Conservative commentator Matt Walsh thinks he may have come up with a way to combat fraud in the food stamp (SNAP) program.
The post Matt Walsh Offers a Modest Proposal to End Fraud in the Food Stamp Program – Weight and Drug Testing (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
You know things are bad for the Democrats when even the Teamsters Union is calling on them to end the government shutdown.
The post Even the Teamsters Union is Calling on Democrats to End the Government Shutdown (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreRemember,
most loving Virgin Mary,
never was it heard
that anyone who turned to you for help
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
though burdened by my sins,
I run to you for protection
for you are my mother.
OR
Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that any one who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of …
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are children of Israel;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
From the Gospel according to Luke
14:1-6
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?"
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
"Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?"
But they were unable to answer his question.
This very way “of living, attached to the law, distanced them from love and from justice: they were attentive to the law, they disregarded justice; they were attentive to the law, they overlooked love”. The Lord found these were “closed men, men too attached to the law”, or rather, too attached “to the letter of the law”, because “the law is love”. These men “always closed the doors of hope, of love, of salvation”. (…) This is precisely “the path that Jesus teaches us, the exact opposite of that of the doctors of the law”. And “this path, from love to justice, leads to God”. Only “the path that goes from love to knowledge and to discernment, to complete fulfillment, leads to holiness, to salvation, to the encounter with Jesus”. “The other path”, however, “that of sticking only to the law, to the letter of the law, leads to closure, leads to selfishness”. And it leads “to the arrogance of considering ourselves just”, to that so-called “‘holiness’ of appearances”. Such that “Jesus says to these people: you like people to see you as men of prayer, of fasting”. This is only for appearances. And “this is why Jesus said to the people: do what they say, not what they do”, because “that mustn’t be done”. (…) Jesus draws near: closeness is the very proof that we are “on the true path”. Because that is “the path that God has chosen in order to save us: closeness. He drew close to us, he made himself man”. And indeed, “God’s flesh is the sign; God’s flesh is the sign of true justice. God who made himself a man like one of us, and we who must make ourselves like the others, like the needy, like those who need our help”. (Pope Francis, Santa Marta, 31 October 2014)
Read More![CPAC Summit focuses on ending Christian persecution - #Catholic -
Mercedes Schlapp, Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) senior fellow (left), and conservative political commentator and practicing Catholic Jack Posobiec (right) discuss Christian persecution at the Summit on Ending Christian Persecution on Oct. 30, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. / Credit: CPAC
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 30, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) launched an initiative to combat Christian persecution domestically and abroad, a subject at the heart of its latest summit in Washington, D.C. CPAC hosted a Summit on Ending Christian Persecution at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 30 as a part of its wider effort to collaborate with its coalition partners to raise awareness and identify policy solutions to religious targeting of Christians.“As Catholics, we are all called to help those most in need, those who are facing persecution here and across the globe,” Mercedes Schlapp, CPAC senior fellow, told CNA. “CPAC and our coalition partners have made it a priority to start the CPAC Center for Faith and Liberty, committed to finding policy solutions, working with national and international leaders to bring awareness to the atrocities that we are seeing against our Christian brothers,” said Schlapp, who helped moderate the event.“We hope to continue in this fight and really provide protection and solutions to those persecuted Christians, to those who have died as martyrs, and to bring peace to our world,” she said. The event included dozens of attendees and speakers such as Sean Nelson, ADF International senior counsel; Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia; Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey; Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri; and conservative political commentator and practicing Catholic Jack Posobiec. Topics included a recent surge of political violence. Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah on Sept. 10. In June, catechist Melissa Hortman, the former Minnesota Democratic House speaker, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were murdered. During a fireside chat with Schlapp, Posobiec said that while he is proud of the work that has been done to raise awareness of persecution abroad, “it’s coming here to the United States.” A Minneapolis Annunciation School shooting left two students dead on Aug. 27.“The shooting of the children in Minneapolis at [Annunciation Catholic School], which happened just two weeks to the day before the murder of Charlie Kirk, was an anti-Christian act of persecution,” Posobiec said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cpac-summit-focuses-on-ending-christian-persecution-catholic-mercedes-schlapp-conservative-political-action-conference-cpac-senior-fellow-left-and-conservative-political-commentator-and.webp)
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 30, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) launched an initiative to combat Christian persecution domestically and abroad, a subject at the heart of its latest summit in Washington, D.C.
CPAC hosted a Summit on Ending Christian Persecution at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 30 as a part of its wider effort to collaborate with its coalition partners to raise awareness and identify policy solutions to religious targeting of Christians.
