| Picture of the day |
|---|
.jpg)
|
|
View of Kirchberg an der Jagst, Germany, from the river Jagst. At the right the listed bridge, build in 1779; behind it the hill which supports Kirchberg Castle (top) and the old town of Kirchberg.
|
NASA’s Pegasus barge arrives at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
Read More
A statue of Padre Pio in Italy has allegedly shed a tear of blood. The parish priest believes the phenomenon to be real, but the Church must investigate and verify.
The federal government is seeking to seize land from the Las Cruces Diocese for 1.5 miles of border wall, a move the diocese says would desecrate a sacred site and impede religious practice.
Eucharist transforms believers into Christ’s body and counters division, pope says #Catholic – 
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Participation in the Eucharist transforms believers into the Body of Christ and offers a remedy to the divisions affecting families and communities, Pope Leo XIV said during his weekly general audience June 24.
In his final general audience until Aug. 5, Pope Leo also encouraged young people to use the downtime of summer vacation to attend Mass, go to confession frequently, reflect on Scripture, go on spiritual retreats and pilgrimages and spend time with loved ones.
“Vacation is a time for rest and to seek signs of God in the beauty of creation,” he said in his remarks to Polish-speaking visitors. He also asked people to pray for students so that they may “choose wisely” the schools and universities they will attend and “discern with prudence their vocation.”
Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the pope focused on “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, explaining how the Eucharist draws the faithful into deeper communion with God and one another.
Receiving Christ in the Eucharist transforms believers into the Body of Christ, whose head is the risen Lord seated at the right hand of the Father, the pope said.
“Thus, the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Kingdom that is to come,” Pope Leo said.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The Eucharist teaches Catholics to adopt Christ’s way of self-giving love and to be “drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other,” he said.
“This gift draws us into the dynamic of unity, offering a powerful antidote to the forces of division that undermine our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts,” he said.
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy teaches that the faithful are called to “offer themselves in union with Jesus Christ” to the Father “through the hands of the priest and together with him,” the pope said. Participation in the Eucharist also means being formed by God’s word and “nourished at the table of the Lord’s body.”
The Eucharist cannot be separated from the Word of God, the pope said, noting that the liturgy and the Eucharist form “one single act of worship.” Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, he said Scripture illuminates and explains the mystery of the Eucharist, while the Eucharist opens believers to a deeper understanding of Scripture.
“This Word nourishes and sustains us together with the Eucharistic bread and leads us from the decay of sin to new life in Christ,” Pope Leo said.
Referring to the Second Vatican Council’s focus on giving Catholics greater access to Scripture, the pope pointed to the Lectionary — the book containing the biblical readings proclaimed at Mass — as a result of the council’s liturgical reform. The expanded collection of readings used in the Church’s liturgies today, he said, reflects the richness of the Church’s living tradition, combining “fidelity to tradition with openness to legitimate progress.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, let us draw with faith from this source of divine life and allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate,” he said.
– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Participation in the Eucharist transforms believers into the Body of Christ and offers a remedy to the divisions affecting families and communities, Pope Leo XIV said during his weekly general audience June 24. In his final general audience until Aug. 5, Pope Leo also encouraged young people to use the downtime of summer vacation to attend Mass, go to confession frequently, reflect on Scripture, go on spiritual retreats and pilgrimages and spend time with loved ones. “Vacation is a time for rest and to seek signs of God in the beauty of creation,” he said in
USCCB and pro-life leaders: Abortion pills remain key post-Dobbs challenge #Catholic – 
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — On the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference and pro-life leaders pointed to abortion pills as among key challenges for the cause of protecting the right to life of unborn children.
The Supreme Court issued the Dobbs ruling June 24, 2022, in a case involving a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks, where the state directly challenged the high court’s previous abortion-related precedents in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The high court ultimately overturned its own prior rulings, undoing nearly a half-century of its own precedent that held abortion to be a constitutional right.
In the years since that ruling, efforts to restrict or protect access to abortion have stalled in Congress. As a candidate in 2024, President Donald Trump stated his view that abortion should be a matter for the states rather than Congress, and said he would veto abortion restrictions if they reached his desk.
Individual states have moved to either restrict abortion or expand access to it in the wake of the Dobbs ruling. However, multiple reports have found that the rate of abortions in the U.S. has increased since the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe.
According to an estimate from Guttmacher Institute, a research firm for the abortion industry, 1.12 million abortions took place in 2025, marking a 21% increase from 2020, which Guttmacher said marked “the last year of comprehensive national estimates” before Dobbs. Guttmacher found the figures were largely unchanged from 2024. It also noted that the abortion numbers overall may be an undercount due to people acquiring abortion pills in advance or obtaining them by means other than U.S. abortion clinic providers.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
In a statement marking the Dobbs anniversary, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said the “victory of the Dobbs decision risks being undone by the massive influx of abortion pills.”
“While the Dobbs decision gave states the freedom to pass pro-life laws and protect preborn children, these laws are now being undermined,” he said. “The Food and Drug Administration, a government agency responsible for protecting public health, has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telemed appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb.”
Louisiana has challenged an FDA policy issued by the Biden administration, which permitted mifepristone, a pill commonly used in abortion but also in some miscarriage care protocols, to be distributed by mail. The Trump administration has thus far left that regulation in place, prompting frustration from pro-life groups, and has sought to block state challenges to mifepristone, such as Louisiana’s.
The Supreme Court in May left that policy in place while the litigation proceeds.
Proponents of mifepristone — the first of two drugs used in a chemical or medication-based abortion — or its distribution by mail argue it is statistically safe for a woman to take at the early stages of pregnancy, and that attempts to restrict it are an attempt to ban abortion outright. Opponents of the drug’s use for abortion argue there are significant risks to those who take it, particularly outside of medical settings, in addition to ending the life of an unborn child early in its development.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told reporters on a June 23 press call that there has been “a failure to step up on the federal level and pass protections that are grounded in the 14th Amendment — whatever consensus can bear — grounded in the 14th Amendment.”
Dannenfelser is among the pro-life leaders who have argued that the 14th Amendment, which states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States,” shall not be denied “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” is grounds for federal abortion restrictions.
Pointing to lawsuits like Louisiana’s, Dannenfelser argued that “the abortion drug has usurped the sovereignty of those states” that have restricted abortion.
“We have insisted that the Justice Department settle with the state of Louisiana, who has sued them for justice, for undermining their state laws, for putting extra burdens of financial and health care for women who are experiencing these horrible moments,” she said.
A letter from more than 80 pro-life groups, including SBA, published June 23 to Acting Attorney General Rodd Blanche said, “We respectfully urge you to settle Louisiana v. FDA, end DOJ’s defense of the mail-order abortion drug regime.”
In an amicus brief filed by groups including SBA, the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center, argued the in-person dispensing requirement should be reimplemented to prevent health risks to the mother and to prevent coercion by partners, abusers, or traffickers.
“Coerced consent is no consent at all, and there is an increased risk of coercion in the context of abortion drugs and procedures if the prescribing physician does not thoroughly screen for abuse or coercion,” the brief stated.
The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion, which takes the life of the unborn child.
In his statement, Bishop Thomas concluded, “On this Anniversary of the Dobbs decision, we praise God for the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade, and we beg the intercession of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in building a culture of life.”
