O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
Read More![‘My trust was in God’: Priest recounts flight from Holy Land amid Iranian conflict #Catholic A Jesuit priest says he has a “much larger perspective” of the crisis of war after fleeing the Holy Land at the outset of U.S. and Israeli aggressions against Iran.Father Anthony Wieck, SJ, told EWTN News he was leading a pilgrimage of about 20 Catholics in the Holy Land when the war began on Feb. 28.“We had just spent a week in Galilee and prayed our way through the holy sites of Jesus’ teaching and miracles,” Wieck said, describing the region as “a lovely land [God] created for himself to enjoy on this earth.”The group arrived in Jerusalem on Feb. 26, he said, and the next day word began to spread of the need to evacuate from the region. Several pilgrims were able to leave immediately, Wieck said, while others who attempted to leave the next day were unable to get a flight out and eventually had to return to the pilgrim group.Ben Gurion International Airport “is not a safe place to be because there are military installations near the airport,” he said. “Iranian missiles were being sent that way, and our people ... were taken into the bomb shelter five stories down below the airport.”Wieck said that even as the conflict broke out, his group still toured holy sites, including the Church of the Pater Noster, where tradition holds that Christ taught the disciples to pray the Our Father. “We were instructed by our guide to continue the tour and to simply seek cover whenever the sirens went off,” he said, pointing out that “those living in Jerusalem are so used to warning sirens there that they have much less fear than we do. They’re observant but not fearful. And we were trusting them.”The priest was offering a chanted Mass at the Dominus Flevit Church while explosions sounded in the distance as Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted Iranian missiles.“It was scary, yes,” Wieck said. “But I continued the Mass with trust, and after Communion (before the final prayer) asked all pilgrims to pray for a couple minutes regarding where the Lord was in all of this situation.”
Father Anthony Wieck, SJ, says Mass at the Dominus Flevit Church in Jerusalem on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. | Credit: Father Anthony Wieck, SJ
After Mass, a group of pilgrims from Kansas joined them in the church amid sirens and explosions in the surrounding region. “It struck me as supremely important that we not make decisions based on fear but on faith,” he said.The priest’s group took a truncated walking tour of Jerusalem, he said, which “became eerily quiet that evening.”The tour company ordered them to evacuate the following morning. Departing for Jordan, the group found itself stuck amid a crush of evacuations in the area. “A typical two-hour trip to Amman, Jordan, took us seven hours,” Wieck said. And while the group initially “felt much safer being outside of Jerusalem,” they eventually felt “locked in” at their hotel, particularly amid mass flight cancellations.
Missile contrails are seen over the Holy Land region on Sunday, March 1, 2026. | Credit: Father Anthony Wieck, SJ
Jordanians in the area kept assuring the Americans that the country’s King Abdullah II would protect them. “Not feeling the same allegiance to their king, my trust was in God,” the priest said.The U.S. Department of State provided military evacuations to Americans in the area. “Little by little, our pilgrims found an occasional flight that [shuttled] them out of the war zone,” Wieck said. The priest and one other pilgrim, a religious from Phoenix, were the last from their group to remain in Jordan before they took a flight with Royal Jordanian Airlines on March 4. Wieck said the pilot took “great efforts to circumvent Israeli airspace.” The air carrier “was bold enough to keep to their travel plans despite the threats,” Wieck said, describing the airline as “my new favorite.” ‘Truly a Catholic experience’Wieck told EWTN News that he “would not say that I was stellar in my response to what God was doing here.” “I wanted to pray much but felt so much stress and trauma around me that it was truly difficult,” he said. “I was exhausted.”Yet during the frightening evacuation, he said, “hundreds of people” back home were lifting up the pilgrims with prayers and sacrifices. “They knew our plight was becoming a bit more grave,” he said.Back home in the U.S., Wieck, who lives in Louisiana, said he was still reflecting on what happened but said the harrowing ordeal gave him “a much larger perspective to have experienced profoundly how much we need the help of our brothers and sisters in times of crisis.”“It was truly a Catholic experience,” he said.“Though as humans we usually don’t carry our crosses in times of crisis all that well, our brothers and sisters in the faith can see us through. That was my experience,” he said.“How wonderful it is to be Catholic!” he added.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/my-trust-was-in-god-priest-recounts-flight-from-holy-land-amid-iranian-conflict-catholic-a-jesuit-priest-says-he-has-a-much-larger-perspective-of-the-crisis-of-wa.jpg)
Father Anthony Wieck, SJ, was leading a group of pilgrims in Jerusalem when the U.S. and Israel began launching strikes against Iran.
Following his primary loss to Steve Toth, Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw is now looking for a new career path.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a hard-set face betrayed by tears, President Donald Trump was seen taking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem out back behind the White House woodshed.
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Early spring at Borgvik, Grums Municipality, Värmland, Sweden. The rapids of Borgviksälven running through the old iron works in Borgvik.
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The 94-year-old Chinese prelate weighed in on the ongoing discussions between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X in a post on X.
Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women aids with career development #Catholic – 
Dailyn Franco, a member of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women (PNCW), has recently made plans to pursue certificate training in a certified nursing assistant certification program at Hackensack University Medical Center. Franco, who takes English language classes at the center — one of many classes offered at the facility — is pictured sharing the news with Sister Margaret Gaffikin, of the Daughters of St. Paul, one of the Conversational English volunteers and a core member of the volunteer team at PNCW.
For more information about programs, services, workshops and upcoming events at PNCW, please go to www.ncwpassaic.org.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
– Dailyn Franco, a member of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women (PNCW), has recently made plans to pursue certificate training in a certified nursing assistant certification program at Hackensack University Medical Center. Franco, who takes English language classes at the center — one of many classes offered at the facility — is pictured sharing the news with Sister Margaret Gaffikin, of the Daughters of St. Paul, one of the Conversational English volunteers and a core member of the volunteer team at PNCW. For more information about programs, services, workshops and upcoming events at PNCW, please go to www.ncwpassaic.org. Click here
Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, March 6With no Moon in the early-evening sky, let’s chase down a classic deep-sky object tonight: M1, the first entry in Charles Messier’s list of “not comets” and also known as the Crab Nebula. This smudge of gas and dust left over fromContinue reading “The Sky This Week from March 6 to 13: The Moon and Antares”
The post The Sky This Week from March 6 to 13: The Moon and Antares appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump Administration to refund $130 billion in tariffs.