“As Catholics, we are all called to help those most in need, those who are facing persecution here and across the globe,” Mercedes Schlapp, CPAC senior fellow, told CNA. “CPAC and our coalition partners have made it a priority to start the CPAC Center for Faith and Liberty, committed to finding policy solutions, working with national and international leaders to bring awareness to the atrocities that we are seeing against our Christian brothers,” said Schlapp, who helped moderate the event.
“We hope to continue in this fight and really provide protection and solutions to those persecuted Christians, to those who have died as martyrs, and to bring peace to our world,” she said.
The event included dozens of attendees and speakers such as Sean Nelson, ADF International senior counsel; Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia; Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey; Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri; and conservative political commentator and practicing Catholic Jack Posobiec.
Topics included a recent surge of political violence. Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah on Sept. 10. In June, catechist Melissa Hortman, the former Minnesota Democratic House speaker, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were murdered.
During a fireside chat with Schlapp, Posobiec said that while he is proud of the work that has been done to raise awareness of persecution abroad, “it’s coming here to the United States.”
A Minneapolis Annunciation School shooting left two students dead on Aug. 27.
“The shooting of the children in Minneapolis at [Annunciation Catholic School], which happened just two weeks to the day before the murder of Charlie Kirk, was an anti-Christian act of persecution,” Posobiec said.
Read More
ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 30, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).
On the occasion of the centenary of the Secular Institute of the Sisters of Mary of Schoenstatt, Germany, Pope Leo XIV has granted a plenary indulgence to anyone who visits the original Schoenstatt shrine or any shrine, church, or chapel under the care of this community.
The indulgence can be obtained throughout the community’s jubilee, which began on Oct. 1 and will conclude on Nov. 4, 2026.
“For our community, this gift of indulgence in our jubilee year is an invitation from God, through the Church, for a deeper purification of our hearts,” the Schoenstatt Movement said on its website, adding: “We trust that God’s grace will sustain us in a more perceptible way at the beginning of a new era for our family.”
The decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See states that the indulgence is granted “to members of the institute and to all the faithful who, moved by repentance and love, unite themselves to the spiritual goals of the Jubilee Year 2025.”
The faithful are invited to make a pilgrimage to one of the aforementioned places and spend time there in contemplation.
To obtain the indulgence, which can also be obtained on behalf of a deceased person, the following conditions must be met: sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist, prayer for the pope’s intentions — according to the decree, the Our Father, the Creed, the invocation of Mary, Mother of God, as Queen of Peace and Mother of Mercy — and performing an act of penance and a work of charity.
This story was first published by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/CNA.
Read More![‘Don’t let the algorithm write your story,’ Pope Leo XIV exhorts young people - #Catholic -
“Use technology wisely, but don’t let technology use you,” Pope Leo XIV said during his address to hundreds of university students gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Oct. 30, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Oct 30, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged young people to cultivate their “interior life” and to listen to their restlessness without “fleeing from it” or “filling it” with things that don’t satisfy, lest they fall into existential emptiness.“Having a great deal of knowledge is not enough if we do not know who we are or what the meaning of life is,” the pope told the hundreds of university students he received Oct. 30 in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican for an event held as part of the Jubilee of the World of Education.In his message, he invited the students to rediscover the inner dimension of life and pointed out that “without silence, without listening, without prayer, even the light of the stars goes out.”“We can know a great deal about the world and still ignore our own hearts,” he noted, while encouraging the students to constantly strive “toward the heights,” being “the beacon of hope in the dark hours of history.”Leo XIV acknowledged that many young people experience a sense of emptiness or inner restlessness and emphasized that this disorientation is not solely due to personal reasons.“In the most serious cases, we see episodes of distress, violence, bullying, and oppression — even young people who isolate themselves and no longer want to relate to others,” the pope observed. In his view, these deep wounds are “the reflection of “a void created by a society that has forgotten how to form the spiritual dimension of the human person, focusing only on the technical, social, or moral aspects of life.”The pope was especially approachable and relaxed with the young people, with whom he shared several spontaneous moments. He introduced himself to them twice as a “former math and physics teacher,” recalling his teaching past, and even joked with them: “Perhaps you have a math exam soon?” he asked, going off script and eliciting laughter and applause.The pope affirmed that a life that remains “stifled by fleeting pleasures will never satisfy us.” Instead, he asked each person to say in his or her heart: “I dream of more, Lord, I long for something greater, inspire me!”