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
– WASHINGTON (OSV News) — On the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference and pro-life leaders pointed to abortion pills as among key challenges for the cause of protecting the right to life of unborn children. The Supreme Court issued the Dobbs ruling June 24, 2022, in a case involving a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks, where the state directly challenged the high court’s previous abortion-related precedents in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The high court ultimately overturned its own prior
![African bishops lead ‘Peace University’ effort to train future leaders in terror-plagued region – #Catholic – Catholic bishops from West Africa are leading an international effort to develop the Sahel Peace University — a prospective higher education institution to train future leaders in addressing the scourge of terrorism and violence in the region.The proposed university is borne out of the broader Sahel Peace Initiative, an interfaith advocacy organization working toward peacebuilding in the region. The Sahel is the region sitting directly below the Sahara desert, representing the northernmost part of Sub-Saharan Africa.According to a concept proposal provided to EWTN News, the initiative is led by the Catholic bishops conferences in Burkina Faso and Niger. Christians are the minority in both countries, representing slightly more than one-fourth of Burkina Faso and about 1% of Niger. Traditional African religions also represent a minority, while Islam is the most practiced religion.“While we will envision solutions like buildings and programs, the goal is to foster a robust population engaged in problem solving and developing a sustainable peace in the Sahel,” the proposal states.Although led by Catholics, the bishops also partner with Muslim clerics and leaders of traditional African faith communities. The proposal notes the university will be grounded in Catholic social teaching, and open to everyone, and expressed a commitment to work with interfaith partners, especially the Muslim community.“The [university] will serve as a regional hub for peacebuilding, governance research, trauma healing, and community resilience, equipping leaders and communities to address the Sahel’s most urgent challenges,” it adds.The bishops hope to headquarter the university in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It will be African- and Catholic-led, but the bishops are looking for international support, including from the United States.“While the physical requirements include buildings and materials, these are merely tools for the emerging leaders to cultivate a new group of younger and empowered people of all faiths working collaboratively towards the shared goal of lasting peace,” it states.Burkina Faso bishops seek solidarityBishops from Burkina Faso have met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome and have offered information to the U.S. State Department in a recent trip to the United States, hoping to spread awareness about problems in the Sahel and to garner more support for their peace efforts.Two of the bishops — Archbishop Laurent Dabire, archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso, and Bishop Alexandre Bazie, auxiliary bishop of Koudougou and head of the Burkina Faso-Niger bishops’ delegation — spoke with EWTN News about the situation on the ground and efforts to gain support for the university.The bishops spoke in French through a translator, Father Barthelemy Bazemo.Dabire said he told Leo the bishops have been trying to raise awareness about problems in the region for a long time. He said people globally are aware of the conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza, but often Africa and the Sahel are overlooked.President Donald Trump coordinated with the Nigerian government to strike terrorists in Nigeria — a country in the Sahel, east of Burkina Faso — amid rampant violence, killings, and terrorism that has disproportionately targeted Christians, but also victimized many Muslims and followers of traditional African religions.Bazie said the U.S. has coordinated with Burkina Faso on separate issues, such as health initiatives, but the terrorism problem has not drawn as much attention from the administration when compared to Nigeria.He said the violence in Burkina Faso is not one-sided against Christians, but that terrorists target both churches and mosques, and both Christian and Muslim clerics. He warned the people of Burkina Faso, however, cannot afford to wait until the situation reaches the level of Nigeria.According to a 2025 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) about the Sahel countries, Burkina Faso has “one of the world’s highest rates of civilian attacks and fatalities from insurgent violence.”It cites actions from violent insurgent groups, including a February 2024 attack by the Islamic State – Sahel Province that killed 12 worshipers at a Catholic Church in Essakane. There was another attack that month on a mosque that killed dozens of people, along with numerous attacks on villages by bandits and insurgents. These attacks have targeted both Christians and Muslims.In addition to murders, attacks have included kidnappings of priests, religious sisters, imams, and other Christian and Muslim civilians.“As a result of brutal killings — thousands [have been] killed — there [are] many [in the] community being impacted [and] it takes education,” Bazie said. “It takes several years of training to get people into the [right] mindset, even if we have different solutions.”Bazie noted that the Church has been working to improve the region through construction of schools and hospitals and other forms of economic development, but that additional support from outside partners can help the region further.“With limited resources, [we’re] trying to do [our] best,” he said. “But now coming here is to ask for support in what’s already being done.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/african-bishops-lead-peace-university-effort-to-train-future-leaders-in-terror-plagued-region-catholic-catholic-bishops-from-west-africa-are-leading-an-international-effort-to-d.jpg "African bishops lead ‘Peace University’ effort to train future leaders in terror-plagued region – #Catholic – Catholic bishops from West Africa are leading an international effort to develop the Sahel Peace University — a prospective higher education institution to train future leaders in addressing the scourge of terrorism and violence in the region.The proposed university is borne out of the broader Sahel Peace Initiative, an interfaith advocacy organization working toward peacebuilding in the region. The Sahel is the region sitting directly below the Sahara desert, representing the northernmost part of Sub-Saharan Africa.According to a concept proposal provided to EWTN News, the initiative is led by the Catholic bishops conferences in Burkina Faso and Niger. Christians are the minority in both countries, representing slightly more than one-fourth of Burkina Faso and about 1% of Niger. Traditional African religions also represent a minority, while Islam is the most practiced religion.“While we will envision solutions like buildings and programs, the goal is to foster a robust population engaged in problem solving and developing a sustainable peace in the Sahel,” the proposal states.Although led by Catholics, the bishops also partner with Muslim clerics and leaders of traditional African faith communities. The proposal notes the university will be grounded in Catholic social teaching, and open to everyone, and expressed a commitment to work with interfaith partners, especially the Muslim community.“The [university] will serve as a regional hub for peacebuilding, governance research, trauma healing, and community resilience, equipping leaders and communities to address the Sahel’s most urgent challenges,” it adds.The bishops hope to headquarter the university in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It will be African- and Catholic-led, but the bishops are looking for international support, including from the United States.“While the physical requirements include buildings and materials, these are merely tools for the emerging leaders to cultivate a new group of younger and empowered people of all faiths working collaboratively towards the shared goal of lasting peace,” it states.Burkina Faso bishops seek solidarityBishops from Burkina Faso have met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome and have offered information to the U.S. State Department in a recent trip to the United States, hoping to spread awareness about problems in the Sahel and to garner more support for their peace efforts.Two of the bishops — Archbishop Laurent Dabire, archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso, and Bishop Alexandre Bazie, auxiliary bishop of Koudougou and head of the Burkina Faso-Niger bishops’ delegation — spoke with EWTN News about the situation on the ground and efforts to gain support for the university.The bishops spoke in French through a translator, Father Barthelemy Bazemo.Dabire said he told Leo the bishops have been trying to raise awareness about problems in the region for a long time. He said people globally are aware of the conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza, but often Africa and the Sahel are overlooked.President Donald Trump coordinated with the Nigerian government to strike terrorists in Nigeria — a country in the Sahel, east of Burkina Faso — amid rampant violence, killings, and terrorism that has disproportionately targeted Christians, but also victimized many Muslims and followers of traditional African religions.Bazie said the U.S. has coordinated with Burkina Faso on separate issues, such as health initiatives, but the terrorism problem has not drawn as much attention from the administration when compared to Nigeria.He said the violence in Burkina Faso is not one-sided against Christians, but that terrorists target both churches and mosques, and both Christian and Muslim clerics. He warned the people of Burkina Faso, however, cannot afford to wait until the situation reaches the level of Nigeria.According to a 2025 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) about the Sahel countries, Burkina Faso has “one of the world’s highest rates of civilian attacks and fatalities from insurgent violence.”It cites actions from violent insurgent groups, including a February 2024 attack by the Islamic State – Sahel Province that killed 12 worshipers at a Catholic Church in Essakane. There was another attack that month on a mosque that killed dozens of people, along with numerous attacks on villages by bandits and insurgents. These attacks have targeted both Christians and Muslims.In addition to murders, attacks have included kidnappings of priests, religious sisters, imams, and other Christian and Muslim civilians.“As a result of brutal killings — thousands [have been] killed — there [are] many [in the] community being impacted [and] it takes education,” Bazie said. “It takes several years of training to get people into the [right] mindset, even if we have different solutions.”Bazie noted that the Church has been working to improve the region through construction of schools and hospitals and other forms of economic development, but that additional support from outside partners can help the region further.“With limited resources, [we’re] trying to do [our] best,” he said. “But now coming here is to ask for support in what’s already being done.”")
