Zohran Mamdani, the new Democratic Socialist (communist) mayor-elect of New York City clearly has no idea how he is going to pay for all of the supposedly ‘free’ buses he has promised to voters.
The post Zohran Mamdani Has No Idea How He’s Going to Fund ‘Free’ Buses in New York City (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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An explosive new investigative report by writers Ryan Thorpe and Chris Rufo reveals that American taxpayers in Minnesota are helping to fund terrorists in Somalia.
The post REPORT: Minnesota Taxpayers Are Being Robbed Blind, and Their Money is Funding Terrorism in Somalia appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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What is going on in Virginia
The post Assistant Principal From Virginia and His Brother Arrested for Plotting to Shoot Police and ICE Agents (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreDear Holy Spirit,
You are my friend.
I give You myself.
I ask You to dwell deeply inside of me
and make me holy.
I want to know the fire of God’s love.
I want to love God with all my heart.
Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the First Book of Maccabees
4:36-37, 52-59
Judas and his brothers said,
“Now that our enemies have been crushed,
let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.”
So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,
that is, the month of Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-eight,
they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law
on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.
On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,
on that very day it was reconsecrated
with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.
All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success.
For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests’ chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
From the Gospel accoording to Luke
19:45-48
Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
Jesus formed a new family, no longer based on natural ties, but on faith in him, on his love which welcomes us and unites us to each other, in the Holy Spirit. All those who welcome Jesus’ word are children of God and brothers and sisters among themselves. Welcoming the word of Jesus makes us brothers and sisters, makes us Jesus’ family. Speaking ill of others, destroying others’ reputations, makes us the devil’s family.
Jesus’ response was not a lack of respect for his mother and his brethren. Rather, for Mary it is the greatest recognition, precisely because she herself is the perfect disciple who completely obeyed God’s will. May the Virgin Mother help us to live always in communion with Jesus, recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit who acts in him and in the Church, regenerating the world to new life. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 10 June 2018)
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 20, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).
The Chinese Communist Party’s “ongoing assault against religious freedom” has national security implications for the U.S., according to co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC).
Former Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, who served as ambassador at large for international religious freedom in the first Trump administration, told the commission Nov. 20 that the United States needs to treat China’s religious freedom violations as a national security threat.
Brownback cited a report listing 10 Catholic bishops detained by the Chinese government. “Ten Catholic bishops,” he said with emphasis, adding: “Do people even know they’re in prison?” Brownback called for China to be sanctioned by the Trump administration, pointing out the regime “has not paid a dime” for its religious freedom violations despite having been designated a country of particular concern (CPC).
Bob Fu, ChinaAid founder and president, told the panel about his experience advocating for religious freedom in China since immigrating to the U.S, revealing that in 2020 his home in Texas was surrounded by Chinese Communist Party agents who threatened his family and children, threatening him to stop his ministry with ChinaAid.
Grace Jin Drexel, the daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin, who was arrested at an underground church last month, recalled her father’s detention, expressing concern for her father’s health and calling on the Chinese government to release him and fellow detainees immediately and unconditionally.
Since 2018, Drexel’s father has been under an exit ban from China, separated from family in the U.S. for more than seven years, she said, noting his church grew to the largest it has ever been, reaching tens of thousands of people per year who are under persecution prior to his arrest.
A bipartisan group of senators, including Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, are urging the Trump administration to act on behalf of Pastor Jin.
Adherents to underground churches in China are not trying to subvert the state, Drexel said, but rather are “merely asking to be free from the Communist Party” in the context of worship, where God is at the center.
Drexel also recalled her own experience of transnational harassment for her advocacy on behalf of her father, saying she received a threatening phone call from someone pretending to be a U.S. federal agent and has been followed and harassed by the CCP throughout Washington, D.C.
Visibly emotional, she said: “Do not signal defeat of this trampling of human rights with your silence.”
Testifying before the commission led by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, other witnesses included Ismail “Ma Ju” Juma, a Hui Muslim human rights advocate, and Bhuchung Tsering, who leads the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) Research and Monitoring Unit.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, a member of the commission, emphasized the constitutional importance of religious freedom and the need for the U.S. to protect it. McGovern, who is Catholic, said the U.S. needs to protect religious freedom at home first for its position to carry real weight.
He cited the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts and its effect on the migrant community in the U.S. Catholic Church. He further cited the bishop of San Bernardino, who this past summer granted a Sunday Mass dispensation to migrants in his diocese who feared deportation. “
“Our voice would have more effect,” he said, “if the U.S. protected the religious freedom of people living in the U.S.”
