Pope Leo XIV erected the Diocese of Joypurhat on March 25, appointing Father Paul Gomes as first bishop of a region whose Catholics are largely Indigenous.
![California grandmother aims for 10,000 signatures on petition against second-trimester abortions #Catholic Mary Waldorf didn’t know anything about organizing petitions, but when a hospital worker and fellow parishioner told her that staff were forced to participate in second-trimester abortions, she felt called to do something.Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California, about 80 miles north of Sacramento, is the primary hospital in the area.“It’s the only hospital in a huge county. We all have to use it,” Waldorf told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”Waldorf still remembers how she felt the day she found out about the abortions being performed there.“I spent the rest of the day just bawling because I know what a second-trimester abortion is,” she said.“Everybody was shocked,” she added.Waldorf went with a small group to peacefully protest in front of the hospital, holding signs. Hospital staff approached, asking why they were there.“They didn’t even know” about the later-term abortions being performed at the facility, Waldorf said.Waldorf claimed that local media will not cover the controversy. She said she has sent several letters to the editor of local papers but described the situation as a “media blackout.”A pediatrician at the hospital told her the hospital administration might reconsider if there was enough concern. “Why she told me, God only knows,” Waldorf said. “But I thought, well, if that’s the case, then what if we do a petition?”“I’m just somebody who goes to church, has grandkids, goes to work — I don’t know how to do [a petition],” she told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.” “I am not a media [figure]. But when God gives you an opportunity, you got to go for it.”The petition had about 800 signatures as of March 27. Waldorf is aiming for 10,000 — 10% of the size of the town.Waldorf said staff members have told her that the hospital allegedly has refused to allow some medical workers to opt out of assisting with abortion procedures.“They were told that the pre-op and the post-op nurses and personnel could not opt out,” Waldorf said.Waldorf runs a local chapter of 40 Days for Life, a nationwide effort aimed at praying for women seeking abortions and for their children, usually in front of abortion clinics during Lent. She says she wants women to have “true choice.”“If the mindset of people is about death, they don’t consider the child — and you have to consider both,” Waldorf said. “They’re not counseling these women. What about giving them true choice?”“The dignity of the human person is so paramount,” Waldorf added. “And I think that that is what’s being lost here completely.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/california-grandmother-aims-for-10000-signatures-on-petition-against-second-trimester-abortions-catholic-mary-waldorf-didnt-know-anything-about-organizing-petitions-but-when-a-hospital-wor-scaled.png "California grandmother aims for 10,000 signatures on petition against second-trimester abortions #Catholic Mary Waldorf didn’t know anything about organizing petitions, but when a hospital worker and fellow parishioner told her that staff were forced to participate in second-trimester abortions, she felt called to do something.Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California, about 80 miles north of Sacramento, is the primary hospital in the area.“It’s the only hospital in a huge county. We all have to use it,” Waldorf told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”Waldorf still remembers how she felt the day she found out about the abortions being performed there.“I spent the rest of the day just bawling because I know what a second-trimester abortion is,” she said.“Everybody was shocked,” she added.Waldorf went with a small group to peacefully protest in front of the hospital, holding signs. Hospital staff approached, asking why they were there.“They didn’t even know” about the later-term abortions being performed at the facility, Waldorf said.Waldorf claimed that local media will not cover the controversy. She said she has sent several letters to the editor of local papers but described the situation as a “media blackout.”A pediatrician at the hospital told her the hospital administration might reconsider if there was enough concern. “Why she told me, God only knows,” Waldorf said. “But I thought, well, if that’s the case, then what if we do a petition?”“I’m just somebody who goes to church, has grandkids, goes to work — I don’t know how to do [a petition],” she told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.” “I am not a media [figure]. But when God gives you an opportunity, you got to go for it.”The petition had about 800 signatures as of March 27. Waldorf is aiming for 10,000 — 10% of the size of the town.Waldorf said staff members have told her that the hospital allegedly has refused to allow some medical workers to opt out of assisting with abortion procedures.“They were told that the pre-op and the post-op nurses and personnel could not opt out,” Waldorf said.Waldorf runs a local chapter of 40 Days for Life, a nationwide effort aimed at praying for women seeking abortions and for their children, usually in front of abortion clinics during Lent. She says she wants women to have “true choice.”“If the mindset of people is about death, they don’t consider the child — and you have to consider both,” Waldorf said. “They’re not counseling these women. What about giving them true choice?”“The dignity of the human person is so paramount,” Waldorf added. “And I think that that is what’s being lost here completely.”")