Two bishops from Burkina Faso spoke about efforts to gain international support for the university, which they said they hope can be part of the solution to the terrorism and violence.
Most amateur astronomers live with light pollution. When a free schedule, the New Moon, and the ability to travel to a dark site align, you have a night to remember. But like finding a valuable old coin in your change, such nights are the exception, not the rule. However, there’s no need to consider the restContinue reading “Stargazing under city lights”
The post Stargazing under city lights appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-lead-image-ISCHIAIT0625-836d97c318e043ababbbc70d7a4a99a6.jpg)
Catholic Charities USA President Kerry Alys Robinson said the bill “has the potential to improve the lives of so many of our fellow citizens.”
A reading from the Book of Isaiah
49:1-6
Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
13:22-26
In those days, Paul said:
“God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’
“My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.”
From the Gospel according to Luke
1:57-66, 80
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.
Today, 24 June, we are celebrating the Solemnity of St John the Baptist. He is the only saint — with the exception of the Virgin Mary — whose birth the liturgy celebrates and it does so because it is closely connected with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. In fact, from the time when he was in his mother’s womb John was the precursor of Jesus: the Angel announced to Mary his miraculous conception as a sign that “nothing is impossible to God” (Lk 1:37), six months before the great miracle that brings us salvation, God’s union with man brought about by the Holy Spirit. The four Gospels place great emphasis on the figure of John the Baptist, the prophet who concludes the Old Testament and inaugurates the New, by identifying Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the Anointed One of the Lord. In fact, Jesus himself was to speak of John in these terms: “This is he of whom it is written ‘Behold I send my messenger before your face, / who shall prepare your way before you. Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he!” (Mt 11:10-11). (…) The Virgin Mary helped her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth when she was expecting John to bring her pregnancy to completion. May she help all people to follow Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, whom the Baptist proclaimed with deep humility and prophetic fervour. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 24 June 2012)
Read More| Picture of the day |
|---|
,_parque_nacional_de_la_Selva_Impenetrable_de_Bwindi,_Uganda,_2024-02-02,_DD_80.jpg)
|
|
Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
|
Have you read the shortest book(s) in the Bible? #Catholic – 
“I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us that leads to Christ.”
(Phil. 1:4–6)
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
“You can learn something new every day.” You can also re-learn or remember some things that you have learned and forgotten. Among the many highlights of the beautiful (long) weekend from Thursday, June 11 through Monday, June 15, as we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, followed by ordinations to the priesthood on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and hosting the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, I had the blessing to hear a talk given by one of the visiting “Eucharistic Preachers”, Father Rafael Capo.
Father Rafael spoke at Holy Rosary Church and the Diocesan Shrine of St. Pope John Paul II in Passaic on Sunday, June 14, in the afternoon, in preparation for a (3-mile) Eucharistic procession through the streets of Passaic, leading to a beautiful opening Mass, for our participation in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, at Boverini Stadium, on a beautiful summer afternoon and evening.
The topic of Father Rafael’s talk was “Influenced by the Eucharist,” during which he used the image of the Church as a “pilgrim people” and presented seven “signposts” or ways in which we can be influenced by the Eucharist. The Eucharistic procession was a living expression of a “pilgrim” people being led by the Real Presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
One of the signposts that Father Rafael presented was “the way the Eucharist can influence our vision.” During that part of his talk, Father Rafael asked, “Have you read the shortest book in the Bible?” I think he then asked, “Do you know which is the shortest book in the Bible?” and, as I recall, he looked towards me and said (something like), “I’m sure the bishop knows.” I was relieved when he did not ask me to give the answer, because I was stumped – I couldn’t remember. Father Rafael went on to speak about the ways that Jesus, present in His Word and in the Eucharist, can influence our “vision” and can encourage us to “see” people differently, just as St. Paul encourages Philemon.
Father Rafael said that the shortest book in the Bible is The Letter to Philemon. Although Google’s “AI Overview” (see below) and some other sources would “argue” with Father Rafael, it is clear that “Philemon” is one of the (three) shortest. From Google’s AI: The shortest book in the Bible depends on the language and the criteria you use:
- By word count: 3 John (Third John) is the absolute shortest book, containing only 219 words in its original Greek.
- By verse count: 2 John (Second John) is the shortest, containing only 13 verses (though it has slightly more words than 3 John).
A website called OverviewBible has a very interesting and informative article, with an accompanying (10-minute) YouTube Video on the Shortest (and Longest) Books in the Bible, and offers this list:
Here are the five shortest books of the Bible, beginning with the very shortest. These measurements are by words in the original languages. Each of these books is only one chapter long, and would take you a few minutes to read, tops:
- Third John (219 words)
- Second John (245 words)
- Philemon (335 words)
- Obadiah (440 words)
- Jude (461 words)
See: The 5 shortest books of the Bible
Father Rafael spoke about the ways that Jesus, present in His Word and in the Eucharist, can influence our “vision” and can encourage us to “see” people differently, just as St. Paul encourages Philemon, as a Christian, to “see” and welcome Onesimus, “…no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord…” (Phil. 1:16) ) In writing to Philemon, a personal friend, St. Paul demonstrates that his faith influenced evangelization. St. Paul wrote, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become even more effective so that you may come to perceive all the blessings we have in Christ” (Phil. 1:6). The Eucharist and the power of God’s word impel our mission to build up God’s Kingdom. The Apostle shows that the power of encouragement strongly influences others to value the gifts that flow from faith, “Your love has given me much joy and encouragement because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, my brother” (1:7). The power of the Eucharist influences and transforms our whole vision of life if we are open to the reminder of St. Augustine. In receiving the Eucharist, we “become what we are,” the Body of Christ.
