Jonás’ family, who are Muslim, turning away from Islam constitutes a grave betrayal of their culture and roots. Despite this, following a long journey of searching and formation, the young man received the sacrament of baptism during the Easter Vigil at the cathedral in Getafe, the Spanish city where he has lived since he was barely a year old.His decision came after a personal encounter with Christ, when he realized there was no turning back: He was firmly convinced that the Catholic faith was the true one.The 25-year-old, who did not share his last name, first became interested in the Catholic faith during his school years, while studying authors such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo.For over five years, until beginning his catechumenate in 2025, the young man reflected deeply upon and researched various religious traditions. In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Jonás recalled that it was during the process of researching Islam that "I ended up becoming a Christian.”Transformed livesFor Jonás, the person of Christ and the sacraments were what transformed his life. “If Christ doesn’t enter into your heart, Christ who is God made man, who gave himself up for us on the cross, then ultimately you are not a Christian, but merely someone who knows a lot about Christianity,” he said. In his case, what impacted him most were Christ’s passion and self-sacrifice on the cross, as well as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.On the same day as Jonás, Lourdes Ángel also received the sacrament of baptism. Like Jonás, she grew up in a Muslim family. However, she explained to ACI Prensa that she always felt it was abundantly clear “that Christ was present in my life; even though no one had ever spoken to me about him, I already felt his presence very deeply.”“My mother always tried to instill the Muslim religion in me, but I always gravitated toward Christianity. It was as if my heart were already in another place, without having any formation” in the Catholic faith, the 21-year-old recalled.She shared that God helped her escape a toxic relationship at the age of 19 and that it was then that she met her current boyfriend, who is involved with the Neocatechumenal Way. “I realized that God was calling me, and I wasn’t going to close the door on him or turn my back on him,” she recounted.What struck her most about the Catholics she knew was seeing “that people were so happy. They follow God and are happy even when things go badly for them, even when they have problems from time to time. It’s as if they see something good in suffering and know that Christ has a better plan for them. I wanted that; I wanted to understand how they could be so happy.”Breaking the parameters of their worldThe journey both of them took to embrace the Catholic faith wasnʼt easy. “Leaving your initial faith,” Jonás explained, “is quite difficult, because ultimately it structures your life and [converting] entails breaking with the established framework of your world.”What he found most difficult was conveying this decision to his family: “I don’t think they will ever understand it ... they simply cannot wrap their heads around the idea that someone could change something like that. To them, it’s like a kind of identity or culture more than a path that one must seek out and discover.”Even so, Jonás said that Jesus Christ is the one who helps him keep going, the one who comforts him and gives him the necessary strength to persevere. “Even Jesus himself warns us that the world will not particularly love us ... if they did it to him, they’ll do it to us.”For Lourdes, the most difficult part was leaving behind her former way of life and attempting to “fit God in without changing anything about myself.” She specifically recalled a lesson taught to her by her catechist: “You cannot bring God into your life without doing anything for him; you have to make room for him, and then you can worry about everything else.”
The group of new catechumens during the Easter Vigil in Getafe, Spain. | Credit: Diocese of Getafe
A new rebirthJonás cherishes a fond memory of the Easter Vigil, when he received the sacraments of Christian initiation alongside 47 other adults. “It was a very happy experience. The next day, I felt completed,” he recalled.He said that, before receiving baptism, “I felt a rather large void in my life, one I tried to fill with various ideologies ... the truth is that I was living in a state of considerable internal disorder within my soul, within my spirit.”“After accepting Jesus into my heart,” Jonás continued, “I believe I am a much more ordered person in the moral aspect. Now I view others not merely as instruments but truly as creations of God made in God’s image and that makes me feel complete; it’s been like being reborn.”He also shared that he tries to go to Mass every day. “For me, the Eucharist is like a spiritual treasure, what recharges me with spiritual strength. The body of Christ gives us grace and the capacity to view the world in a supernatural way, not merely through human eyes, but to also see it somewhat like Jesus would,” he said.Accompaniment and faith in communityOn this journey of conversion, he said he is especially grateful for the guidance of his catechist as well as that of the parish priest and his fellow parishioners. He also highlighted the importance of living out one’s faith with the support of others and within a community, for as he pointed out, “in isolation, people succumb; they grow weak.”Along these same lines, Lourdes emphasized that “forming yourself alone” is not the same as having the assistance of a catechist: “You are much more conscious of what you are receiving and of what you are going to do at Easter,” she emphasized.Lourdes also recalled her baptism “with great joy.” Ultimately, she noted, “you receive Christ himself, something truly astonishing,” just as the realization “that God loved me despite everything I had done. He was there waiting for me, and I am very happy to have received him.”Jonás encouraged those going through a similar situation not to give up, pointing out that the process of conversion “does not happen over a single weekend.”“Don’t give up,“ he said. ”Ultimately, as Jesus said, a Christian is not accepted in his own home, nor in his own family. I would tell them to persevere, to draw strength from the words of Jesus in the Gospel, to come to know him, to continue inquiring and discerning, and to seek out people who share their beliefs and can help them.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/how-christ-transformed-2-young-converts-from-islam-catholic-for-jonas-family-who-are-muslim-turning-away-from-islam-constitutes-a-grave-betrayal-of-their-culture-and-roots-despite-thi.webp)
The converts describe their journey to faith in Jesus Christ, their experience of receiving the sacraments at the Easter Vigil, and the importance of their catechists and Christian community.
