Month: July 2026

Chester Police chaplain retires after 47 years of service #Catholic –

On July 29, members of the Chester Police Department, law enforcement leaders from across Morris County and New Jersey, and friends gathered to honor Msgr. Raymond Lopatesky, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., upon his retirement as chaplain to the Chester Police Department after 47 years of faithful service. The celebration was held in Hoffman Hall at the Chester Fire House.

Msgr. Lopatesky’s ministry became an integral part of both his life and the lives of those he served.

For nearly five decades, Msgr. Lopatesky ministered to police officers and their families through every season of life — whether comforting families after the loss of a loved one, celebrating weddings and the baptisms of their children, or simply being available to listen. His ministry extended far beyond the walls of the Church. As he described it, “They became my unique parish, my family.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Serving under 13 chiefs of the Chester Police Department, Msgr. Lopatesky remained a constant source of encouragement, compassion, and hope for countless officers and their families. In addition to his role as chaplain, he mentored new police officers and police academy recruits, helping to instill the values of integrity, service, and compassion in future generations of law enforcement professionals.

Msgr. Lopatesky is also the founder and director of the Morris County Police Critical Incident Debriefing Team. His service also extended beyond Chester as a chaplain to the Washington Township Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Secret Service.

Among those attending Msgr. Lopatesky’s retirement celebration were Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, Chester Police Chief Ryan T. McNamee, retired N.J. State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, active and retired members of the Chester Police Department, members of the N.J. State Police, and many law enforcement chiefs and officers from throughout the region.

Msgr. Ray Lopatesky’s legacy will continue to be felt throughout the Chester Police Department and the broader law enforcement community. He touched countless lives through his presence in joyful and difficult moments. He stood beside those who wear the badge, becoming not only their chaplain but also a trusted friend.

Although he is retiring from his official duties, Msgr. Lopatesky will continue to remember them in his daily prayers.

– On July 29, members of the Chester Police Department, law enforcement leaders from across Morris County and New Jersey, and friends gathered to honor Msgr. Raymond Lopatesky, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., upon his retirement as chaplain to the Chester Police Department after 47 years of faithful service. The celebration was held in Hoffman Hall at the Chester Fire House. Msgr. Lopatesky’s ministry became an integral part of both his life and the lives of those he served. For nearly five decades, Msgr. Lopatesky ministered to police officers and their families through every season of life —

Obituary: Sister of Charity Dolores Lew, 84 #Catholic –

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on July 29 at Holy Family Chapel in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J., for Sister Dolores Lew, a Sister of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who died on July 24 at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J. She was 84.

Sister Lew was a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth for 46 years.

Born in Bayonne, N.J., in 1941, Sister Lew was the daughter of Robert Lew and Nellie Pang Lai. She entered the Sisters of Charity in 1979 in response to a call she felt to serve God’s people in a medical setting.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Sister Lew began her ministry of service as a Dominican Sister of Caldwell in Caldwell, N.J. She graduated from Caldwell College, now Caldwell University, with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She earned a master’s degree in biology from Villanova University in Villanova, Penn.

In addition, Sister Lew earned a certification in medical technology from the School of Medical Technology at St. Joseph Hospital in Paterson, and she received a blood bank certificate from the American Red Cross in Baltimore, Md.

Sister Lew also received licensing as a physician assistant. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in that profession from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Rutgers. She was the first Sister of Charity to become a physician assistant.

Sister Lew was a laboratory technologist and chief of the Blood Bank at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital (Trinitas) in Elizabeth, N.J. She was the first physician assistant to join the staff of St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson. Sister Dolores was a physician assistant in the Emergency Department at St. Joseph’s for 24 years until her retirement in 2019.

Sister Dolores enjoyed cooking for family and friends, gardening, and sharing the vegetables from her garden. She received the Best Age Strong Garden award in the 2024 Greenest Place in Paterson Garden Contest.

During the final years of her life, Sister Dolores lived with a serious illness, which she faced with courage and resolve.

Sister Lew was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Shirley Calderone. Her Sisters of Charity community survives her; her friend, Sister Edna Francis Hersinger; her nieces, Christine Velarde, Michele Cavallaro and Toni Anne Caracappa; her nephew, Joseph Calderone; her brothers, Robert, John, David, Peter, and Joseph; her sisters, Kammoy King and Joanne Chin; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Burial took place in Holy Family Cemetery in Convent Station.