I am sure that I had learned about the Letter to Philemon when I was in the seminary and, more recently, as I listened to the Bible in a Year, but I was so grateful that Father Rafael “re-introduced” me to this powerful and inspiring (short) Book/Letter. The Catholic Bible Online offers this summary:
“The Letter to Philemon is a short and deeply personal letter that addresses the theme of Christian reconciliation and the radical equality of all believers in Christ. Paul writes to a wealthy Christian to ask for the forgiveness and the acceptance of a runaway slave who has become a brother in the faith. We see the power of the Gospel to transcend social boundaries and to transform relationships from one of ownership to one of mutual love. This book teaches us that in Christ there is a new way of relating to one another that is based on the mercy of the Lord.”
The Bible Project website offers a very interesting description and commentary, both in writing and by means of an excellent (6-minute) “narrated illustration” that provides background on Philemon’s household in Colossae and Paul’s relationship with the “Colossians,” – to whom he wrote a Letter, which is a more well-known part of the New Testament. The Bible Project commentary also provides a very helpful reflection on Paul’s use of the word “partnership” in v. 6, from the Greek word, Koinonia (sharing, mutual participation), which, it says, “…for Paul this experience of koinonia amongst Jesus’ followers is not just an idea that you think about, it is something that you do in your relationships…” I encourage you to take the time to watch and listen to the full narrated illustration.
Even more importantly, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read and pray with St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon. I am a “slow reader,” so I was surprised when, out of curiosity, I used my phone’s “stopwatch” to see how long it would take me to read the letter. 1 minute and 49 seconds! I think I have read and prayed with the Letter about five or six times since Father Rafael brought it back to my attention. If you are like me, you might also take the time to read the (even shorter) Second and Third Letters of John. I hope that, like me, you will be glad you did so. You might also find yourself being reminded that “you can learn (or re-learn) something new every day.”
– “I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us that leads to Christ.” (Phil. 1:4–6) BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY “You can learn something new every day.” You can also re-learn or remember some things that you have learned and forgotten. Among the many highlights of the beautiful (long) weekend from Thursday, June 11 through Monday, June 15, as
The Moon’s rocky, uneven, and otherworldly surface features are highlighted by the terminator – the difference between light and darkness.
Read More![Catholic group asks Pope Leo to clarify Church's stance on Israel - #Catholic - Catholic Voices for Israel is asking Pope Leo XIV to clarify the Church’s position on Zionism and the modern state of Israel.In an open letter addressed to Pope Leo on June 22, the group’s co-founders André Villeneuve and Father Antoine Lévy, OP, are asking the Holy Father to answer the question, “Should Catholics interpret the creation and enduring existence of the State of Israel as a sign of God’s providence — or should they not?”
Sacred Heart Major Seminary professor André Villeneuve is co-founder of Catholic Voices for Israel | Credit: Courtesy of André Villeneuve
While the pair note that “the Church’s reticence to pronounce on the theological meaning of the State of Israel has served a real purpose,” they proceed to express concerns over “a number of Catholic commentators” who they contend “have interpreted this silence as a formal dismissal of the very possibility of ascribing any theological resonance to the founding of the State of Israel and to its enduring existence.”“The Church’s silence regarding Israel’s right to exist — the reluctance to go beyond mere political recognition, on a par with that extended to the still inchoate State of Palestine (2013) — gives ground to all those Catholic voices that wish to lend this campaign of denigration the authority of the Church’s own name,” the letter manifests.Villeneuve and Lévy argue that “the ‘theological silence’ that has prevailed until now would risk doing more harm to the Church’s witness than the prudence it was meant to preserve.”‘For Zion’s Sake’Villeneuve and Lévy’s letter to Pope Leo comes as part of an effort by Catholic Voices for Israel to make “a biblically grounded, theologically informed case for Catholic solidarity with Israel.” In its founding statement, “For Zion’s Sake: A Catholic Appeal in Support of Israel,” the recently formed Catholic Voices for Israel (CVFI) calls for Catholic Zionism to be understood as “supporting the Jewish people’s right to self‑determination in their ancient, biblical homeland; acknowledging God’s love for Zion and his promise of the land in Scripture; recognizing that these promises were never revoked in the New Testament; and remaining open to seeing the work of divine providence in Israel’s return to the land — a possibility the Church has not foreclosed.”Since launching CVFI last month, “For Zion’s Sake” has garnered 165 signatories, including prominent names such as Gavin DʼCosta of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and Jennifer Bryson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.Addressing the question of his motivation for helping to spearhead the initiative, Villeneuve, an associate professor of Old Testament and biblical languages at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, told EWTN News that Catholic antisemitism has “become much more prevalent” since Oct. 7, 2023 on two levels: the political level and the theological and biblical level.“All the prophets consistently reaffirm Godʼs covenant with Israel and his promises that he will return them back to their land. So why arenʼt Catholics taking that seriously?” Villeneuve said. “As if this is just an evangelical, dispensationalist-type of idea, when Scripture is really quite clear about it? These promises and prophecies are never abolished in the New Testament.”One of the four “Guiding Principles” in CVFI’s Charter asserts the importance of the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the modern State of Israel, quoting Pope Benedict XVI who said in a 2018 letter to Rabbi Arie Folger that "it is not difficult, I believe, to see in the creation of the State of Israel the fidelity of God to Israel is revealed in a mysterious way.”While Villeneuve and the Charter both make the case for a Catholic Zionism and recognition of biblical significance for the modern state of Israel, other Catholic public intellectuals argue that the lack of official teaching leaves room for Catholics to disagree or form alternate opinions.Indeed, in the same 2018 letter to Rabbi Folger, Benedict XVI says “the state of Israel cannot be seen to theologically represent fulfillment of the Land promise, but rather as a secular state which of course has religious foundations.”Outside perspectives on the effort“The Charter is strongest when it grounds itself in truths the Church has clearly affirmed,” Simone Rizkallah, manager of Jewish-Christian Partnerships at the Tikvah Fund, told EWTN News.
Simone Rizkallah is manager of Jewish-Christian Partnerships at the Tikvah Fund. | Credit: Courtesy of The Given Institute
“Where the Charter moves beyond settled doctrine is in its attempt to reflect on the theological significance of the modern State of Israel,” she said, explaining that the Catholic Church has never taught that the modern State of Israel was biblically prophesied, nor rejected the idea that “the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland might bear theological significance in light of Godʼs enduring fidelity to the Jewish people.”“On these questions there remains room for legitimate theological exploration and debate among Catholics,” Rizkallah, who is not a signatory to the Charter, said.In addition, Rizkallah pointed to the perspective of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in his framing of the issue: “[Pizzaballa] put his finger on an important aspect of the discussion when he observed: "While Europeans primarily view Israel as a state, for Jews it is much more than that.”“Too often Catholics discuss Israel exclusively as a political entity without adequately appreciating the religious, historical, and covenantal significance that the Land of Israel holds within the Jewish self-understanding,” she said. “Recognizing that reality does not require agreement with every policy of the Israeli government, but it does require taking Jewish self-understanding seriously.”Rizkallah, who is also a founding member of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism, said she welcomed the charter’s rejection of dispensationalism, dual-covenant theology, political absolutism, and the notion that Israel should be exempt from moral scrutiny. She further praised the document’s acknowledgement of the dignity and concerns of Palestinians and local Christians.“One reason I believe this conversation is so important is that, despite the tremendous progress in Catholic-Jewish relations since Nostra Aetate, there are signs that certain anti-Jewish attitudes are reappearing within parts of Catholic discourse,” she said. “I do not mean that large numbers of Catholics are racial antisemites, nor do I mean that the Churchʼs official teaching has changed. On the contrary, the Churchʼs teaching on the Jewish people remains one of the great achievements of the post-conciliar era.”“The challenge facing Catholics today is not only to reject overt antisemitism, but also to ensure that our theological, political, and moral judgments are shaped by what the Church actually teaches about the Jewish people,” Rizkallah pointed out.A ‘work of God’For his part, David Moss, longtime president of the Association of Hebrew Catholics in the U.S., praised CVFI’s initiative.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/catholic-group-asks-pope-leo-to-clarify-churchs-stance-on-israel-catholic-catholic-voices-for-israel-is-asking-pope-leo-xiv-to-clarify-the-churchs-position-on-zionism-and-the-modern-st-scaled.jpg)
“Should Catholics interpret the creation and enduring existence of the State of Israel as a sign of God’s providence — or should they not?” Catholic Voices for Israel asks Pope Leo in an open letter.