O loving messenger of the Incarnation, descend upon all those for whom I wish peace and happiness. Spread your wings over the cradles of the new-born babes, O thou who didst announce the coming of the Infant Jesus.
Give to the young a lily petal from the virginal scepter in your hand. Cause the Ave Maria to re-echo in all hearts that they may find grace and joy through Mary.
Finally, recall the sublime words spoken on the day of the Annunciation– “Nothing is impossible with God,” and …
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America’s first human spaceflight begins as the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) space vehicle, with astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. aboard, launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 5, 1961.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
for it had not yet fallen upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them
and they received the Holy Spirit.
A Reading from the First Letter of St. Peter
3:15-18
Beloved:
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence,
keeping your conscience clear,
so that, when you are maligned,
those who defame your good conduct in Christ
may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good,
if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
From the Gospel according to John
14:15-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
The Lord Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever" (Jn 14: 15-16). Here the praying heart of Jesus is revealed to us, his filial and fraternal heart. This prayer reaches its apex and its fulfilment on the Cross, where Christ’s invocation is one with the total gift that he makes of himself, and thus his prayer becomes, so to speak, the very seal of his self-gift out of love of the Father and humanity. Invocation and donation of the Holy Spirit meet, they permeate each other, they become one reality. "And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever". In reality, Jesus’ prayers that of the Last Supper and that on the Cross form a single prayer that continues even in heaven, where Christ sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus, in fact, always lives his intercessional priesthood on behalf of the people of God and humanity and so prays for all of us, asking the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, 23 May 2010)
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The Pope told an assembly of ALS patients that with commitment, faith, and courage, the sick “bear witness that the goodness and value of life are greater than illness.”
Haiti continues to experience a complex situation of violence and insecurity, particularly in the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince.
U.S. — A Bible application for mobile devices was blacklisted by members of several evangelical denominations after its developer claimed to release a new "update" for the King James Version.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In what supporters are calling "the most popular executive action since bringing back the McRib," President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday formally authorizing citizens to shoot obnoxious hooligans on those motorized bikes.
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Prinia socialis (Ashy Prinia) in Ajodhya Hills, West Bengal, India.
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Monsignor Robert D. Murphy emphasized protecting migrants’ right to life, making greater efforts to reunite families, and eliminating criminal exploitation.
![Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling #Catholic The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life. “The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/catholics-weigh-in-as-supreme-court-faces-deadline-on-telemedicine-abortion-ruling-catholic-the-u-s-supreme-courts-stay-on-the-5th-circuits-ruling-restricting-access-to-telemedicin-scaled.jpg "Catholics weigh in as Supreme Court faces deadline on telemedicine abortion ruling #Catholic The U.S. Supreme Court’s stay on the 5th Circuit’s ruling restricting access to telemedicine abortions is set to expire May 11, a deadline that could bring an extension, allow the restrictions to take effect, or prompt the justices to take up the case in full.Michael New, assistant professor of social research at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, told “EWTN News Nightly” on May 8: “The Supreme Court may extend the stay if they need more time to deliberate; they may simply uphold the 5th Circuit Courtʼs decision that bans tele-abortion, and the ban will go into effect; or they may want to do a full hearing [and] conduct oral arguments.”The Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring in‑person dispensing of mifepristone after two manufacturers asked the justices to intervene, prompting Justice Samuel Alito to issue an administrative stay that restores mail‑order access until May 11 at 5 p.m. ET while the court weighs the request.Although Alito instructed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of Louisiana to respond by 5 p.m. ET on May 7, the Justice Department failed to do so.New described the development as “odd,” saying the failure by the Justice Department, which represents the FDA, to meet the filing deadline could be that “they don’t want to defend the FDA’s position any longer” or that it may signal a policy change.“Sometimes when people think theyʼre going to lose a case, they change public policy because theyʼd rather change policy than, you know, lose a court case,” New said. “Itʼs really hard to say at this point.”Ultimately, New said the Supreme Court should “absolutely” reinstate in-person requirements to obtain abortion pills, saying: “Thereʼs some real serious public health issues at play here.”Judicial Crisis Network President Carrie Severino gave context for the latest developments in a May 7 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noting that the FDAʼs ongoing approval of nationwide mail-order abortion effectively circumvents Louisiana law protecting unborn human life. “The court should decide hopefully by the 11th, because thatʼs when the stay expires,” she said. “If they donʼt make any decision, then the 5th Circuit ruling goes back into effect and the FDA will have to disallow mailing of these pills, at least during the pendency of litigation,” said Severino, who is also a former Supreme Court clerk.U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the FDA to carry out a review of the abortion drug in May 2025, which is still ongoing.Ultimately, Severino said, the Supreme Court will not be ruling on “what the FDA needs to do at the end of the day” but on whether abortion drugs will be allowed to be mailed into Louisiana or not.“Eventually, you know, then itʼs going to go back and the district court and the 5th Circuit are going to have to reconsider it,” she said. “It could well return to the Supreme Court ultimately, but thatʼs going to be a ways down the litigation.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken out against the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs for women and urged the FDA to restore in-person visits to screen for life-threatening conditions such as ectopic pregnancies as well as abuse and human trafficking.")