Read More![European Parliament discusses harms of surrogacy after EU condemns the practice - #Catholic -
Reem Alsalem (right), the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, opposes surrogacy at an Oct. 9, 2025, U.N. event hosted by the Italian government. / Credit: ADF International
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 20, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
The European Parliament and the United Nations have officially condemned the practice of surrogacy following reports of human rights violations against women and babies. Experts gathered on Nov. 19 for a meeting at the European Parliament that included U.N. Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alsalem and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International’s Carmen Correas, who discussed the harms of surrogacy on women and children, according to an ADF press release.The event, “Surrogacy: An Ethical and Political Challenge for Europe,” followed the release of a landmark report by Alsalem that highlighted widespread human rights violations globally as a result of surrogacy. The event also came after a resolution that stated the EU “condemns the practice of surrogacy … [and] calls on the [EU] Commission to take measures to support ending this phenomenon.”Italian European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party Member of the EU Parliament Paolo Inselvini said at the event it has become clear that “a determined European front exists, committed to stopping reproductive exploitation across the globe.” He further emphasized the EU’s commitment to “abandon all ambiguity” and designate surrogacy as “a universal crime.” “Surrogacy treats women and children as commodities,” Correas said. “The European Union has taken an important step in acknowledging its inherent harms. We urge policymakers to move swiftly toward a clear, coordinated legal prohibition that protects the dignity and rights of all involved.”Alsalem’s report was based on nearly 120 submissions in addition to video consultations with 78 people including commissioning parents, surrogacy agencies, and surrogate mothers. Alsalem called for member states to establish a universal ban on surrogacy, criminalizing the practice in all its forms.Through her consultative process, the U.N. expert found surrogate mothers, who are most often from low-income and vulnerable backgrounds, and their children increasingly endure physical, emotional, and financial exploitation as well as violence and human trafficking.The report further highlighted the experience of surrogate mothers being pressured into abortions by commissioning parents, including beyond 12 weeks of gestation, “through coercive tactics such as financial incentives, threats of legal action, or the withdrawal of support to both the mother and baby.” This often occurs when the child is found to have a disability, the report said.In cases where the surrogate becomes pregnant with multiple children at once, commissioning parents may “also enforce a selective reduction,” or the killing of one or more of the undesired babies in utero.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/european-parliament-discusses-harms-of-surrogacy-after-eu-condemns-the-practice-catholic-reem-alsalem-right-the-united-nations-special-rapporteur-on-violence-against-women-and-girls-oppos.webp)
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 20, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
The European Parliament and the United Nations have officially condemned the practice of surrogacy following reports of human rights violations against women and babies.
Experts gathered on Nov. 19 for a meeting at the European Parliament that included U.N. Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alsalem and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International’s Carmen Correas, who discussed the harms of surrogacy on women and children, according to an ADF press release.
The event, “Surrogacy: An Ethical and Political Challenge for Europe,” followed the release of a landmark report by Alsalem that highlighted widespread human rights violations globally as a result of surrogacy. The event also came after a resolution that stated the EU “condemns the practice of surrogacy … [and] calls on the [EU] Commission to take measures to support ending this phenomenon.”
Italian European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party Member of the EU Parliament Paolo Inselvini said at the event it has become clear that “a determined European front exists, committed to stopping reproductive exploitation across the globe.” He further emphasized the EU’s commitment to “abandon all ambiguity” and designate surrogacy as “a universal crime.”
“Surrogacy treats women and children as commodities,” Correas said. “The European Union has taken an important step in acknowledging its inherent harms. We urge policymakers to move swiftly toward a clear, coordinated legal prohibition that protects the dignity and rights of all involved.”
Alsalem’s report was based on nearly 120 submissions in addition to video consultations with 78 people including commissioning parents, surrogacy agencies, and surrogate mothers. Alsalem called for member states to establish a universal ban on surrogacy, criminalizing the practice in all its forms.
Through her consultative process, the U.N. expert found surrogate mothers, who are most often from low-income and vulnerable backgrounds, and their children increasingly endure physical, emotional, and financial exploitation as well as violence and human trafficking.
The report further highlighted the experience of surrogate mothers being pressured into abortions by commissioning parents, including beyond 12 weeks of gestation, “through coercive tactics such as financial incentives, threats of legal action, or the withdrawal of support to both the mother and baby.” This often occurs when the child is found to have a disability, the report said.
In cases where the surrogate becomes pregnant with multiple children at once, commissioning parents may “also enforce a selective reduction,” or the killing of one or more of the undesired babies in utero.
Read More
There’s no more noble aspiration than that of one day becoming a professional journalist, but many may feel intimidated or unequipped to pursue such an impressive career.