Mary Waldorf is rallying her town to petition against second-trimester abortions offered by Enloe Medical Center.
The Orion Crew Survival System suits that Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will wear on the Artemis II test flight are seen in the suit-up room of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Read More![West Milford recognizes St. Joseph for ‘trust in God’ #Catholic - On March 18, St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., held a Vigil Mass, celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, to mark the feast day of its patron, St. Joseph. Although the universal Church celebrates St. Joseph’s feast day on March 19, the parish observed it the evening before. During the Mass, the bishop censed a statue of St. Joseph.
Father Jakub Grzybowski, pastor of St. Joseph’s, concelebrated the liturgy with several priests with Bishop Sweeney. Serving as master of ceremonies was Father Jared Brogan, who directs the Worship Office for the Paterson Diocese. Deacon Stephen McKenzie of St. Joseph’s assisted with the Mass, and the Knights of Columbus participated as well.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
St. Joseph Parish honored its patron on social media, describing him as “a model of quiet strength, faithful service, and trust in God” on his feast day, March 19. As the guardian of the Holy Family, St. Joseph, they wrote, “reminds us that holiness is often found in humble, everyday acts of love and responsibility. Through his intercession, they asked that their parish family grow in faith, courage, and devotion to Christ: St. Joseph, pray for us.”
St. Joseph’s is the oldest Catholic community in the diocese and in New Jersey.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/west-milford-recognizes-st-joseph-for-trust-in-god-catholic-on-march-18-st-joseph-parish-in-west-milford-n-j-held-a-vigil-mass-celebrated-by-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-to-mar.jpg)
West Milford recognizes St. Joseph for ‘trust in God’ #Catholic – 
On March 18, St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., held a Vigil Mass, celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, to mark the feast day of its patron, St. Joseph. Although the universal Church celebrates St. Joseph’s feast day on March 19, the parish observed it the evening before. During the Mass, the bishop censed a statue of St. Joseph.
Father Jakub Grzybowski, pastor of St. Joseph’s, concelebrated the liturgy with several priests with Bishop Sweeney. Serving as master of ceremonies was Father Jared Brogan, who directs the Worship Office for the Paterson Diocese. Deacon Stephen McKenzie of St. Joseph’s assisted with the Mass, and the Knights of Columbus participated as well.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
St. Joseph Parish honored its patron on social media, describing him as “a model of quiet strength, faithful service, and trust in God” on his feast day, March 19. As the guardian of the Holy Family, St. Joseph, they wrote, “reminds us that holiness is often found in humble, everyday acts of love and responsibility. Through his intercession, they asked that their parish family grow in faith, courage, and devotion to Christ: St. Joseph, pray for us.”
St. Joseph’s is the oldest Catholic community in the diocese and in New Jersey.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– On March 18, St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., held a Vigil Mass, celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, to mark the feast day of its patron, St. Joseph. Although the universal Church celebrates St. Joseph’s feast day on March 19, the parish observed it the evening before. During the Mass, the bishop censed a statue of St. Joseph. Father Jakub Grzybowski, pastor of St. Joseph’s, concelebrated the liturgy with several priests with Bishop Sweeney. Serving as master of ceremonies was Father Jared Brogan, who directs the Worship Office for the Paterson Diocese. Deacon Stephen McKenzie of St. Joseph’s