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered a review of the abortion drug mifipristone in May 2025, which is ongoing.
![U.S. lawmakers urge Trump to press China’s president on Jimmy Lai case #Catholic More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai’s case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15.Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai’s conviction, which ended what Lai’s defenders described as a politically motivated show trial.In October 2025, Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Lai. In the letter sent to the White House on May 8, lawmakers urged Trump to advocate for Lai again by asking for his humanitarian release.Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, both longtime advocates of Laiʼs, circulated the bipartisan letter that was signed by 105 other members of Congress.“We know the president wants to do this,” Smith said in a May 8 interview with “EWTN News Nightly." “We want him to know — President Trump — that weʼre solidly behind him about what he might be able to accomplish.”“And he could use that, frankly, more effectively, with Xi Jinping, and say, ‘Look, donʼt just do it for the executive branch. The legislative branch is asking you, as well, from a humanitarian point of view,’” Smith said.The president has “an ability to persuade” like “no other president Iʼve ever known,” Smith said. “And I hope he can persuade Xi Jinping to let this great man go.”The letter notes that Trump’s “direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Laiʼs immediate release on humanitarian parole” and the case for his freedom “is urgent and undeniable.”“He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement,” lawmakers wrote.“His family, his friends, and supporters have indicated that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life,” they wrote. “It is a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong.”Lai’s ‘deteriorating health’The group is calling for a humanitarian release due to Lai’s “deteriorating health condition.” They wrote: “His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm.”“From a humanitarian point of view, weʼre hoping the president will look Xi Jinping in the eyes and say, ‘Let this guy go. Do it now. Itʼs a good gesture. It means a lot to us as Americans,’” Smith said.“Jimmy Lai spoke truth to power. He did it with grace, eloquence,” Smith said. “His newspaper … was just a beacon of hope and [truth], and for that, heʼs got a life sentence — 20 years. Heʼs 78. Itʼs probably a life sentence, and heʼs very sick.”“Iʼm very concerned,” Smith said. “Weʼve known for decades that when somebody is a political prisoner, and thatʼs what Jimmy Lai is, or religious prisoner, and you get sick, they let you die. They do not attend to your needs.”Lai “has a number of very serious ailments,” Smith said. “Type 2 diabetes is just one of them. Heʼs got a lot of other problems, and they all are compounding, cascading. He needs good medical attention, and he needs it now.”“Otherwise itʼll be a blight on the Chinese Communist Party added to the other blights that theyʼve accumulated over the years. But break that mold of letting people just die in prison through neglect,” Smith said.“No one can do it better than Trump, and I think he will,” Smith said. “And if it does fail, it wonʼt be on Trumpʼs back. Itʼll be, sadly, that Xi Jinping again has decided to stay with being cruel.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/u-s-lawmakers-urge-trump-to-press-chinas-president-on-jimmy-lai-case-catholic-more-than-100-u-s-lawmakers-sent-president-donald-trump-a-letter-asking-him-to-address-jimmy-lais-cas.jpg "U.S. lawmakers urge Trump to press China’s president on Jimmy Lai case #Catholic More than 100 U.S. lawmakers sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to address Jimmy Lai’s case when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14–15.Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9 over what Chinese officials claim were national security violations. The sentencing followed Lai’s conviction, which ended what Lai’s defenders described as a politically motivated show trial.In October 2025, Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Lai. In the letter sent to the White House on May 8, lawmakers urged Trump to advocate for Lai again by asking for his humanitarian release.Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, both longtime advocates of Laiʼs, circulated the bipartisan letter that was signed by 105 other members of Congress.“We know the president wants to do this,” Smith said in a May 8 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.\" “We want him to know — President Trump — that weʼre solidly behind him about what he might be able to accomplish.”“And he could use that, frankly, more effectively, with Xi Jinping, and say, ‘Look, donʼt just do it for the executive branch. The legislative branch is asking you, as well, from a humanitarian point of view,’” Smith said.The president has “an ability to persuade” like “no other president Iʼve ever known,” Smith said. “And I hope he can persuade Xi Jinping to let this great man go.”The letter notes that Trump’s “direct engagement is critical to securing Mr. Laiʼs immediate release on humanitarian parole” and the case for his freedom “is urgent and undeniable.”“He is a devout Catholic and successful entrepreneur who has already spent five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement,” lawmakers wrote.“His family, his friends, and supporters have indicated that if he is released, he will leave Hong Kong and withdraw from public life,” they wrote. “It is a clear, practical path forward that reunites a family and prevents this case from becoming an irreversible tragedy — and an enduring symbol of repression that will echo far beyond Hong Kong.”Lai’s ‘deteriorating health’The group is calling for a humanitarian release due to Lai’s “deteriorating health condition.” They wrote: “His health has declined in custody, and prolonged isolation and inadequate prison conditions only increase the risk of permanent harm.”“From a humanitarian point of view, weʼre hoping the president will look Xi Jinping in the eyes and say, ‘Let this guy go. Do it now. Itʼs a good gesture. It means a lot to us as Americans,’” Smith said.“Jimmy Lai spoke truth to power. He did it with grace, eloquence,” Smith said. “His newspaper … was just a beacon of hope and [truth], and for that, heʼs got a life sentence — 20 years. Heʼs 78. Itʼs probably a life sentence, and heʼs very sick.”“Iʼm very concerned,” Smith said. “Weʼve known for decades that when somebody is a political prisoner, and thatʼs what Jimmy Lai is, or religious prisoner, and you get sick, they let you die. They do not attend to your needs.”Lai “has a number of very serious ailments,” Smith said. “Type 2 diabetes is just one of them. Heʼs got a lot of other problems, and they all are compounding, cascading. He needs good medical attention, and he needs it now.”“Otherwise itʼll be a blight on the Chinese Communist Party added to the other blights that theyʼve accumulated over the years. But break that mold of letting people just die in prison through neglect,” Smith said.“No one can do it better than Trump, and I think he will,” Smith said. “And if it does fail, it wonʼt be on Trumpʼs back. Itʼll be, sadly, that Xi Jinping again has decided to stay with being cruel.”")