Read More
U.S. — The results of a national survey revealed that nearly 90% of moviegoers were curious about what happened to the guy who made Aliens and Terminator 2, and then apparently just completely stopped making movies for some reason.
Read More
| Picture of the day |
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_I_want_you_for_U.S._Army._1917._101_x_76_cm._(Coll..Nr._3116).jpg)
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James Montgomery Flagg used the familiar figure of “Uncle Sam” and thus created the most famous recruiting poster by the U.S. Army. From April 1917 to autumn of 1918 more than four million pieces of it were printed. Still utilized in more recent times, this print was probably made in 1975. Today is Veterans Day in the United States.
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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 20, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).
Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the United States:
Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina announced that Jeffrey Talley, a retired three-star lieutenant general in the U.S. Army and former tenured professor at the University of Notre Dame, will serve as its new president.
In a Nov. 18 press release announcing the appointment, Talley said the school has a “unique opportunity” to “help young men and women get a rigorous academic experience in a faith-filled environment that’s strong in its Catholic identity so they can go forth in a world that’s become so challenging, so complex, so difficult.”
Talley will assume the position of the college’s 21st president on Jan. 2, 2026. The chair of Belmont Abbey College’s board of trustees, Charles Cornelio, said in the release that the appointment comes after a seven-month search.
Talley “is a person of deep Catholic faith who understands the mission of the college and will live it,” Cornelio said, highlighting the general’s decades-long history as a Benedictine oblate.
“Leaders who are balanced both morally and professionally are in greater need than ever before. For this purpose, Belmont Abbey College exists,” Talley said. “I thank God for the opportunity to become part of the Belmont Abbey College family, where together we can bear the light of Christ in the world today.”
A professor of gender studies at the University of Notre Dame attempted to use university space to facilitate the distribution of contraceptives and Plan B, according to a Nov. 19 report published by the student-run paper the Irish Rover.
Pamela Butler, who is the director of undergraduate studies for the school’s gender studies department, has reportedly been reserving rooms in violation of university code for the group “Irish 4 Reproductive Health,” according to the Rover.
School guidelines grant the use of university buildings and grounds for “recognized student groups.” The “reproductive health” group — which stated in the report it was “not affiliated with the university in any official capacity” — has been distributing free “resource bags” with condoms, Plan B, and information on abortion services for students in the university’s DeBartolo Hall.
The group also openly advertises the distribution of contraception on Instagram as well as “workshops” hosted on campus on “exploring the principles of pro-choice Catholicism, how Catholic teaching supports reproductive justice, and how these ideas inform advocacy.”
The pension fund covering multiple Catholic schools and universities across Minnesota has been hit by an $800 million deficit, threatening retirement resources for thousands of current and former workers.
The pension manager, Christian Brothers Services, is asking employers to make increased contributions to compensate for the massive shortfall, according to a report in the Minnesota Star Tribune, which cited “a big loss in a hedge fund that cratered a few years ago” in 2020 as reason for the deficit.
Christian Brothers Services is a nonprofit organization that operates a church pension plan, one that is not bound by federal pension regulations, meaning pensioners are not eligible for federal payouts if their plans fail, according to the IRS.
The Chicago-based organization manages the pensions of over 40 schools across the Dioceses of New Ulm, Crookston, and St. Cloud, as well as lay workers, and workers at St. Mary’s University in Winona and Minneapolis.
Two schools have since pulled from the plan, according to the local report, while two others are planning to do so.
Read More
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 20, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV will hold a historic live digital conversation with American teenagers at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) on Friday. The faithful across the globe can also tune in to watch the encounter.
The Holy Father will hold the digital discussion with young Catholics amid the Nov. 20–22 NCYC, hosted by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.
The pope will speak at 10:15 a.m. ET on Nov. 21 and enter into dialogue with a group of high school students.
People attending NCYC in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium can watch the encounter at the event, but others across the world are able to join online from homes, schools, and parishes.
The exchange will be broadcast via a livestream available on EWTN YouTube. Viewers can also watch through the EWTN app or on EWTN’s cable channel.
This marks the first time that a pope will directly engage with U.S. youth in a live digital encounter at NCYC. More than 40 teens have participated in the dialogue planning process, and five of them will get the chance to speak directly with the Holy Father.
For other news about the pope’s discussion and NCYC, the faithful can stay informed on CNA’s live updates page.