“This desire is your strength and expresses well the commitment of young people who envision a better society and refuse to be mere spectators,” he emphasized after noting that the “desire for the infinite” is the compass they should use.Instead of looking at your phone, ‘look to the sky, to the heights’He urged the university students to not be satisfied “with appearances or fads” and instead of “being fixated on your smartphones, to look to the sky, to the heights.”“How wonderful it would be if one day your generation were remembered as the ‘generation plus,’ remembered for the extra drive you brought to the Church and the world,” he exclaimed.During his address, Pope Leo cited as role models St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, who had “the courage to live life to the fullest” and “to the heights,” and St. Carlo Acutis, “who did not become a slave to the internet but rather used it skillfully for good.” The pontiff canonized these two young saints together on Sept. 7.The pope also cited St. Augustine as an example, describing him as “brilliant but deeply unsatisfied” because he found “neither truth nor peace until he discovered God in his own heart.”The Holy Father focused much of his address on the challenges posed by the digital world and the development of artificial intelligence, urging that these areas not become “a cage where you lock yourselves in” nor “an addiction or an escape.”“You live in [digital education] and that’s not a bad thing; there are enormous opportunities for study and communication. But don’t let the algorithm write your story! Be the authors: Use technology wisely, but don’t let technology use you,” he urged.‘It is not enough to silence weapons, we must disarm hearts’Leo XIV emphasized the urgency of a “disarmed and disarming education” that forms new generations in respect, justice, and equality.“You can see how much our future is threatened by war and hatred, which divide people. Can this future be changed? Certainly! How? With an education for peace that is disarmed and disarming,” the pope said. Furthermore, he warned that it is not enough to “silence the weapons,” but rather “we must disarm hearts, renouncing all violence and vulgarity.”As in his recent document on education, “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” Leo XIV called for avoiding all forms of exclusion or privilege in education, “recognizing the equal dignity of every young person, without ever dividing young people between the privileged few who have access to expensive schools and the many who do not have access to education.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dont-let-the-algorithm-write-your-story-pope-leo-xiv-exhorts-young-people-catholic-use-technology-wisely-but-dont-let-technology-use-you.webp)
Vatican City, Oct 30, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged young people to cultivate their “interior life” and to listen to their restlessness without “fleeing from it” or “filling it” with things that don’t satisfy, lest they fall into existential emptiness.
“Having a great deal of knowledge is not enough if we do not know who we are or what the meaning of life is,” the pope told the hundreds of university students he received Oct. 30 in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican for an event held as part of the Jubilee of the World of Education.
In his message, he invited the students to rediscover the inner dimension of life and pointed out that “without silence, without listening, without prayer, even the light of the stars goes out.”
“We can know a great deal about the world and still ignore our own hearts,” he noted, while encouraging the students to constantly strive “toward the heights,” being “the beacon of hope in the dark hours of history.”
Leo XIV acknowledged that many young people experience a sense of emptiness or inner restlessness and emphasized that this disorientation is not solely due to personal reasons.
“In the most serious cases, we see episodes of distress, violence, bullying, and oppression — even young people who isolate themselves and no longer want to relate to others,” the pope observed. In his view, these deep wounds are “the reflection of “a void created by a society that has forgotten how to form the spiritual dimension of the human person, focusing only on the technical, social, or moral aspects of life.”
The pope was especially approachable and relaxed with the young people, with whom he shared several spontaneous moments. He introduced himself to them twice as a “former math and physics teacher,” recalling his teaching past, and even joked with them: “Perhaps you have a math exam soon?” he asked, going off script and eliciting laughter and applause.
The pope affirmed that a life that remains “stifled by fleeting pleasures will never satisfy us.” Instead, he asked each person to say in his or her heart: “I dream of more, Lord, I long for something greater, inspire me!”
“This desire is your strength and expresses well the commitment of young people who envision a better society and refuse to be mere spectators,” he emphasized after noting that the “desire for the infinite” is the compass they should use.
He urged the university students to not be satisfied “with appearances or fads” and instead of “being fixated on your smartphones, to look to the sky, to the heights.”
“How wonderful it would be if one day your generation were remembered as the ‘generation plus,’ remembered for the extra drive you brought to the Church and the world,” he exclaimed.
During his address, Pope Leo cited as role models St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, who had “the courage to live life to the fullest” and “to the heights,” and St. Carlo Acutis, “who did not become a slave to the internet but rather used it skillfully for good.” The pontiff canonized these two young saints together on Sept. 7.
The pope also cited St. Augustine as an example, describing him as “brilliant but deeply unsatisfied” because he found “neither truth nor peace until he discovered God in his own heart.”
The Holy Father focused much of his address on the challenges posed by the digital world and the development of artificial intelligence, urging that these areas not become “a cage where you lock yourselves in” nor “an addiction or an escape.”