Chinese officials sentenced Lai, founder and publisher of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, to 20 years in prison on Feb. 9.
A bishop urges a halt to the planned execution of hundreds of Ethiopians, a Finnish parliamentarian appeals her hate speech conviction, and more in this week’s world news roundup.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/sedona-arizona-clarkdale-verde-canyon-railroad_BEAUTOWN0123-9cb6c8487c6e4dc0bd71b4cb4fe63e52.jpg)
On May 9, 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched Hayabusa, its mission to asteroid 25143 Itokawa. The journey was a demonstration of new technology engineered for returning samples from asteroids: ion engines, autonomous navigation, an asteroid sampler, and a reentry capsule. After a gravity assist from Earth, Hayabusa arrived at Itokawa in SeptemberContinue reading “May 9, 2003: Hayabusa launches”
The post May 9, 2003: Hayabusa launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Adam Carolla is a big fan of Republican Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, and praised his performance in the recent televised debate.
The post Adam Carolla Praises Los Angeles Mayor Candidate Spencer Pratt: ‘This is Super Easy for Him’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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During a recent appearance on a podcast, Maryland’s Democrat Governor Wes Moore was asked what he would do if his underaged son wanted to transition to female.
The post Democrat Governor of Maryland Wes Moore Suggests He Would Allow His Underaged Son to Transition to Female (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Something has shifted in the race for mayor of Los Angeles after Spencer Pratt’s amazing performance in the debate earlier this week.
The post HELL FREEZES OVER: CBS News ‘Fact Checks’ Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass From Debate, Says Spencer Pratt Was Right (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreO Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 16:1-10
Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra
where there was a disciple named Timothy,
the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,
but his father was a Greek.
The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,
and Paul wanted him to come along with him.
On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,
for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they traveled from city to city,
they handed on to the people for observance the decisions
reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.
Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith
and increased in number.
They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory
because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
During the night Paul had a vision.
A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us."
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once,
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
From the Gospel according to John
15:18-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me."
Especially while He was bidding farewell to the Apostles, Jesus, spoke of the world many times (see Jn 15:18-21). And here He says: “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you” (v. 18). He speaks clearly of the hatred that the world had with Jesus and will have with us. And in the prayer that He says at table with the disciples during the Last Supper, He asks the Father not to take His disciples out of the world, but to defend them from the spirit of the world (see 17:15). I think we can ask ourselves: What is the spirit of the world? What is this worldliness that is capable of hating, of destroying Jesus and His disciples, and more, of corrupting them and of corrupting the Church? (…) Worldliness is a culture. It is a culture of the transitory, a culture of appearances, of maquillage, a culture of “today yes, tomorrow no; tomorrow yes and today no”. It has superficial values. A culture that does not know fidelity, because it always changes according to circumstances, everything is negotiable. This is the worldly culture, the culture of worldliness. And Jesus insists on defending us from this and He prays that the Father might defend us from this culture of worldliness. (Pope Francis, Homily Santa Marta, 16 May 2020)
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This celestial image captured from a window on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station highlights the Milky Way rising above Earth’s atmospheric glow.
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African bishops highlighted the pope’s trip to Africa as a defining moment of his ministry as well as the pontiff’s emphasis on dialogue, reconciliation, missionary outreach, justice, and peace.