The post JUST IN: Clinton Judge Orders Trump Admin to Refund $130 Billion in Tariffs appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Bill O’Reilly appeared on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo last night and blasted the liberal media coverage of the Iran strikes, claiming that the media is ‘rooting for Iran, not the people of Iran, but the regime.
The post Bill O’Reilly Slams Liberal Media Coverage of Iran Strikes: ‘The Press is Rooting for Iran’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Trump is moving forward with plans to construct a new ballroom for the White House.
The post CNN Doesn’t Understand Why Angry Comments From Leftists Haven’t Stopped Trump’s Construction of White House Ballroom appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreO Heavenly Father,
I commend my children unto Thee.
Be Thou their God and Father;
and mercifully supply whatever is wanting in me
through frailty or negligence.
Strengthen them to overcome the corruptions of the world,
to resist all solicitations to evil,
whether from within or without;
and deliver them from the secret snares of the enemy.
Pour Thy grace into their hearts,
and confirm and multiply in them the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit,
that they may daily grow in …
A total lunar eclipse rises over New Orleans, home of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 3. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes directly between the Sun and Moon, casting a huge shadow across the Moon’s surface. The Moon appears dark red or orange as the Sun’s light filters through Earth’s atmosphere.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Genesis
37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
"We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood," he continued,
"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright."
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.
They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
With this very harsh parable, Jesus confronts his interlocutors with their responsibility, and he does so with extreme clarity. But let us not think that this admonition applies only to those who rejected Jesus at that time. It applies to all times, including our own. Even today God awaits the fruits of his vineyard from those he has sent to work in it. All of us.
In any age, those who have authority, any authority, also in the Church, in the People of God, may be tempted to work in their own interests instead of those of God. And Jesus says that true authority is when one performs service; it is in serving, not exploiting others. The vineyard is the Lord’s, not ours. Authority is a service, and as such should be exercised for the good of all and for the dissemination of the Gospel. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 4 October 2020)
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At an Abu Dhabi Mass on March 4, Bishop Paolo Martinelli said Yemen martyrs are a “source of hope” amid today’s turmoil.
Born in 1916 and ordained in 1950, Father Bruno Kant of Germany turned 110 on Feb. 26 and has been a priest for 76 years.
The Holy See’s permanent observer to the UN provided statistics demonstrating the extent of the persecution of Christians worldwide.
Beloved Notre Dame coaching legend Lou Holtz remembered for ‘building men, not just players’ #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — Leading up to a college football clash between Notre Dame and heated rival Miami in the late 1980s, a team chaplain for the Hurricanes proclaimed that God doesn’t care who wins football games.
Lou Holtz, coach of the Fighting Irish at the time, agreed. “I don’t think God cares who wins, either,” he replied with a smile. “But his Mother does.”
This now-famous quip captured the essence of the legendary coach: an uncanny wit, an unwavering Catholic faith and an unshakable love for Notre Dame — Our Lady’s university. On March 4, Holtz died in Orlando, Florida, at the age of 89, surrounded by his family. Forever etched in Fighting Irish lore for leading Notre Dame to the 1988 National Championship, Holtz leaves behind not just a decorated football resume but a legacy of shaping young men and inspiring people to live virtuously.
“Notre Dame mourns the loss of Lou Holtz, a legendary football coach, a beloved member of the Notre Dame family, and devoted husband, father, and grandfather,” said Holy Cross Father Robert A. Dowd, Notre Dame’s president, in a public statement. “Among his many accomplishments, we will remember him above all as a teacher, leader, and mentor who brought out the very best in his players, on and off the field, earning their respect and admiration for a lifetime.”
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Louis Leo Holtz was born on Jan. 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, and grew up in East Liverpool, Ohio. He played linebacker at Kent State University before beginning a coaching career that would span over four decades. With head coaching stops at William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina, Holtz became the ninth-winningest coach in college football history with a record of 249-132-7. He received national Coach of the Year honors on three occasions and remains the only coach to lead six separate programs to bowl games.
However, Holtz is best remembered for his 11 seasons in South Bend, where he revitalized the Notre Dame football program. From 1986 through 1996, the Fighting Irish won 100 games, reached a program-record nine consecutive bowl games, and were undefeated national champions in 1988 — Notre Dame’s last national title to date.
As coach of the Irish, Holtz was humble but confident, respectful but fearless, and wise but candid. He established several traditions at Notre Dame that remain in place today, from the iconic “Play Like a Champion” sign that players slap on their way to the field, to the removal of names from the football jerseys to emphasize the team dynamic. The mark Holtz left on the program, the university and especially the young men who played for him cannot be overstated.
“Lou and I shared a very special relationship,” Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman said in a statement. “He welcomed me to the Notre Dame family immediately, offering me great support throughout our time together. Our relationship meant a lot to me as I admired the values he used to build the foundation of his coaching career: love, trust, and commitment. Lou’s impact at Notre Dame has gone well beyond the football team. He and his wife, Beth, are respected across campus for their generous hearts and commitment to carrying out Notre Dame’s mission of being a force for good.”
Former Irish great Jerome Bettis shared on social media that Holz “believed in building men, not just players.”
“Coach was so much more than a football coach to me. He was family,” Bettis, a fullback for the Irish from 1990-1993, posted March 4. “I still remember the day he came to my house to recruit me. He didn’t just sit down and talk to me about football or what I could do on the field. He talked to me as a young man. And he spoke to my mom the way a man should speak to a mother who was trusting someone with her son. He looked her in the eye and promised that I would be taken care of at Notre Dame. That moment meant everything to us, and it’s something I’ve carried with me my entire life.”
After retiring from coaching, Holtz spent time as a studio analyst for ESPN, a best-selling author and a motivational speaker, where he continued inspiring people with the same energy and charisma.
He often told crowds, “I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care.” Holtz preached that “life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.” He challenged people to live exceptional lives, famously stating, “I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.”
Central to everything Holtz did was his faith. A lifelong Catholic, Holtz served as an altar boy and credited the education he received from the Sisters of Notre Dame with instilling the desire to make God the focus of his life. Holtz was outspoken about his faith and believed following Church teachings “brings meaning and lasting happiness to life.”
