Day: April 9, 2026

Gospel and Word of the Day – 10 April 2026 – A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles Acts 4:1-12 After the crippled man had been cured, while Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They laid hands on Peter and John and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word came to believe and the number of men grew to about five thousand. On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class. They brought them into their presence and questioned them, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them, "Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."From the Gosple according to John 21:1-14 Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught." So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.In that exclamation: “It is the Lord!”, there is all the enthusiasm of the Paschal faith, full of joy and wonder, which sharply contrasts with the disappearance, the dejection, the sense of powerlessness that had accumulated in the disciples’ hearts. The presence of the Risen Jesus transforms everything: darkness has become light, futile work has again become fruitful and promising, the sense of weariness and abandonment give way to a new impetus and to the certainty that He is with us. From that time, these same sentiments enliven the Church, the Community of the Risen One. All of us are the community of the Risen One! At first glance it might sometimes seem that the darkness of evil and the toil of daily living have got the upper hand, the Church knows with certainty that the now everlasting light of Easter shines upon those who follow the Lord Jesus. The great message of the Resurrection instills in the hearts of believers profound joy and invincible hope. Christ is truly risen! (Pope Francis – Regina caeli, 10 April 2016)

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A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 4:1-12

After the crippled man had been cured,
while Peter and John were still speaking to the people,
the priests, the captain of the temple guard,
and the Sadducees confronted them,
disturbed that they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
They laid hands on Peter and John
and put them in custody until the next day,
since it was already evening.
But many of those who heard the word came to believe
and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes
were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest,
Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and all who were of the high-priestly class.
They brought them into their presence and questioned them,
"By what power or by what name have you done this?"
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them,
"Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

From the Gosple according to John
21:1-14

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

In that exclamation: “It is the Lord!”, there is all the enthusiasm of the Paschal faith, full of joy and wonder, which sharply contrasts with the disappearance, the dejection, the sense of powerlessness that had accumulated in the disciples’ hearts. The presence of the Risen Jesus transforms everything: darkness has become light, futile work has again become fruitful and promising, the sense of weariness and abandonment give way to a new impetus and to the certainty that He is with us. From that time, these same sentiments enliven the Church, the Community of the Risen One. All of us are the community of the Risen One! At first glance it might sometimes seem that the darkness of evil and the toil of daily living have got the upper hand, the Church knows with certainty that the now everlasting light of Easter shines upon those who follow the Lord Jesus. The great message of the Resurrection instills in the hearts of believers profound joy and invincible hope. Christ is truly risen! (Pope Francis – Regina caeli, 10 April 2016)

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Priest with Padre Pio connection leads special healing service #Catholic – Father Pio Mandato, a Franciscan priest from Pennsylvania who personally knew St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, will lead a one-of-a-kind Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service on Monday, April 20, at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J., starting at 5 p.m. The evening will include a conference about experiencing God’s love, followed by a healing service with individual prayer and a blessing with St. Pio’s glove. At 5 p.m., the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available with Father Mandato. The rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed during this time. The Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will occur at 6:30 p.m., followed by a conference about “How can we experience God’s love?” by Father Mandato. He will also reflect on the life and spirituality of Padre Pio. A healing service will take place after Father Mandato’s talk. Everyone will be invited to come forward for individual healing prayer, including the blessing with St. Pio’s glove. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “This Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service will be a meaningful opportunity not only for our parishioners, but for the wider community as well, especially for those seeking spiritual renewal, prayer, and healing,” said Father Matthew Kranc, pastor of St. Rose. “All are warmly invited to attend this special evening of prayer, reflection, and healing,” he said. St. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy. He became a Capuchin Franciscan priest known for his deep prayer life, spiritual wisdom, and extraordinary mystical gifts. Among the most remarkable of these gifts was the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ, which he bore in his hands, feet, and side for more than 50 years. St. Padre Pio died on Sept. 23, 1968, and was canonized by St. Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. Today, he is remembered as a powerful intercessor and a witness to God’s mercy and love. Father Mandato is a Franciscan priest living as a missionary hermit. Born in Italy, he and his brother, Vincenzo, received their First Holy Communion from St. Padre Pio before coming to the United States. He later grew up in New Jersey and entered the Capuchin Franciscans at age 17. Ordained to the priesthood in 1985, Father Mandato was accepted into the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania in 1998. Today, he lives a life dedicated to solitude, prayer, and intercession. He also serves as chaplain to the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth and assists in preaching missions. Information: call St. Rose of Lima at 973-887-5572.
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Priest with Padre Pio connection leads special healing service #Catholic – Father Pio Mandato, a Franciscan priest from Pennsylvania who personally knew St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, will lead a one-of-a-kind Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service on Monday, April 20, at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J., starting at 5 p.m. The evening will include a conference about experiencing God’s love, followed by a healing service with individual prayer and a blessing with St. Pio’s glove. At 5 p.m., the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available with Father Mandato. The rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed during this time. The Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will occur at 6:30 p.m., followed by a conference about “How can we experience God’s love?” by Father Mandato. He will also reflect on the life and spirituality of Padre Pio. A healing service will take place after Father Mandato’s talk. Everyone will be invited to come forward for individual healing prayer, including the blessing with St. Pio’s glove. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “This Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service will be a meaningful opportunity not only for our parishioners, but for the wider community as well, especially for those seeking spiritual renewal, prayer, and healing,” said Father Matthew Kranc, pastor of St. Rose. “All are warmly invited to attend this special evening of prayer, reflection, and healing,” he said. St. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy. He became a Capuchin Franciscan priest known for his deep prayer life, spiritual wisdom, and extraordinary mystical gifts. Among the most remarkable of these gifts was the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ, which he bore in his hands, feet, and side for more than 50 years. St. Padre Pio died on Sept. 23, 1968, and was canonized by St. Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. Today, he is remembered as a powerful intercessor and a witness to God’s mercy and love. Father Mandato is a Franciscan priest living as a missionary hermit. Born in Italy, he and his brother, Vincenzo, received their First Holy Communion from St. Padre Pio before coming to the United States. He later grew up in New Jersey and entered the Capuchin Franciscans at age 17. Ordained to the priesthood in 1985, Father Mandato was accepted into the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania in 1998. Today, he lives a life dedicated to solitude, prayer, and intercession. He also serves as chaplain to the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth and assists in preaching missions. Information: call St. Rose of Lima at 973-887-5572.

unitedyam

Priest with Padre Pio connection leads special healing service #Catholic –

Father Pio Mandato, a Franciscan priest from Pennsylvania who personally knew St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, will lead a one-of-a-kind Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service on Monday, April 20, at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J., starting at 5 p.m. The evening will include a conference about experiencing God’s love, followed by a healing service with individual prayer and a blessing with St. Pio’s glove.

At 5 p.m., the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available with Father Mandato. The rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed during this time. The Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will occur at 6:30 p.m., followed by a conference about “How can we experience God’s love?” by Father Mandato. He will also reflect on the life and spirituality of Padre Pio.

A healing service will take place after Father Mandato’s talk. Everyone will be invited to come forward for individual healing prayer, including the blessing with St. Pio’s glove.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“This Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service will be a meaningful opportunity not only for our parishioners, but for the wider community as well, especially for those seeking spiritual renewal, prayer, and healing,” said Father Matthew Kranc, pastor of St. Rose. “All are warmly invited to attend this special evening of prayer, reflection, and healing,” he said.

St. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy. He became a Capuchin Franciscan priest known for his deep prayer life, spiritual wisdom, and extraordinary mystical gifts. Among the most remarkable of these gifts was the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ, which he bore in his hands, feet, and side for more than 50 years.

St. Padre Pio died on Sept. 23, 1968, and was canonized by St. Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. Today, he is remembered as a powerful intercessor and a witness to God’s mercy and love.

Father Mandato is a Franciscan priest living as a missionary hermit. Born in Italy, he and his brother, Vincenzo, received their First Holy Communion from St. Padre Pio before coming to the United States. He later grew up in New Jersey and entered the Capuchin Franciscans at age 17.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1985, Father Mandato was accepted into the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania in 1998. Today, he lives a life dedicated to solitude, prayer, and intercession. He also serves as chaplain to the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth and assists in preaching missions.

Information: call St. Rose of Lima at 973-887-5572.

– Father Pio Mandato, a Franciscan priest from Pennsylvania who personally knew St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, will lead a one-of-a-kind Padre Pio Conference and Healing Service on Monday, April 20, at St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, N.J., starting at 5 p.m. The evening will include a conference about experiencing God’s love, followed by a healing service with individual prayer and a blessing with St. Pio’s glove. At 5 p.m., the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available with Father Mandato. The rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed during this time. The Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