We already knew interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from somewhere far beyond our solar system. Now scientists have more information on how alien that somewhere really is — a corner of the universe colder than, less irradiated than, and chemically distinct from the conditions that shaped our home. A study published April 23 in Nature AstronomyContinue reading “3I/ATLAS came from a strange, cold world”
The post 3I/ATLAS came from a strange, cold world appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![Spanish bishops: ‘We cannot simply stand by and watch the ship sink’ – #Catholic – Just weeks before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to Spain, the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) released a document that establishes seven pastoral priorities for the 2026–2030 period in which they embrace a bracing challenge: “We cannot just stand by and watch the ship sink.”The document, titled “Set Out on the Journey,” was approved during the plenary assembly in November 2025 but was not published until after the conferenceʼs meeting in April.Following an exercise in “conversation in the Spirit” — the same method used during the Synod on Synodality — the Spanish prelates established the following seven priority pastoral goals:1. Proclaiming the Gospel and initiation into the Christian lifeThe prelates observed that “in Spain, the era — firmly established for centuries — in which we would say, ‘I am Catholic because I was born in Spain,’ has passed. We can no longer take Christian conversion for granted.”Consequently, the catechumenate is an “indispensable” reality in the dioceses, serving to ensure the continued growth of impactful experiences following the initial proclamation of the Gospel. “Today, Christian initiation along with the creation of communities that accompany individuals through this process and welcome the newly initiated constitute a fundamental priority,” they stated.The bishops further emphasized that “in secularized Spanish society, the Church’s challenge is not so much atheism as it is the hunger for God, which manifests itself in very diverse ways,” such that all pastoral actions “should assess their impact on the initial proclamation.”2. Celebrating SundayAdded to the challenge of Christian initiation is “another great challenge of ecclesial life: the celebration of the Lord’s Day” — that is, participation in Sunday Mass, which, as the prelates underscored, “is not a mere act of private devotion or fulfilling an obligation but rather the experience of being an assembly of the called — those who, summoned by the Word, are gathered together as a people taking the form of the body of Christ, in order to be sent forth on mission.”In Spain, only about 8 million of the country’s 45 million inhabitants attend Mass regularly on Sundays.3. A Church with fewer people but a lot of parishesThe bishops' third pastoral concern stems from the realization that the Catholic Church in Spain has more than 22,000 parishes distributed across over 11,000 municipalities and smaller local entities, many of which have fewer than 100 inhabitants.This distribution reveals “a great asymmetry.” As the prelates expressed with concern, “many baptismal fonts ‘hold no water’ — that is to say, there is no Christian community that, under the action of the Spirit, possesses the capacity to bring forth new Christians.”On the other hand, in areas with larger populations, the parish community “possesses a very weak awareness of the responsibility entailed by the baptismal font.”Beyond the diocesan parochial structure, Spain is home to 1,400 monasteries and shrines as well as hundreds of non-parochial churches where the Sunday Eucharist is celebrated, institutions that are typically under the care of religious communities.In this regard, the prelates declared: “We cannot simply stand by and watch the ship sink.”4. Promoting formative communitiesGiven that “one has never been able to be a Christian alone,” the prelates consider it necessary to “offer a visible communal face” and to foster the creation of communities “where the integral formation of the heart may be lived out.”The bishops acknowledged that, despite experiences of initial proclamation, “at times there exists the difficulty of transforming emotion into virtue,” as noted in the recently published document “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart Speaks to Heart”).In this regard, they consider the integration of Catholic immigrants to be a “great opportunity to revive and rejuvenate” the communities.5. Living the faith in a pluralistic societyThe Spanish prelates focused their attention on the pluralistic social reality in which “people of diverse ethnic origins, with diverse ideological, ethical, and religious worldviews” coexist — and not always “in a proper spirit of coexistence, but rather they fall into confrontation.”Given that “the religious map of Spain is changing” and there are “increasingly more adherents of other religions who do not come ‘from abroad,’” this poses “a new challenge for the Church, which must establish channels for coexistence based on mutual respect and the fundamental right to religious freedom.”6. Welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrantsThe bishops’ conference also takes into account the need to address the reality of increasing migration, in a twofold sense.“Catholics must be incorporated into the Christian community”; therefore, the CEE called for an effort to welcome them by “offering the possibility of a space of their own that does not break off communion with the whole.”With regard to those of other faiths, the prelates highlighted the “opportunity for interreligious dialogue and collaboration in the service of the common good,” while acknowledging that this constitutes “a challenge for Catholics, who must be formed in order to engage in dialogue based on mutual respect.”7. Bringing the love of the heart of Christ to the worldBeyond matters more specific to the Spanish context, the prelates, in their latest pastoral guidance, aim to make the love of God present beyond the confines of the Church: “It is essential to practice political charity in schools, in neighborhoods, in hospitals, and in our relationships with one another — fostering a presence, where possible, within institutional politics, the life of political parties, or other channels of institutional action.”In the charitable sphere, the bishops also warned that “we run the risk that our organizations — so dependent on the welfare state, its regulations, and its subsidies for the third sector — may offer the novelty of Christian love in a weak manner and be easily confused with NGOs [nongovernmental organizations]. The same could happen to us in our educational institutions or our media outlets.