“You live in [digital education] and that’s not a bad thing; there are enormous opportunities for study and communication. But don’t let the algorithm write your story! Be the authors: Use technology wisely, but don’t let technology use you,” he urged.
Leo XIV emphasized the urgency of a “disarmed and disarming education” that forms new generations in respect, justice, and equality.
“You can see how much our future is threatened by war and hatred, which divide people. Can this future be changed? Certainly! How? With an education for peace that is disarmed and disarming,” the pope said. Furthermore, he warned that it is not enough to “silence the weapons,” but rather “we must disarm hearts, renouncing all violence and vulgarity.”
As in his recent document on education, “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” Leo XIV called for avoiding all forms of exclusion or privilege in education, “recognizing the equal dignity of every young person, without ever dividing young people between the privileged few who have access to expensive schools and the many who do not have access to education.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Read More
Surrounded by nature, retired priests live active retirements in Chester #Catholic – 
Usually, Father Dennis Crowley, 77, spends his day as he pleases — by himself in quiet prayer and meditation. But occasionally, this retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey appreciates some company — from animals as well as humans.
Sometimes, Father Crowley takes breaks from prayer, watching a variety of creatures, including deer, birds, and squirrels, outside the window of his condominium at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. He also enjoys fellowship with his nine fellow resident priests, who gather for a home-cooked meal at noon each day, and listening to their spiritual insights, largely about saints.
“I love to see the animals out here in Chester — in the woods. It’s quiet and peaceful. It’s also wonderful to have interaction with a community of other retired priests,” said Father Crowley, who moved to Nazareth Village a year and a half ago. “I love it here. My condo has a beautiful layout. The rent is reasonable, because the diocese subsidizes it.”
These ten diocesan priests who have spent a lifetime serving others live at Nazareth Village thanks to the generosity of the faithful through the Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA). The appeal also helps fund Catholic Charities, seminarian education, priests’ healthcare needs, including retired priests, and inner-city Catholic elementary education.
“To my knowledge, having a place like Nazareth, where retired priests can live independently, that isn’t a church rectory or a convent, if they need it, isn’t common in other dioceses. We are proud of that at Nazareth,” said Father Brian P. Quinn, director of Nazareth Village and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph, N.J.
Each priest-resident at Nazareth has a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. In addition, common rooms include a recreation room, library, refectory, TV room, parlors, laundry, physical therapy room, and exercise room. The staff provides the noon meal, laundry service, and housekeeping. The priests are charged a portion of their monthly pension as rent. Nazareth Village is under the direction of the diocesan Office of Clergy Personnel.
Father Crowley appreciates the spiritual heart of Nazareth: the Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel, which allows resident priests to celebrate Mass there. Nazareth’s location also makes it easy for priests to reach any part of the diocese where they may still serve in retirement. However, Father Crowley usually doesn’t travel outside the facility, because of his physical limitations.
In 2016, Father Crowley retired from active ministry. Incardinated into the diocese in the early 1990s, he previously was a Benedictine monk in Latrobe, Penn. Before coming to Nazareth, he lived in an apartment in Morristown.
Father Crowley said he prays for the entire diocese, including in gratitude to the DMA donors.
“We priests have lovingly and willingly given ourselves for the faithful of the diocese. Now we need them. Because of their generosity to the DMA, we can live with dignity in a safe, comfortable place. I thank the people of the diocese,” Father Crowley said.
The Diocesan Ministries Appeal supports Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. Please consider participating in the DMA. To donate or pledge online, scan the QR code or visit dopappeal.org. For more information, call 973-777-8818, ext. 215.
– Usually, Father Dennis Crowley, 77, spends his day as he pleases — by himself in quiet prayer and meditation. But occasionally, this retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey appreciates some company — from animals as well as humans. Sometimes, Father Crowley takes breaks from prayer, watching a variety of creatures, including deer, birds, and squirrels, outside the window of his condominium at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. He also enjoys fellowship with his nine fellow resident priests, who gather for a home-cooked meal at noon each day, and listening to their spiritual
![Conferencia de NCADDHM: Faro de Alegría y Esperanza para los Hispanos en EE.UU. #Catholic - Un gran número de fieles, en su mayoría Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano alrededor de EE.UU. se dieron cita en Newark, NJ la semana pasada para participar, junto a un numero significativo de sacerdotes, diáconos, religiosos, jóvenes, y lideres pastorales, de la Conferencia Anual de la Asociación Nacional Católica de Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano. Esta organización, avalada por los Obispos de EE.UU. y conocida como «NCADDHM» por sus siglas en inglés, auspicio un espacio de dialogo y oración en donde, bajo el lema «Caminando con Alegría, Anclados en la Esperanza», se reflexionó sobre la actual situación por la que atraviesa la comunidad hispanohablante en la iglesia estadounidense en general y la comunidad inmigrante en particular.