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Educators must help heal the human heart, especially in youth, bishop says in NCEA keynote #Catholic – MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — Too many people have wounded hearts, and it is the job of Catholic educators to help heal them, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston said April 7 in a keynote opening the National Catholic Educational Association convention. NCEA 2026 marked the first time in 17 years the conference was held in Minneapolis. Catholic and religious educators from around the country gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to exchange ideas and research related to education. Steven Cheeseman, president and CEO of the NCEA, helped welcome about 3,800 educators to the April 7-9 conference. He said what people learn at the 2026 conference is not meant to remain in a notebook, but is meant “to be lived, meant to be implemented. It’s meant to be shared.” Bishop Cozzens stressed that like a spiritual director or pastor, a Catholic educator’s vocation is rooted in helping heal the heart. He shared a video recording of the singer Gracie Abrams during one of her concerts, singing her introspective song “Camden.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The video, Bishop Cozzens pointed out, showed a young woman who is talented, beautiful, successful and “seems to have everything going for her,” he said. But the lyrics Abrams sings speak to someone who is experiencing sorrow. “The poetry that she sings about expresses the depth of pain that she carries in her heart, and what’s even more clear is that it resonates with tens of thousands of people in the stadium all her same age,” Bishop Cozzens said. “Many people in the stadium also feel like singing … . Brother(s), sisters, this is the height of popular culture. This is what our young people are singing about, the gaping wounds in their hearts.” A great evil that comes from social media, Bishop Cozzens said, is that a person’s value comes from their social media likes, and their identity is tied to how they are seen. At the center of his life, Bishop Cozzens said, are three words: relationship, identity and mission. The order is important, he said. “The most fundamental thing in any person’s life is their relationship, and my identity comes from my relationship,” Bishop Cozzens said. “I’m meant to know who I am, and I’m meant to experience my goodness, because I know I am loved by God. And then my mission comes from my identity. The problem is we get the order all messed up. We learn to take our identity from what we do, not from who we are. We start to take our value from our success and what other people think of us.” Artificial intelligence can’t help heal the human heart, Bishop Cozzens said. Neither can technology, popular culture or politics. “In fact, it seems to be making it worse,” he said. Bishop Cozzens asked, “How can we speak to that wound in their hearts?” “Brothers and sisters, this is why Jesus came,” Bishop Cozzens said. “He cares about those tens of thousands of people in that stadium. He wants to speak to the wound in their hearts. He understands that wound because he created the human heart, and he knows why it’s wounded. He has an answer for it. In fact, brothers and sisters, this is why he opened his own heart.” It is the job of Catholic educators to invite people to let their hearts be healed by an encounter with the heart of Christ, the one who reveals what it means to be human, the “God who became human to heal our humanity,” Bishop Cozzens said. Bishop Cozzens said his talk was inspired by a quote from Pope Leo XIV when he spoke to Catholic educators in October 2025 during the Jubilee of the World of Education. Bishop Cozzens said Catholic educators need to know the truth of their own hearts in encounters with the Lord to be able to invite other people to encounter Christ. “This first must begin with you,” Bishop Cozzens told the crowd. “(The heart) is the place where our deepest longings live, our deepest hopes live, and also our deepest fears. It’s the place where we are meant to know ourselves. “It can be the place where we love ourselves or the place where we experience shame or even embarrassment. … It can be the place of truth, where we see our dignity, who God created us to be, but it can also be the place where lies live about myself, half-truths, and based on how my heart is, what I believe about myself.” Bishop Cozzens said there are three practical steps to teach young people that might lead to the healing of their hearts. The first is to understand that hearts are broken. The second is to open young people to the truth that love can heal their hearts. The third is to teach that “when their hearts are healed, they’ll find joy in making a gift of themselves,” Bishop Cozzens said. Our hearts, Bishop Cozzens explained, are broken because they are affected by sin. “Healing of the human heart has to happen by experience and it happens primarily through the experience of being loved,” Bishop Cozzens said. “We call it mercy: unearned love. It restores. It regenerates. It reveals the truth about ourselves. This is the love that our young people are longing for, that you and I are longing for, and that God is longing to give.” To be redeemed is to discover “that I am loved, to discover my own value, because God found me valuable, and thinks I’m valuable, valuable enough to die for,” Bishop Cozzens said. “You have the opportunity to teach your young people the value of their hearts,” Bishop Cozzens said. Josh McGovern is a reporter at The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
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Educators must help heal the human heart, especially in youth, bishop says in NCEA keynote #Catholic – MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — Too many people have wounded hearts, and it is the job of Catholic educators to help heal them, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston said April 7 in a keynote opening the National Catholic Educational Association convention. NCEA 2026 marked the first time in 17 years the conference was held in Minneapolis. Catholic and religious educators from around the country gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to exchange ideas and research related to education. Steven Cheeseman, president and CEO of the NCEA, helped welcome about 3,800 educators to the April 7-9 conference. He said what people learn at the 2026 conference is not meant to remain in a notebook, but is meant “to be lived, meant to be implemented. It’s meant to be shared.” Bishop Cozzens stressed that like a spiritual director or pastor, a Catholic educator’s vocation is rooted in helping heal the heart. He shared a video recording of the singer Gracie Abrams during one of her concerts, singing her introspective song “Camden.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The video, Bishop Cozzens pointed out, showed a young woman who is talented, beautiful, successful and “seems to have everything going for her,” he said. But the lyrics Abrams sings speak to someone who is experiencing sorrow. “The poetry that she sings about expresses the depth of pain that she carries in her heart, and what’s even more clear is that it resonates with tens of thousands of people in the stadium all her same age,” Bishop Cozzens said. “Many people in the stadium also feel like singing … . Brother(s), sisters, this is the height of popular culture. This is what our young people are singing about, the gaping wounds in their hearts.” A great evil that comes from social media, Bishop Cozzens said, is that a person’s value comes from their social media likes, and their identity is tied to how they are seen. At the center of his life, Bishop Cozzens said, are three words: relationship, identity and mission. The order is important, he said. “The most fundamental thing in any person’s life is their relationship, and my identity comes from my relationship,” Bishop Cozzens said. “I’m meant to know who I am, and I’m meant to experience my goodness, because I know I am loved by God. And then my mission comes from my identity. The problem is we get the order all messed up. We learn to take our identity from what we do, not from who we are. We start to take our value from our success and what other people think of us.” Artificial intelligence can’t help heal the human heart, Bishop Cozzens said. Neither can technology, popular culture or politics. “In fact, it seems to be making it worse,” he said. Bishop Cozzens asked, “How can we speak to that wound in their hearts?” “Brothers and sisters, this is why Jesus came,” Bishop Cozzens said. “He cares about those tens of thousands of people in that stadium. He wants to speak to the wound in their hearts. He understands that wound because he created the human heart, and he knows why it’s wounded. He has an answer for it. In fact, brothers and sisters, this is why he opened his own heart.” It is the job of Catholic educators to invite people to let their hearts be healed by an encounter with the heart of Christ, the one who reveals what it means to be human, the “God who became human to heal our humanity,” Bishop Cozzens said. Bishop Cozzens said his talk was inspired by a quote from Pope Leo XIV when he spoke to Catholic educators in October 2025 during the Jubilee of the World of Education. Bishop Cozzens said Catholic educators need to know the truth of their own hearts in encounters with the Lord to be able to invite other people to encounter Christ. “This first must begin with you,” Bishop Cozzens told the crowd. “(The heart) is the place where our deepest longings live, our deepest hopes live, and also our deepest fears. It’s the place where we are meant to know ourselves. “It can be the place where we love ourselves or the place where we experience shame or even embarrassment. … It can be the place of truth, where we see our dignity, who God created us to be, but it can also be the place where lies live about myself, half-truths, and based on how my heart is, what I believe about myself.” Bishop Cozzens said there are three practical steps to teach young people that might lead to the healing of their hearts. The first is to understand that hearts are broken. The second is to open young people to the truth that love can heal their hearts. The third is to teach that “when their hearts are healed, they’ll find joy in making a gift of themselves,” Bishop Cozzens said. Our hearts, Bishop Cozzens explained, are broken because they are affected by sin. “Healing of the human heart has to happen by experience and it happens primarily through the experience of being loved,” Bishop Cozzens said. “We call it mercy: unearned love. It restores. It regenerates. It reveals the truth about ourselves. This is the love that our young people are longing for, that you and I are longing for, and that God is longing to give.” To be redeemed is to discover “that I am loved, to discover my own value, because God found me valuable, and thinks I’m valuable, valuable enough to die for,” Bishop Cozzens said. “You have the opportunity to teach your young people the value of their hearts,” Bishop Cozzens said. Josh McGovern is a reporter at The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

unitedyam

Educators must help heal the human heart, especially in youth, bishop says in NCEA keynote #Catholic –

MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — Too many people have wounded hearts, and it is the job of Catholic educators to help heal them, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston said April 7 in a keynote opening the National Catholic Educational Association convention.

NCEA 2026 marked the first time in 17 years the conference was held in Minneapolis. Catholic and religious educators from around the country gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to exchange ideas and research related to education.

Steven Cheeseman, president and CEO of the NCEA, helped welcome about 3,800 educators to the April 7-9 conference. He said what people learn at the 2026 conference is not meant to remain in a notebook, but is meant “to be lived, meant to be implemented. It’s meant to be shared.”

Bishop Cozzens stressed that like a spiritual director or pastor, a Catholic educator’s vocation is rooted in helping heal the heart. He shared a video recording of the singer Gracie Abrams during one of her concerts, singing her introspective song “Camden.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The video, Bishop Cozzens pointed out, showed a young woman who is talented, beautiful, successful and “seems to have everything going for her,” he said. But the lyrics Abrams sings speak to someone who is experiencing sorrow.

“The poetry that she sings about expresses the depth of pain that she carries in her heart, and what’s even more clear is that it resonates with tens of thousands of people in the stadium all her same age,” Bishop Cozzens said. “Many people in the stadium also feel like singing … . Brother(s), sisters, this is the height of popular culture. This is what our young people are singing about, the gaping wounds in their hearts.”

A great evil that comes from social media, Bishop Cozzens said, is that a person’s value comes from their social media likes, and their identity is tied to how they are seen. At the center of his life, Bishop Cozzens said, are three words: relationship, identity and mission. The order is important, he said.

“The most fundamental thing in any person’s life is their relationship, and my identity comes from my relationship,” Bishop Cozzens said. “I’m meant to know who I am, and I’m meant to experience my goodness, because I know I am loved by God. And then my mission comes from my identity. The problem is we get the order all messed up. We learn to take our identity from what we do, not from who we are. We start to take our value from our success and what other people think of us.”

Artificial intelligence can’t help heal the human heart, Bishop Cozzens said. Neither can technology, popular culture or politics. “In fact, it seems to be making it worse,” he said.

Bishop Cozzens asked, “How can we speak to that wound in their hearts?”

“Brothers and sisters, this is why Jesus came,” Bishop Cozzens said. “He cares about those tens of thousands of people in that stadium. He wants to speak to the wound in their hearts. He understands that wound because he created the human heart, and he knows why it’s wounded. He has an answer for it. In fact, brothers and sisters, this is why he opened his own heart.”

It is the job of Catholic educators to invite people to let their hearts be healed by an encounter with the heart of Christ, the one who reveals what it means to be human, the “God who became human to heal our humanity,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Bishop Cozzens said his talk was inspired by a quote from Pope Leo XIV when he spoke to Catholic educators in October 2025 during the Jubilee of the World of Education. Bishop Cozzens said Catholic educators need to know the truth of their own hearts in encounters with the Lord to be able to invite other people to encounter Christ.

“This first must begin with you,” Bishop Cozzens told the crowd. “(The heart) is the place where our deepest longings live, our deepest hopes live, and also our deepest fears. It’s the place where we are meant to know ourselves.

“It can be the place where we love ourselves or the place where we experience shame or even embarrassment. … It can be the place of truth, where we see our dignity, who God created us to be, but it can also be the place where lies live about myself, half-truths, and based on how my heart is, what I believe about myself.”

Bishop Cozzens said there are three practical steps to teach young people that might lead to the healing of their hearts. The first is to understand that hearts are broken. The second is to open young people to the truth that love can heal their hearts. The third is to teach that “when their hearts are healed, they’ll find joy in making a gift of themselves,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Our hearts, Bishop Cozzens explained, are broken because they are affected by sin.

“Healing of the human heart has to happen by experience and it happens primarily through the experience of being loved,” Bishop Cozzens said. “We call it mercy: unearned love. It restores. It regenerates. It reveals the truth about ourselves. This is the love that our young people are longing for, that you and I are longing for, and that God is longing to give.”

To be redeemed is to discover “that I am loved, to discover my own value, because God found me valuable, and thinks I’m valuable, valuable enough to die for,” Bishop Cozzens said.

“You have the opportunity to teach your young people the value of their hearts,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Josh McGovern is a reporter at The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

– MINNEAPOLIS (OSV News) — Too many people have wounded hearts, and it is the job of Catholic educators to help heal them, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston said April 7 in a keynote opening the National Catholic Educational Association convention. NCEA 2026 marked the first time in 17 years the conference was held in Minneapolis. Catholic and religious educators from around the country gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to exchange ideas and research related to education. Steven Cheeseman, president and CEO of the NCEA, helped welcome about 3,800 educators to the April 7-9 conference. He said what people

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Vatican aid convoy in Lebanon caught in crossfire as Church relief effort is forced back #Catholic A Vatican humanitarian convoy carrying the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, was forced to turn back Tuesday, April 7, after becoming trapped in heavy crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.“The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel was intense. We waited a long time three kilometers from the village while hearing gunfire and explosions, but we could not continue and had to suspend the mission,” Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont, general director of l’Oeuvre d’Orient, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.De Woillemont traveled to Lebanon as a representative of the French Catholic aid organization and of the Church in France “to celebrate Easter, to show support and friendship, and also to thank Christians for their witness.”Although the convoy was under the protection of soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, he said “security conditions were not sufficient for us to carry out our visit or deliver the aid, which was a great disappointment for the Christians we wanted to visit.”The aid was headed to Debel, a village just over a mile from the southern border with Israel in the Maronite Diocese of Tyre, where nearly 10,000 Christians live in about 20 parishes.Residents there remain under an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, but many Lebanese Christians have chosen to stay in their homes.“That is why we wanted to bring a truck of humanitarian aid and, above all, to show our friendship and closeness to the Christians there,” De Woillemont said.The region south of the Litani River makes up about 15% of Lebanese territory. Christian communities there are trying to remain in their villages despite the threat of Israeli annexation, and their situation reflects the long-standing vulnerability of Lebanon’s Maronite Christians, who often bear some of the conflict’s heaviest consequences.L’Oeuvre d’Orient has distributed tons of humanitarian aid throughout Lebanon, but De Woillemont said the group, like other humanitarian and religious organizations, is reaching its limits.“The situation is untenable,” he said.The convoy he joined was the seventh sent to villages in southern Lebanon.“We are determined to return as soon as conditions allow,” he said, while praising the courage and resilience of Christians in the land once walked by Christ.On Wednesday, De Woillemont was able to visit three other villages with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, where they delivered 30 tons of humanitarian assistance — mainly food and hygiene kits — without incident.“We were able to show our support and admiration for those who remain in their homes,” he said.“For us it was a moment to measure up close the restrictions and dangers they — the living stones — experience every day,” he added after spending another night listening to the sound of detonations.He said that in recent hours, the fall of about 100 Israeli projectiles in just 10 minutes overwhelmed hospitals and makeshift shelters.“Recent Israeli bombings have affected more than 100 cities, causing more than 100 deaths and 800 injuries, including in Beirut. The situation is terrible and requires urgent help,” De Woillemont said, lamenting that the ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Lebanon.Lebanon is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with 1.2 million internally displaced persons — about 20% of the country’s population of 5.5 million.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Vatican aid convoy in Lebanon caught in crossfire as Church relief effort is forced back #Catholic A Vatican humanitarian convoy carrying the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, was forced to turn back Tuesday, April 7, after becoming trapped in heavy crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.“The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel was intense. We waited a long time three kilometers from the village while hearing gunfire and explosions, but we could not continue and had to suspend the mission,” Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont, general director of l’Oeuvre d’Orient, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.De Woillemont traveled to Lebanon as a representative of the French Catholic aid organization and of the Church in France “to celebrate Easter, to show support and friendship, and also to thank Christians for their witness.”Although the convoy was under the protection of soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, he said “security conditions were not sufficient for us to carry out our visit or deliver the aid, which was a great disappointment for the Christians we wanted to visit.”The aid was headed to Debel, a village just over a mile from the southern border with Israel in the Maronite Diocese of Tyre, where nearly 10,000 Christians live in about 20 parishes.Residents there remain under an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, but many Lebanese Christians have chosen to stay in their homes.“That is why we wanted to bring a truck of humanitarian aid and, above all, to show our friendship and closeness to the Christians there,” De Woillemont said.The region south of the Litani River makes up about 15% of Lebanese territory. Christian communities there are trying to remain in their villages despite the threat of Israeli annexation, and their situation reflects the long-standing vulnerability of Lebanon’s Maronite Christians, who often bear some of the conflict’s heaviest consequences.L’Oeuvre d’Orient has distributed tons of humanitarian aid throughout Lebanon, but De Woillemont said the group, like other humanitarian and religious organizations, is reaching its limits.“The situation is untenable,” he said.The convoy he joined was the seventh sent to villages in southern Lebanon.“We are determined to return as soon as conditions allow,” he said, while praising the courage and resilience of Christians in the land once walked by Christ.On Wednesday, De Woillemont was able to visit three other villages with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, where they delivered 30 tons of humanitarian assistance — mainly food and hygiene kits — without incident.“We were able to show our support and admiration for those who remain in their homes,” he said.“For us it was a moment to measure up close the restrictions and dangers they — the living stones — experience every day,” he added after spending another night listening to the sound of detonations.He said that in recent hours, the fall of about 100 Israeli projectiles in just 10 minutes overwhelmed hospitals and makeshift shelters.“Recent Israeli bombings have affected more than 100 cities, causing more than 100 deaths and 800 injuries, including in Beirut. The situation is terrible and requires urgent help,” De Woillemont said, lamenting that the ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Lebanon.Lebanon is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with 1.2 million internally displaced persons — about 20% of the country’s population of 5.5 million.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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A French Catholic aid leader said conditions in southern Lebanon have become untenable.