Read MoreNASA hosted a livestream Nov. 19 to share newly released images of Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to traverse our solar system. The unprecedented observation campaign utilized a dozen different NASA assets to track the visitor, capturing it with a combination of heliophysics, planetary science, and astrophysics instruments. The briefing first addressed intenseContinue reading “NASA shares new images of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS”
The post NASA shares new images of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
Pope to bishops: Be prophets of peace, harmony in your dioceses #Catholic – 
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Following the example of St. Francis of Assisi, bishops are called to be close to the people in their dioceses and peacemakers in a world marked by division and tension, Pope Leo XIV told the bishops of Italy.
Standing in front of the Porziuncola, the small church where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order, Pope Leo said bishops must be “artisans of friendship, fraternity and authentic relationships within our communities, where — without reluctance or fear — we must listen to and harmonize tensions, cultivating a culture of encounter and thus becoming a prophecy of peace for the world.”
Pope Leo traveled to Assisi by helicopter Nov. 20 to speak at the closing session of the fall meeting of the Italian bishops’ conference. The session was closed to the press, but the Vatican released the pope’s text and some video clips of his speech a few hours later.
Before joining the bishops in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, which encloses the Porziuncola, Pope Leo prayed with dozens of friars at the tomb of St. Francis in the basilica named after him.
And after his meeting with the bishops, he flew by helicopter to Montefalco to celebrate Mass and have lunch with the cloistered Augustinian nuns at the Monastery of St. Clare of the Cross.
Pope Leo’s talk to the bishops focused on the Italian church’s ongoing synod process. But he also spoke of practical matters, including the need to continue combining smaller Italian dioceses and indicating that he would be accepting more bishops’ resignations when they reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 than Pope Francis did.
The challenge of evangelization and the falling population of many Italian cities and towns “ask us not to go backward on the matter of merging dioceses,” he told them.
Italy, which has about 57.3 million Catholics, has 224 dioceses; 41 of those have been joined to another diocese “in the person of the bishop,” without formally suppressing or uniting the dioceses. By contrast, the 75.5 million Catholics in the United States belong to 194 dioceses, the Archdiocese for the Military Services or the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.
“A synodal church that walks along the furrows of history while facing the emerging challenges of evangelization needs constant renewal,” the pope told the bishops. “We must avoid allowing inertia — however well-intentioned — to slow necessary changes.”
As part of that, he said, “we must all cultivate that interior attitude Pope Francis had described as ‘learning how to take our leave,’ a precious disposition when one must prepare to step down from office.”
“It is good that the norm of age 75 for ordinaries concluding their service in dioceses be respected,” Pope Leo said, “and only in the case of cardinals may the continuation of their ministry be considered, possibly for another two years.”
As bishops and as a church, he said, “Fixing our gaze on the face of Jesus enables us to look into the faces of our brothers and sisters. It is his love that moves us toward them. And faith in him, our peace, calls us to offer everyone the gift of his peace.”
At a time “marked by fractures, both nationally and internationally,” the pope said, “messages and language steeped in hostility and violence often spread; the race for efficiency leaves the most vulnerable behind; technological omnipotence compresses freedom; loneliness consumes hope, while numerous uncertainties weigh on our future like unknowns.”
Being a “synodal church,” he said, means “walking together, walking with everyone,” which requires “being a church that lives among the people, welcomes their questions, soothes their sufferings and shares their hopes.”
That attitude, Pope Leo told them, must include special attention to the most vulnerable people “so that a culture of prevention of every form of abuse may also develop.”
“The welcome and listening offered to victims are the authentic mark of a church which, in communal conversion, knows how to acknowledge wounds and strives to heal them, because ‘where pain is deep, even stronger must be the hope that is born of communion,’” the pope said.
Pope Leo also encouraged the bishops to pay special attention to “the challenge posed to us by the digital world.”
“Pastoral ministry cannot be limited to ‘using’ the media,” he said, but it must “educate people to inhabit the digital sphere in a human way, without allowing truth to be lost behind the multiplication of connections, so that the internet may truly become a space of freedom, responsibility and fraternity.”
– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Following the example of St. Francis of Assisi, bishops are called to be close to the people in their dioceses and peacemakers in a world marked by division and tension, Pope Leo XIV told the bishops of Italy. Standing in front of the Porziuncola, the small church where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order, Pope Leo said bishops must be “artisans of friendship, fraternity and authentic relationships within our communities, where — without reluctance or fear — we must listen to and harmonize tensions, cultivating a culture of encounter and thus becoming a prophecy of peace
![Catholic advocates petition New York foundation to fund pensions, church preservation #Catholic
St. Joseph Cathedral, Buffalo, New York. / Credit: CiEll/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Nov 20, 2025 / 10:40 am (CNA).