Please make donations in memory of Sister Dolores Lew to the Sisters of Charity Office of Legacy and Mission Advancement, P. O. Box 476, Convent Station, N.J., 07961.

– A Mass of Christian Burial was held on July 29 at Holy Family Chapel in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J., for Sister Dolores Lew, a Sister of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who died on July 24 at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J. She was 84. Sister Lew was a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth for 46 years. Born in Bayonne, N.J., in 1941, Sister Lew was the daughter of Robert Lew and Nellie Pang Lai. She entered the Sisters of Charity in 1979 in response to a call she felt

Pope Leo on his ancestry, and how he’s a ‘pope who happens to be American’ #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV spoke with Tom Llamas of NBC News July 29 about being the first American pope, his diverse ancestry and whether he might be coming to the U.S. soon.

“You are the first American pope. It’s something you don’t speak about often,” Llamas noted, asking, “How important is being American to you, and what do you love about America”

“First of all, just to clarify, I think of myself more as the pope who happens to be American,” Pope Leo responded, “not to belittle what it means to be American. I was born in the United States, my family is still in the United States. I have great love for America. But I understand my mission, having a very important dimension, which is precisely being pastor of a universal Church and having a voice and opportunity to speak to people throughout the world. So, I will put things in that order.”

“And yet, at the same time,” he added, “I will acknowledge that for myself as well as the people of the United States, judging by the response that we’ve seen since May 8 of last year, that there is great significance in being the first American pope.”

Speaking to Llamas at a July 29 Concert for Peace at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, which featured Andrea Bocelli and an interfaith choir of 200 children from conflict-affected regions around the world, Pope Leo said he loves “so many things” about America: “What America stands for, the sense of freedom, the sense of opportunity, the sense of having invited, for generations, people from around the world to be part of America.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Discussing his ancestry, he noted that, “I come from a family that — my grandparents were immigrants. On my mother’s side, we have people who were both slaves and slave owners. There’s a history of, if you will, growing up in the kind of experience that helps me to recognize, myself, one of the greatest wealths of the United States. And I continue to hold the principles that have been a part of being American for so many years. That will continue.”

Llamas asked if Americans can expect a papal visit soon.

“They will see me there,” Pope Leo replied, “by coincidence, today we were looking at the calendar for the next couple of years. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I certainly hope to be there soon.”

Julio Vaqueiro, anchor of Noticias Telemundo, also spoke with Pope Leo following the pope’s concert.

Pope Leo told Vaqueiro that the concert “featuring children from various countries, of different races, perhaps from different traditions — all singing together to beautiful music,” offered “a beauty that I believe was an invitation to all of us to look beyond, to see the beauty that can be created or in which we can share when we set aside certain differences and recognize the richness of being one — of all being created in the image of God.”

– (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV spoke with Tom Llamas of NBC News July 29 about being the first American pope, his diverse ancestry and whether he might be coming to the U.S. soon. “You are the first American pope. It’s something you don’t speak about often,” Llamas noted, asking, “How important is being American to you, and what do you love about America” “First of all, just to clarify, I think of myself more as the pope who happens to be American,” Pope Leo responded, “not to belittle what it means to be American. I was born in the

Urban planning must address homelessness to promote human dignity, Vatican’s UN mission says #Catholic –

(Vatican News) — Homelessness must be addressed to create sustainable cities that enable every person to flourish and contribute to the common good, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations said July 28.

“The persistence of homelessness should trouble the conscience of the international community,” the mission said in a message issued for the United Nations’ 2026 high-level meeting on the world body’s New Urban Agenda.

“Everybody deserves a place to call home, where they can build relationships, nurture family life, and participate fully in their community,” the message said. “Housing should therefore be viewed not just as a commodity or financial asset, but as a cornerstone of society at the service of the common good.”

The New Urban Agenda is a global roadmap for sustainable inclusive, and resilient urban development, according to the United Nations. Approved at the U.N. Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, on Oct. 20, 2016, and endorsed by the U.N. General Assembly, it provides guiding principles for managing cities through 2036. The high-level meeting celebrated the 10th anniversary of the agenda’s adoption.