He possessed a deep and profound love for Notre Dame — not just his team, but the university, the students, the fans and the faith alive on campus. “Every single day being there was very special,” Holtz told the National Catholic Register in a 2012 interview, “because there were so many opportunities to encounter and live out the Catholic faith.”
The late Bishop John M. D’Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend once asked Holtz what it meant to be the head football coach at Notre Dame. His answer displayed a life not consumed by his career but anchored by his Catholic faith. “It means if you have an 8 o’clock meeting, you can find a 7 o’clock Mass,” Holtz responded. “When you want to go to confession, you just walk across the campus to the basilica. When you are leaving at 10 o’clock at night, the Lady on the dome is smiling down at you.”
Holtz reaffirmed his love for Our Lady after coaching his final game at Notre Dame Stadium. After his final home game, when asked by a Fort Wayne News-Sentinel columnist how he’ll be remembered, a tearful Holtz said, “I never disgraced the Lady on the dome.” Holtz was a living embodiment of the final line of the university’s alma mater song, “Notre Dame, Our Mother,” that marks the end of each sporting event: “And our hearts forever love thee, Notre Dame!”
Holtz is survived by his four children, Luanne, Lou “Skip” Jr., Kevin and Elizabeth. His family is finalizing funeral arrangements, including a Mass of Christian Burial at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. Holtz will be laid to rest at Notre Dame’s Cedar Grove Cemetery next to his wife, Beth.
Eric Peat writes from Fort Wayne, Indiana, for Today’s Catholic, the news outlet of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. This story was originally published by Today’s Catholic and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
– (OSV News) — Leading up to a college football clash between Notre Dame and heated rival Miami in the late 1980s, a team chaplain for the Hurricanes proclaimed that God doesn’t care who wins football games. Lou Holtz, coach of the Fighting Irish at the time, agreed. “I don’t think God cares who wins, either,” he replied with a smile. “But his Mother does.” This now-famous quip captured the essence of the legendary coach: an uncanny wit, an unwavering Catholic faith and an unshakable love for Notre Dame — Our Lady’s university. On March 4, Holtz died in Orlando, Florida,
In a video released on X, the Holy Father posed a question to the faithful: “Would you imagine what a world without wars would be like? A world without the terror of approaching explosions?”
Little Falls Knights honor Free Throw Contest winners #Catholic – 
The Knights of Columbus Council 3835, Our Lady of the Highway, Little Falls, N.J., hosted a Free Throw Contest awards night on Feb. 24 at the Little Falls Recreation Center. The basketball-throwing contest was open to boys and girls ages 9 to 14. Six of the 10 winners attended the awards event. Pictured in the front row from left are Juliana Macaluso, 11; Vincenzo Castaldo, 11; Danica Lightner, 13; Jonathan Moreno, 10; Brayden Moreno, 13; and Jake Borges, 12. In the back row from left are Christopher Troyano, co-chairman; Ron Yutko, co-chairman; Anthony Montuori; and Mike Vaclavicek.
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– The Knights of Columbus Council 3835, Our Lady of the Highway, Little Falls, N.J., hosted a Free Throw Contest awards night on Feb. 24 at the Little Falls Recreation Center. The basketball-throwing contest was open to boys and girls ages 9 to 14. Six of the 10 winners attended the awards event. Pictured in the front row from left are Juliana Macaluso, 11; Vincenzo Castaldo, 11; Danica Lightner, 13; Jonathan Moreno, 10; Brayden Moreno, 13; and Jake Borges, 12. In the back row from left are Christopher Troyano, co-chairman; Ron Yutko, co-chairman; Anthony Montuori; and Mike Vaclavicek. Click here to
![Morristown vocations retreat inspires young men’s faith journey #Catholic - Twenty young men, aged 15 to 31, from various parishes around the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey participated in the Vocations Discernment Retreat with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney at Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, N.J., from Feb. 27 to March 1.
Bishop Sweeney served as retreat master. He offered four talks to the young men who attended with seven diocesan seminarians.
During the retreat, Bishop Sweeney led the group to pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross. He also prayed the liturgy of the hours with them and celebrated Mass in the chapel. Mass concelebrants included Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocation director, and Father Jader Avila, a diocesan priest. Dan Ferrari led them all in song.
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Retreatants had the opportunity to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to receive the sacrament of penance, offered by Father Avila, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., and Father Krzysztof Tyszko, parochial vicar of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown, N.J.
During the Second Sunday of Lent Mass, Bishop Sweeney connected the retreat to the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration. He reminded the young men of the blessings of encountering Jesus and encouraged them to stay close to him and to listen for his voice.
According to Father Lana, “The retreat was a moment of grace for these young men to step aside from the busyness of ordinary life and open their hearts in prayer and reflect on what the Lord might be asking them to do with their lives. The Lord invites all of us to deepen our friendship with him, and these young men accepted that invitation with trust over the weekend. Hopefully, this time spent on retreat will bear fruit, bringing each of them peace, clarity, and understanding of how they can best serve using their gifts.”
On social media, Bishop Sweeney posted, “We were blessed with a wonderful Vocation Discernment Retreat.”
“We thank Fr. Charlie Lana, our vocation director, and our priests, seminarians, and the retreat center staff for allowing a weekend in prayer, community, conversation, and discernment. We also thank all those who were and will be praying for us,” Bishop Sweeney posted. “Let us continue to pray for an increase in Vocations to the priesthood and consecrated Religious Life.”
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/morristown-vocations-retreat-inspires-young-mens-faith-journey-catholic-twenty-young-men-aged-15-to-31-from-various-parishes-around-the-paterson-diocese-in-new-jersey-participated-in-the.jpg)
Morristown vocations retreat inspires young men’s faith journey #Catholic – 
Twenty young men, aged 15 to 31, from various parishes around the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey participated in the Vocations Discernment Retreat with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney at Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, N.J., from Feb. 27 to March 1.
Bishop Sweeney served as retreat master. He offered four talks to the young men who attended with seven diocesan seminarians.
During the retreat, Bishop Sweeney led the group to pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross. He also prayed the liturgy of the hours with them and celebrated Mass in the chapel. Mass concelebrants included Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocation director, and Father Jader Avila, a diocesan priest. Dan Ferrari led them all in song.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Retreatants had the opportunity to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to receive the sacrament of penance, offered by Father Avila, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., and Father Krzysztof Tyszko, parochial vicar of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown, N.J.