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Pope Leo XIV: Sport must be a ‘space for encounter’ #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday praised athletes from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, saying sport “can and must truly become a space for encounter” in a world marked by “polarization, rivalry, and conflicts that escalate into devastating wars.”Speaking in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican on April 9, the Holy Father welcomed the athletes “with joy” shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Games and thanked them for their witness.“Thank you for what you have shown,” the pope said. “Truly, sport, when lived authentically, is not merely a performance: It is a form of language, a narrative made up of gestures, of effort, of anticipation, of falls, and of new beginnings.”Leo XIV said the games revealed not only athletic achievement but also “stories of sacrifice, of discipline, of tenacity.”“In particular, in Paralympic competitions we have seen how a limitation can become a source of revelation: not something that holds a person back but something that can be transformed, even transfigured into newfound qualities,” he said. “You athletes have become life stories that inspire a great number of people.”The pope also emphasized the communal dimension of athletic success, saying: “No one wins alone.”“Your team spirit reminds us that no one wins alone, because behind every victory there are many people involved — from family to teams — as well as many days of training, pressure, and solitude,” he said.Quoting Psalm 18, he added: “It is often precisely in these moments that God reveals himself, as the psalmist sings: ‘Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.’”Leo XIV said sport helps mature the human person by fostering discipline, humility, and right relationships.“Sport contributes to the maturing of our character, requires a steadfast spirituality, and is a fruitful form of education,” he said. “By training the mind, along with the limbs, sport is authentic when it remains humane — that is, when it remains faithful to its first vocation: to be a school of life and talent.”“A school in which one learns that true success is measured by the quality of relationships: not by the amount of prizes but by mutual respect, by shared joy in the game,” he continued.Referring to his Feb. 6 apostolic letter “Life in Abundance,” written for the occasion of the Olympics and Paralympics, the pope said the Gospel’s vision of abundant life points to harmony between the physical and interior dimensions of the person.Turning to the present global situation, Leo XIV said the athletes’ witness carries special importance.“At the present time, so marked by polarization, rivalry, and conflicts that escalate into devastating wars, your commitment takes on an even greater value: Sport can and must truly become a space for encounter!” he said. “Not a show of strength but an exercise in relationship.”Recalling the value of the Olympic truce, he thanked the athletes for making visible “this possibility of peace as a prophecy that is by no means rhetorical: breaking the logic of violence to promote that of encounter.”The pope also warned against distortions in sport, including doping, commercialism, and the reduction of athletes to mere spectacle.“We are well aware that sport also brings with it certain temptations: that of performance at any cost, which can lead to doping; that of profit, which transforms the game into a market and the athlete into a star; that of spectacle, which reduces the athlete to an image or a number,” he said. “Against these excesses, your witness is essential.”Leo XIV concluded by thanking the athletes for showing “an honest and beautiful way of inhabiting the world” and urged them to keep the human person at the center of sport in all its forms.Following the audience, several of the athletes spoke to journalists about their experience of the audience and competing in the Winter Games, including speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida, who won two gold medals at Milan-Cortina this year. Francesca Lollobrigida responds to journalists after a papal audience at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on April 9, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News “My goal was just to show that in my sport; I was able to combine, you know, being a mother and a top athlete,“ Lollobrigida told EWTN News. ”Iʼm just doing this for the other women, you know, that maybe at some points during their career they want to stop to focus on the family and then to come back.”Nikko Landeros, an American-born Catholic who lost both his legs in 2007, represented Italy in ice hockey at the latest Paralympic games. He described to EWTN News the role of Catholicism in his athletic journey.“At home, I started pretty much Catholic. You know, I went to Catholic school in the U.S. Weʼve been going to church now… not as much as I should, but, you know, I still pray every day, and Iʼm thankful to be here. You know, if it werenʼt for God, I wouldnʼt be alive. So, you know, Iʼm super thankful,” Landeros said.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo XIV: Sport must be a ‘space for encounter’ #Catholic VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday praised athletes from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, saying sport “can and must truly become a space for encounter” in a world marked by “polarization, rivalry, and conflicts that escalate into devastating wars.”Speaking in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican on April 9, the Holy Father welcomed the athletes “with joy” shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Games and thanked them for their witness.“Thank you for what you have shown,” the pope said. “Truly, sport, when lived authentically, is not merely a performance: It is a form of language, a narrative made up of gestures, of effort, of anticipation, of falls, and of new beginnings.”Leo XIV said the games revealed not only athletic achievement but also “stories of sacrifice, of discipline, of tenacity.”“In particular, in Paralympic competitions we have seen how a limitation can become a source of revelation: not something that holds a person back but something that can be transformed, even transfigured into newfound qualities,” he said. “You athletes have become life stories that inspire a great number of people.”The pope also emphasized the communal dimension of athletic success, saying: “No one wins alone.”“Your team spirit reminds us that no one wins alone, because behind every victory there are many people involved — from family to teams — as well as many days of training, pressure, and solitude,” he said.Quoting Psalm 18, he added: “It is often precisely in these moments that God reveals himself, as the psalmist sings: ‘Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.’”Leo XIV said sport helps mature the human person by fostering discipline, humility, and right relationships.“Sport contributes to the maturing of our character, requires a steadfast spirituality, and is a fruitful form of education,” he said. “By training the mind, along with the limbs, sport is authentic when it remains humane — that is, when it remains faithful to its first vocation: to be a school of life and talent.”“A school in which one learns that true success is measured by the quality of relationships: not by the amount of prizes but by mutual respect, by shared joy in the game,” he continued.Referring to his Feb. 6 apostolic letter “Life in Abundance,” written for the occasion of the Olympics and Paralympics, the pope said the Gospel’s vision of abundant life points to harmony between the physical and interior dimensions of the person.Turning to the present global situation, Leo XIV said the athletes’ witness carries special importance.“At the present time, so marked by polarization, rivalry, and conflicts that escalate into devastating wars, your commitment takes on an even greater value: Sport can and must truly become a space for encounter!” he said. “Not a show of strength but an exercise in relationship.”Recalling the value of the Olympic truce, he thanked the athletes for making visible “this possibility of peace as a prophecy that is by no means rhetorical: breaking the logic of violence to promote that of encounter.”The pope also warned against distortions in sport, including doping, commercialism, and the reduction of athletes to mere spectacle.“We are well aware that sport also brings with it certain temptations: that of performance at any cost, which can lead to doping; that of profit, which transforms the game into a market and the athlete into a star; that of spectacle, which reduces the athlete to an image or a number,” he said. “Against these excesses, your witness is essential.”Leo XIV concluded by thanking the athletes for showing “an honest and beautiful way of inhabiting the world” and urged them to keep the human person at the center of sport in all its forms.Following the audience, several of the athletes spoke to journalists about their experience of the audience and competing in the Winter Games, including speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida, who won two gold medals at Milan-Cortina this year. Francesca Lollobrigida responds to journalists after a papal audience at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on April 9, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News “My goal was just to show that in my sport; I was able to combine, you know, being a mother and a top athlete,“ Lollobrigida told EWTN News. ”Iʼm just doing this for the other women, you know, that maybe at some points during their career they want to stop to focus on the family and then to come back.”Nikko Landeros, an American-born Catholic who lost both his legs in 2007, represented Italy in ice hockey at the latest Paralympic games. He described to EWTN News the role of Catholicism in his athletic journey.“At home, I started pretty much Catholic. You know, I went to Catholic school in the U.S. Weʼve been going to church now… not as much as I should, but, you know, I still pray every day, and Iʼm thankful to be here. You know, if it werenʼt for God, I wouldnʼt be alive. So, you know, Iʼm super thankful,” Landeros said.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The pontiff addressed athletes from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Amid Bangladesh energy crisis, Catholics oppose online classes proposal – #Catholic – DHAKA, Bangladesh — The archbishop of Dhaka is urging the Bangladeshi government to reconsider a proposal to introduce online classes for school students amid the countryʼs ongoing energy crisis, warning that the move would undermine education at the hundreds of institutions run by the Catholic Church.“We Christians in Bangladesh run many educational institutions,” Archbishop Bejoy N. DʼCruze, OMI, of Dhaka said. “Along with academic subjects, we focus on morals, values, and good character. When we hear about online classes, we become worried about where this system will take our students.”The archbishop made the remarks while exchanging Easter greetings with Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on Easter Sunday. He said Catholic school principals and headmasters remain deeply concerned about the impact of online learning on children.The proposal comes as Bangladesh faces energy shortages linked to global instability in the Middle East. To reduce electricity consumption and ease pressure on infrastructure, the government is considering partial online learning in selected educational institutions. However, Catholic leaders say the experience of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious limits, especially for students' academic and moral formation.Students and parents voice concernsStudents say online classes make it harder to understand lessons and stay focused.“I have difficulty understanding lessons when classes are online,” said Sonnet Gomes, a student at a missionary school in Dhaka. “I want to go to school and take classes physically.”Referring to her experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Gomes said online learning created both academic and health-related problems. “When we had online classes during corona, it was not good for us. Now there is no health risk. If needed, we can reduce class hours instead of moving everything online,” she said.Parents, especially Catholic parents, also strongly oppose online classes. They worry about screen addiction, lack of supervision, and the financial burden placed on families.“I donʼt want online classes,” said Priyanka Gomes, a Catholic mother in Dhaka. “During corona, I was forced to buy my son a smartphone. With online classes, children stay on their phones all day. They play games, use social media, and become addicted.”Teachers: ‘Online classes are not effective’Catholic teachers echo these concerns and say online learning often leads to poor attendance and weak engagement.“If the government orders online classes, we will obey,” said Cornelius DʼCruze, vice principal of Heed International School in Dhaka. “But honestly, online classes are not effective. Many students skip classes. Parents go to work, and children spend most of the time on their phones.”According to the Catholic Directory of Bangladesh, the Catholic Church in the country runs one university, 17 colleges, 60 high schools, and nearly 300 primary and technical schools. Well-known institutions such as Notre Dame College, Holy Cross College, St. Gregoryʼs High School, and St. Joseph Higher Secondary School are among the countryʼs most respected academic centers.Government says proposal still under reviewGovernment officials say the move toward online or blended learning is necessary under current conditions. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education recently organized a seminar at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka to discuss how to continue education during the energy crisis.Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon and State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj attended the seminar. Students, teachers, and guardians from various institutions in the Dhaka metropolitan area shared their views on the proposal.The education minister said online classes would not be introduced nationwide at once but would begin on an experimental basis in selected institutions.“Various crises in world history have opened new possibilities,” Milon said. “Education must continue in new ways. We should not see everything as a threat. We can also see opportunities.”The government is considering a hybrid system combining physical and online classes in selected schools and colleges, including Viqarunnisa Noon School and College and Ideal School and College in Motijheel.
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Amid Bangladesh energy crisis, Catholics oppose online classes proposal – #Catholic – DHAKA, Bangladesh — The archbishop of Dhaka is urging the Bangladeshi government to reconsider a proposal to introduce online classes for school students amid the countryʼs ongoing energy crisis, warning that the move would undermine education at the hundreds of institutions run by the Catholic Church.“We Christians in Bangladesh run many educational institutions,” Archbishop Bejoy N. DʼCruze, OMI, of Dhaka said. “Along with academic subjects, we focus on morals, values, and good character. When we hear about online classes, we become worried about where this system will take our students.”The archbishop made the remarks while exchanging Easter greetings with Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on Easter Sunday. He said Catholic school principals and headmasters remain deeply concerned about the impact of online learning on children.The proposal comes as Bangladesh faces energy shortages linked to global instability in the Middle East. To reduce electricity consumption and ease pressure on infrastructure, the government is considering partial online learning in selected educational institutions. However, Catholic leaders say the experience of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious limits, especially for students' academic and moral formation.Students and parents voice concernsStudents say online classes make it harder to understand lessons and stay focused.“I have difficulty understanding lessons when classes are online,” said Sonnet Gomes, a student at a missionary school in Dhaka. “I want to go to school and take classes physically.”Referring to her experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Gomes said online learning created both academic and health-related problems. “When we had online classes during corona, it was not good for us. Now there is no health risk. If needed, we can reduce class hours instead of moving everything online,” she said.Parents, especially Catholic parents, also strongly oppose online classes. They worry about screen addiction, lack of supervision, and the financial burden placed on families.“I donʼt want online classes,” said Priyanka Gomes, a Catholic mother in Dhaka. “During corona, I was forced to buy my son a smartphone. With online classes, children stay on their phones all day. They play games, use social media, and become addicted.”Teachers: ‘Online classes are not effective’Catholic teachers echo these concerns and say online learning often leads to poor attendance and weak engagement.“If the government orders online classes, we will obey,” said Cornelius DʼCruze, vice principal of Heed International School in Dhaka. “But honestly, online classes are not effective. Many students skip classes. Parents go to work, and children spend most of the time on their phones.”According to the Catholic Directory of Bangladesh, the Catholic Church in the country runs one university, 17 colleges, 60 high schools, and nearly 300 primary and technical schools. Well-known institutions such as Notre Dame College, Holy Cross College, St. Gregoryʼs High School, and St. Joseph Higher Secondary School are among the countryʼs most respected academic centers.Government says proposal still under reviewGovernment officials say the move toward online or blended learning is necessary under current conditions. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education recently organized a seminar at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka to discuss how to continue education during the energy crisis.Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon and State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj attended the seminar. Students, teachers, and guardians from various institutions in the Dhaka metropolitan area shared their views on the proposal.The education minister said online classes would not be introduced nationwide at once but would begin on an experimental basis in selected institutions.“Various crises in world history have opened new possibilities,” Milon said. “Education must continue in new ways. We should not see everything as a threat. We can also see opportunities.”The government is considering a hybrid system combining physical and online classes in selected schools and colleges, including Viqarunnisa Noon School and College and Ideal School and College in Motijheel.