Para liderar este dialogo fueron invitados obispos de diferentes partes del país al igual que delegados de la Conferencia Episcopal de Estados Unidos con experiencia en la pastoral hispana. Muchos de los obispos—varios de ellos a cargo de la cura pastoral de diocesis fronterizas—compartieron su experiencia de caminar junto al pueblo latino, en especial la comunidad inmigrante, la cual actualmente enfrenta muchos retos bajo la actual administración. Los obispos hicieron un llamado a todos los presentes a acompañar a todos los que buscan ayuda o refugio en nuestras comunidades parroquiales y a estar dispuestos a ser la voz de los que no tienen.
Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.
Durante su discurso de bienvenida María Moncaleano, nuestra Directora Diocesana para el Ministerio Hispano y Vice-Presidente de NCADDHM, explico que el lema de la conferencia fue escogido intencionalmente para «celebrar los avances en la implementación del nuevo Plan Pastoral» y recalcó que la conferencia tomaba lugar dentro del marco del Año Jubilar de la Esperanza y por ende se viviría en «un espíritu de gratitud por el camino recorrido, la pasión por el presente y la esperanza en el futuro». En la Misa presidida por Monseñor Mario Avilés, obispo auxiliar de la Diocesis de Brownsville y moderador episcopal de NCADDHM, en la Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, en Newark, el prelado hizo énfasis en el ejemplo y el legado de S. Juan Pablo II, quien a lo largo de su pontificado cultivo un especial afecto por la iglesia latinoamericana y demostró, con su resiliencia y ejemplo vivo de fe en Cristo Resucitado, el llamado de todo cristiano a ser embajador de la paz y puente de justicia.
Como invitado de honor estuvo presente el Dr. Rodrigo Guerra, oficial del Vaticano para la Comisión para América Latina. Durante su intervención el Dr. Guerra hizo hincapié en la dignidad del ser humano y el rol tan esencial que debe desempeñar la doctrina social en el testimonio de cada cristiano. En su charla intitulada «Magisterio eclesial sobre movilidad humana y migración» también reitero que «la misión de los fieles laicos es la transformación del mundo. Por lo tanto, la agenda de los laicos es la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia. Este es su territorio ordinario, aquí es donde verdaderamente son santificados» y exhorto a su audiencia a encontrar nuevas formas de aplicarla y promoverla, en toda su riqueza puesto que solo así podremos «ver cualquier situación a la luz de la fe, juzgar con esperanza, y actuar en caridad».
Nuestra Diocesis de Paterson estuvo muy bien representada a través de la presencia de nuestra Canciller, Sor Theresa Lee, y Freddy García, nuestro Director-Asociado para la Evangelización, quien después de compartir su propio testimonio y hacer una reflexión personal del nuevo Plan Pastoral a la luz de su propio camino de recibió una gran ovación por parte de los asistentes. También asistieron fieles laicos que desempeñan diferentes roles en el ámbito parroquial y que han obtenido un diploma en Evangelización y Liderazgo a través del programa que ofrece la Oficina Diocesana para el Ministerio Hispano en colaboración con St. Elizabeth University y nuestro Centro de Evangelización, St. Paul Inside the Walls.
La conferencia culmino con una cena de gala en donde fueron galardonados el Dr. Rodrigo Guerra y el señor Roberto Navarro por su incansable labor a favor de nuestro pueblo hispanohablante y por su gran testimonio de vida al servicio de la Iglesia. Finalmente, el presidente de NCADDHM, Ignacio Rodríguez, aprovecho la cena de despedida para anunciar la próxima conferencia anual, la cual se llevara a cabo en la Diocesis de Orange, en California, del 20 al 23 de octubre de 2026.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/conferencia-de-ncaddhm-faro-de-alegria-y-esperanza-para-los-hispanos-en-ee-uu-catholic-un-gran-numero-de-fieles-en-su-mayoria-directores-diocesanos-para-el-ministerio-hispano-alrededor-de-ee-uu.jpg)
Conferencia de NCADDHM: Faro de Alegría y Esperanza para los Hispanos en EE.UU. #Catholic – 
Un gran número de fieles, en su mayoría Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano alrededor de EE.UU. se dieron cita en Newark, NJ la semana pasada para participar, junto a un numero significativo de sacerdotes, diáconos, religiosos, jóvenes, y lideres pastorales, de la Conferencia Anual de la Asociación Nacional Católica de Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano. Esta organización, avalada por los Obispos de EE.UU. y conocida como «NCADDHM» por sus siglas en inglés, auspicio un espacio de dialogo y oración en donde, bajo el lema «Caminando con Alegría, Anclados en la Esperanza», se reflexionó sobre la actual situación por la que atraviesa la comunidad hispanohablante en la iglesia estadounidense en general y la comunidad inmigrante en particular.