During the Second Sunday of Lent Mass, Bishop Sweeney connected the retreat to the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration. He reminded the young men of the blessings of encountering Jesus and encouraged them to stay close to him and to listen for his voice.
According to Father Lana, “The retreat was a moment of grace for these young men to step aside from the busyness of ordinary life and open their hearts in prayer and reflect on what the Lord might be asking them to do with their lives. The Lord invites all of us to deepen our friendship with him, and these young men accepted that invitation with trust over the weekend. Hopefully, this time spent on retreat will bear fruit, bringing each of them peace, clarity, and understanding of how they can best serve using their gifts.”
On social media, Bishop Sweeney posted, “We were blessed with a wonderful Vocation Discernment Retreat.”
“We thank Fr. Charlie Lana, our vocation director, and our priests, seminarians, and the retreat center staff for allowing a weekend in prayer, community, conversation, and discernment. We also thank all those who were and will be praying for us,” Bishop Sweeney posted. “Let us continue to pray for an increase in Vocations to the priesthood and consecrated Religious Life.”
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – Twenty young men, aged 15 to 31, from various parishes around the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey participated in the Vocations Discernment Retreat with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney at Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, N.J., from Feb. 27 to March 1. Bishop Sweeney served as retreat master. He offered four talks to the young men who attended with seven diocesan seminarians. During the retreat, Bishop Sweeney led the group to pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross. He also prayed the liturgy of the hours with them and celebrated Mass in the chapel. Mass concelebrants included Father Charles Lana, diocesan
U.S. adults were among those most likely to condemn extramarital affairs as immoral in a study of 25 countries.
PERSIAN GULF — In a sign of enormous good will, American forces helpfully converted 20 Iranian warships into submarines.
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It can be difficult to find modest attire when you’re a Christian woman, what with all the competing expectations. Fortunately, we at the Babylon Bee are not just prophets – we’re also fashion experts. Here are seven simple tips for Christian ladies to dress modestly:
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Finnair Airbus A319-112 OH-LVL landing at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in snowfall conditions on 24 February 2017.
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Two decades in prison for dealing in international death and mayhem.
The post US Court Sentences Japanese Yakuza Gangster to Twenty Years in Prison for Trafficking Drugs, Weapons and Nuclear Material appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Absolutely shocking and ultra-woke comments from the liberal media darling James Talarico, a Texas State Representative, have surfaced as he tries to become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win in Texas.
The post “God is Non-Binary… Our Trans Community Needs Abortion Care Too” — Several INSANE Comments from James Talarico Emerge After He Beats Crockett to Win Texas Senate Dem Primary (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Poland’s government has signaled that it intends to take a far more assertive role in shaping Europe’s nuclear future.
The post Poland Will Seek Its Own Nuclear Weapons, Prime Minister Tusk Says appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreO Lord, in your anger punish me not; in your wrath chastise me not. For your arrows have sunk deep in me; your hand has come down upon me. There is no health in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no wholeness in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are like a heavy burden, beyond my strength. Noisome and festering are my sores, because of my folly. I am stooped and bowed down profoundly; all the day I go in mourning. For my loins are filled with …
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Jeremiah
17:5-10
Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
More tortuous than all else is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, alone probe the mind
and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
according to the merit of his deeds.
From the Gospel according to Luke
16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.’"
As long as Lazarus was outside his house, the rich man had the opportunity for salvation, to thrust open the door, to help Lazarus, but now that they are both dead, the situation has become irreparable. God is never called upon directly, but the parable clearly warns: God’s mercy toward us is linked to our mercy toward our neighbour; when this is lacking, also that of not finding room in our closed heart, He cannot enter. If I do not thrust open the door of my heart to the poor, that door remains closed. Even to God. This is terrible. (…)
In order to convert, we must not wait for prodigious events, but open our heart to the Word of God, which calls us to love God and neighbour. The Word of God may revive a withered heart and cure it of its blindness. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 18 May 2016)
Read More![Lou Holtz, legendary Notre Dame football coach and outspoken Catholic, dies at 89 – #Catholic – Lou Holtz, whose lengthy football coaching career included an undefeated championship season at the University of Notre Dame and who spoke regularly about his Catholic faith, died on March 4 at age 89. Holtz’s death was announced by his family through a statement via the athletics department at Notre Dame. The retired coach had entered hospice shortly before his death. TweetThe coach “is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, andan unwavering belief in the potential of others,” his family said. Holtz was preceded in death by his wife, Beth, who passed away in 2020. The two had been married for 59 years at the time of her death. Both are survived by four children. A fixture in college sports for decades, Holtz began his head coaching career in 1969 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He subsequently served as coach at North Carolina State and the University of Arkansas as well as a stint at the University of Minnesota; he also coached the New York Jets briefly in 1976. His most memorable coaching appointment came at the University of Notre Dame, which he joined in 1986. He would go on to lead the team to an undefeated national championship in 1989, beating the West Virginia Mountaineers 34-21 at that year’s Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. After a brief retirement and a stint as a commentator for CBS Sports, Holtz took up the head coach position at the University of South Carolina in 1999, where he had previously served as an assistant coach in 1966. He retired from that final role in 2004; his final game was marked by the infamous Clemson-South Carolina football brawl, with Holtz describing it as a “heck of a note” that his last match would be remembered for the fight. In his later years he appeared in various commentary roles on a variety of ESPN programs. One of his four children is Skip Holtz, who has served as head coach at numerous collegiate football teams. On Dec. 3, 2020, Holtz was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House at the time described Holtz as “one of the greatest football coaches of all time” as well as “a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot.”Trump himself while awarding the medal described Holtz as a “great gentleman” and a “great man.” The president said he was amazed at learning about Holtz’s coaching record ahead of the ceremony.“When we were researching this out, I knew he was supposed to be a good coach, but I didn’t know how good he was, because these stats are very amazing,” the president admitted. Known in part for his conservative politics, Holtz at that ceremony described Trump as “the greatest president during my lifetime.”“I get this award; I accept it humbly,” he said. “And you don’t go in life saying ‘I want to win this award.’ You just wake up one day and it happens.”A lifelong Catholic, Holtz was educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame at St. Aloysius Grade School in East Liverpool, Ohio. In 2012 he told the National Catholic Register, the sister news partner of EWTN News, that the nuns “influenced my life tremendously.” “This was due to the fact that they encouraged you always to make sure that God is the focus of your life, and they didn’t allow you to do anything except to the very best of your ability,” he said. Holtz told the Register that he had prayed to God to be made a great athlete, only to have been made a coach instead.“God does answer your prayers, but it’s not always in the way you expect,” he said. “God knows what’s best for us, though, so there’s no need to worry when things don’t go how we originally wanted them to go.”He professed that the Catholic Church is “infallible” on religious principles regarding faith and morals. He said he “[tried] to follow the Catholic teachings [as that’s] what brings meaning and lasting happiness to life.” He said, however, that Church leaders should be “[held] accountable for their choices.” In multiple cases he stressed fidelity to Christ above all, such as during an interview with Southwest Michigan Catholic when he said: “I don’t go to church to honor the pope; I don’t go to church to honor the priest who might have made some mistakes; I go to church to honor Jesus Christ.”He told the publication he and his family attended Mass “every Sunday,” regardless if football was in season or not.After Pope Leo XIV’s election in 2025, Holtz called on Catholics to “pray for [Leo], respect him and support him.” “Pope Leo, I’ll be praying for you. God bless,” he said at the time.In November 2025, meanwhile, he delivered what he said was his “final public speech,” speaking at the America First Policy Institute, where he served as chair of the 1776 initiative. “[M]y commitment to the American dream has never wavered and never will,” he said at the time. “We must protect what makes America exceptional.”“We cannot let God down; we must always do what’s right,” he said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lou-holtz-legendary-notre-dame-football-coach-and-outspoken-catholic-dies-at-89-catholic-lou-holtz-whose-lengthy-football-coaching-career-included-an-undefeated-championship-season-at-the-univ-scaled.jpg "Lou Holtz, legendary Notre Dame football coach and outspoken Catholic, dies at 89 – #Catholic – Lou Holtz, whose lengthy football coaching career included an undefeated championship season at the University of Notre Dame and who spoke regularly about his Catholic faith, died on March 4 at age 89. Holtz’s death was announced by his family through a statement via the athletics department at Notre Dame. The retired coach had entered hospice shortly before his death. TweetThe coach “is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, andan unwavering belief in the potential of others,” his family said. Holtz was preceded in death by his wife, Beth, who passed away in 2020. The two had been married for 59 years at the time of her death. Both are survived by four children. A fixture in college sports for decades, Holtz began his head coaching career in 1969 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He subsequently served as coach at North Carolina State and the University of Arkansas as well as a stint at the University of Minnesota; he also coached the New York Jets briefly in 1976. His most memorable coaching appointment came at the University of Notre Dame, which he joined in 1986. He would go on to lead the team to an undefeated national championship in 1989, beating the West Virginia Mountaineers 34-21 at that year’s Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. After a brief retirement and a stint as a commentator for CBS Sports, Holtz took up the head coach position at the University of South Carolina in 1999, where he had previously served as an assistant coach in 1966. He retired from that final role in 2004; his final game was marked by the infamous Clemson-South Carolina football brawl, with Holtz describing it as a “heck of a note” that his last match would be remembered for the fight. In his later years he appeared in various commentary roles on a variety of ESPN programs. One of his four children is Skip Holtz, who has served as head coach at numerous collegiate football teams. On Dec. 3, 2020, Holtz was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House at the time described Holtz as “one of the greatest football coaches of all time” as well as “a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot.”Trump himself while awarding the medal described Holtz as a “great gentleman” and a “great man.” The president said he was amazed at learning about Holtz’s coaching record ahead of the ceremony.“When we were researching this out, I knew he was supposed to be a good coach, but I didn’t know how good he was, because these stats are very amazing,” the president admitted. Known in part for his conservative politics, Holtz at that ceremony described Trump as “the greatest president during my lifetime.”“I get this award; I accept it humbly,” he said. “And you don’t go in life saying ‘I want to win this award.’ You just wake up one day and it happens.”A lifelong Catholic, Holtz was educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame at St. Aloysius Grade School in East Liverpool, Ohio. In 2012 he told the National Catholic Register, the sister news partner of EWTN News, that the nuns “influenced my life tremendously.” “This was due to the fact that they encouraged you always to make sure that God is the focus of your life, and they didn’t allow you to do anything except to the very best of your ability,” he said. Holtz told the Register that he had prayed to God to be made a great athlete, only to have been made a coach instead.“God does answer your prayers, but it’s not always in the way you expect,” he said. “God knows what’s best for us, though, so there’s no need to worry when things don’t go how we originally wanted them to go.”He professed that the Catholic Church is “infallible” on religious principles regarding faith and morals. He said he “[tried] to follow the Catholic teachings [as that’s] what brings meaning and lasting happiness to life.” He said, however, that Church leaders should be “[held] accountable for their choices.” In multiple cases he stressed fidelity to Christ above all, such as during an interview with Southwest Michigan Catholic when he said: “I don’t go to church to honor the pope; I don’t go to church to honor the priest who might have made some mistakes; I go to church to honor Jesus Christ.”He told the publication he and his family attended Mass “every Sunday,” regardless if football was in season or not.After Pope Leo XIV’s election in 2025, Holtz called on Catholics to “pray for [Leo], respect him and support him.” “Pope Leo, I’ll be praying for you. God bless,” he said at the time.In November 2025, meanwhile, he delivered what he said was his “final public speech,” speaking at the America First Policy Institute, where he served as chair of the 1776 initiative. “[M]y commitment to the American dream has never wavered and never will,” he said at the time. “We must protect what makes America exceptional.”“We cannot let God down; we must always do what’s right,” he said.")
With the communist government of Cuba under extreme pressure from the economic crisis of its own making and a U.S.-imposed oil embargo, exiled Cuban opposition leaders outlined the way to democracy.
For the first time, a much younger version of the Sun has been caught red-handed blowing bubbles in the galaxy, by astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Read More
February 24 was the date a new information pipeline began for astronomers around the world. Their computers received a deluge of cosmic notifications — 800,000 alerts about new asteroids, supernovae, and other noteworthy changes in the night sky. The discoveries were made by the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in ChileContinue reading “Rubin Observatory is rocking”
The post Rubin Observatory is rocking appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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The report also warns seminaries must not become an “artificial environment” detached from the ordinary life of the faithful.