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Catholic educators and parents say the proposal could deepen learning gaps and increase screen addiction, especially for low-income families.

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Vilnius’ hospice stands as a living work of Divine Mercy as city prepares to host global congress #Catholic – (OSV News) — Thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather in June in the Lithuanian capital for the sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, or WACOM, a five-day event that has previously been held in cities such as Rome, Kraków, Bogota and Manila. But in Vilnius, the theme “Building the City of Mercy” is not only a slogan — it is a living heritage. The June 7-12 congress, organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, is expected to draw up to 5,000 participants from around the world. The choice of Vilnius as host city is not accidental. It was here, in 1934, that St. Faustina Kowalska received visions that led to the painting of the first image of Divine Mercy, created by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. Since then, numerous versions of the image have been painted by other artists, including a popular interpretation by Adolf Hyla in Kraków — both images are now found in churches across the globe. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The WACOM program will include conferences, testimonies, concerts and daily moments of prayer held across the city. “While in Vilnius, WACOM participants can explore the Way of Mercy — a pilgrimage route linking 14 sacred sites, St. Faustina’s house and the Gate of Dawn chapel, home to a 17th-century icon of the Mother of Mercy,” said Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius. At the Hospice of Blessed Father Michal Sopocko — named after St. Faustina’s confessor — the message of Divine Mercy takes concrete form in daily care for the sick and dying. In fact, the hospice is an indispensable part of the Way of Mercy itself. The building now housing the Sisters of Merciful Jesus was once the studio of painter Kazimirowski, where he created the first Divine Mercy image. It was also a place associated with Blessed Sopocko, and St. Faustina would come here often. Sister Michaela Rak, the founder of the hospice, told OSV News — speaking ahead of April 12 Divine Mercy Sunday — that the continuity is clear: The message that began in this place is now lived out daily through care for the over 300 sick and dying patients. The image of Merciful Jesus “came out of Vilnius and went to the whole world,” she said. “But it is not a decoration on a wall. It is a call: Experience my mercy and bring it where you are sent.” “For many people, hospice is still something they are afraid of,” Aneta Górniewicz, deputy director of the facility, told OSV News. “But what we try to give here first of all is a sense of safety, dignity and daily care.” Górniewicz did not plan such a path. She arrived in 2013, just after finishing her studies. “I was looking for work that would have a deeper sense — not just a source of income,” she said. A meeting with Sister Michaela changed everything. “I thought, ‘It’s worth trying.’ And I’ve been here 13 years.” Sister Michaela, a Polish nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, arrived in Vilnius in early 2000s with the idea of creating the country’s first hospice, which opened in 2009. Sister Michaela built the institution from the ground up, turning it into a place that now serves both adults and children at the end of life. Inside the hospice, mercy is often expressed in small, almost invisible moments, such as a physiotherapist helping a woman, weakened by cancer, achieve a simple goal: to sit up on her own. “It may seem like a small thing,” Górniewicz said, “but for that patient it was a huge success, a great achievement.” Other days bring different forms of care — reading books to patients who can no longer hold them, organizing shared moments of music, or even laughter therapy for a young woman with lung cancer. “It looked unusual,” Górniewicz recalled, describing a room filled with staff and patients laughing together. “But it really helped her — both physically and emotionally.” The hospice also cares for children, some only a few years old. When possible, they are taken outside for walks. Volunteers sit with them, read stories or simply remain present. “Sometimes you don’t need words,” Górniewicz told OSV News. “You hold a hand, you pray, you just are with the person.” She described this as a “language of the heart.” “We often tell volunteers that not every meeting will be about talking,” she said. “Sometimes it is about silence, about presence.” That presence extends to families as well. Górniewicz remembers one family thanking her simply for a kind welcome. “For me, it felt like something completely natural,” she said. “But for them it was very important — that someone received them with kindness and empathy.” Moments like these have convinced her that mercy is not abstract. “Mercy is love of the heart,” she said. “Giving your time, your attention, your care to another person.” Her work has also deepened her faith. Accompanying people at the end of life brings both difficulty and clarity. “From a human perspective, it is hard — especially when young people die,” she said. “But I believe that life does not end, it changes. That gives hope.” Górniewicz recalled a patient who initially refused any spiritual care: “She said, ‘I don’t want a chaplain, I don’t need confession.’” But as her condition worsened, something shifted. “In the end she asked for the sacraments,” she said. “It was like she took hold of a lifeline.” For Sister Michaela, this connection between faith and action is essential. “Jesus looks at everyone with the same gaze — with a gaze of mercy,” she told OSV News. “At the one who loves him and at the one who rejects him.” That gaze, she said, defines what mercy truly is. “To look with the same love at the one who hurts me as at the one who loves me — that is mercy,” she said. She pointed to another key element: initiative. “Jesus takes the first step,” she said, referring to the Gospel account of the risen Christ entering the room where the disciples were hiding. “He does not accuse them. He says, ‘Peace be with you.’” For Sister Michaela, this movement outward is at the heart of Christian life. “Mercy is to take the first step toward another person,” she told OSV News. “We look at each person as we look at the image of Jesus — with love,” she said of her hospice. “We take the first step to relieve their suffering.” Pope Francis made a surprise stop to bless patients of the Blessed Father Sopocko hospice during his 2018 apostolic trip to Vilnius. “We feed the body, but also care for the soul,” Sister Michaela told OSV News, pointing to the role of the sacraments and spiritual support. If that dimension is lost, she warned, the consequences extend far beyond one institution. “When people lose the source of mercy, the world becomes a place of war, hatred and exploitation,” she said. The June congress is expected to highlight not only Vilnius’ key religious sites — including the Shrine of Divine Mercy and the Gate of Dawn — but also the lived experience of mercy in the city. “I would encourage everyone to come and see Vilnius,” she said. “Not only for its beauty, but to discover this spirit of mercy.” She pointed to the congress program, which will include not only conferences but also testimonies and opportunities to encounter works of mercy directly — also at the hospice. “People today need mercy — even if they don’t always realize it,” she said. “We need to return to its source.” Katarzyna Szalajko writes for OSV News from Warsaw, Poland.
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Vilnius’ hospice stands as a living work of Divine Mercy as city prepares to host global congress #Catholic – (OSV News) — Thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather in June in the Lithuanian capital for the sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, or WACOM, a five-day event that has previously been held in cities such as Rome, Kraków, Bogota and Manila. But in Vilnius, the theme “Building the City of Mercy” is not only a slogan — it is a living heritage. The June 7-12 congress, organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, is expected to draw up to 5,000 participants from around the world. The choice of Vilnius as host city is not accidental. It was here, in 1934, that St. Faustina Kowalska received visions that led to the painting of the first image of Divine Mercy, created by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. Since then, numerous versions of the image have been painted by other artists, including a popular interpretation by Adolf Hyla in Kraków — both images are now found in churches across the globe. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The WACOM program will include conferences, testimonies, concerts and daily moments of prayer held across the city. “While in Vilnius, WACOM participants can explore the Way of Mercy — a pilgrimage route linking 14 sacred sites, St. Faustina’s house and the Gate of Dawn chapel, home to a 17th-century icon of the Mother of Mercy,” said Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius. At the Hospice of Blessed Father Michal Sopocko — named after St. Faustina’s confessor — the message of Divine Mercy takes concrete form in daily care for the sick and dying. In fact, the hospice is an indispensable part of the Way of Mercy itself. The building now housing the Sisters of Merciful Jesus was once the studio of painter Kazimirowski, where he created the first Divine Mercy image. It was also a place associated with Blessed Sopocko, and St. Faustina would come here often. Sister Michaela Rak, the founder of the hospice, told OSV News — speaking ahead of April 12 Divine Mercy Sunday — that the continuity is clear: The message that began in this place is now lived out daily through care for the over 300 sick and dying patients. The image of Merciful Jesus “came out of Vilnius and went to the whole world,” she said. “But it is not a decoration on a wall. It is a call: Experience my mercy and bring it where you are sent.” “For many people, hospice is still something they are afraid of,” Aneta Górniewicz, deputy director of the facility, told OSV News. “But what we try to give here first of all is a sense of safety, dignity and daily care.” Górniewicz did not plan such a path. She arrived in 2013, just after finishing her studies. “I was looking for work that would have a deeper sense — not just a source of income,” she said. A meeting with Sister Michaela changed everything. “I thought, ‘It’s worth trying.’ And I’ve been here 13 years.” Sister Michaela, a Polish nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, arrived in Vilnius in early 2000s with the idea of creating the country’s first hospice, which opened in 2009. Sister Michaela built the institution from the ground up, turning it into a place that now serves both adults and children at the end of life. Inside the hospice, mercy is often expressed in small, almost invisible moments, such as a physiotherapist helping a woman, weakened by cancer, achieve a simple goal: to sit up on her own. “It may seem like a small thing,” Górniewicz said, “but for that patient it was a huge success, a great achievement.” Other days bring different forms of care — reading books to patients who can no longer hold them, organizing shared moments of music, or even laughter therapy for a young woman with lung cancer. “It looked unusual,” Górniewicz recalled, describing a room filled with staff and patients laughing together. “But it really helped her — both physically and emotionally.” The hospice also cares for children, some only a few years old. When possible, they are taken outside for walks. Volunteers sit with them, read stories or simply remain present. “Sometimes you don’t need words,” Górniewicz told OSV News. “You hold a hand, you pray, you just are with the person.” She described this as a “language of the heart.” “We often tell volunteers that not every meeting will be about talking,” she said. “Sometimes it is about silence, about presence.” That presence extends to families as well. Górniewicz remembers one family thanking her simply for a kind welcome. “For me, it felt like something completely natural,” she said. “But for them it was very important — that someone received them with kindness and empathy.” Moments like these have convinced her that mercy is not abstract. “Mercy is love of the heart,” she said. “Giving your time, your attention, your care to another person.” Her work has also deepened her faith. Accompanying people at the end of life brings both difficulty and clarity. “From a human perspective, it is hard — especially when young people die,” she said. “But I believe that life does not end, it changes. That gives hope.” Górniewicz recalled a patient who initially refused any spiritual care: “She said, ‘I don’t want a chaplain, I don’t need confession.’” But as her condition worsened, something shifted. “In the end she asked for the sacraments,” she said. “It was like she took hold of a lifeline.” For Sister Michaela, this connection between faith and action is essential. “Jesus looks at everyone with the same gaze — with a gaze of mercy,” she told OSV News. “At the one who loves him and at the one who rejects him.” That gaze, she said, defines what mercy truly is. “To look with the same love at the one who hurts me as at the one who loves me — that is mercy,” she said. She pointed to another key element: initiative. “Jesus takes the first step,” she said, referring to the Gospel account of the risen Christ entering the room where the disciples were hiding. “He does not accuse them. He says, ‘Peace be with you.’” For Sister Michaela, this movement outward is at the heart of Christian life. “Mercy is to take the first step toward another person,” she told OSV News. “We look at each person as we look at the image of Jesus — with love,” she said of her hospice. “We take the first step to relieve their suffering.” Pope Francis made a surprise stop to bless patients of the Blessed Father Sopocko hospice during his 2018 apostolic trip to Vilnius. “We feed the body, but also care for the soul,” Sister Michaela told OSV News, pointing to the role of the sacraments and spiritual support. If that dimension is lost, she warned, the consequences extend far beyond one institution. “When people lose the source of mercy, the world becomes a place of war, hatred and exploitation,” she said. The June congress is expected to highlight not only Vilnius’ key religious sites — including the Shrine of Divine Mercy and the Gate of Dawn — but also the lived experience of mercy in the city. “I would encourage everyone to come and see Vilnius,” she said. “Not only for its beauty, but to discover this spirit of mercy.” She pointed to the congress program, which will include not only conferences but also testimonies and opportunities to encounter works of mercy directly — also at the hospice. “People today need mercy — even if they don’t always realize it,” she said. “We need to return to its source.” Katarzyna Szalajko writes for OSV News from Warsaw, Poland.