Para liderar este dialogo fueron invitados obispos de diferentes partes del país al igual que delegados de la Conferencia Episcopal de Estados Unidos con experiencia en la pastoral hispana. Muchos de los obispos—varios de ellos a cargo de la cura pastoral de diocesis fronterizas—compartieron su experiencia de caminar junto al pueblo latino, en especial la comunidad inmigrante, la cual actualmente enfrenta muchos retos bajo la actual administración. Los obispos hicieron un llamado a todos los presentes a acompañar a todos los que buscan ayuda o refugio en nuestras comunidades parroquiales y a estar dispuestos a ser la voz de los que no tienen.
Durante su discurso de bienvenida María Moncaleano, nuestra Directora Diocesana para el Ministerio Hispano y Vice-Presidente de NCADDHM, explico que el lema de la conferencia fue escogido intencionalmente para «celebrar los avances en la implementación del nuevo Plan Pastoral» y recalcó que la conferencia tomaba lugar dentro del marco del Año Jubilar de la Esperanza y por ende se viviría en «un espíritu de gratitud por el camino recorrido, la pasión por el presente y la esperanza en el futuro». En la Misa presidida por Monseñor Mario Avilés, obispo auxiliar de la Diocesis de Brownsville y moderador episcopal de NCADDHM, en la Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, en Newark, el prelado hizo énfasis en el ejemplo y el legado de S. Juan Pablo II, quien a lo largo de su pontificado cultivo un especial afecto por la iglesia latinoamericana y demostró, con su resiliencia y ejemplo vivo de fe en Cristo Resucitado, el llamado de todo cristiano a ser embajador de la paz y puente de justicia.
Como invitado de honor estuvo presente el Dr. Rodrigo Guerra, oficial del Vaticano para la Comisión para América Latina. Durante su intervención el Dr. Guerra hizo hincapié en la dignidad del ser humano y el rol tan esencial que debe desempeñar la doctrina social en el testimonio de cada cristiano. En su charla intitulada «Magisterio eclesial sobre movilidad humana y migración» también reitero que «la misión de los fieles laicos es la transformación del mundo. Por lo tanto, la agenda de los laicos es la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia. Este es su territorio ordinario, aquí es donde verdaderamente son santificados» y exhorto a su audiencia a encontrar nuevas formas de aplicarla y promoverla, en toda su riqueza puesto que solo así podremos «ver cualquier situación a la luz de la fe, juzgar con esperanza, y actuar en caridad».
Nuestra Diocesis de Paterson estuvo muy bien representada a través de la presencia de nuestra Canciller, Sor Theresa Lee, y Freddy García, nuestro Director-Asociado para la Evangelización, quien después de compartir su propio testimonio y hacer una reflexión personal del nuevo Plan Pastoral a la luz de su propio camino de recibió una gran ovación por parte de los asistentes. También asistieron fieles laicos que desempeñan diferentes roles en el ámbito parroquial y que han obtenido un diploma en Evangelización y Liderazgo a través del programa que ofrece la Oficina Diocesana para el Ministerio Hispano en colaboración con St. Elizabeth University y nuestro Centro de Evangelización, St. Paul Inside the Walls.
La conferencia culmino con una cena de gala en donde fueron galardonados el Dr. Rodrigo Guerra y el señor Roberto Navarro por su incansable labor a favor de nuestro pueblo hispanohablante y por su gran testimonio de vida al servicio de la Iglesia. Finalmente, el presidente de NCADDHM, Ignacio Rodríguez, aprovecho la cena de despedida para anunciar la próxima conferencia anual, la cual se llevara a cabo en la Diocesis de Orange, en California, del 20 al 23 de octubre de 2026.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – Un gran número de fieles, en su mayoría Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano alrededor de EE.UU. se dieron cita en Newark, NJ la semana pasada para participar, junto a un numero significativo de sacerdotes, diáconos, religiosos, jóvenes, y lideres pastorales, de la Conferencia Anual de la Asociación Nacional Católica de Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano. Esta organización, avalada por los Obispos de EE.UU. y conocida como «NCADDHM» por sus siglas en inglés, auspicio un espacio de dialogo y oración en donde, bajo el lema «Caminando con Alegría, Anclados en la Esperanza», se reflexionó sobre la actual situación por
Pope calls for unity among world’s religions to promote peace, justice, ethical AI #Catholic – 
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — At a time when so many people and the planet are suffering, the world’s religions need to come together to promote truth, compassion, reconciliation, justice and peace, Pope Leo XIV said.