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While Pablo Picasso was a professed atheist, a new exhibit in Spain highlights the spiritual sensibilities of his art.
WACO, TX — According to sources, a lame local church doesn’t even have its own app.
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FALLON, NV — Local Pentecostal Christian Glenn Fuller reportedly beat all his friends at Scrabble yet again thanks to his miraculous ability to spell out all words in tongues.
Read More
| Picture of the day |
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Crane installation in the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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Almighty God, I thank you for your past blessings.
Today I offer myself – whatever I do, say, or think –
to your loving care.
Continue to bless me, Lord.
I make this morning offering in union
with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ
who offers himself daily inthe holy sacrifice of the Mass,
and in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother and our Mother,
who was always the faithful handmaid of the Lord.
Amen.
Read More![Iraqi archbishop laments spread of Iranian conflict, communication barrier with Tehran archbishop – #Catholic – An Iraqi Catholic archbishop said his flock is frightened and communication with Tehran’s archbishop has been impossible as the Iranian conflict escalates.Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, told “EWTN News Nightly” that the situation is “quite frightening” because the Christian community is once more asking: “Will it reach us? Will we have to really leave again? Will our children have a future?”Warda said the situation is particularly sensitive for Iraq’s Christian population, which has seen “almost 50 years of continuous violence,” including eight years of war with Iran, followed by the first and second Gulf wars, as well as sectarian violence.“All of these memories,” he said, are “still there.”Warda said schools and universities in the region have been closed for nearly a week, and “the economy is collapsing.” All the while, he said, there is fear that “around every three, four hours, Erbil would be hit by either rockets or drones.”“The fear is there,” he said. “And the scope of violence is just getting bigger, because following the news, we see new countries being attacked and new places being attacked.”“Erbil [has been] targeted a few times so far,” he said, “and we know the largest Iraqi Christian gathering is in Erbil, and this might be another reason for the Christians to say, ‘There is no future.’”In Iraq, regional and local reporting said drones attempted to target Erbil International Airport and were intercepted.Warda said his “biggest fear” is that Christian families who were previously committed to remaining in Iraq will decide to flee the region due to ongoing instability. “These types of wars and conflicts will shake everything,” he said, regardless of what has been done to “really build something for the Christian community to stay.”Regarding efforts to get in contact with Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran, Iran, Warda said: “We have tried several times. But there is no communication whatsoever.”Warda said he asked one of the Chaldean religious sisters currently working in his diocese about her family, who live in Iran, but she has not been able to reach them. “Sadly enough, there is no communication whatsoever with that part of the world,” he said, noting loss of power and communication lines in Iran.“We are praying for the community there,” he said.Amid the conflict, Warda said attendance at morning Mass and evening prayer in the community has been “really great.” The community has canceled its weekly catechism classes, however, as well as its annual Ankawa Youth Gathering, the largest gathering of young people in Iraq.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/iraqi-archbishop-laments-spread-of-iranian-conflict-communication-barrier-with-tehran-archbishop-catholic-an-iraqi-catholic-archbishop-said-his-flock-is-frightened-and-communication-with-tehran.jpg "Iraqi archbishop laments spread of Iranian conflict, communication barrier with Tehran archbishop – #Catholic – An Iraqi Catholic archbishop said his flock is frightened and communication with Tehran’s archbishop has been impossible as the Iranian conflict escalates.Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, told “EWTN News Nightly” that the situation is “quite frightening” because the Christian community is once more asking: “Will it reach us? Will we have to really leave again? Will our children have a future?”Warda said the situation is particularly sensitive for Iraq’s Christian population, which has seen “almost 50 years of continuous violence,” including eight years of war with Iran, followed by the first and second Gulf wars, as well as sectarian violence.“All of these memories,” he said, are “still there.”Warda said schools and universities in the region have been closed for nearly a week, and “the economy is collapsing.” All the while, he said, there is fear that “around every three, four hours, Erbil would be hit by either rockets or drones.”“The fear is there,” he said. “And the scope of violence is just getting bigger, because following the news, we see new countries being attacked and new places being attacked.”“Erbil [has been] targeted a few times so far,” he said, “and we know the largest Iraqi Christian gathering is in Erbil, and this might be another reason for the Christians to say, ‘There is no future.’”In Iraq, regional and local reporting said drones attempted to target Erbil International Airport and were intercepted.Warda said his “biggest fear” is that Christian families who were previously committed to remaining in Iraq will decide to flee the region due to ongoing instability. “These types of wars and conflicts will shake everything,” he said, regardless of what has been done to “really build something for the Christian community to stay.”Regarding efforts to get in contact with Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran, Iran, Warda said: “We have tried several times. But there is no communication whatsoever.”Warda said he asked one of the Chaldean religious sisters currently working in his diocese about her family, who live in Iran, but she has not been able to reach them. “Sadly enough, there is no communication whatsoever with that part of the world,” he said, noting loss of power and communication lines in Iran.“We are praying for the community there,” he said.Amid the conflict, Warda said attendance at morning Mass and evening prayer in the community has been “really great.” The community has canceled its weekly catechism classes, however, as well as its annual Ankawa Youth Gathering, the largest gathering of young people in Iraq.")
Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, Iraq, shared the situation on the ground for the Iraqi Christian community with “EWTN News Nightly” as the prospect of broader regional war looms.
![‘This work is about hope:’ University of St. Mary prison education program centers on human dignity - #Catholic - English professor Leanna Brunner devotes much of her time to educating prisoners — work that she says is “some of the most rewarding work of my entire career.”“The students are some of the most devoted, conscientious, and hardworking I have had,” Brunner told EWTN News. “Every week that I go in the prison to teach, I come out feeling even more insightful than when I entered. I learn as much from the students about life as they do from me.”Brunner, an assistant professor at University of St. Mary, a Catholic liberal arts university in Leavenworth, Kansas, is involved in the university’s prison education program.About 100 students are enrolled across federal, state, and military correctional facilities in the university’s program. Though the university has worked in prisons for decades, the program recently received full accreditation, according to a Feb. 26 announcement.“This is not an auxiliary initiative but a central expression of our Catholic identity,” program director Michelle Workman said.“We approach prison education as authentic higher education rooted in rigor, dignity, and long-term formation,” Workman told EWTN News. “Our faculty teach the same curriculum, and our students meet the same expectations, as those enrolled on campus.”