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/spanish-bishops-we-cannot-simply-stand-by-and-watch-the-ship-sink-catholic-just-weeks-before-pope-leo-xivs-apostolic-visit-to-spain-the-spanish-bishops-confe-scaled.jpg "Spanish bishops: ‘We cannot simply stand by and watch the ship sink’ – #Catholic – Just weeks before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to Spain, the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) released a document that establishes seven pastoral priorities for the 2026–2030 period in which they embrace a bracing challenge: “We cannot just stand by and watch the ship sink.”The document, titled “Set Out on the Journey,” was approved during the plenary assembly in November 2025 but was not published until after the conferenceʼs meeting in April.Following an exercise in “conversation in the Spirit” — the same method used during the Synod on Synodality — the Spanish prelates established the following seven priority pastoral goals:1. Proclaiming the Gospel and initiation into the Christian lifeThe prelates observed that “in Spain, the era — firmly established for centuries — in which we would say, ‘I am Catholic because I was born in Spain,’ has passed. We can no longer take Christian conversion for granted.”Consequently, the catechumenate is an “indispensable” reality in the dioceses, serving to ensure the continued growth of impactful experiences following the initial proclamation of the Gospel. “Today, Christian initiation along with the creation of communities that accompany individuals through this process and welcome the newly initiated constitute a fundamental priority,” they stated.The bishops further emphasized that “in secularized Spanish society, the Church’s challenge is not so much atheism as it is the hunger for God, which manifests itself in very diverse ways,” such that all pastoral actions “should assess their impact on the initial proclamation.”2. Celebrating SundayAdded to the challenge of Christian initiation is “another great challenge of ecclesial life: the celebration of the Lord’s Day” — that is, participation in Sunday Mass, which, as the prelates underscored, “is not a mere act of private devotion or fulfilling an obligation but rather the experience of being an assembly of the called — those who, summoned by the Word, are gathered together as a people taking the form of the body of Christ, in order to be sent forth on mission.”In Spain, only about 8 million of the country’s 45 million inhabitants attend Mass regularly on Sundays.3. A Church with fewer people but a lot of parishesThe bishops' third pastoral concern stems from the realization that the Catholic Church in Spain has more than 22,000 parishes distributed across over 11,000 municipalities and smaller local entities, many of which have fewer than 100 inhabitants.This distribution reveals “a great asymmetry.” As the prelates expressed with concern, “many baptismal fonts ‘hold no water’ — that is to say, there is no Christian community that, under the action of the Spirit, possesses the capacity to bring forth new Christians.”On the other hand, in areas with larger populations, the parish community “possesses a very weak awareness of the responsibility entailed by the baptismal font.”Beyond the diocesan parochial structure, Spain is home to 1,400 monasteries and shrines as well as hundreds of non-parochial churches where the Sunday Eucharist is celebrated, institutions that are typically under the care of religious communities.In this regard, the prelates declared: “We cannot simply stand by and watch the ship sink.”4. Promoting formative communitiesGiven that “one has never been able to be a Christian alone,” the prelates consider it necessary to “offer a visible communal face” and to foster the creation of communities “where the integral formation of the heart may be lived out.”The bishops acknowledged that, despite experiences of initial proclamation, “at times there exists the difficulty of transforming emotion into virtue,” as noted in the recently published document “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart Speaks to Heart”).In this regard, they consider the integration of Catholic immigrants to be a “great opportunity to revive and rejuvenate” the communities.5. Living the faith in a pluralistic societyThe Spanish prelates focused their attention on the pluralistic social reality in which “people of diverse ethnic origins, with diverse ideological, ethical, and religious worldviews” coexist — and not always “in a proper spirit of coexistence, but rather they fall into confrontation.”Given that “the religious map of Spain is changing” and there are “increasingly more adherents of other religions who do not come ‘from abroad,’” this poses “a new challenge for the Church, which must establish channels for coexistence based on mutual respect and the fundamental right to religious freedom.”6. Welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrantsThe bishops’ conference also takes into account the need to address the reality of increasing migration, in a twofold sense.“Catholics must be incorporated into the Christian community”; therefore, the CEE called for an effort to welcome them by “offering the possibility of a space of their own that does not break off communion with the whole.”With regard to those of other faiths, the prelates highlighted the “opportunity for interreligious dialogue and collaboration in the service of the common good,” while acknowledging that this constitutes “a challenge for Catholics, who must be formed in order to engage in dialogue based on mutual respect.”7. Bringing the love of the heart of Christ to the worldBeyond matters more specific to the Spanish context, the prelates, in their latest pastoral guidance, aim to make the love of God present beyond the confines of the Church: “It is essential to practice political charity in schools, in neighborhoods, in hospitals, and in our relationships with one another — fostering a presence, where possible, within institutional politics, the life of political parties, or other channels of institutional action.”In the charitable sphere, the bishops also warned that “we run the risk that our organizations — so dependent on the welfare state, its regulations, and its subsidies for the third sector — may offer the novelty of Christian love in a weak manner and be easily confused with NGOs [nongovernmental organizations]. The same could happen to us in our educational institutions or our media outlets.”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.")
In Spain, only about 8 million of the country’s 45 million inhabitants attend Mass regularly on Sundays.
The Holy Father marked the first anniversary of his pontificate on May 8 by visiting the historic cities in southern Italy.