The awards were announced at the conclusion of the 2026 Catholic Media Conference, held June 16–19 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The two patriarchs, accompanied by Josef D. Blotz of the Order of Malta, made a pastoral and humanitarian visit to Gaza to show that their concern for the area remains a priority.
The MLB commissioner said in a letter that the Giants did not adequately inform the players that gay pride caps were optional, Hawley said.
Chris Schur, taken from Payson, Arizona In 1983, NASA’s pioneering Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) imaged the sky and found dust trails littered throughout the solar system. The cause turned out to be comets, which leave trails of dust that build up in their orbit. The dust trail of 10P/Tempel (also known as Comet Tempel 2)Continue reading “Comet Tempel 2’s dust trail”
The post Comet Tempel 2’s dust trail appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More| Picture of the day |
|---|
|
|
Wulfenite crystals with calcite, found in the Erupción Mine, Sierra de Los Lamentos, Ahumada Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico.
|
The recognition for Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler is a rare gesture from the Buddhist establishment of a country where Catholics number barely 20,000.
Bishops across the UK and other Catholic leaders say they want more information before endorsing a proposal to ban social media for youth under 16.
Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers may have found a supernova remnant in an intriguing neighborhood in the middle of our galaxy.
Read More
The World Cup has brought real excitement to these American shores, and not just in the form of soccer, but in the innocent, wide-eyed discoveries of European tourists experiencing the United States for the first time.
Read More
VATICAN CITY — In disastrous news for the Catholic Church, a mischievous little monkey stole Pope Leo’s hat and placed it on his own head, giving the monkey the power of infallibility.
Read MoreWe thank you, O God,
for the Love You have implanted in our hearts.
May it always inspire us to be kind in our words,
considerate of feeling,
and concerned for each other’s needs and wishes.
Help us to be understanding and forgiving
of human weaknesses and failings.
Increase our faith and trust in You
and may Your Prudence guide our life and love.
Bless our Marriage O God,
with Peace and Happiness,
and make our love fruitful for Your glory
and our Joy both here and in eternity.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-lead-image-HWY395CA0626-a4338209c3724109b92330d95488c27d.jpg)
The White House is reportedly threatening to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply with proposed election and vote-counting rules.
The post REPORT: Trump Admin Threatens to Withhold DHS Grant Funding to States Opposing Election Integrity Measures appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
The chaplaincy is being formed to help serve those attached to the Traditional Latin Mass, but does not change any policies, according to the diocese.
As two rival jihadist organizations, the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and the Islamic State’s Sahel Province, compete for dominance across the Sahel, their parallel campaigns of military attacks, economic warfare, and territorial expansion are spreading the insurgency into countries that until recently had largely been spared.
The post Rivals in Terror: How JNIM and ISSP Are Spreading the Sahel Islamist Insurgency Across West Africa appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
Bill Pulte has begun firing Deep State intel officials just days into his role as Acting DNI.
The post “The Deep State Firings Have Begun” – BREAKING: Bill Pulte Starts Slashing Jobs at Office of Director of National Intelligence appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreA reading from the Second Book of Kings
19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah
with this message:
“Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah:
‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you
by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over
to the king of Assyria.
You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done
to all other countries: they doomed them!
Will you, then, be saved?’”Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it;
then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him,
he prayed in the LORD’s presence:
“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim!
You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made the heavens and the earth.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!
Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations
and their lands, and cast their gods into the fire;
they destroyed them because they were not gods,
but the work of human hands, wood and stone.
Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God.”Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah:
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria:
I have listened!
This is the word the LORD has spoken concerning him:“‘She despises you, laughs you to scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion!
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.“‘For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant,
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.’“Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria:
‘He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it,
nor come before it with a shield,
nor cast up siege-works against it.
He shall return by the same way he came,
without entering the city, says the LORD.
I will shield and save this city for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David.’”That night the angel of the LORD went forth and struck down
one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.