“When cities are shaped by solidarity, inclusion and care for those most in need, they become more than mere places of residence and of work; they become places of encounter, fraternity and hope,” the Holy See mission said in its message.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence, to underline how “development is truly human when it places people at the center.”

“This principle should guide the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in the decade ahead,” the Holy See mission emphasized.

“Not having a home means more than just lacking shelter; it means being deprived of security, stability, privacy, and a sense of belonging,” it explained in its message. “Homelessness undermines the ability to exercise many fundamental human rights and often traps individuals and families in cycles of exclusion and poverty.”

Homelessness is an “affront to human dignity,” it said.

The Holy See mission encouraged cities and countries to invest more “in affordable and adequate housing, as well as integrated social services,” and address the root causes of homelessness, such “as poverty, unemployment, drug addiction, mental health issues, family breakdown, displacement and conflict.”

This must be done through “meaningful participation of local communities, civil society, faith-based organizations” and those who have experienced homelessness themselves, it said.

The mission also noted the importance of pushing for housing policies that promote an integrated approach that takes into consideration the “strong links between education, employment, housing and health.” “This will also help to prevent exclusion and segregation,” it pointed out.

The Holy See mission also emphasized the importance of “renewed international solidarity” through international cooperation, technology transfer, capacity building and adequate financing, especially to help least developed countries that struggle with rapid urbanization.

“Urban development cannot be measured solely by the height of its buildings or the strength of its economy,” the mission said, “but above all by its ability to enable every person to flourish by participating fully in society and contributing to the common good.”

Every city is a community of people, each endowed with its God given-dignity, it said. “The true measure of a sustainable city lies in how it treats all its members, and, consequently, in its capacity to address multiple forms of poverty, persistent inequalities and environmental degradation.”

Isabella H. de Carvalho writes for Vatican News. This story was originally published by Vatican News and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.

– (Vatican News) — Homelessness must be addressed to create sustainable cities that enable every person to flourish and contribute to the common good, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations said July 28. “The persistence of homelessness should trouble the conscience of the international community,” the mission said in a message issued for the United Nations’ 2026 high-level meeting on the world body’s New Urban Agenda. “Everybody deserves a place to call home, where they can build relationships, nurture family life, and participate fully in their community,” the message said. “Housing should therefore be viewed not just

Wildfires in Spain force Augustinian nuns to evacuate monastery #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Wildfires burning through central Spain forced a community of Augustinian nuns to evacuate their monastery as flames threatened the region.

In a statement published July 27, the sisters of the Monastery of the Conversion in Sotillo de la Adrada said they were evacuated July 25 and “had no choice but to leave the monastery.”

The community said they were offered shelter at the Augustinian convent of Saint Ildefonso in Talavera, located roughly 26 miles south of their monastery.

“We are here, sharing as sisters, awaiting a grace that will allow us to return home,” the statement read. “We especially ask for prayers for all the volunteers and security forces who are tirelessly working to extinguish the fires.”

Wildfires across Spain and France have forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. Firefighters face an uphill battle in combatting the flames as extreme heatwaves in both countries have made it difficult to extinguish the fires.

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s interior minister, said taming the wildfire would be crucial before a major heatwave was forecasted to last until Aug. 2.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“We have to stay positive; we have control of the emergency. We do have to acknowledge that we are moving slowly because the weather conditions are not helping us at all,” Grande-Marlaska told El País.

Over 120,000 acres of land in the province of Ávila alone have been burned and destroyed, making it the largest and most aggressive wildfire in Spain’s recorded history, El País reported.

The Diocese of Ávila said July 26 it was cooperating with authorities to coordinate relief efforts and made the diocesan seminary and retreat house available to accommodate evacuees.

“The parish priests of the affected areas were evacuated along with their parishioners to designated shelters and remain with their neighbors,” the diocese said. “Other priests in the area remain with the families of the affected villages, offering them support and making this difficult time more bearable.”

In an interview with the Spanish Catholic weekly Alfa y Omega, Mother Prado González, superior of the Monastery of the Conversion, said the decision to evacuate was made in cooperation with police and military authorities.

“We wanted a small group of us to stay behind, but ultimately they evacuated all of us,” she said. “The situation was very complicated, and the flames had been approaching for days.”