![Leo XIV makes Marian pilgrimage on 1-year anniversary as pope #Catholic POMPEI, Italy — Pope Leo XIV placed his pontificate under the protection of Mary during a visit to two cities in southern Italy on Friday — the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025.Leo celebrated Mass for an estimated 20,000 people outside the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, whose feast day is May 8, during the day trip to Pompei and Naples.“Exactly one year ago,” the pope said in his homily, amid thunderous applause from the assembled faithful, “when the ministry of successor of Peter was entrusted to me, it was precisely the day of the Supplication to the Virgin, this beautiful day of the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei! I therefore had to come here, to place my service under the protection of the Holy Virgin.”“Having then chosen the name Leo places me in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who, among his many merits, also developed a rich magisterium on the holy rosary. Added to all of this is the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, apostle of the rosary,” Leo added.Before Mass, the pope — who flew about 150 miles from Rome to Pompei by helicopter early on May 8 — visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei. Despite forecasts of rain, thousands of people filled Bartolo Longo Square from the first light of dawn.At the shrine, the Holy Father met the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship.
Pope Leo XIV meets the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship, during a pastoral visit to Pompei, Italy, on May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
“Good morning, Pompei! Our Mother Mary — our mom — is always with us,” the pope said, informally greeting the faithful who were waiting for Mass. Before the Eucharistic celebration, Leo also greeted the sick and people with disabilities inside the shrine.The pope’s homily at the outdoor Mass focused on the power of the rosary.“The Hail Mary repeated in the holy rosary is an act of love,” he said. “Generations of believers have been shaped and safeguarded by this prayer — simple and popular, yet at the same time capable of mystical heights and a treasure chest of the most essential Christian theology.”He also called the Hail Mary prayer “an invitation to joy.”“It tells Mary, and in her all of us, that upon the ruins of our humanity, tried by sin and therefore always inclined to abuses, oppression, and war, the caress of God has come — the caress of mercy, which in Jesus takes on a human face. Mary thus becomes the mother of mercy.”“When St. John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary [2002–2003], he wished to place it in a special way under the gaze of the Virgin of Pompei,” Leo XIV continued. “Times have not improved since then. The wars still being fought in so many regions of the world call for renewed commitment, not only economic and political, but also spiritual and religious.”“Peace is born within the heart,” he added. “We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day. St. Bartolo Longo, reflecting on Mary’s faith, called her ‘omnipotent by grace.’ Through her intercession, may an abundant outpouring of mercy come from the God of peace — touching hearts, calming resentments and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance. No earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love.”At the conclusion of Mass, Pope Leo prayed together with the faithful the traditional Supplication to Our Lady of Pompei.The Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompei was written in 1883 by St. Bartolo Longo. It is solemnly recited twice a year, at noon on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October. The supplication was composed in response to the invitation that Pope Leo XIII addressed to Catholics in his first encyclical on the rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio, calling for a spiritual commitment to confront the evils of society.
Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Naples, Italy, on Friday, May 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
Visit to NaplesAfter lunch in private, Pope Leo took a helicopter about 16 miles northwest to Naples, the capital city of the Campania region of Italy, where he met with priests and religious brothers and sisters in the Naples cathedral.During his visit to the cathedral, Leo stopped in the Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, where the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius had taken place on May 3. The pope kissed the relic and with it blessed those in the packed cathedral.After some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the pope addressed the Catholic community: “What I therefore ask of you is this: Listen to one another, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and in this way find ways to move from a pastoral ministry of maintenance to a missionary pastoral ministry, capable of engaging with the concrete lives of people.”“In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropout rates, and fragile family situations, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that involves everyone — priests, religious, and laypeople alike,” he added.Pope Leo XIV then arrived in the popemobile to Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of Naples, where authorities estimate about 50,000 people were present.The pope’s address focused on peace and justice: a peace that “begins in the human heart, passes through relationships, takes root in neighborhoods and on the outskirts, and expands to embrace the entire city and the world.” A peace that needs justice “to be authentic” and that “can never be separated from charity.”Leo also spoke about the “Neapolitan paradox:” on the one hand, the significant increase in tourism, which however struggles to correspond to “economic dynamism capable of truly involving the entire social community.” He described a city “marked by a social divide that no longer separates the center from the outskirts but is even evident within every area, with existential peripheries nested even in the heart of the historic center.” Faced with these disparities, Pope Leo XIV recalled the presence of the state as “more necessary than ever, to provide security and confidence to citizens and to take space away from organized crime.”He then encouraged moving forward with the projects of hope taking shape in the city: “Gather your strength, work together, walk united — institutions, Church, and civil society — to connect the city, protect your children from the snares of hardship and evil, and restore to Naples its vocation to be a capital of humanity and hope.”This story was first published in multiple parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/leo-xiv-makes-marian-pilgrimage-on-1-year-anniversary-as-pope-catholic-pompei-italy-pope-leo-xiv-placed-his-pontificate-under-the-protection-of-mary-during-a-visit-to-two-cities-in-souther-scaled.jpg)
Pope Leo XIV traveled around 150 miles south of Rome to the Italian cities of Pompei and Naples on the first anniversary of his election.
An archdiocesan investigation in 2018 claimed Bishop Michael Bransfield engaged in multiple instances of sexual harassment and financial malfeasance of diocesan funds.