Michelle Workman, director of the prison education program at University of St. Mary in Kansas, said the initiative is “a central expression of our Catholic identity.” | Credit: Photo courtesy of Michelle Workman
As the university is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Workman said that “our mission calls us to educate the whole person and to serve those on the margins.”“Catholic social teaching affirms the inherent dignity of every human person and calls us to solidarity and the pursuit of the common good,” Workman said. “Incarcerated individuals are not defined solely by their past actions; they remain persons created in the image of God, capable of intellectual growth, moral reflection, and meaningful contribution.”Another professor involved in the program, Michael Hill, told EWTN News: “We are called to serve the least of these; to care for the imprisoned.”“When I look at many of my students, I know that, with only a few different choices or a few different contingencies, I might well be one of them,” said Hill, assistant professor of history and theology at the university. “I had several great professors in my life who radically altered my trajectory, not by being great, but by simply being present,” he continued. “If I can help some of these men, in however small a way, then my life has been for something.” When asked about the challenges of the work he does, Hill said they are “beyond count.” “On a personal level, many of our students come from backgrounds that don’t celebrate academic success. Many wonder if they truly belong in college. All carry the scars of life that ultimately placed them in prison,” he said. “I’m not only a teacher to many of our students, I’m also an adviser, mentor, and counselor. Wearing so many hats is an ongoing challenge. But those challenges make the successes so much sweeter.”Sometimes, unexpected challenges arise that are “more to do with the nature of prison itself,” Brunner added.“Flexibility is the name of the game because we never know what to expect on any given day,” Brunner said. “We constantly have to pivot, whether it be because of lockdowns, rules that arise because of prison culture, or any other unexpected event.”But the in-person element of education “adds a layer of humanity to the program that other modes of learning cannot,” Brunner observed.“Sitting in a classroom with these men again allows them to feel human,” she said. “Being there in person with them shows the men that I believe in their ability to change and that I am not going to judge them for the mistakes they have made in the past.”“Sadly, their time in my class is one of the few times in their lives when they can feel like ordinary humans — a time when they can forget their bad decisions and focus on making a better life for themselves, both in prison and out,” Brunner said.Classes give students a reprieve from the daily life of prison, what Hill described as “a space to be men, not just inmates or [a] number.” “Giving our students a time and place to simply be — away from the violence and politics — matters,” Hill said. “Giving them face-to-face responsibility and accountability, not in a hierarchical relationship of authority with the state or its representatives, matters.” Workman said higher education improves outcomes after prison, including reducing the likelihood of re-offending.“Education inside correctional facilities strengthens families, reduces the social and financial costs of re-incarceration, and contributes to safer communities,” Workman said.“Research consistently demonstrates that participation in higher education during incarceration is associated with significantly lower recidivism rates and stronger post-release employment outcomes,” she continued.“Education builds cognitive skills, strengthens decision-making capacity, and supports the development of pro-social identity,” Workman said.Brunner often sees the men “realize that they have the ability to learn, grow, and make better decisions.”“Watching this kind of transformation is life-changing for me as well,” Brunner said. “I often tell my students that just because they are imprisoned physically, they do not have to be imprisoned mentally or spiritually. That is a choice, and there is no better feeling than to see them choose freedom.”“At its core, however, this work is about hope — about restoring the possibility that a person can grow intellectually, rebuild identity, and reenter society with purpose,” Workman said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/this-work-is-about-hope-university-of-st-mary-prison-education-program-centers-on-human-dignity-catholic-english-professor-leanna-brunner-devotes-much-of-her-time-to-educating.png)
University of St. Mary, a Catholic liberal arts university in Leavenworth, Kansas, offers a prison education program as part of its Catholic mission.
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah
18:18-20
The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
"Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word."
Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
20:17-28
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day."
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, "What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
This “hundredfold” is comprised of things first possessed and then left, but which shall be restored and multiplied ad infinitum. In divesting oneself of possessions, one receives in exchange the comfort of true good; freed from the slavery of things, one earns the freedom of serving out of love; in renouncing possessions, one acquires the joy of giving. As Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (cf. Acts 20:35). (…)
Only by accepting with humble gratitude the love of the Lord do we free ourselves from the seduction of idols and the blindness of our illusions. Money, pleasure, success dazzle but then disappoint: they promise life but procure death. The Lord asks us to detach ourselves from these false riches in order to enter into true life, the full, authentic, luminous life. (…)
May the Virgin Mary help us to open our heart to Jesus’ love, to Jesus’ gaze, the only One who can satiate our thirst for happiness. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 11 October 2015)
Read More![Priest scrutinized for letters written on behalf of 2 notorious Mexican drug traffickers – #Catholic – Mexican priest José Dolores Aguayo González, known as Father Lolo, has received criticism from the archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, about letters Aguayo sent to a U.S. court on behalf of two convicted drug traffickers. The letters concerning Jessica Johanna and Rubén Oseguera, adult children of drug trafficker Nemesio Rubén Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” were written at the request of the judge and the detainees’ family as part of the priest’s work providing spiritual ministry to people in prison.The elder Oseguera was the founder and leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel who was killed in a shoot-out with the Mexican military on Feb. 22.In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the priest defended his actions, stating that “the Church cannot turn its back on those who seek reconciliation with God, even if they are public figures.”