So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp,
and went back home to Nineveh.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
7:6, 12-14
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”
At first glance, this image can make us think: if God is the Father of love and mercy, who always stands with open arms to welcome us, why does Jesus say that the gate of salvation is narrow? Certainly, the Lord does not want to discourage us. Rather, his words are meant primarily to challenge the presumption of those people who think they are already saved, who perform religious acts and feel that is all that is needed. They have not realized that it is not enough to perform religious acts unless they change hearts. The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters. (…)
Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes a criterion for our decisions, when it makes us women and men committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did. He did not choose the easy path of success or power; instead, in order to save us, he loved us to the point of walking through the “narrow gate” of the Cross. Jesus is the true measure of our faith; he is the gate through which we must pass in order to be saved (cf. Jn 10:9) by experiencing his love and by working, in our daily lives, to promote justice and peace. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 24 August 2025)
Read More![Archbishop Wenski, Ohio bishops call for action on Haitian TPS – #Catholic – Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami and bishops across Ohio are calling for extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the United States and are urging a more permanent solution to care for refugees.In April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation, H.R. 1689, that would extend TPS for Haitians for three more years, which is “a critical lifeline for those desperate to avoid returning to the chaos on the island nation,” Wenski said in a column for the Archdiocese of Miami. Senate consideration is next.TPS is an immigration status granted to eligible foreign nationals from designated countries that are unsafe to return to due to ongoing conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.In 2025, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the TPS designation for migrants from Syria, Haiti, and other countries. To combat the termination, the bill, which needs Senate approval to take effect, would provide “a reprieve to the more than 350,000 Haitians who today live and work legally in the United States under the protection of TPS,” Wenski said.“Every single day, I see the human consequences of often unintended public policy decisions that result in chronic uncertainty, fear, and the disruption of families and entire communities. It’s up to the Senate now to vote ‘yes’ on extending TPS protections for Haitians,” he said.Wenski said Haiti “remains a country on the brink,” noting the “widespread gang violence and kidnapping, a rampant cholera epidemic, and spreading food insecurity.”“The lack of functioning state institutions has resulted in a general breakdown of security, with attacks on women and children becoming commonplace,” he said.“It would be an act of abject cruelty for the United States to send families back to such dangerous and unsafe conditions” and it would “exacerbate Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis,” Wenski said.Haitians in the U.S. “are hard workers filling jobs that, were it not for them, would go unfilled,” Wenski said. “The sudden expulsion of Haitian TPS holders would have devastating consequences for our nation’s economy.”Wenski said he understands that “‘temporary’ should mean temporary,” but “without any other workable alternative, TPS is what’s available.” It is “an imperfect tool,” and “cannot substitute for the hard work of immigration reform that Congress has to undertake sooner or later,” he said.Senate passage of the bill would “give Haitians a reprieve” and “lawmakers time to explore more durable, more workable solutions.”Ohio bishops ‘deeply grieved’ by situation of Haitian neighbors The Ohio bishops similarly spoke out on the matter, calling the situation “a moral and social failure unfolding before our eyes.”The Catholic Conference of Ohio released a statement on June 22 urging action as the bishops are “deeply grieved by the situation of our Haitian neighbors in Ohio.”Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., “we recall the great declarations in our founding documents to establish a free country where people can flourish,” the bishops wrote. “Therefore, as proud and faithful citizens of the United States, we need to take responsibility to support the common good of our country and to love our neighbors as ourselves.”The bishops “have witnessed the upstanding lives Haitian families have built in Ohio.”“They work hard, support their families, worship God regularly, and seek to live in peace. Now, they await the U.S. Supreme Courtʼs decision, likely on technical grounds, on whether TPS will continue,” they said.The Supreme Court is reviewing the governmentʼs effort to end TPS as lower courts previously blocked the termination after determining the administration’s process for ending the protections was unlawful. The court heard oral arguments in April and is expected to make a decision in the coming months on whether the Trump administration can end the TPS program for Haitian and Syrian nationals.The bishops "find no moral justification for terminating their [TPS] without an alternative way to adjust their immigration status,” they said.While the bishops affirmed “the nation’s right and responsibility to regulate immigration and protect its borders,” they said the U.S. “has continued to fail in its attempts to achieve comprehensive reform of our immigration policy.”“We should have the political and social will to establish and maintain an orderly immigration process while providing a place in the U.S. for those fleeing violence or severe economic hardship,” they said. The bishops called on Catholics in Ohio and all people of goodwill “to pray for America at 250 years and to reflect on our responsibility as citizens and followers of Jesus Christ.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/archbishop-wenski-ohio-bishops-call-for-action-on-haitian-tps-catholic-archbishop-thomas-wenski-of-miami-and-bishops-across-ohio-are-calling-for-extended-temporary-protected-status-tps-for-hai.jpg "Archbishop Wenski, Ohio bishops call for action on Haitian TPS – #Catholic – Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami and bishops across Ohio are calling for extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the United States and are urging a more permanent solution to care for refugees.In April, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation, H.R. 1689, that would extend TPS for Haitians for three more years, which is “a critical lifeline for those desperate to avoid returning to the chaos on the island nation,” Wenski said in a column for the Archdiocese of Miami. Senate consideration is next.TPS is an immigration status granted to eligible foreign nationals from designated countries that are unsafe to return to due to ongoing conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.In 2025, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the TPS designation for migrants from Syria, Haiti, and other countries. To combat the termination, the bill, which needs Senate approval to take effect, would provide “a reprieve to the more than 350,000 Haitians who today live and work legally in the United States under the protection of TPS,” Wenski said.“Every single day, I see the human consequences of often unintended public policy decisions that result in chronic uncertainty, fear, and the disruption of families and entire communities. It’s up to the Senate now to vote ‘yes’ on extending TPS protections for Haitians,” he said.Wenski said Haiti “remains a country on the brink,” noting the “widespread gang violence and kidnapping, a rampant cholera epidemic, and spreading food insecurity.”“The lack of functioning state institutions has resulted in a general breakdown of security, with attacks on women and children becoming commonplace,” he said.“It would be an act of abject cruelty for the United States to send families back to such dangerous and unsafe conditions” and it would “exacerbate Haiti’s ongoing humanitarian crisis,” Wenski said.Haitians in the U.S. “are hard workers filling jobs that, were it not for them, would go unfilled,” Wenski said. “The sudden expulsion of Haitian TPS holders would have devastating consequences for our nation’s economy.”Wenski said he understands that “‘temporary’ should mean temporary,” but “without any other workable alternative, TPS is what’s available.” It is “an imperfect tool,” and “cannot substitute for the hard work of immigration reform that Congress has to undertake sooner or later,” he said.Senate passage of the bill would “give Haitians a reprieve” and “lawmakers time to explore more durable, more workable solutions.”Ohio bishops ‘deeply grieved’ by situation of Haitian neighbors The Ohio bishops similarly spoke out on the matter, calling the situation “a moral and social failure unfolding before our eyes.”The Catholic Conference of Ohio released a statement on June 22 urging action as the bishops are “deeply grieved by the situation of our Haitian neighbors in Ohio.”Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., “we recall the great declarations in our founding documents to establish a free country where people can flourish,” the bishops wrote. “Therefore, as proud and faithful citizens of the United States, we need to take responsibility to support the common good of our country and to love our neighbors as ourselves.”The bishops “have witnessed the upstanding lives Haitian families have built in Ohio.”“They work hard, support their families, worship God regularly, and seek to live in peace. Now, they await the U.S. Supreme Courtʼs decision, likely on technical grounds, on whether TPS will continue,” they said.The Supreme Court is reviewing the governmentʼs effort to end TPS as lower courts previously blocked the termination after determining the administration’s process for ending the protections was unlawful. The court heard oral arguments in April and is expected to make a decision in the coming months on whether the Trump administration can end the TPS program for Haitian and Syrian nationals.The bishops \"find no moral justification for terminating their [TPS] without an alternative way to adjust their immigration status,” they said.While the bishops affirmed “the nation’s right and responsibility to regulate immigration and protect its borders,” they said the U.S. “has continued to fail in its attempts to achieve comprehensive reform of our immigration policy.”“We should have the political and social will to establish and maintain an orderly immigration process while providing a place in the U.S. for those fleeing violence or severe economic hardship,” they said. The bishops called on Catholics in Ohio and all people of goodwill “to pray for America at 250 years and to reflect on our responsibility as citizens and followers of Jesus Christ.”")
The Senate is considering a House-passed bill that would designate Haiti for temporary protected status until 2029.
Catholics are invited to pray, reflect, and act on religious discrimination, education, immigration enforcement, Africa, gender ideology, political and anti-religious violence, and Nicaragua.
Catholic award recipient strengthens faith and service in Mountain Lakes #Catholic – 
Since she was a little girl, Barbara Bailey loved to sing in church.
“I was lucky because our church had a really good music director,” said Bailey, who grew up in the Reformed Church and is a convert to Catholicism. Today, Bailey plays piano and cantors at her parish, St. Catherine of Siena in Mountain Lakes, N.J. Bailey called music “a way to learn and a way to pray. It is fun and uplifting.”
Bailey is active in several ministries at St. Catherine’s, including co-leading the daytime Scripture study, singing in the St. Therese rosary prayer group, and serving as a parish trustee and member of the finance committee.