CAMBRIDGE — A paper published by professors at the University of Cambridge affirmed a long-speculated theory about Heaven, that everyone gets their own G.I. Joe Aircraft Carrier toy.
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Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring is among the best films ever made, but it’s long. Clocking in at almost three hours for the theatrical release (3h 48m for the extended edition), it’s hard to know when the best time to watch it is. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered.
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Golden jackal (Canis aureus) in azureum flowers (Jim Corbett National Park, India)
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From tropical luxury to frosty serenity, there’s an island to suit every traveler’s taste.
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Democrats seem to think that they are on the verge of a blue wave in the 2026 midterms this fall, but so far, the numbers are not backing that up.
The post REPORT: Six Months From 2026 Midterms, Republicans Have Outraised Democrats by More Than $10 Million appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Today on The Five, Greg Gutfeld took aim at leftists who have destroyed relationships with friends and even family members, over lies that they believe about Trump, such as the often repeated ‘Trump is Hitler’ lie.
The post Greg Gutfeld Slams Leftists for Destroying Relationships With Others Over Lies They Believe About Trump (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Mollie Hemingway, political commentator and editor of The Federalist, recently appeared on the FOX Business Network and tore into former President Obama for his recent comments about Republicans.
The post Mollie Hemingway RIPS Obama for Trash Talking GOP: ‘Reprehensible Commentary From the Man Who Instigated the Russia Collusion Hoax’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreBreathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 15:22-31
The Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“
And so they were sent on their journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.
From the Gospel according to John
15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
In his long farewell discourse to his disciples, Jesus says this: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (Jn 15:15-16). But this is a blank cheque: “whatever you ask the Father in my name, I will give to you”! God is a friend, an ally, a spouse. In prayer one can establish an intimate relationship with him, so much so that in the “Our Father” Jesus taught us to address to him a series of questions. We can ask God everything, everything; explain everything, recount everything. It does not matter if we feel flawed in our relationship with God: we are not good friends, we are not grateful children, we are not faithful spouses. He continues to love us. (…) God is always close to our heart’s door and he waits for us to open it to him. And sometimes he knocks on the heart, but he is not intrusive: he waits. God’s patience with us is the patience of a father, of one who loves us dearly. I would say it is the combined patience of a father and a mother. Always close to our heart, and when he knocks he does so with tenderness and with much love. (Pope Francis, General audience, 13 May 2020)
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Obituary: Father Peter Andrew Oddo, served Sussex County parishes, 90 #Catholic – 
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 9, at noon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Church in the Swartswood neighborhood of Newton, N.J., for Father Peter Andrew Oddo, a retired priest of the Newark Archdiocese and U.S. Navy veteran, who died on May 4, at Merry Heart in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J. He was 90.
After retiring, Father Oddo served in Sussex County parishes of the Paterson Diocese, including Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Branchville, N.J., and OLMC as a weekend associate. These roles followed his service in the Newark Archdiocese and his Navy career.
Father Oddo was born and grew up in Lodi, N.J. He was the son of Andrew and Angelina Oddo. He graduated from Pope Pius XII High School in Passaic, N.J. He earned a bachelor’s degree in classical languages and a master’s in psychology from Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., and a master’s in theology from Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Darlington, N.J.
Father Oddo was ordained to the priesthood for the Newark Archdiocese on May 27, 1961. He first served in parish assignments and then ministered to individuals with alcohol and drug addiction before beginning his service in the U.S. Navy.
Following these assignments, Father Oddo joined the U.S. Navy, where he served for 24 years and achieved the rank of captain.
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During his service, Father Oddo traveled widely on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN-70), a U.S. Navy supercarrier and flagship for Carrier Strike Group 1. He served in the Persian Gulf War and earned the Navy Commendation Medal, two Navy Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal.
After retiring from the Navy, Father Oddo made his home in Swartswood in Newton. He served Our Lady Queen of Peace and OLMC. He was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, spending time in nature, and was a member of local hunting clubs.
Father Oddo is survived by his brother, Rosario Oddo, and his wife, Angela, and his sister-in-law, Mary Anne Oddo, the wife of his late brother Andrew M. Oddo. His nieces and nephews are Mary Anne Montelbano and her husband, Keith; Carole Anne Cavanagh and her husband, Brian; Andrew P. Oddo and his wife, Meg; and Jessica Carlin and her husband, John. He is also survived by five great-nieces, seven great-nephews, and many cousins and extended family members.
Visitation for Father Oddo will be held on Friday, May 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Newton. His Mass of Christian Burial will follow at noon on Saturday, May 9, at OLMC.
Please keep Father Oddo, his family and friends, and the priests of the Newark Archdiocese and Paterson Diocese in your prayers.
– A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 9, at noon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Church in the Swartswood neighborhood of Newton, N.J., for Father Peter Andrew Oddo, a retired priest of the Newark Archdiocese and U.S. Navy veteran, who died on May 4, at Merry Heart in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township, N.J. He was 90. After retiring, Father Oddo served in Sussex County parishes of the Paterson Diocese, including Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Branchville, N.J., and OLMC as a weekend associate. These roles followed his service in the