“Imagine if the Church slams the door on them, and I think the issue here is, if it had been any anonymous prisoner in Puente Grande [penitentiary], there wouldn’t have been a problem. The problem is that the Church tried to fulfill its mission with these individuals,” the priest stated.Both letters, revealed last week by journalist Laura Sánchez Ley, were addressed to Judge Beryl A. Howell in Washington, D.C. The first, sent in March 2021, describes Jessica Johanna Oseguera as “a very kind person, an excellent mother, a very philanthropic woman.”Aguayo explained that he met the cartel leader’s daughter because she actively participated in parish activities, years before she pleaded guilty in U.S. court to drug trafficking charges. “When I wrote about this man’s daughter, the judge was the one who asked for my personal opinion of her, how although she had already pleaded guilty to certain crimes, had taken responsibility, what was my personal assessment [of her],” the priest told ACI Prensa.He sent the second letter to the same judge in January 2025, this time speaking favorably of Rubén Oseguera, known as “El Menchito” (Little Mencho), who was extradited to the U.S. in 2020 and sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking two months after the priest’s letter.In that letter, Aguayo said that he was Rubén Oseguera’s “spiritual director” and that “he comes from a very devout Catholic family, has reflected a great deal on his future, and has read the holy Scriptures,” adding that “despite any mistakes he may have made, he is a man who has been touched by God’s mercy.”The priest clarified that he did not know “El Menchito” personally but rather maintained correspondence through letters and phone conversations with family members during Oseguera’s imprisonment.“His wife asked me to accompany them spiritually through letters … what did we talk about? Biblical themes, faith, personal growth, change — nothing out of the ordinary that could be discussed with a priest,” he recounted.“Having gotten to know this young man through the letters … all I can say is that human beings make mistakes, they can change. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be punished by human justice, because we will also be punished by divine justice for our sins, but there is an opportunity to remake ourselves. In the Church, we believe in remaking ourselves; in conversion, and that is the great calling we have as priests: the sacrament of reconciliation,” he added.Though visibly concerned about the public judgment of his actions, the priest said he has nothing to hide. He maintained that he has conducted his ministry in accordance with the precepts of the Church and that, to date, no authority in Mexico or the U.S. has contacted him regarding this matter.The Archdiocese of Guadalajara on Feb. 28 issued a statement on the case, describing a lack of “prudence and good judgment on the part of this priest in addressing this matter … given the nature of this relationship.”The archbishop said at a March 1 press conference that “the issue is much more complex and much broader than the issue of the imprudence or inexperience of a priest who wanted to act in good faith, but, as we say in slang, messed up.”Robles added that Aguayo continues to fulfill his pastoral duties as a parish priest and that the Church is committed to providing spiritual support to everyone, including criminals and their families.“For example, if a family member of someone who was killed or cut down [in a confrontation with law enforcement] and whose involvement in criminal activity has been proven, requests, for instance, a Mass, they cannot be refused. If they request to take the body to the church, they cannot be refused,” the cardinal stated.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/2026/03/priest-scrutinized-for-letters-written-on-behalf-of-2-notorious-mexican-drug-traffickers-catholic-mexican-priest-jose-dolores-aguayo-gonzalez-known-as-father-lolo-has-received-criticism-from-th.webp "Priest scrutinized for letters written on behalf of 2 notorious Mexican drug traffickers – #Catholic – Mexican priest José Dolores Aguayo González, known as Father Lolo, has received criticism from the archbishop of Guadalajara, Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, about letters Aguayo sent to a U.S. court on behalf of two convicted drug traffickers. The letters concerning Jessica Johanna and Rubén Oseguera, adult children of drug trafficker Nemesio Rubén Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” were written at the request of the judge and the detainees’ family as part of the priest’s work providing spiritual ministry to people in prison.The elder Oseguera was the founder and leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel who was killed in a shoot-out with the Mexican military on Feb. 22.In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the priest defended his actions, stating that “the Church cannot turn its back on those who seek reconciliation with God, even if they are public figures.”“Imagine if the Church slams the door on them, and I think the issue here is, if it had been any anonymous prisoner in Puente Grande [penitentiary], there wouldn’t have been a problem. The problem is that the Church tried to fulfill its mission with these individuals,” the priest stated.Both letters, revealed last week by journalist Laura Sánchez Ley, were addressed to Judge Beryl A. Howell in Washington, D.C. The first, sent in March 2021, describes Jessica Johanna Oseguera as “a very kind person, an excellent mother, a very philanthropic woman.”Aguayo explained that he met the cartel leader’s daughter because she actively participated in parish activities, years before she pleaded guilty in U.S. court to drug trafficking charges. “When I wrote about this man’s daughter, the judge was the one who asked for my personal opinion of her, how although she had already pleaded guilty to certain crimes, had taken responsibility, what was my personal assessment [of her],” the priest told ACI Prensa.He sent the second letter to the same judge in January 2025, this time speaking favorably of Rubén Oseguera, known as “El Menchito” (Little Mencho), who was extradited to the U.S. in 2020 and sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking two months after the priest’s letter.In that letter, Aguayo said that he was Rubén Oseguera’s “spiritual director” and that “he comes from a very devout Catholic family, has reflected a great deal on his future, and has read the holy Scriptures,” adding that “despite any mistakes he may have made, he is a man who has been touched by God’s mercy.”The priest clarified that he did not know “El Menchito” personally but rather maintained correspondence through letters and phone conversations with family members during Oseguera’s imprisonment.“His wife asked me to accompany them spiritually through letters … what did we talk about? Biblical themes, faith, personal growth, change — nothing out of the ordinary that could be discussed with a priest,” he recounted.“Having gotten to know this young man through the letters … all I can say is that human beings make mistakes, they can change. I’m not saying he shouldn’t be punished by human justice, because we will also be punished by divine justice for our sins, but there is an opportunity to remake ourselves. In the Church, we believe in remaking ourselves; in conversion, and that is the great calling we have as priests: the sacrament of reconciliation,” he added.Though visibly concerned about the public judgment of his actions, the priest said he has nothing to hide. He maintained that he has conducted his ministry in accordance with the precepts of the Church and that, to date, no authority in Mexico or the U.S. has contacted him regarding this matter.The Archdiocese of Guadalajara on Feb. 28 issued a statement on the case, describing a lack of “prudence and good judgment on the part of this priest in addressing this matter … given the nature of this relationship.”The archbishop said at a March 1 press conference that “the issue is much more complex and much broader than the issue of the imprudence or inexperience of a priest who wanted to act in good faith, but, as we say in slang, messed up.”Robles added that Aguayo continues to fulfill his pastoral duties as a parish priest and that the Church is committed to providing spiritual support to everyone, including criminals and their families.“For example, if a family member of someone who was killed or cut down [in a confrontation with law enforcement] and whose involvement in criminal activity has been proven, requests, for instance, a Mass, they cannot be refused. If they request to take the body to the church, they cannot be refused,” the cardinal stated.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.")
A Mexican priest is at the center of controversy for sending letters on behalf of two high-profile drug traffickers in U.S. custody.
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