While praising the orderly evacuation of the monastery and surrounding villages, Mother González said she and her sisters felt “tremendous grief” not just for leaving their home “but for everything that is happening.”

“Seeing that natural heritage destroyed — such a beautiful creation — causes immense pain. It is an ecological tragedy, a human tragedy and a social tragedy,” the superior told Alfa y Omega.

Expressing her gratitude to the sisters of the Convent of Saint Ildefonso for receiving them, Mother González said she and her community were “experiencing true communion with the sisters and feel very supported.”

“Above all, we are praying a lot for all the people who are still working there to control the fire, and for our neighbors who are going through a very hard time,” she said.

Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.

– (OSV News) — Wildfires burning through central Spain forced a community of Augustinian nuns to evacuate their monastery as flames threatened the region. In a statement published July 27, the sisters of the Monastery of the Conversion in Sotillo de la Adrada said they were evacuated July 25 and “had no choice but to leave the monastery.” The community said they were offered shelter at the Augustinian convent of Saint Ildefonso in Talavera, located roughly 26 miles south of their monastery. “We are here, sharing as sisters, awaiting a grace that will allow us to return home,” the statement read.

Ignatian retreat campus in the Caribbean serves as hub for medical missions #Catholic –

SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS, Dominican Republic (OSV News) — When Benedictine Father James Raber asked last year if he could bring three or four student volunteers along to an annual medical mission in the Caribbean he got a nice surprise.

“I thought it would be great if I could bring several Belmont Abbey (College) students here as part of a mission trip — and they offered me a dozen spots,” said Father Raber, chaplain at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.

“And one thing I absolutely love to do is see the students interact with the patients,” he added.

The priest and his students joined up with a larger U.S, medical volunteer delegation last year operating out of the expansive campus of the Institute for Latin American Concern, or ILAC, in Santiago de los Caballeros.

A four-decades old Catholic-affiliated retreat-style property founded in the 1970s by two Jesuit missionaries originally from Cuba, teams of volunteer medical specialists, surgeons, dentists and support staff integrate with local Mission ILAC staff and medical volunteers in their care for hundreds of patients in the context of Ignatian spirituality.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“It is a wonderful thing to be able to work with people who help with the mission: I am saying Mass for them, leading ecumenical reflections and hearing confessions often in the evening when there is some down time,” Father Raber told OSV News, adding that he enjoys being a priestly presence in the pediatric clinics and interacting with young families who have registered months in advance to see a medic.

“There are also people who are going to be going under for surgery who need anointing of the sick and that is offered as well,” the priest said.

Although the Belmont Abbey delegation only stayed less than a week, Mission ILAC operates year-round as a global gathering point for international medical volunteers and as a resource for often neglected rural northern reaches of the Dominican Republic and its proximity to Haiti’s border.

There are remote mountain villages with communities of Haitians living there without documents and other rural villages throughout the northwestern Dominican Republic. Consequently, Mission ILAC center coordinates medical outreach to those places where no governmental or private organization reaches.

Over the years, volunteer medics and students from Ivy League and other U.S. institutions have utilized the ILAC campus for Spanish-language courses, medical training and enrichment programs, including most notably Jesuit-run Creighton University, which earlier this year opened a 3,000-square-foot, high-tech classroom and communal space.

The Creighton facility will reportedly increase opportunities for its student engagement in research, economic development and environmental sustainability across the Dominican Republic’s communities where Creighton has health partnerships.

Student doctors, nurses and medics on overseas medical mission experiences often work alongside world-class medical professionals and are rewarded with hands-on experiences, cross-cultural patient interaction and career changing inspiration.

Katherine Calvet, a Florida resident and one of the Belmont Abbey College students who has made several mission trips to Santiago de los Caballeros, said ILAC helped her focus her educational decisions early on while still a freshman at Belmont.

“I thought it would be an opportunity to serve the people of the Dominican Republic and share my passion for helping others,” said Calvet, who is now an undergraduate at Florida State University.

Her trips to ILAC were in concert with the Miami-based Cuban Association of the Order of Malta, which makes twice annual ILAC missions providing outpatient surgeries, pediatrics, family medicine, cardiology, dentistry and more.

“I fell in love with medicine very quickly within the first two hours of working with one of the doctors and I definitely have passion for medicine now,” Calvet told OSV News. “In triage we saw very high blood pressures and very high blood glucose levels.”