Advocates in New York state are petitioning a Catholic foundation there to help fund major pension shortages and church preservation efforts as well as to help support victims of clergy sex abuse.In a Nov. 13 letter to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in New York City, representatives of the group Save Our Buffalo Churches, sexual abuse victims, and pensioners of the former St. Clare’s Hospital asked the foundation to help the three communities with the “profound hardship” they are experiencing.Numerous parishes in Buffalo have been fighting diocesan-mandated closures and mergers over the past year. Hundreds of former workers of St. Clare’s, meanwhile, saw their pensions reduced or eliminated starting in 2018 due to major shortfalls. The hospital itself closed about a decade before.Abuse victims, meanwhile, have “been locked in a legal morass, denied the long-term healing resources and institutional acknowledgment of the harm they endured,” the letter said.The foundation arose in 2018 after the Diocese of Brooklyn sold the health insurer Fidelis Care. The organization, whose roughly $3.2 billion in assets came from that sale, is named after Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American recognized as a saint, who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.The letter noted that Cabrini “devoted her life to the people others overlooked,” including immigrants and the poor.“Guided by that legacy, we ask the foundation to explore emergency relief, stabilization funds, and community support initiatives” to help fund the three groups.The letter-writers asked for a meeting with foundation leaders “to explore potential pathways for assistance aligned with both the foundation’s mission and the pressing needs of survivors, pensioners, and parish communities.”Mary Pruski, who leads the Save Our Buffalo Churches group, told CNA that advocates in New York City would be following up with the foundation this week.“This is a complex project and will bring much peace and healing across [New York state],” she said.Pensioners with St. Clare’s Hospital are currently in the midst of a lawsuit brought by New York state against the Diocese of Albany for what the state attorney general’s office says was “[failure] to adequately fund, manage, and protect hospital employees’ hard-earned pensions.”The prosecutor’s office alleges that the diocese “[failed] to take adequate measures” to secure the pension fund, including “failing to make any annual contributions to the pension for all but two years from 2000 to 2019 and hiding the collapse of the pension plan from former hospital workers who were vested in the plan.”Parishioners in Buffalo, meanwhile, have challenged the diocesan parish merger and closure plan, with advocates securing a reprieve against the diocese at the state Supreme Court in July.The state high court ultimately tossed the lawsuit out in September, ruling that the court had no jurisdiction over the dispute.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/catholic-advocates-petition-new-york-foundation-to-fund-pensions-church-preservation-catholic-st-joseph-cathedral-buffalo-new-york-credit-ciell-shutterstockcna-staff-nov-20-2025-10.webp)
CNA Staff, Nov 20, 2025 / 10:40 am (CNA).
Advocates in New York state are petitioning a Catholic foundation there to help fund major pension shortages and church preservation efforts as well as to help support victims of clergy sex abuse.
In a Nov. 13 letter to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in New York City, representatives of the group Save Our Buffalo Churches, sexual abuse victims, and pensioners of the former St. Clare’s Hospital asked the foundation to help the three communities with the “profound hardship” they are experiencing.
Numerous parishes in Buffalo have been fighting diocesan-mandated closures and mergers over the past year. Hundreds of former workers of St. Clare’s, meanwhile, saw their pensions reduced or eliminated starting in 2018 due to major shortfalls. The hospital itself closed about a decade before.
Abuse victims, meanwhile, have “been locked in a legal morass, denied the long-term healing resources and institutional acknowledgment of the harm they endured,” the letter said.
The foundation arose in 2018 after the Diocese of Brooklyn sold the health insurer Fidelis Care. The organization, whose roughly $3.2 billion in assets came from that sale, is named after Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American recognized as a saint, who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The letter noted that Cabrini “devoted her life to the people others overlooked,” including immigrants and the poor.
“Guided by that legacy, we ask the foundation to explore emergency relief, stabilization funds, and community support initiatives” to help fund the three groups.
The letter-writers asked for a meeting with foundation leaders “to explore potential pathways for assistance aligned with both the foundation’s mission and the pressing needs of survivors, pensioners, and parish communities.”
Mary Pruski, who leads the Save Our Buffalo Churches group, told CNA that advocates in New York City would be following up with the foundation this week.
“This is a complex project and will bring much peace and healing across [New York state],” she said.
Pensioners with St. Clare’s Hospital are currently in the midst of a lawsuit brought by New York state against the Diocese of Albany for what the state attorney general’s office says was “[failure] to adequately fund, manage, and protect hospital employees’ hard-earned pensions.”
The prosecutor’s office alleges that the diocese “[failed] to take adequate measures” to secure the pension fund, including “failing to make any annual contributions to the pension for all but two years from 2000 to 2019 and hiding the collapse of the pension plan from former hospital workers who were vested in the plan.”