Last fall, the Paterson Diocese, N.J., recognized Bailey’s service, awarding her the Vivere Christus Est Award, which is presented annually by the bishop to members of the diocese for their service to the Church through their local parishes.
Faith was important to Bailey and her late husband, James Patrick, a Catholic, from the beginning of their marriage. Over time, Bailey became more interested in Catholicism.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“I really had the strong desire to receive communion and learn more about it,” said Bailey, who decided to convert to Catholicism in her 30s. She attended the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (now called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) with Father Thomas Mangieri, a former parochial vicar of St. Catherine’s, and friends on the ministry’s team. “I’ve been building on that ever since,” Bailey said.
The late Sister Bernadette Weller of the Society of Sisters of the Church, who ministered at St. Catherine’s for many years, supported Bailey on her journey of growth in the Church.
“Sister Bernadette was the first person who taught me that Vatican II was a direction for lay people, that their mission is to become holy. I think that is a pretty lofty goal, but it’s our responsibility to do what we can,” Bailey said.
Bailey encourages others to share their gifts and get involved in their parishes.
Through Sister Weller, a founder of the Society of the Sisters of the Church, Bailey became an associate of the order and is still active today.
Bailey draws strength from saints such as St. Michael and St. Therese the Little Flower. She is also inspired by stories of holy Catholics, such as American-born Jesuit Father Walter Cizek, who was held captive in Russia for more than 20 years in Siberian labor camps, including in solitary confinement.
A former pharmaceutical company employee and mother of two grown daughters, Bailey said that, as the years go by, her faith has become more important to her.
“I do not know how people could do anything without knowing that there’s hope and you can trust in God. It has really been very key throughout my whole life to try to follow that,” Bailey said.
– Since she was a little girl, Barbara Bailey loved to sing in church. “I was lucky because our church had a really good music director,” said Bailey, who grew up in the Reformed Church and is a convert to Catholicism. Today, Bailey plays piano and cantors at her parish, St. Catherine of Siena in Mountain Lakes, N.J. Bailey called music “a way to learn and a way to pray. It is fun and uplifting.” Bailey is active in several ministries at St. Catherine’s, including co-leading the daytime Scripture study, singing in the St. Therese rosary prayer group, and serving as
Rocket launches this week Tonight, Monday, June 22, according to tracking from Next Spaceflight, The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) plans to launch a Long March 7A rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site located in the South China Sea on the island of Hainan at 10:10 p.m. EDT. The payload has notContinue reading “SpaceX tests new vehicle, Swift gets a lift”
The post SpaceX tests new vehicle, Swift gets a lift appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![Pope Leo XIV to UN: To combat hunger, focus on humanity #Catholic Pope Leo XIV called on the United Nations (U.N.) to prioritize people in combating world hunger and said feeding the hungry is an essential part of peacemaking.The pontiff visited the headquarters of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on Monday. In his remarks, Leo emphasized the seriousness of world hunger, explaining that it often fuels other social challenges, particularly migration.“More than merely a humanitarian concern, hunger erodes social cohesion, heightens the risk of conflict, and fuels forced migration,” Leo said. “In effect, conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished. This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.”The pope also stressed the importance of multilateral collaboration, stating that each state shares co-responsibility to “recognize the inherent God-given dignity of every person.” He also encouraged secular governments to be open to collaborating with the Catholic Church to assist the most vulnerable, recognizing their fundamental human right to adequate food.“Access to adequate food is a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person,” Leo remarked.“The Catholic Church — through parishes, dioceses, Caritas agencies, and other faith-based initiatives — often reaches vulnerable populations in areas inaccessible to international actors. I therefore encourage the World Food Programme and its partners to continue supporting these efforts.”The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization was established in 1945 in response to widespread hunger and food insecurity worldwide following World War II. In his address, Leo XIV praised the progress of the organization’s mission while warning the U.N. about the dangers of a bureaucracy that slows the delivery of food assistance to disadvantaged populations.“Implementing this appeal [to fight hunger] effectively requires reducing unnecessary bureaucracy so that transparency and accountability serve people rather than impede assistance,” the pope said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pope-leo-xiv-to-un-to-combat-hunger-focus-on-humanity-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-called-on-the-united-nations-u-n-to-prioritize-people-in-combating-world-hunger-and-said-feeding-the-hungry-is-an-esse.jpg "Pope Leo XIV to UN: To combat hunger, focus on humanity #Catholic Pope Leo XIV called on the United Nations (U.N.) to prioritize people in combating world hunger and said feeding the hungry is an essential part of peacemaking.The pontiff visited the headquarters of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on Monday. In his remarks, Leo emphasized the seriousness of world hunger, explaining that it often fuels other social challenges, particularly migration.“More than merely a humanitarian concern, hunger erodes social cohesion, heightens the risk of conflict, and fuels forced migration,” Leo said. “In effect, conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished. This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.”The pope also stressed the importance of multilateral collaboration, stating that each state shares co-responsibility to “recognize the inherent God-given dignity of every person.” He also encouraged secular governments to be open to collaborating with the Catholic Church to assist the most vulnerable, recognizing their fundamental human right to adequate food.“Access to adequate food is a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person,” Leo remarked.“The Catholic Church — through parishes, dioceses, Caritas agencies, and other faith-based initiatives — often reaches vulnerable populations in areas inaccessible to international actors. I therefore encourage the World Food Programme and its partners to continue supporting these efforts.”The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization was established in 1945 in response to widespread hunger and food insecurity worldwide following World War II. In his address, Leo XIV praised the progress of the organization’s mission while warning the U.N. about the dangers of a bureaucracy that slows the delivery of food assistance to disadvantaged populations.“Implementing this appeal [to fight hunger] effectively requires reducing unnecessary bureaucracy so that transparency and accountability serve people rather than impede assistance,” the pope said.")
The pontiff visited the headquarters of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on June 22.
| Picture of the day |
|---|
_-_stained_glass,_sacristy,_Immaculate_Heart_detail.jpg)
|
|
An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on a stained-glass window located in a church in St. Peters, Missouri. Today is the feast day of the Immaculate Heart in the Roman Catholic Church.
|
As AI encroaches on sacred music, Catholics still hold true to Gregorian chant, a historical form of sacred music that is still alive today.
Father in Heaven,
when the Spirit came down upon Jesus
at His Baptism in the Jordan,
You revealed Him as Your own Beloved Son.
Keep me, Your child,
born of water and the Spirit,
faithful to my calling.
May I, who share in Your Life
as Your child through Baptism,
follow in Christ’s path of service to people.
Let me become one in His Sacrifice
and hear His Word with faith.
May I live as Your child,
following the example of Jesus.
PITTSBURGH, PA — Local company Stan’s Paper Mill proudly posted on X, formerly Twitter, a message celebrating Pride Month, apparently ignorant of the fact the year is no longer 2014.
Read MoreA reading from the Second Book of Kings
17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.
This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the Lord had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.