One of the senior doctors helping staff the Malta-sponsored mission in 2025 was Dr. Grant Phillips, associate director of a residency program at Altoona Family Physicians Residency Program at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“I’ve been coming here for about 10 or 15 years,” said Phillips, who participated in an end-of-day ecumenical debriefing at ILAC’s on-site chapel following a long day. He also trains student volunteers during his consultations.

“I have a lot of gratitude both to the patients — because they carry the burden of the disease — and the people who brought me down here and allowed me to get fulfillment by helping the people here. This is a life changing experience.”

Some of the medics will venture into the nearby mountain communities.

Mission ILAC maintains a network of community leader “cooperadores de salud” (“cooperators of health”), composed of men and women from their own rural communities who promote better healthcare access along with improvement of agricultural techniques as a way of maintaining rural community wellness and reducing mass migration to the cities.

It is now estimated that four-fifths of the Dominican population now live in one of several urban centers, creating a strain on infrastructure. Many others have left the country altogether in recent decades.

Making her 31st trip to ILAC with the Order of Malta was Dr. Jane Cohen, a primary care physician at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and a veteran volunteer at ILAC who said she comes at her own expense.

“I have met people from all over the U.S. and all over the world who have improved my life and taught me things I couldn’t have learned elsewhere,” Cohen said.

Cohen makes a point of attending ILAC ecumenical sessions where she shares her experiences with colleagues. She expressed gratitude to her husband back home who allows her to take vacation time and even go off the grid into the village communities.

“I decided I wanted to go out into the campos three hours by car up a rickety mountain pathway to see people who either couldn’t get to us or needed our help there and they were so welcoming,” she said.

There were 56 people in that particular community and the medical team saw about half of them as patients. On a second day they stopped at two communities of Haitians, living there without documents.

“I was trying to teach some of the medical students to see the ‘progression of disease’” and not overreach for solutions, she said, noting that many patients in the U.S. are shuffled off to the emergency room or sent out for time-consuming testing.

“For years I was coming here speaking to other internal medicine doctors like myself who realized that our services are better rendered in the office preventing people from getting admitted to the hospital,” Cohen added.

Tom Tracy, who writes for OSV News from Florida, traveled to the Dominican Republic last year with the Cuban Association of the Order of Malta. For more information on Mission ILAC, go to ilac.org.

– SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS, Dominican Republic (OSV News) — When Benedictine Father James Raber asked last year if he could bring three or four student volunteers along to an annual medical mission in the Caribbean he got a nice surprise. “I thought it would be great if I could bring several Belmont Abbey (College) students here as part of a mission trip — and they offered me a dozen spots,” said Father Raber, chaplain at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. “And one thing I absolutely love to do is see the students interact with the patients,” he added. The

Organización católica atraviesa dificultades ante la interrupción de fondos federales para representar a menores no acompañados #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Un ministerio de asistencia legal de la Diócesis de El Paso, Texas, que atiende a decenas de miles de personas, ha agotado sus reservas tras siete meses sin recibir pagos del gobierno federal por su programa de representación de niños inmigrantes no acompañados.

“Se han agotado por completo debido a la situación actual”, declaró Melissa López el 20 de julio. Ella es la directora ejecutiva de Estrella del Paso, anteriormente conocida como Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services (DMRS), una organización que presta servicios legales en el oeste de Texas y Nuevo México a clientes provenientes principalmente de América Latina.

DMRS surgió de una colaboración entre la Diócesis de El Paso y la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos (USCCB, por sus siglas en inglés) en respuesta al programa de amnistía de 1986 para personas que se encontraban en el país sin autorización. La agencia pasó a trabajar bajo subcontrato gubernamental para brindar representación legal a menores no acompañados, cumpliendo así con un mandato del Congreso. Los pagos solían ser muy regulares, señaló López. La organización se constituyó como una entidad sin fines de lucro independiente en 1990 y adoptó el nombre de Estrella del Paso en 2023.