“Today we are called upon to rekindle that hope in our world, devastated by war and our degraded natural environment,” the pope said Oct. 29 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
“Let us collaborate, because if we are united, everything is possible. Let us ensure that nothing divides us,” he said, addressing the many representatives of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and other religions that were present at the audience.
Many of the leaders had been in Rome for a meeting of religions for peace sponsored by the Community of Sant’Egidio and a series of events, including a nighttime celebration Oct. 28, marking the 60th anniversary of “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on relations with Judaism, Islam and other world religions.
In fact, Pope Leo set aside his ongoing series of audience talks on the Jubilee theme, “Jesus Christ our Hope,” to dedicate the Oct. 29 audience to “Nostra Aetate,” which was promulgated 60 years ago: Oct. 28, 1965.
The first focus of the landmark document “was toward the Jewish world,” the pope said. “For the first time in the history of the church, a doctrinal treatise on the Jewish roots of Christianity was to take shape, which on a biblical and theological level would represent a point of no return.”
While much has been achieved in Jewish-Catholic dialogue over the past six decades, he said, “we cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties and conflicts in this period, but these have never prevented the dialogue from continuing.”
“Even today, we must not allow political circumstances and the injustices of some to divert us from friendship, especially since we have achieved so much so far,” he said.
Quoting “Nostra Aetate,” the Catholic Church, “mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of antisemitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone,” he said to applause.
“Since then, all my predecessors have condemned antisemitism with clear words,” Pope Leo said. “And so I too confirm that the church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself,” which was also followed by applause.
“The spirit of ‘Nostra Aetate’ continues to illuminate the path of the church,” which recognizes that all religions can reflect “a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men,” he said, citing the document.
Today, more than ever, he said, all of the world’s religions need to act together. “Our world needs our unity, our friendship and our collaboration.”
“Each one of our religions can contribute to alleviating human suffering and taking care of our common home, our planet Earth,” he said. “Our respective traditions teach truth, compassion, reconciliation, justice and peace. We must reaffirm service to humanity at all times.”
In addition to remaining “vigilant against the abuse of the name of God, of religion and of dialogue itself, as well as against the dangers posed by religious fundamentalism and extremism,” he said, “we must also face the responsible development of artificial intelligence.”
If AI is intended to be “an alternative to humans, it can gravely violate their infinite dignity and neutralize their fundamental responsibilities,” the pope said. “Our traditions have an immense contribution to make to the humanization of technology and therefore to inspire its regulation, to protect fundamental human rights.”
“The declaration invites all Catholics — bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and lay faithful — to involve themselves sincerely in dialogue and in collaboration with the followers of other religions, recognizing and promoting all that is good, true and holy in their traditions,” Pope Leo said.
“‘Nostra Aetate’ reminds us that true dialogue is rooted in love, the only foundation of peace, justice and reconciliation, whereas it firmly rejects every form of discrimination or persecution, affirming the equal dignity of every human being,” he said.
“We must restore hope to our personal lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our schools, our villages, our countries and our world,” he said. “This hope is based on our religious convictions, on the conviction that a new world is possible.”
Concluding his remarks, Pope Leo then led a moment of silent prayer since “prayer has the power to transform our attitudes, our thoughts, our words and our actions.”
– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — At a time when so many people and the planet are suffering, the world’s religions need to come together to promote truth, compassion, reconciliation, justice and peace, Pope Leo XIV said. “Today we are called upon to rekindle that hope in our world, devastated by war and our degraded natural environment,” the pope said Oct. 29 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “Let us collaborate, because if we are united, everything is possible. Let us ensure that nothing divides us,” he said, addressing the many representatives of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism,
Watching or reading the news can be tricky these days. Learning the straight facts without knowing if it’s being spun in a specific direction to fit a narrative is more difficult now than ever before. But how can you tell if your news source is biased?
Read More
BORGER, TX — Rebellious four-year-old Brayden Wheeler defied millennia of norms and convention this morning as instead of going down the slide at the playground, he climbed up.