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Vilnius’ hospice stands as a living work of Divine Mercy as city prepares to host global congress #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather in June in the Lithuanian capital for the sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, or WACOM, a five-day event that has previously been held in cities such as Rome, Kraków, Bogota and Manila.

But in Vilnius, the theme “Building the City of Mercy” is not only a slogan — it is a living heritage.

The June 7-12 congress, organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, is expected to draw up to 5,000 participants from around the world. The choice of Vilnius as host city is not accidental.

It was here, in 1934, that St. Faustina Kowalska received visions that led to the painting of the first image of Divine Mercy, created by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. Since then, numerous versions of the image have been painted by other artists, including a popular interpretation by Adolf Hyla in Kraków — both images are now found in churches across the globe.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The WACOM program will include conferences, testimonies, concerts and daily moments of prayer held across the city. “While in Vilnius, WACOM participants can explore the Way of Mercy — a pilgrimage route linking 14 sacred sites, St. Faustina’s house and the Gate of Dawn chapel, home to a 17th-century icon of the Mother of Mercy,” said Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius.

At the Hospice of Blessed Father Michal Sopocko — named after St. Faustina’s confessor — the message of Divine Mercy takes concrete form in daily care for the sick and dying. In fact, the hospice is an indispensable part of the Way of Mercy itself.

The building now housing the Sisters of Merciful Jesus was once the studio of painter Kazimirowski, where he created the first Divine Mercy image. It was also a place associated with Blessed Sopocko, and St. Faustina would come here often.

Sister Michaela Rak, the founder of the hospice, told OSV News — speaking ahead of April 12 Divine Mercy Sunday — that the continuity is clear: The message that began in this place is now lived out daily through care for the over 300 sick and dying patients.

The image of Merciful Jesus “came out of Vilnius and went to the whole world,” she said. “But it is not a decoration on a wall. It is a call: Experience my mercy and bring it where you are sent.”

“For many people, hospice is still something they are afraid of,” Aneta Górniewicz, deputy director of the facility, told OSV News. “But what we try to give here first of all is a sense of safety, dignity and daily care.”

Górniewicz did not plan such a path. She arrived in 2013, just after finishing her studies. “I was looking for work that would have a deeper sense — not just a source of income,” she said. A meeting with Sister Michaela changed everything. “I thought, ‘It’s worth trying.’ And I’ve been here 13 years.”

Sister Michaela, a Polish nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, arrived in Vilnius in early 2000s with the idea of creating the country’s first hospice, which opened in 2009. Sister Michaela built the institution from the ground up, turning it into a place that now serves both adults and children at the end of life.

Inside the hospice, mercy is often expressed in small, almost invisible moments, such as a physiotherapist helping a woman, weakened by cancer, achieve a simple goal: to sit up on her own.

“It may seem like a small thing,” Górniewicz said, “but for that patient it was a huge success, a great achievement.” Other days bring different forms of care — reading books to patients who can no longer hold them, organizing shared moments of music, or even laughter therapy for a young woman with lung cancer. “It looked unusual,” Górniewicz recalled, describing a room filled with staff and patients laughing together. “But it really helped her — both physically and emotionally.”

The hospice also cares for children, some only a few years old. When possible, they are taken outside for walks. Volunteers sit with them, read stories or simply remain present. “Sometimes you don’t need words,” Górniewicz told OSV News. “You hold a hand, you pray, you just are with the person.” She described this as a “language of the heart.”

“We often tell volunteers that not every meeting will be about talking,” she said. “Sometimes it is about silence, about presence.” That presence extends to families as well. Górniewicz remembers one family thanking her simply for a kind welcome. “For me, it felt like something completely natural,” she said. “But for them it was very important — that someone received them with kindness and empathy.”

Moments like these have convinced her that mercy is not abstract. “Mercy is love of the heart,” she said. “Giving your time, your attention, your care to another person.”

Her work has also deepened her faith. Accompanying people at the end of life brings both difficulty and clarity. “From a human perspective, it is hard — especially when young people die,” she said. “But I believe that life does not end, it changes. That gives hope.”

Górniewicz recalled a patient who initially refused any spiritual care: “She said, ‘I don’t want a chaplain, I don’t need confession.’” But as her condition worsened, something shifted. “In the end she asked for the sacraments,” she said. “It was like she took hold of a lifeline.”

For Sister Michaela, this connection between faith and action is essential.

“Jesus looks at everyone with the same gaze — with a gaze of mercy,” she told OSV News. “At the one who loves him and at the one who rejects him.” That gaze, she said, defines what mercy truly is. “To look with the same love at the one who hurts me as at the one who loves me — that is mercy,” she said.

She pointed to another key element: initiative. “Jesus takes the first step,” she said, referring to the Gospel account of the risen Christ entering the room where the disciples were hiding. “He does not accuse them. He says, ‘Peace be with you.’” For Sister Michaela, this movement outward is at the heart of Christian life. “Mercy is to take the first step toward another person,” she told OSV News.

“We look at each person as we look at the image of Jesus — with love,” she said of her hospice. “We take the first step to relieve their suffering.”

Pope Francis made a surprise stop to bless patients of the Blessed Father Sopocko hospice during his 2018 apostolic trip to Vilnius.

“We feed the body, but also care for the soul,” Sister Michaela told OSV News, pointing to the role of the sacraments and spiritual support. If that dimension is lost, she warned, the consequences extend far beyond one institution. “When people lose the source of mercy, the world becomes a place of war, hatred and exploitation,” she said.

The June congress is expected to highlight not only Vilnius’ key religious sites — including the Shrine of Divine Mercy and the Gate of Dawn — but also the lived experience of mercy in the city.

“I would encourage everyone to come and see Vilnius,” she said. “Not only for its beauty, but to discover this spirit of mercy.” She pointed to the congress program, which will include not only conferences but also testimonies and opportunities to encounter works of mercy directly — also at the hospice.

“People today need mercy — even if they don’t always realize it,” she said. “We need to return to its source.”

Katarzyna Szalajko writes for OSV News from Warsaw, Poland.

– (OSV News) — Thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather in June in the Lithuanian capital for the sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, or WACOM, a five-day event that has previously been held in cities such as Rome, Kraków, Bogota and Manila. But in Vilnius, the theme “Building the City of Mercy” is not only a slogan — it is a living heritage. The June 7-12 congress, organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, is expected to draw up to 5,000 participants from around the world. The choice of Vilnius as host city is not accidental. It was here,

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Pope Leo praises ceasefire as ‘genuine hope,’ presses for dialogue, peace #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed the newly announced ceasefire in the Middle East as “a sign of genuine hope” after what he described as “hours of extreme tension,” while urging a return to negotiations and calling the faithful to prayer. “Only by returning to negotiations can the war be brought to an end,” he said in remarks in Italian following his April 8 general audience in St. Peter’s Square. His comments came just hours after a two-week ceasefire was reached between Iran and the United States, narrowly averting further escalation. The agreement followed a stark warning from U.S. President Donald Trump late April 7, when he threatened to destroy Iran’s critical infrastructure, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers. The ceasefire was announced roughly two hours before the White House’s deadline. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The pope’s appeal for dialogue echoed remarks he made the previous evening at Castel Gandolfo, where he urged leaders to return to the negotiating table even before the ceasefire was announced. “Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” he told journalists April 7. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole.” Expanding on the broader implications of the conflict, he warned of a global economic crisis marked by “great instability,” which he said risks fueling further hatred, and he called on ordinary citizens to contact their political leaders to advocate for peace. The pope also invited the faithful to join him in a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 in his general audience address. As flowers lined the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica during the Easter season, he used his main talk to reflect on holiness, emphasizing that it is a calling shared by all believers. “Every baptized person is called to be holy; to live in God’s grace, to practice virtue and to become like Christ,” he said in his address to English speakers. Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, he described charity as the foundation of holiness, “the fullness of love towards God and towards one’s neighbor,” and said its highest expression is martyrdom, calling it the “supreme witness of faith and charity.” He added that the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, sustain believers in this call. He continued his analysis of the Dogmatic Constitution “Lumen Gentium,” specifically, the important role of consecrated life. “Indeed, signs of the Kingdom of God, already present in the mystery of the Church, are those evangelical counsels that shape every experience of consecrated life: poverty, chastity and obedience. Poverty demonstrates “complete trust” in God — free of self-interest, obedience follows Christ’s “self-giving” offered to God, and chastity is the “gift of a heart that is whole and pure in love, at the service of God and Church.” The pope called these virtues a form of “radical discipleship.” “These three virtues are not rules that shackle freedom, but liberating gifts of the Holy Spirit, through which some of the faithful are wholly consecrated to God,” he said. Closing his main address, the pope said that Christ’s sacrifice makes holiness possible even in suffering. “By contemplating this event, we know that there is no human experience that God does not redeem,” he said. “Even suffering, lived in union with the passion of the Lord, becomes a path of holiness.”
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Pope Leo praises ceasefire as ‘genuine hope,’ presses for dialogue, peace #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed the newly announced ceasefire in the Middle East as “a sign of genuine hope” after what he described as “hours of extreme tension,” while urging a return to negotiations and calling the faithful to prayer. “Only by returning to negotiations can the war be brought to an end,” he said in remarks in Italian following his April 8 general audience in St. Peter’s Square. His comments came just hours after a two-week ceasefire was reached between Iran and the United States, narrowly averting further escalation. The agreement followed a stark warning from U.S. President Donald Trump late April 7, when he threatened to destroy Iran’s critical infrastructure, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers. The ceasefire was announced roughly two hours before the White House’s deadline. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The pope’s appeal for dialogue echoed remarks he made the previous evening at Castel Gandolfo, where he urged leaders to return to the negotiating table even before the ceasefire was announced. “Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” he told journalists April 7. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole.” Expanding on the broader implications of the conflict, he warned of a global economic crisis marked by “great instability,” which he said risks fueling further hatred, and he called on ordinary citizens to contact their political leaders to advocate for peace. The pope also invited the faithful to join him in a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 in his general audience address. As flowers lined the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica during the Easter season, he used his main talk to reflect on holiness, emphasizing that it is a calling shared by all believers. “Every baptized person is called to be holy; to live in God’s grace, to practice virtue and to become like Christ,” he said in his address to English speakers. Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, he described charity as the foundation of holiness, “the fullness of love towards God and towards one’s neighbor,” and said its highest expression is martyrdom, calling it the “supreme witness of faith and charity.” He added that the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, sustain believers in this call. He continued his analysis of the Dogmatic Constitution “Lumen Gentium,” specifically, the important role of consecrated life. “Indeed, signs of the Kingdom of God, already present in the mystery of the Church, are those evangelical counsels that shape every experience of consecrated life: poverty, chastity and obedience. Poverty demonstrates “complete trust” in God — free of self-interest, obedience follows Christ’s “self-giving” offered to God, and chastity is the “gift of a heart that is whole and pure in love, at the service of God and Church.” The pope called these virtues a form of “radical discipleship.” “These three virtues are not rules that shackle freedom, but liberating gifts of the Holy Spirit, through which some of the faithful are wholly consecrated to God,” he said. Closing his main address, the pope said that Christ’s sacrifice makes holiness possible even in suffering. “By contemplating this event, we know that there is no human experience that God does not redeem,” he said. “Even suffering, lived in union with the passion of the Lord, becomes a path of holiness.”