En marzo de 2025, Estrella del Paso y otras organizaciones que brindan servicios legales a niños migrantes no acompañados demandaron a los Departamentos de Salud y Servicios Humanos e Interior, así como a la Oficina de Reasentamiento de Refugiados, debido a la retirada de fondos para este servicio. Un juez federal emitió una orden judicial temporal que obligó a los departamentos a seguir pagando por los servicios; en el caso de Estrella del Paso, la deuda acumulada hasta la fecha asciende a aproximadamente 900.000 dólares. Esa cifra aumentará después de finales de julio, señaló López.

Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.

La jueza de distrito de EE.UU. Araceli Martínez-Olguín ordenó a los demandantes, el 16 de julio, reunirse con el gobierno federal para llegar a un acuerdo sobre los montos impagos antes de la próxima audiencia, que estaba programada para el 23 de julio.

Más allá del dinero adeudado, se desconoce qué sucederá con la continuidad del contrato con el gobierno. López indicó que el contrato debe renovarse a finales de julio, pero la situación actual hace que el futuro de sus servicios sea aún más incierto. Por este motivo, declaró a OSV News, el equipo de Estrella del Paso tomó la decisión el 17 de julio de no aceptar más casos de niños no acompañados. No obstante, continuarán trabajando en los varios cientos de casos que ya tienen a su cargo.

Al preguntársele si la organización tendría que cerrar sus puertas, López –empleada de la entidad desde hace 19 años– respondió: “Si depende de mí, no. Pero, ciertamente, sería ingenuo por nuestra parte no contemplar esa posibilidad”.

“Nos encontramos en una situación muy precaria en la que corremos el riesgo de incumplir nuestras obligaciones”, afirmó. “Si no podemos pagar a nuestro personal, no habrá nadie para prestar los servicios. Esa es nuestra obligación más importante: los salarios y las prestaciones. Pero también tenemos obligaciones con el arrendador y debemos cubrir nuestros… gastos operativos”.

Si bien hasta hace poco la oficina ayudaba a unos 6.500 menores al año –evaluando si requerían representación legal y proporcionándosela en caso necesario–, también presta asistencia a personas inmersas en procesos de deportación, refugiados que solicitan asilo y migrantes que huyen de la violencia doméstica, entre otros servicios.

Sin embargo, López señaló que el año pasado el gobierno recortó subvenciones por valor de más de 2 millones de dólares destinadas a otros dos programas para menores no acompañados: el servicio de asistencia en los tribunales de inmigración y el programa de orientación sobre el sistema legal.

Los clientes menores de edad de la organización son principalmente adolescentes, indicó.

“Considero que a los niños se les debe tratar con un cuidado y una atención especiales. Y, además, hay que tener en cuenta que estamos hablando de niños que han sufrido traumas”, afirmó López.

El obispo Mark J. Seitz, de El Paso y presidente de la junta directiva de Estrella del Paso, comentó que le han preguntado por qué los padres permiten que sus hijos viajen solos a este país, realizando a menudo peligrosos cruces fronterizos.

“La respuesta que doy es que lo hacen porque los aman profundamente. La gente debe entender que es un sacrificio enorme, un acto de amor, dejar partir a quienes más amas en el mundo”, explicó a OSV News.

“Pero lo permiten” debido a lo que podría suceder si se quedan, señaló. “Porque dicen: ‘Mi hijo probablemente morirá’. O, al menos, si es una niña, será víctima de violación y abusos; si es un niño, será reclutado por pandillas, obligado a matar y a sufrir las consecuencias de ese estilo de vida”, afirmó.

El obispo Seitz también señaló como factores adicionales que impulsan la llegada de niños no acompañados a Estados Unidos son la pobreza extrema y el hecho de que los menores cruzan la frontera con la intención de encontrar trabajo para ayudar a sus familias.

El obispo dijo: “Todo inmigrante que cruce debe ser evaluado. Y se debe determinar si tienen una razón por la cual regresar sería peligroso para ellos, o cuáles son las circunstancias”.

“De eso es de lo que deberían tratar estos procedimientos judiciales. No estamos en contra de los procedimientos judiciales. Estamos en contra de los procedimientos que no dan a los niños la oportunidad de exponer su caso, que no les permiten el debido proceso conforme a nuestras leyes”, explicó el obispo Seitz.

La directora de comunicaciones de Estrella del Paso dijo a OSV News que, “por extrema precaución”, los clientes de la organización no hablan con los medios de comunicación y se muestran reticentes incluso cuando se les ofrece el anonimato.