Parishioners in Buffalo, meanwhile, have challenged the diocesan parish merger and closure plan, with advocates securing a reprieve against the diocese at the state Supreme Court in July.
The state high court ultimately tossed the lawsuit out in September, ruling that the court had no jurisdiction over the dispute.
Read More![Parish celebrates 100 years as pioneering Wayne church #Catholic - On Nov. 9, Holy Cross Parish celebrated a century of vibrant faith and service as the Roman Catholic mother church of Wayne, N.J., during a Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who served as the celebrant and homilist.
The Mass was concelebrated by Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Holy Cross and its twin parish, Our Lady of the Valley (OLV), also in Wayne, and director of cemeteries of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey; Father Edward Lambro, a retired diocesan priest and a weekend assistant of the two parishes; and Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J., diocesan vicar of Hispanic Affairs, and a former parochial vicar of the parishes.
The first Roman Catholic church in Wayne, Holy Cross, officially began in 1925 as a mission of the Franciscan Friars of St. Bonaventure’s Monastery in Paterson, N.J. Today, Wayne is home to four other parishes established after Holy Cross: OLV and Immaculate Heart of Mary, both in 1960, and Our Lady of Consolation and Annunciation, both in 1963. Holy Cross is on Van Duyne Avenue in the Mountain View section of Wayne.
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“Holy Cross is a parish of people who are faithful and dedicated. The congregation loves to sing hymns at Mass. They are also generous,” said Father Wells, pastor of OLV and Holy Cross since 2015.
Today, Holy Cross, which ministers to 300 families, offers a Mass on Sunday and another on Saturday. Parishioners conduct a Christmas outreach to St. Agnes Parish in Paterson; support Several Sources, a non-profit organization that helps pregnant women and new mothers; and donate to the food pantry of Father English Community Center, also in Paterson.
The Franciscans started offering bi-monthly Masses in the area in 1905. In 1925, they bought a home on Route 23 and renovated it as a mission chapel. Father Luke Panfoerder became the first pastor in 1929, when the mission was elevated to a parish. The cornerstone for the present church was laid in 1934, when Holy Cross consisted of 93 families.
The friars continued to serve the mission until 1945, when Bishop Thomas McLaughlin erected Holy Cross as a parish under the care of diocesan clergy. In 1950, Holy Cross opened a parish school, the first Catholic school in Wayne, which later closed. Around 2010, Holy Cross became twinned with OLV, a parish of 5,000 families. Both faith communities remain separate parishes.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/parish-celebrates-100-years-as-pioneering-wayne-church-catholic-on-nov-9-holy-cross-parish-celebrated-a-century-of-vibrant-faith-and-service-as-the-roman-catholic-mother-church-of-wayne-n-j-du.jpg)
Parish celebrates 100 years as pioneering Wayne church #Catholic – 
On Nov. 9, Holy Cross Parish celebrated a century of vibrant faith and service as the Roman Catholic mother church of Wayne, N.J., during a Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who served as the celebrant and homilist.
The Mass was concelebrated by Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Holy Cross and its twin parish, Our Lady of the Valley (OLV), also in Wayne, and director of cemeteries of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey; Father Edward Lambro, a retired diocesan priest and a weekend assistant of the two parishes; and Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J., diocesan vicar of Hispanic Affairs, and a former parochial vicar of the parishes.
The first Roman Catholic church in Wayne, Holy Cross, officially began in 1925 as a mission of the Franciscan Friars of St. Bonaventure’s Monastery in Paterson, N.J. Today, Wayne is home to four other parishes established after Holy Cross: OLV and Immaculate Heart of Mary, both in 1960, and Our Lady of Consolation and Annunciation, both in 1963. Holy Cross is on Van Duyne Avenue in the Mountain View section of Wayne.
“Holy Cross is a parish of people who are faithful and dedicated. The congregation loves to sing hymns at Mass. They are also generous,” said Father Wells, pastor of OLV and Holy Cross since 2015.
Today, Holy Cross, which ministers to 300 families, offers a Mass on Sunday and another on Saturday. Parishioners conduct a Christmas outreach to St. Agnes Parish in Paterson; support Several Sources, a non-profit organization that helps pregnant women and new mothers; and donate to the food pantry of Father English Community Center, also in Paterson.
The Franciscans started offering bi-monthly Masses in the area in 1905. In 1925, they bought a home on Route 23 and renovated it as a mission chapel. Father Luke Panfoerder became the first pastor in 1929, when the mission was elevated to a parish. The cornerstone for the present church was laid in 1934, when Holy Cross consisted of 93 families.