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Pope Leo praises ceasefire as ‘genuine hope,’ presses for dialogue, peace #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed the newly announced ceasefire in the Middle East as “a sign of genuine hope” after what he described as “hours of extreme tension,” while urging a return to negotiations and calling the faithful to prayer.

“Only by returning to negotiations can the war be brought to an end,” he said in remarks in Italian following his April 8 general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

His comments came just hours after a two-week ceasefire was reached between Iran and the United States, narrowly averting further escalation. The agreement followed a stark warning from U.S. President Donald Trump late April 7, when he threatened to destroy Iran’s critical infrastructure, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers. The ceasefire was announced roughly two hours before the White House’s deadline.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The pope’s appeal for dialogue echoed remarks he made the previous evening at Castel Gandolfo, where he urged leaders to return to the negotiating table even before the ceasefire was announced.

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” he told journalists April 7. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole.”

Expanding on the broader implications of the conflict, he warned of a global economic crisis marked by “great instability,” which he said risks fueling further hatred, and he called on ordinary citizens to contact their political leaders to advocate for peace.

The pope also invited the faithful to join him in a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 in his general audience address. As flowers lined the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica during the Easter season, he used his main talk to reflect on holiness, emphasizing that it is a calling shared by all believers.

“Every baptized person is called to be holy; to live in God’s grace, to practice virtue and to become like Christ,” he said in his address to English speakers.

Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, he described charity as the foundation of holiness, “the fullness of love towards God and towards one’s neighbor,” and said its highest expression is martyrdom, calling it the “supreme witness of faith and charity.” He added that the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, sustain believers in this call.

He continued his analysis of the Dogmatic Constitution “Lumen Gentium,” specifically, the important role of consecrated life. “Indeed, signs of the Kingdom of God, already present in the mystery of the Church, are those evangelical counsels that shape every experience of consecrated life: poverty, chastity and obedience.

Poverty demonstrates “complete trust” in God — free of self-interest, obedience follows Christ’s “self-giving” offered to God, and chastity is the “gift of a heart that is whole and pure in love, at the service of God and Church.” The pope called these virtues a form of “radical discipleship.”

“These three virtues are not rules that shackle freedom, but liberating gifts of the Holy Spirit, through which some of the faithful are wholly consecrated to God,” he said.

Closing his main address, the pope said that Christ’s sacrifice makes holiness possible even in suffering.

“By contemplating this event, we know that there is no human experience that God does not redeem,” he said. “Even suffering, lived in union with the passion of the Lord, becomes a path of holiness.”

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed the newly announced ceasefire in the Middle East as “a sign of genuine hope” after what he described as “hours of extreme tension,” while urging a return to negotiations and calling the faithful to prayer. “Only by returning to negotiations can the war be brought to an end,” he said in remarks in Italian following his April 8 general audience in St. Peter’s Square. His comments came just hours after a two-week ceasefire was reached between Iran and the United States, narrowly averting further escalation. The agreement followed a stark warning from

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Concordat with Vatican halted in Czech Republic over seal of confession - #Catholic - The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic on April 1 found that parts of a treaty between the Czech Republic and the Holy See are inconsistent with the Czech constitution and therefore cannot be ratified.“We disagree with the decision of the majority of judges at the Constitutional Court but accept it,” the Czech Bishops' Conference wrote in a press release. The episcopate finds it “positive that the court did not reject the idea of the existence of a treaty with the Holy See but only limited itself to partial passages.”The agreement on certain legal issues was signed in 2024 by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and then-Prime Minister Petr Fiala. It was later approved by both chambers of the countryʼs Parliament and was submitted to the president of the country for ratification. However, a group of senators filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, which on April 1 stated that two parts of the accord are problematic.The ruling says that the concordat would “give Catholic Church legal entities a powerful tool to prevent their documents (archive materials) from being made available.” Church archives are important sources of cultural wealth and history, but the accord would “exempt Catholic churches from the obligation to respect the Archives Act, which would, however, continue to apply to all other churches,” the court explained.The second objection deals with the seal of confession, which would be enacted without any exceptions and would be “a clear violation of the neutrality of the state and the principle of equal treatment of different churches.” Czech bishop declares Year of Reconciliation 80 years after World War II expulsions Each side of the treaty understood it differently, the ruling observed, adding that the seal of confession would be more protected than professional secrecy.Dissenting opinionsThree out of 15 judges of the Constitutional Court presented a different position, arguing the court did not deal with an important part of the legal file presented by senators, such as objections to “the alleged privilege of the Catholic Church in the provision of pastoral care in various types of institutions and facilities.”However, they admitted that “the Holy See is a subject of international law, which the Czech Republic has recognized,” and so it is “undoubtedly an objective reason for the different treatment of the Catholic Church in various issues.” They further argued that the two problematic passages in the majority decision are not in conflict with the constitution.Another two judges presented a different position each. One of them, Judge Tomáš Langášek, argued that “the dissenting opinions show that it was possible to adopt a rational interpretation of the concordat in good faith that would not in any way conflict with the constitutional order.”He said he considers the decision “a paradigmatic change in the role and function of the constitutional judiciary.” The Constitutional Court opposed the intention of the Parliament “to take on an international legal obligation to maintain” the already existing and “legally guaranteed standard of protection of fundamental religious rights and freedoms in [the] future,” Langášek opined.“The courtʼs concern for equal treatment among churches and religious communities is only a proxy problem,” the constitutional judge added.‘A legal defeat for people who consider religious freedom an important value’“It is a political victory for some, and a legal defeat for people, believers and nonbelievers, who consider religious freedom an important value,” commented Jakub Kříž, a lawyer who teaches at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague.At the same time, he said he believes “the absence of a concordat is not a tragedy” either for religious freedom or “for Catholics who, after all, always benefit the most when the state does not get along with them.”The proposal “would have had no chance of success if” Czech President Petr Pavel “had not intervened and introduced new arguments,” for example suggesting that “the agreement contradicts the sovereignty of the state and its secular and republican character,” the scholar underscored.The negotiated agreement was “poor in content, innocent, almost devoid of substance,” and the Czech side did not try to “negotiate anything beyond what is already in force today,” Kříž said, adding that it had “more a symbolic” value.‘A big disappointment’The decision was a “big disappointment” and “a very unfortunate event,” lamented Father Jiří Rajmund Tretera, a Dominican and professor of canon law at the Faculty of Law of Charles University.On the seal of confession, there would be “no change to the current situation,” as all believers “were guaranteed that the current legal provisions” regarding “confessional secrecy could not be so easily eliminated” if a religion-averse group “came to power in our democratic state,” the priest said.Tretera also said he believes the Constitutional Court committed “an unintentional attack against the ecumenical movement.” It argued that the proposed agreement “was not in accordance with the principle of equality of all churches,” yet “this is in conflict with the reality commonly recognized in non-Catholic churches.”Kříž clarified that “non-Catholic churches did not” oppose the treaty, and “many even welcomed it, seeing its role as a stabilizer of guarantees of religious freedom.”The only way to proceed is “to start negotiations from the beginning,” as this is not “a bill where a sentence can be deleted,” the lawyer warned.Yet he said he is skeptical that the Holy See would risk another “embarrassment,” as “the Czech Republic showed to be a rather unreliable international partner.”
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Concordat with Vatican halted in Czech Republic over seal of confession – #Catholic – The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic on April 1 found that parts of a treaty between the Czech Republic and the Holy See are inconsistent with the Czech constitution and therefore cannot be ratified.“We disagree with the decision of the majority of judges at the Constitutional Court but accept it,” the Czech Bishops' Conference wrote in a press release. The episcopate finds it “positive that the court did not reject the idea of the existence of a treaty with the Holy See but only limited itself to partial passages.”The agreement on certain legal issues was signed in 2024 by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and then-Prime Minister Petr Fiala. It was later approved by both chambers of the countryʼs Parliament and was submitted to the president of the country for ratification. However, a group of senators filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, which on April 1 stated that two parts of the accord are problematic.The ruling says that the concordat would “give Catholic Church legal entities a powerful tool to prevent their documents (archive materials) from being made available.” Church archives are important sources of cultural wealth and history, but the accord would “exempt Catholic churches from the obligation to respect the Archives Act, which would, however, continue to apply to all other churches,” the court explained.The second objection deals with the seal of confession, which would be enacted without any exceptions and would be “a clear violation of the neutrality of the state and the principle of equal treatment of different churches.” Czech bishop declares Year of Reconciliation 80 years after World War II expulsions Each side of the treaty understood it differently, the ruling observed, adding that the seal of confession would be more protected than professional secrecy.Dissenting opinionsThree out of 15 judges of the Constitutional Court presented a different position, arguing the court did not deal with an important part of the legal file presented by senators, such as objections to “the alleged privilege of the Catholic Church in the provision of pastoral care in various types of institutions and facilities.”However, they admitted that “the Holy See is a subject of international law, which the Czech Republic has recognized,” and so it is “undoubtedly an objective reason for the different treatment of the Catholic Church in various issues.” They further argued that the two problematic passages in the majority decision are not in conflict with the constitution.Another two judges presented a different position each. One of them, Judge Tomáš Langášek, argued that “the dissenting opinions show that it was possible to adopt a rational interpretation of the concordat in good faith that would not in any way conflict with the constitutional order.”He said he considers the decision “a paradigmatic change in the role and function of the constitutional judiciary.” The Constitutional Court opposed the intention of the Parliament “to take on an international legal obligation to maintain” the already existing and “legally guaranteed standard of protection of fundamental religious rights and freedoms in [the] future,” Langášek opined.“The courtʼs concern for equal treatment among churches and religious communities is only a proxy problem,” the constitutional judge added.‘A legal defeat for people who consider religious freedom an important value’“It is a political victory for some, and a legal defeat for people, believers and nonbelievers, who consider religious freedom an important value,” commented Jakub Kříž, a lawyer who teaches at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague.At the same time, he said he believes “the absence of a concordat is not a tragedy” either for religious freedom or “for Catholics who, after all, always benefit the most when the state does not get along with them.”The proposal “would have had no chance of success if” Czech President Petr Pavel “had not intervened and introduced new arguments,” for example suggesting that “the agreement contradicts the sovereignty of the state and its secular and republican character,” the scholar underscored.The negotiated agreement was “poor in content, innocent, almost devoid of substance,” and the Czech side did not try to “negotiate anything beyond what is already in force today,” Kříž said, adding that it had “more a symbolic” value.‘A big disappointment’The decision was a “big disappointment” and “a very unfortunate event,” lamented Father Jiří Rajmund Tretera, a Dominican and professor of canon law at the Faculty of Law of Charles University.On the seal of confession, there would be “no change to the current situation,” as all believers “were guaranteed that the current legal provisions” regarding “confessional secrecy could not be so easily eliminated” if a religion-averse group “came to power in our democratic state,” the priest said.Tretera also said he believes the Constitutional Court committed “an unintentional attack against the ecumenical movement.” It argued that the proposed agreement “was not in accordance with the principle of equality of all churches,” yet “this is in conflict with the reality commonly recognized in non-Catholic churches.”Kříž clarified that “non-Catholic churches did not” oppose the treaty, and “many even welcomed it, seeing its role as a stabilizer of guarantees of religious freedom.”The only way to proceed is “to start negotiations from the beginning,” as this is not “a bill where a sentence can be deleted,” the lawyer warned.Yet he said he is skeptical that the Holy See would risk another “embarrassment,” as “the Czech Republic showed to be a rather unreliable international partner.”