Read More
| Picture of the day |
|---|
.jpg)
|
|
View of the village of Gyakar surrounded by a poplar grove in the Upper Mustang region of Nepal. The summits of the Damodar Himal, the Purkung Himal and the Annapurnas are visible in the distance. A suspended bridge over the deep canyon (left) connects it to the neighbouring Chele village and thence to the rest of Nepal.
|
CNA Staff, Oct 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
As the harmful effects of smartphone use on children become more well known, one school in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is partnering with parents to enforce a no-social-media policy and witnessing students flourish as a result.
Faustina Academy, a K–12 private, independent Catholic school in Irving, Texas, asks parents to formally commit to a school policy of keeping their kids socia-media-free while enrolled.
In addition to asking families to commit to prohibiting TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and CapCut, Faustina students have never been permitted to have phones with them during school hours.
Student drivers must leave their phones in their cars during the school day and younger high school students who need phones for after-school activities turn them in to the office in the morning and pick them up after school and can only take them out once they are off campus.
In the school’s early days, years before the smartphone’s launch, Christina Mehaffey, principal since the school’s founding in 2003, told CNA she paid attention to technology trends, researching MySpace and other early social-networking sites available on desktop or laptop computers.
She concluded the sites “opened doors to inappropriate material” such as pornography and violence and “tweaked the tech policy to be more restrictive” over the years by informally asking parents to keep their children off devices at home (they were never allowed to have phones during the school day). She also asked parents to limit their children’s video game time.
In 2017, after seeing the effects of years of smartphone use and social media apps on the children, Mehaffey began asking parents to prohibit social media use among students.
She held two weeks of mandatory parent meetings for every grade level, discussing the harms of popular smartphone apps that were “drawing kids away from reality” and exposing them to “horrifying” content that was “right at their fingertips.”
Mehaffey brought in an IT expert to explain to both parents and students that the app and smartphone creators “intentionally” made the devices and apps addictive because “they knew kids don’t have self-control; all for the sake of making money.”
The expert told parents that kids could easily access content so harmful it was “far beyond what anyone could even imagine,” Mehaffey said.
“Parents were amazed” at what they learned, she said, and 100% were willing to verbally commit to keeping their children off social media.
Mehaffey said it was necessary that every parent “get on board” in order to address the “collective action problem, the fear of missing out” that would be present among the students if every family did not have the same policy at home.
Speaking of the overwhelming support of the parents, Mehaffey told CNA that many parents even “asked me to just make a school-wide policy prohibiting social media so they would be relieved of the burden of having to enforce the rules. A few parents said: ‘Our lives will be easier if the school makes it a policy.’”
So, in 2022, the school’s official policy became “no social media use by Faustina students.”
“Every single parent signed on,” Mehaffey said.
Heidi Maher, whose family has been at Faustina since 2020, told CNA her family already had a no-social-media policy, but when Mehaffey took the no-phone policy in school a step further and banned social media, “it was a huge blessing to me as a parent. It took that battle off the table. We have enough battles as parents. If no one else has social media, I don’t have to battle with my children.”
At previous schools her children attended, Maher said “they weren’t willing to lay down the law on more controversial social issues and they weren’t being direct enough about what being Catholic means.”
“Kids are catechized on the playground,” Maher said. “Their peers, and what their peers’ families are doing, affect them, regardless of what their teachers say.”
“My kids have grown up in one of the most liberal neighborhoods in Dallas. But when it came to education, we wanted an orthodox Catholic school,” she said.
Since the policy change, Maher said she now sees a level of innocence in her children and their friends that she has not seen in a long time.
Jane Petres, who has two daughters at the school, agreed, telling CNA she appreciates raising her family among “mostly like-minded families” and school staff whom she can trust.
“The other parents here seem very ‘with it’ and proactive,” she said of Faustina. “You can ban everything in the world, but unless the parents are enforcing it, kids are still going to be exposed to harmful things.”
She said that at a previous school, an eighth-grade girl became involved with a 45-year-old man (who she thought was a teenage boy) through social media, and rather than recognizing the dangers and changing their policies, the school hushed it up.
Every year, Faustina hosts parent orientations where Mehaffey tells them that “our purpose on earth is to get people to heaven. It has to be in everything we do; in our choices, friendships, our technology use, everything.”
“We want a school where everyone is on the same page, but we’re open to all,” Mehaffey said. “If someone comes in who isn’t Catholic, they have to commit to doing things the way the school does. Not only the technology policy but also prayers, the Mass, all of it. We’re going to teach the truth.”
Read More
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-lead-image-AUTUMNNIAGRA1025-a48df2c0db164fa08ef668dcc27508e9.jpg)