And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
“Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,”
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
The risk we run, the Lord says, is that we concentrate on looking at the speck in our brother’s eye without noticing the log that is in our own [eye] (cf. Lk 6:41). In other words, being very attentive to the faults of others, even those as small as a speck, serenely overlooking our own, according them little weight. What Jesus says is true: we always find reasons for blaming others and justifying ourselves. And very often we complain about things that are wrong in society, in the Church, in the world, without first questioning ourselves and without making an effort to change, first of all ourselves. (…)
If instead we acknowledge our own mistakes and our own flaws, the door of mercy opens up to us. And after looking within ourselves, Jesus invites us to look at others as he does — this is the secret, to look at others as he does — who does not look at evil first but at goodness. God looks at us in this way: he does not see irredeemable errors in us, but rather he sees children who make mistakes. It is a change in outlook: he does not focus on the mistakes, but on the children who make mistakes. God always distinguishes the person from his errors. He always saves the person. He always believes in the person and is always ready to forgive errors. We know that God always forgives. And he invites us to do likewise: not to look for evil in others, but the good. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 27 February 2022)
Read More
Twice-failed presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton jumped on the Democrat trend and posted a message about Juneteenth.
The post Hillary Clinton Savaged For Claiming Juneteenth is “America’s Second Independence Day” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
Kamala Harris celebrated Juneteenth on Friday by dancing through the halls of an elementary school and greeting young children. Harris was seen in a video prancing down the hallway to the tune of Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” stopping to hug and high-five children.
The post CRINGE: Kamala Harris Breaks Out in Dance at Elementary School on Juneteenth (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
Over 250 participants are currently in a relay run carrying the American flag across the country with plans to reach Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July.
The post 250 ‘Relay For America’ Runners Carrying US Flag All the Way Across the Country by July 4 for a Good Cause appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-lead-image-HARPERSFERRYWV0626-e6a2c217f45e4e6eb56cc28f72557487.jpg)
Stonehenge, the infamous stone circle on Salisbury Plain, U.K., dates to around 2500 B.C.E. The monument is aligned so that if you are standing at the center of the ring on the summer soltice (which can be June 20, 21, or 22), the Sun rises over the Heel Stone; solstice celebrations are believed to haveContinue reading “June 21, ca. 2500 BCE: Summering at Stonehenge”
The post June 21, ca. 2500 BCE: Summering at Stonehenge appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More
The pair spoke with EWTN News about how their faith inspires them to be men who make it their mission to love as Jesus loves, and about how they hope to inspire others to do the same.
![‘The Church needs her sons’: Catholic podcast hosts call men to embrace fatherhood and faith #Catholic Samuel Blair and Jason Angelette are two of the five hosts of “The Point Man Podcast,” a podcast for Catholic men. Together, alongside Chris Price, Clint Capdepon, and Drew Pearson, they are fathers and husbands who share their knowledge and experience about navigating life today as Catholic men and as leaders of their families.Blair, a father of four, and Angelette, a widowed father of five, explained that the podcast is aimed at fathers and focuses on how masculinity and the sacramental life can be integrated. Describing themselves as a “mic’d up men’s group,” they try to foster a community to help men realize they’re not alone and encourage one another in their walk with the Lord.Ahead of Father’s Day, EWTN News spoke to the two men about how masculinity is perceived in today’s culture, what authentic masculinity looks like, and why fatherhood is such an important vocation in the life of the Church.(Editorʼs note: This interview was edited for clarity and length.)EWTN News: “Toxic masculinity” is a term used a lot in todayʼs culture. How would you each define authentic Catholic masculinity?Angelette: Jesus Christ. Thatʼs authentic masculinity. Jesus Christ fully reveals man to himself in his most high calling … the more that we model, imitate, and walk in the footsteps of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we will radiate a loving walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ in showing what real masculinity looks like.He tells the story of the prodigal son, which is the greatest short story ever told of what happens when, in the face of a father who is humiliated by his son, his son abandoned him, took the money, squandered the inheritance, and just left this complete stain on the family name, and how does he respond to it? Or when you see the compassion and the mercy that he shows the woman who is literally caught in the very act of adultery. Or you see when he embraces Peter after heʼs denied him three times and he gives him three chances to redeem himself and to show that mercy and that kindness and that humility and that gentleness.The heart of a man is a heart that has been set on fire by the Lord Jesus and he loves with gentleness and humility, not weakness in a sense of [being passive], but meekness in the sense of responding to the will of the Father.Blair: At the end of the day, when we die, the Lord doesnʼt ask us, “All right, well let me see your bank account, let me see the titles.” Itʼs “How well did you love?” And you cannot love if you donʼt receive love, which is to Jasonʼs point, he said it very succinctly, is Jesus Christ — he is the way, the truth, and life. So, modeling our lives after him and in that offering not only our wife, our children, our community, stability, offering our strength, warmth, validation because weʼve received that validation and love from the Father.Angelette: Toxic masculinity is men who are fighting the wrong fight. Men who have embraced the wrong identity, men who have abused the gifts and talents that theyʼve been given for themselves and not for others and for the kingdom.
Samuel Blair, Jason Angelette, Chris Price, Clint Capdepon, and Drew Pearson film an episode of “The Point Man Podcast.” | Credit: Studio 7 at The Reminding
Why is fatherhood such an important vocation in the life of the Church?Angelette: John Paul II, who wrote a play — he wrote five plays — and his last one was called “Radiation of Fatherhood.” And I feel like part of the gift of fatherhood is to radiate the fatherhood of God into the world and to our children.That is this beautiful gift that weʼve been given to participate in this way that God wants to reveal himself through us. Heʼs allowing us to participate — and not act like him, but to love like him, to love with a love like his.So as men, as husbands, as fathers, thereʼs this ability that through this masculine heart, this male heart, through this fatherhood, that we can love and reveal the love of God, the love of the father into the world.Satan hates that. I mean, the thing that destroys families is when fathers have abandoned their post and they leave. Look at the statistics of what happens when a father is not embracing his responsibility as the first herald of the faith, to lead their family in faith, and how hard it is for the faith to be passed on to the next generation.For Fatherʼs Day, what message would you like to share with fathers?Blair: Fathers, know that you’re unconditionally loved by God the Father and that the prodigal son points to that. And whether youʼre the younger son or the older son, he has this great inheritance for his boys, his sons.Not only should we enter into a relationship with Jesus for our own sake but for our wives, for our children, and ultimately the Church. The Church needs her sons fully engaged. Gone are the days you can just be on the sidelines.Angelette: You hear all the time that God loves you and unless youʼre drawing near to the Father, that just sounds like words. So, just avail yourself to really draw into prayer, to the sacraments, to connect with other men in Christ to not walk this road alone.If you want your heart on fire, draw near to the Sacred Heart and let his fire, let the heart of Christ, ignite your heart to the love that weʼre called to so we can truly love our families, truly love our children, and love our wives, and be the man that we know in our heart we want to be and that weʼre being called to be.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/the-church-needs-her-sons-catholic-podcast-hosts-call-men-to-embrace-fatherhood-and-faith-catholic-samuel-blair-and-jason-angelette-are-two-of-the-five-hosts-of-the-point.png)
Samuel Blair and Jason Angelette are fathers and husbands who share their knowledge and experiences on navigating life as Catholic men and leaders of their families on “The Point Man Podcast.”
At the Angelus, the pope urged the faithful to make room for silence before God and said “no one can turn a blind eye” to refugees seeking safety.