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Experts say the ruling is a setback for religious freedom in one of Europe’s most secular countries, where a concordat had been decades in the making.

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‘Les Misérables’ and the Moral Questions Behind Migration #Catholic – On a recent vacation, I read Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.” Hugo was truly a poet and philosopher. “Les Misérables” became one of his most popular works through its musical presentation on Broadway and later as a film. It tells various stories about life with distinct and complicated moral issues that need resolution. The words ‘les misérables’ appear only once in the whole book. It is a description of the poor who were seeking justice, not necessarily a revolution, but just the basics of life. ‘Les misérables’ is hard to translate, but it means those in difficult straits; the French dictionary explains the word more. When I was a young boy, I asked my paternal grandfather why he had come to America from Italy, and he answered me in two words — “la miseria.” I understood the meaning from my grandparents’ description of life in Italy at the beginning of the last century. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. There was no work, no education, and little food. That is why the Great Migration at the beginning of the last century brought les misérables to America from across Europe. The flow of the unwanted was stopped by the racist Immigration Act of 1924. The new immigrants of today come for the same reasons as did those in the Great Migration. There are few opportunities to work in their countries, little opportunity for education for their children, as well as other deprivations. The scenes of roundups of immigrants in Minneapolis and other cities in the U.S. certainly remind us of the food riots depicted in “Les Misérables.” The new migrants integrate quickly by working. This is why they have come to America: to work, contribute, and find a new life for themselves and their children. Accessing social benefits, which are few for the undocumented, is only justice for low-wage earners. If we had policed the workplace as was promised in the legalization program of 1986, we would not have needed border enforcement. The workplace is where the problem begins and where it can be solved. Undocumented workers will continue to fill labor gaps as long as our economy depends on low-wage jobs. The brutal tactics displayed by ICE in Minneapolis and other places, which ended in the killing of two innocent protestors, are unnecessary. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time with a gun and in a car because they saw it as just cause. They did not merit the death penalty. In a previous article, I mentioned the immigration roundups and workplace invasions of the 1970s, which caused harm to immigration agents as well as migrants. There are better ways to control our unknown population. Unknown legally, although most pay social security and taxes. In the workplace, some have become les misérables, and sometimes they are treated unjustly. What we learned from the 1986 legalization is that it is possible to regularize the workers among us and to give them the justice that comes from their contributions earned by hard work. The enormous amount of money being spent on enforcement could easily be turned into a massive legalization program. We could register all those working and, more easily, detect the criminal element. In the book “Les Misérables,” the revolutionary elements who participated in demonstrations did not even understand the causes for which they risked their lives. But they did see injustice that needed a solution. The American way of protesting comes from our constitutional rights. We believe in justice as defined by our laws. And if we do not like the laws in a constitutional democracy, we can peacefully change the laws. We cannot suppress opposition with brutality against the undocumented or those who choose to defend them. If we take time to understand the root causes of our working immigrant population, we will understand better solutions. In 1924, racially biased laws blocked certain groups of migrants, namely, from southern and eastern Europe. Today, the unwanted are being penalized by the cancellation of their previous legal status and deportation. Every social issue has some moral content, but it seems that only the poets and philosophers can discern possible solutions to our human problems, while lawmakers are reluctant to collaborate in finding them. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, is continuing his research on undocumented migration in the United States.
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‘Les Misérables’ and the Moral Questions Behind Migration #Catholic – On a recent vacation, I read Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.” Hugo was truly a poet and philosopher. “Les Misérables” became one of his most popular works through its musical presentation on Broadway and later as a film. It tells various stories about life with distinct and complicated moral issues that need resolution. The words ‘les misérables’ appear only once in the whole book. It is a description of the poor who were seeking justice, not necessarily a revolution, but just the basics of life. ‘Les misérables’ is hard to translate, but it means those in difficult straits; the French dictionary explains the word more. When I was a young boy, I asked my paternal grandfather why he had come to America from Italy, and he answered me in two words — “la miseria.” I understood the meaning from my grandparents’ description of life in Italy at the beginning of the last century. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. There was no work, no education, and little food. That is why the Great Migration at the beginning of the last century brought les misérables to America from across Europe. The flow of the unwanted was stopped by the racist Immigration Act of 1924. The new immigrants of today come for the same reasons as did those in the Great Migration. There are few opportunities to work in their countries, little opportunity for education for their children, as well as other deprivations. The scenes of roundups of immigrants in Minneapolis and other cities in the U.S. certainly remind us of the food riots depicted in “Les Misérables.” The new migrants integrate quickly by working. This is why they have come to America: to work, contribute, and find a new life for themselves and their children. Accessing social benefits, which are few for the undocumented, is only justice for low-wage earners. If we had policed the workplace as was promised in the legalization program of 1986, we would not have needed border enforcement. The workplace is where the problem begins and where it can be solved. Undocumented workers will continue to fill labor gaps as long as our economy depends on low-wage jobs. The brutal tactics displayed by ICE in Minneapolis and other places, which ended in the killing of two innocent protestors, are unnecessary. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time with a gun and in a car because they saw it as just cause. They did not merit the death penalty. In a previous article, I mentioned the immigration roundups and workplace invasions of the 1970s, which caused harm to immigration agents as well as migrants. There are better ways to control our unknown population. Unknown legally, although most pay social security and taxes. In the workplace, some have become les misérables, and sometimes they are treated unjustly. What we learned from the 1986 legalization is that it is possible to regularize the workers among us and to give them the justice that comes from their contributions earned by hard work. The enormous amount of money being spent on enforcement could easily be turned into a massive legalization program. We could register all those working and, more easily, detect the criminal element. In the book “Les Misérables,” the revolutionary elements who participated in demonstrations did not even understand the causes for which they risked their lives. But they did see injustice that needed a solution. The American way of protesting comes from our constitutional rights. We believe in justice as defined by our laws. And if we do not like the laws in a constitutional democracy, we can peacefully change the laws. We cannot suppress opposition with brutality against the undocumented or those who choose to defend them. If we take time to understand the root causes of our working immigrant population, we will understand better solutions. In 1924, racially biased laws blocked certain groups of migrants, namely, from southern and eastern Europe. Today, the unwanted are being penalized by the cancellation of their previous legal status and deportation. Every social issue has some moral content, but it seems that only the poets and philosophers can discern possible solutions to our human problems, while lawmakers are reluctant to collaborate in finding them. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, is continuing his research on undocumented migration in the United States.

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‘Les Misérables’ and the Moral Questions Behind Migration #Catholic –

On a recent vacation, I read Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.”

Hugo was truly a poet and philosopher. “Les Misérables” became one of his most popular works through its musical presentation on Broadway and later as a film. It tells various stories about life with distinct and complicated moral issues that need resolution.

The words ‘les misérables’ appear only once in the whole book. It is a description of the poor who were seeking justice, not necessarily a revolution, but just the basics of life. ‘Les misérables’ is hard to translate, but it means those in difficult straits; the French dictionary explains the word more.

When I was a young boy, I asked my paternal grandfather why he had come to America from Italy, and he answered me in two words — “la miseria.”

I understood the meaning from my grandparents’ description of life in Italy at the beginning of the last century.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

There was no work, no education, and little food. That is why the Great Migration at the beginning of the last century brought les misérables to America from across Europe. The flow of the unwanted was stopped by the racist Immigration Act of 1924.

The new immigrants of today come for the same reasons as did those in the Great Migration.

There are few opportunities to work in their countries, little opportunity for education for their children, as well as other deprivations. The scenes of roundups of immigrants in Minneapolis and other cities in the U.S. certainly remind us of the food riots depicted in “Les Misérables.” The new migrants integrate quickly by working. This is why they have come to America: to work, contribute, and find a new life for themselves and their children. Accessing social benefits, which are few for the undocumented, is only justice for low-wage earners.

If we had policed the workplace as was promised in the legalization program of 1986, we would not have needed border enforcement. The workplace is where the problem begins and where it can be solved. Undocumented workers will continue to fill labor gaps as long as our economy depends on low-wage jobs.

The brutal tactics displayed by ICE in Minneapolis and other places, which ended in the killing of two innocent protestors, are unnecessary.

They were in the wrong place at the wrong time with a gun and in a car because they saw it as just cause. They did not merit the death penalty.

In a previous article, I mentioned the immigration roundups and workplace invasions of the 1970s, which caused harm to immigration agents as well as migrants. There are better ways to control our unknown population. Unknown legally, although most pay social security and taxes. In the workplace, some have become les misérables, and sometimes they are treated unjustly.

What we learned from the 1986 legalization is that it is possible to regularize the workers among us and to give them the justice that comes from their contributions earned by hard work.

The enormous amount of money being spent on enforcement could easily be turned into a massive legalization program.

We could register all those working and, more easily, detect the criminal element. In the book “Les Misérables,” the revolutionary elements who participated in demonstrations did not even understand the causes for which they risked their lives. But they did see injustice that needed a solution.

The American way of protesting comes from our constitutional rights. We believe in justice as defined by our laws.

And if we do not like the laws in a constitutional democracy, we can peacefully change the laws.

We cannot suppress opposition with brutality against the undocumented or those who choose to defend them.

If we take time to understand the root causes of our working immigrant population, we will understand better solutions. In 1924, racially biased laws blocked certain groups of migrants, namely, from southern and eastern Europe.

Today, the unwanted are being penalized by the cancellation of their previous legal status and deportation.

Every social issue has some moral content, but it seems that only the poets and philosophers can discern possible solutions to our human problems, while lawmakers are reluctant to collaborate in finding them.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, is continuing his research on undocumented migration in the United States.

– On a recent vacation, I read Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.” Hugo was truly a poet and philosopher. “Les Misérables” became one of his most popular works through its musical presentation on Broadway and later as a film. It tells various stories about life with distinct and complicated moral issues that need resolution. The words ‘les misérables’ appear only once in the whole book. It is a description of the poor who were seeking justice, not necessarily a revolution, but just the basics of life. ‘Les misérables’ is hard to translate, but it means those in difficult straits; the French dictionary