The friars continued to serve the mission until 1945, when Bishop Thomas McLaughlin erected Holy Cross as a parish under the care of diocesan clergy. In 1950, Holy Cross opened a parish school, the first Catholic school in Wayne, which later closed. Around 2010, Holy Cross became twinned with OLV, a parish of 5,000 families. Both faith communities remain separate parishes.
– On Nov. 9, Holy Cross Parish celebrated a century of vibrant faith and service as the Roman Catholic mother church of Wayne, N.J., during a Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who served as the celebrant and homilist. The Mass was concelebrated by Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Holy Cross and its twin parish, Our Lady of the Valley (OLV), also in Wayne, and director of cemeteries of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey; Father Edward Lambro, a retired diocesan priest and a weekend assistant of the two parishes; and Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland
![Paterson parishes offer busy confirmation students convenient Zoom classes #Catholic - Most students in virtual confirmation classes for two Paterson, N.J., parishes this past summer were able to join from the comfort of their homes, with little or no distractions. But some took part wherever and however they could — from young mothers caring for their children to late-night workers closing their office doors to concentrate.
Raysa Gonzales of Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) Parish in Paterson often joined the first-time confirmation classes of OLP and St. Gerard Majella Parish, also in Paterson, from her office. Over the summer, she was one of 28 adults who took advantage of the convenience of attending 8 to 10 90-minute English-language classes on Tuesday evenings via Zoom.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney confirmed these Catholics during a Mass at St. Gerard’s on Oct. 12, the feast of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, canonized by Pope Leo XVI in Rome on Sept. 7. Students attended eight classes for confirmation prep and twice more for first Holy Communion prep, followed by an in-person retreat.
“I was happy that we [students] could see and interact with each other and express our thoughts — like being in a classroom,” said Gonzales. A Paterson resident who returned to attending Mass, she works full time, started her own business, and is a parent to Elijah, 8, and an OLP lector. “Going to church makes me feel peaceful. I want to teach Elijah the faith. I have more knowledge but have more to learn.”
The classes consisted of 18- to 40-year-olds who wanted to complete their sacraments to get married, become godparents, or enter full communion with the Church. Participants hailed from as far away as New York State and Princeton, N.J., through word of mouth. Jan Figenshu, who volunteers at her parish, St. Gerard’s, coordinated the course.
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“There is a need for this type of formation. The Zoom classes make sense for people with family commitments, those who work late, or those who don’t have time for a long commute. It was beautiful to see their dedication,” Figenshu said. “Some brought their friends and family to the classes. One person found the program by asking Chat GPT ‘Where can I prepare for confirmation?'”
Each class consisted of an opening prayer, a time when students described a “holy moment” of God’s grace they experienced that week, a lesson on the week’s topic, small-group discussions, a review of the Sunday readings, and a closing prayer.
“I promote the joy of being Catholic and in a faith community. I also encourage the students to go to church without nagging them. Some have gotten more involved in their faith,” Figenshu said.
The course ended with a retreat at St. Gerard’s, which concluded with the Sacrament of Penance presided over by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of both Paterson parishes, and Father Manuel Cuellar, parochial vicar. Many participants got to know each other. The process has led Msgr. Hundt to help some couples convalidate their civil marriages in the eyes of the Church.
Figenshu started a Zoom confirmation course when Msgr. Hundt previously was pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison, N.J.
Stacey Strover, who was confirmed in the Easter Vigil earlier this year, helped lead small-group discussions on Zoom.
“Getting students involved on Zoom was challenging. We asked open-ended, interactive questions to encourage participation. Sometimes, they would come up with their own questions,” Strover said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/paterson-parishes-offer-busy-confirmation-students-convenient-zoom-classes-catholic-most-students-in-virtual-confirmation-classes-for-two-paterson-n-j-parishes-this-past-summer-were-able-to-join.jpg)
Paterson parishes offer busy confirmation students convenient Zoom classes #Catholic – 
Most students in virtual confirmation classes for two Paterson, N.J., parishes this past summer were able to join from the comfort of their homes, with little or no distractions. But some took part wherever and however they could — from young mothers caring for their children to late-night workers closing their office doors to concentrate.
Raysa Gonzales of Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) Parish in Paterson often joined the first-time confirmation classes of OLP and St. Gerard Majella Parish, also in Paterson, from her office. Over the summer, she was one of 28 adults who took advantage of the convenience of attending 8 to 10 90-minute English-language classes on Tuesday evenings via Zoom.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney confirmed these Catholics during a Mass at St. Gerard’s on Oct. 12, the feast of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, canonized by Pope Leo XVI in Rome on Sept. 7. Students attended eight classes for confirmation prep and twice more for first Holy Communion prep, followed by an in-person retreat.