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Traveling museum spotlights powerful stories of transformation and hope #Catholic - About 300 visitors to the People of Hope Museum, a traveling exhibit that stopped at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., on Palm Sunday and Holy Monday, experienced powerful stories of people whose lives have been transformed through Catholic Charities, which provides them with help and hope. On March 30 and 31, Catholic Charities of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey joined Catholic Charities agencies across the United States in hosting People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nationwide storytelling exhibit, amplifying the profound impact of Christian service. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Housed in a retrofitted tractor-trailer, the People of Hope Museum showcases how compassion, service, and hope are lived out through the stories and experiences of those Catholic Charities serve. The exhibits are designed to inspire visitors to embody these Christian values in their own lives. Admission is free and open to the public. This immersive experience brings to life more than 40 professionally produced video stories from Catholic Charities staff and volunteers from across the country about clients who deeply impacted them. One of those inspiring stories is from Carlos Roldan, director of food pantries for Paterson Catholic Charities. “This exhibit reminded us we are all called to be people of hope. As the People of Hope Museum continues its journey across America, we pray it inspires countless communities to see, serve, and become hope,” Hazel Yaptangco, director of development and public relations for Paterson Catholic Charities posted on social media after the mobile museum’s visit to St. Paul Inside the Walls. “Everyone commented on the power of the stories shared. Thank you to everyone who visited the exhibit. Your presence made it truly special,” she said. The exhibit features interactive poverty simulation activities to help visitors understand the challenges faced by families in poverty. It also displays U.S. and state-level poverty data for local and national insights. The People of Hope Museum launched its tour of the United States last month in New York City and will travel the U.S. for two-and-a-half years. The initiative is made possible by a 2024 grant of nearly $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded through an invitational round of its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. The People of Hope Museum is an initiative of Catholic Charities USA, the national membership organization for 168 independent Catholic charities. Collectively, last year, the Catholic Charities network of agencies served more than 16 million people regardless of faith, addressing needs ranging from food insecurity and housing to disaster assistance, health care, and family support. In a social media post, Paterson Catholic Charities thanked its staff and volunteers that helped with the museum’s visit, including young women of the Women’s Softball Team of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J. and their coach, Nick DeGennaro; the staff of St. Paul’s Inside the Walls; and its partners from Catholic Charities USA. Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Charities of Paterson, said, “The People of Hope Exhibit reminds us that every statistic represents a person with a story, a struggle, and sacred dignity.” “We were honored to bring this powerful nationwide initiative to St. Paul Inside the Walls and invite our community to encounter the faces and voices of hope that inspire our mission every day,” Milliken said. “For more than 80 years, Catholic Charities Diocese of Paterson has supported individuals and families in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties and beyond, offering guidance, resources, and compassionate care during difficult times.” To learn more about the People of Hope Museum, visit ccpaterson.org/POH. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Traveling museum spotlights powerful stories of transformation and hope #Catholic – About 300 visitors to the People of Hope Museum, a traveling exhibit that stopped at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., on Palm Sunday and Holy Monday, experienced powerful stories of people whose lives have been transformed through Catholic Charities, which provides them with help and hope. On March 30 and 31, Catholic Charities of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey joined Catholic Charities agencies across the United States in hosting People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nationwide storytelling exhibit, amplifying the profound impact of Christian service. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Housed in a retrofitted tractor-trailer, the People of Hope Museum showcases how compassion, service, and hope are lived out through the stories and experiences of those Catholic Charities serve. The exhibits are designed to inspire visitors to embody these Christian values in their own lives. Admission is free and open to the public. This immersive experience brings to life more than 40 professionally produced video stories from Catholic Charities staff and volunteers from across the country about clients who deeply impacted them. One of those inspiring stories is from Carlos Roldan, director of food pantries for Paterson Catholic Charities. “This exhibit reminded us we are all called to be people of hope. As the People of Hope Museum continues its journey across America, we pray it inspires countless communities to see, serve, and become hope,” Hazel Yaptangco, director of development and public relations for Paterson Catholic Charities posted on social media after the mobile museum’s visit to St. Paul Inside the Walls. “Everyone commented on the power of the stories shared. Thank you to everyone who visited the exhibit. Your presence made it truly special,” she said. The exhibit features interactive poverty simulation activities to help visitors understand the challenges faced by families in poverty. It also displays U.S. and state-level poverty data for local and national insights. The People of Hope Museum launched its tour of the United States last month in New York City and will travel the U.S. for two-and-a-half years. The initiative is made possible by a 2024 grant of nearly $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded through an invitational round of its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. The People of Hope Museum is an initiative of Catholic Charities USA, the national membership organization for 168 independent Catholic charities. Collectively, last year, the Catholic Charities network of agencies served more than 16 million people regardless of faith, addressing needs ranging from food insecurity and housing to disaster assistance, health care, and family support. In a social media post, Paterson Catholic Charities thanked its staff and volunteers that helped with the museum’s visit, including young women of the Women’s Softball Team of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J. and their coach, Nick DeGennaro; the staff of St. Paul’s Inside the Walls; and its partners from Catholic Charities USA. Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Charities of Paterson, said, “The People of Hope Exhibit reminds us that every statistic represents a person with a story, a struggle, and sacred dignity.” “We were honored to bring this powerful nationwide initiative to St. Paul Inside the Walls and invite our community to encounter the faces and voices of hope that inspire our mission every day,” Milliken said. “For more than 80 years, Catholic Charities Diocese of Paterson has supported individuals and families in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties and beyond, offering guidance, resources, and compassionate care during difficult times.” To learn more about the People of Hope Museum, visit ccpaterson.org/POH. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

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Traveling museum spotlights powerful stories of transformation and hope #Catholic –

About 300 visitors to the People of Hope Museum, a traveling exhibit that stopped at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., on Palm Sunday and Holy Monday, experienced powerful stories of people whose lives have been transformed through Catholic Charities, which provides them with help and hope.

On March 30 and 31, Catholic Charities of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey joined Catholic Charities agencies across the United States in hosting People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nationwide storytelling exhibit, amplifying the profound impact of Christian service.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Housed in a retrofitted tractor-trailer, the People of Hope Museum showcases how compassion, service, and hope are lived out through the stories and experiences of those Catholic Charities serve. The exhibits are designed to inspire visitors to embody these Christian values in their own lives. Admission is free and open to the public.

This immersive experience brings to life more than 40 professionally produced video stories from Catholic Charities staff and volunteers from across the country about clients who deeply impacted them. One of those inspiring stories is from Carlos Roldan, director of food pantries for Paterson Catholic Charities.

“This exhibit reminded us we are all called to be people of hope. As the People of Hope Museum continues its journey across America, we pray it inspires countless communities to see, serve, and become hope,” Hazel Yaptangco, director of development and public relations for Paterson Catholic Charities posted on social media after the mobile museum’s visit to St. Paul Inside the Walls. “Everyone commented on the power of the stories shared. Thank you to everyone who visited the exhibit. Your presence made it truly special,” she said.

The exhibit features interactive poverty simulation activities to help visitors understand the challenges faced by families in poverty. It also displays U.S. and state-level poverty data for local and national insights.

The People of Hope Museum launched its tour of the United States last month in New York City and will travel the U.S. for two-and-a-half years. The initiative is made possible by a 2024 grant of nearly $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded through an invitational round of its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life.

The People of Hope Museum is an initiative of Catholic Charities USA, the national membership organization for 168 independent Catholic charities. Collectively, last year, the Catholic Charities network of agencies served more than 16 million people regardless of faith, addressing needs ranging from food insecurity and housing to disaster assistance, health care, and family support.

In a social media post, Paterson Catholic Charities thanked its staff and volunteers that helped with the museum’s visit, including young women of the Women’s Softball Team of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J. and their coach, Nick DeGennaro; the staff of St. Paul’s Inside the Walls; and its partners from Catholic Charities USA.

Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Charities of Paterson, said, “The People of Hope Exhibit reminds us that every statistic represents a person with a story, a struggle, and sacred dignity.”

“We were honored to bring this powerful nationwide initiative to St. Paul Inside the Walls and invite our community to encounter the faces and voices of hope that inspire our mission every day,” Milliken said. “For more than 80 years, Catholic Charities Diocese of Paterson has supported individuals and families in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties and beyond, offering guidance, resources, and compassionate care during difficult times.”

To learn more about the People of Hope Museum, visit ccpaterson.org/POH.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – About 300 visitors to the People of Hope Museum, a traveling exhibit that stopped at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., on Palm Sunday and Holy Monday, experienced powerful stories of people whose lives have been transformed through Catholic Charities, which provides them with help and hope. On March 30 and 31, Catholic Charities of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey joined Catholic Charities agencies across the United States in hosting People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nationwide storytelling exhibit, amplifying the profound impact of Christian service. Click here to subscribe to our weekly

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April 9, 1959: The Mercury 7 debut

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In 1959, having determined that military test pilots would make the best astronauts, NASA began screening the records of 508 candidates. From there the group was narrowed to 110 men who went through interviews and written tests; of the 110, 32 candidates were selected to undergo extensive physical and mental testing. Finally, on April 1,Continue reading “April 9, 1959: The Mercury 7 debut”

The post April 9, 1959: The Mercury 7 debut appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Christians must be messengers of peace this Easter, Comboni missionary says – #Catholic – Christians are called to live the Easter message of peace, especially during times of war and violence, said a Comboni missionary priest once kidnapped in Uganda.“On the very day of Jesus’ resurrection, on Easter day, Jesus appeared to the apostles [and] the message he delivered to them was, ‘Peace to you!’” Father Giulio Albanese, MCCJ, said in an exclusive interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato.“Peace, from a Christian perspective, is not simply a wish, it’s a gift, and we must be aware that this is our vocation, to bring peace to the world. What is shameful is that nowadays we are doing exactly the opposite,” he said.Albanese, who was kidnapped in northern Uganda by armed rebels in 2002 and witnessed several atrocities of war firsthand, said today’s Christians cannot turn a blind eye to people’s sufferings.“We have to be aware that we are living in a society, at an international level, where there are many, many contradictions,” he said.“There are many innocent people who are slaughtered out of human selfishness. Look at what is taking place in Iran, in the Middle East, in Africa,” he continued.In order to address the obstacles to peace, Albanese said it is necessary for Christians to undergo a conversion and to take Jesus’ Easter message of peace to heart.“During Easter day and even in the following days we have to pray for peace because if there is a lack of peace in the world it’s because our Christianity has become meaningless,” he said.After witnessing the violent killings of a woman and her young children in Uganda, Albanese shared with Di Donato how his faith in the risen Jesus was put to the test.“I must be sincere, in that very moment, I started screaming against the Lord, I said, ‘Lord where are you? Why are you allowing innocent people [to be] killed like that in that way? Why do they have to suffer in such a way? Lord have you forgotten us? Have you forgotten these people?” he said.But it was through the help of an elderly priest that Albanese was able to sense the presence of God, when he was told: “You should ask yourself where is man, not where is God.”Describing his heartfelt conversion as a “story of resurrection,” the Comboni missionary said these days of Easter can help Christians renew their commitment to work toward peace.“We have to believe that our life is in the hands of God,” he said. “The Lord is faithful, and in the very moment you live an experience like this you understand also the significance of life.”During Holy Week, Pope Leo XIV made several pleas to world leaders to bring all conflict and violence to an end.Describing Jesus Christ as the “King of Peace” during the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father said God does not listen to those who “wage war.”“Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering,” he said in his March 29 homily.On Easter Sunday, the pope renewed his prayerful petition for peace during his “urbi et orbi” blessing delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.“The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us!” he said. “Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!”Pope Leo will preside over a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11.
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Christians must be messengers of peace this Easter, Comboni missionary says – #Catholic – Christians are called to live the Easter message of peace, especially during times of war and violence, said a Comboni missionary priest once kidnapped in Uganda.“On the very day of Jesus’ resurrection, on Easter day, Jesus appeared to the apostles [and] the message he delivered to them was, ‘Peace to you!’” Father Giulio Albanese, MCCJ, said in an exclusive interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato.“Peace, from a Christian perspective, is not simply a wish, it’s a gift, and we must be aware that this is our vocation, to bring peace to the world. What is shameful is that nowadays we are doing exactly the opposite,” he said.Albanese, who was kidnapped in northern Uganda by armed rebels in 2002 and witnessed several atrocities of war firsthand, said today’s Christians cannot turn a blind eye to people’s sufferings.“We have to be aware that we are living in a society, at an international level, where there are many, many contradictions,” he said.“There are many innocent people who are slaughtered out of human selfishness. Look at what is taking place in Iran, in the Middle East, in Africa,” he continued.In order to address the obstacles to peace, Albanese said it is necessary for Christians to undergo a conversion and to take Jesus’ Easter message of peace to heart.“During Easter day and even in the following days we have to pray for peace because if there is a lack of peace in the world it’s because our Christianity has become meaningless,” he said.After witnessing the violent killings of a woman and her young children in Uganda, Albanese shared with Di Donato how his faith in the risen Jesus was put to the test.“I must be sincere, in that very moment, I started screaming against the Lord, I said, ‘Lord where are you? Why are you allowing innocent people [to be] killed like that in that way? Why do they have to suffer in such a way? Lord have you forgotten us? Have you forgotten these people?” he said.But it was through the help of an elderly priest that Albanese was able to sense the presence of God, when he was told: “You should ask yourself where is man, not where is God.”Describing his heartfelt conversion as a “story of resurrection,” the Comboni missionary said these days of Easter can help Christians renew their commitment to work toward peace.“We have to believe that our life is in the hands of God,” he said. “The Lord is faithful, and in the very moment you live an experience like this you understand also the significance of life.”During Holy Week, Pope Leo XIV made several pleas to world leaders to bring all conflict and violence to an end.Describing Jesus Christ as the “King of Peace” during the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father said God does not listen to those who “wage war.”“Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering,” he said in his March 29 homily.On Easter Sunday, the pope renewed his prayerful petition for peace during his “urbi et orbi” blessing delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.“The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us!” he said. “Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the peace of Christ! Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts!”Pope Leo will preside over a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11.

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Father Giulio Albanese, MCCJ, who has witnessed several atrocities of war firsthand, said today’s Christians cannot turn a blind eye to people’s sufferings.

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