“I was happy that we [students] could see and interact with each other and express our thoughts — like being in a classroom,” said Gonzales. A Paterson resident who returned to attending Mass, she works full time, started her own business, and is a parent to Elijah, 8, and an OLP lector. “Going to church makes me feel peaceful. I want to teach Elijah the faith. I have more knowledge but have more to learn.”
The classes consisted of 18- to 40-year-olds who wanted to complete their sacraments to get married, become godparents, or enter full communion with the Church. Participants hailed from as far away as New York State and Princeton, N.J., through word of mouth. Jan Figenshu, who volunteers at her parish, St. Gerard’s, coordinated the course.
“There is a need for this type of formation. The Zoom classes make sense for people with family commitments, those who work late, or those who don’t have time for a long commute. It was beautiful to see their dedication,” Figenshu said. “Some brought their friends and family to the classes. One person found the program by asking Chat GPT ‘Where can I prepare for confirmation?’”
Each class consisted of an opening prayer, a time when students described a “holy moment” of God’s grace they experienced that week, a lesson on the week’s topic, small-group discussions, a review of the Sunday readings, and a closing prayer.
“I promote the joy of being Catholic and in a faith community. I also encourage the students to go to church without nagging them. Some have gotten more involved in their faith,” Figenshu said.
The course ended with a retreat at St. Gerard’s, which concluded with the Sacrament of Penance presided over by Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of both Paterson parishes, and Father Manuel Cuellar, parochial vicar. Many participants got to know each other. The process has led Msgr. Hundt to help some couples convalidate their civil marriages in the eyes of the Church.
Figenshu started a Zoom confirmation course when Msgr. Hundt previously was pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison, N.J.
Stacey Strover, who was confirmed in the Easter Vigil earlier this year, helped lead small-group discussions on Zoom.
“Getting students involved on Zoom was challenging. We asked open-ended, interactive questions to encourage participation. Sometimes, they would come up with their own questions,” Strover said.
– Most students in virtual confirmation classes for two Paterson, N.J., parishes this past summer were able to join from the comfort of their homes, with little or no distractions. But some took part wherever and however they could — from young mothers caring for their children to late-night workers closing their office doors to concentrate. Raysa Gonzales of Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) Parish in Paterson often joined the first-time confirmation classes of OLP and St. Gerard Majella Parish, also in Paterson, from her office. Over the summer, she was one of 28 adults who took advantage of the convenience
CNA Staff, Nov 20, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
After pushback from investors, Microsoft has signed a statement agreeing not to discriminate against religious or conservative nonprofit groups seeking a discount the tech giant offers to other nonprofits.
On Oct. 10, Microsoft and Boyer Research, a group of shareholders represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal group, signed the agreement. News of the agreement was published on Nov. 14.
The shareholders had planned to put forth a proposal asking Microsoft on Dec. 5 at its annual meeting for a report on the company’s discounting practices, according to Bloomberg News.
The shareholders agreed not to move forward with the proposal after Microsoft signed the agreement, which stated that nonprofits no longer needed to affirm a nondiscrimination attestation. The company also said a categorical ban on pregnancy centers would be removed.
In a statement to CNA on Nov. 19, Microsoft said: “The broad and diverse array of nonprofits is one of America’s great strengths, and the purpose of this nonprofit program is to provide discounts to a broad group of organizations that qualify as nonprofits under the federal tax code. We don’t think it’s desirable to pick and choose among these organizations based on ideological orientation. In this instance, we found that a small number of organizations that should have been eligible for these discounts were not receiving them. We’ve fixed this and those organizations are now eligible.”
ADF attorney Alexandra Gaiser, who represented the shareholders, told CNA that the legal group and some pregnancy centers they represent are now in “wait-and-see mode.”
She said since the agreement was signed, one pregnancy center has applied for the discount and been denied, but “a couple have received the nonprofit discount.”
“We are looking forward to seeing more nonprofits get the discount,” Gaiser said.
Microsoft is not the only corporation alleged to have discriminatory practices against faith-based or conservative groups that ADF has contended with.
ADF filed two federal lawsuits this year, one against California-based software company Asana and the other against OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT, who both agreed in settlements to give previously withheld nonprofit discounts to Holy Sexuality, a Christian nonprofit group that makes videos and courses that teach about biblical principles on human sexuality.
In the settlements, both tech companies said they would remove barriers to the discounts for religious organizations, according to ADF.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier shared a letter he sent to Microsoft on social media on Nov. 3 in which he said the state might take legal action against the company if discriminatory practices against religious groups continued.
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