Bajo las actuales medidas severas de inmigración del presidente Donald Trump, este temor no solo afecta a los migrantes. Incluso los donantes se muestran cautelosos, señaló López, quien comentó que ha estado realizando una campaña de recaudación de fondos este verano.

Aun así, señaló que en el último mes han surgido donantes “increíblemente valientes”.

Asimismo, a Lopez le reconforta la dedicación del personal, a pesar de que hay puestos vacantes y existe la amenaza de posibles despidos.

“Su principal pregunta es: ‘¿Qué pasará con mis clientes? ¿Qué pasará con los niños… si no estamos aquí?’”, comentó. “Creo que lo más extraordinario de toda esta situación es que, a pesar de que esto podría tener consecuencias muy reales para nuestro equipo y sus vidas personales, siguen totalmente centrados en las personas a las que atendemos”.

Simone Orendain es corresponsal de OSV News. Escribe desde Chicago.

– (OSV News) — Un ministerio de asistencia legal de la Diócesis de El Paso, Texas, que atiende a decenas de miles de personas, ha agotado sus reservas tras siete meses sin recibir pagos del gobierno federal por su programa de representación de niños inmigrantes no acompañados. “Se han agotado por completo debido a la situación actual”, declaró Melissa López el 20 de julio. Ella es la directora ejecutiva de Estrella del Paso, anteriormente conocida como Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services (DMRS), una organización que presta servicios legales en el oeste de Texas y Nuevo México a clientes provenientes principalmente de

El mensaje del Papa León a la juventud: Jesús no quiere que sean ‘jóvenes de sillón’ #Catholic –

ROMA (OSV News) — El Papa León XIV instó a los jóvenes a no ser “jóvenes de sillón” en un mensaje en video del 25 de julio, añadiendo que la Iglesia necesita su energía misionera y su “rebeldía santa”.

“Jesús no los quiere ‘jóvenes de sillón’, adormecidos o instalados en la comodidad del ‘siempre se ha hecho así’”, dijo el Papa León, citando la frase en español que el Papa Francisco utilizó durante su discurso en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud de 2016 en Cracovia.

En un mensaje de video en español dirigido a los jóvenes de la Prelatura de Chota y Cutervo, Perú, con motivo de la celebración de su II Jornada Diocesana de la Juventud, el Papa los animó a que “sientan el llamado a ser misioneros en sus colegios, en sus universidades, en sus calles y en sus campos”.

La Iglesia “necesita de su rebeldía santa, de su energía limpia, de sus ganas de transformar las realidades de dolor en espacios de esperanza”, afirmó el Papa. “Sirvan con alegría, especialmente a los más olvidados, porque ahí es donde se encuentra el rostro sufriente de Jesús”.

Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.

Este fue uno de los tres mensajes de video que el Santo Padre envió durante el fin de semana a encuentros de jóvenes en todo el mundo.

En un mensaje de video del 26 de julio para el ‘Festival Halleluya’ en Fortaleza, Brasil, el Papa León XIV señaló el ejemplo de San Carlo Acutis, animando a los jóvenes a no perder jamás el “vigor misionero indispensable para transformar este mundo, que necesita tan desesperadamente el Evangelio”.

“En nuestros días, aún son muchas las personas que necesitan saber que es Jesús quien responde a sus deseos más profundos, revelando a la humanidad la verdad sobre sí misma”, dijo en portugués. “¡Proclamen, pues, con valentía que una vida sin Cristo es una vida sin gracia! Él es el Camino, la Verdad y la Vida; es Él quien da sentido a la existencia y a todas las cosas”.

“Dejémonos inspirar por el ejemplo de San Carlos Acutis: él nos muestra cómo mantener siempre a Cristo en el centro, incluso al utilizar la tecnología”, dijo el Papa León a los jóvenes brasileños, según la traducción oficial del Vaticano.

El Santo Padre también los exhortó a usar las redes sociales y la inteligencia artificial “con moderación y disciplina”, y advirtiendo que estas herramientas pueden arrastrar a las personas a “un mundo irreal, en el que lo efímero, las meras apariencias y el engaño terminan por ocupar el lugar de los verdaderos valores y de lo que realmente importa”.

El Papa reconoció que el entusiasmo que se siente en una festividad como el ‘Festival Halleluya’ puede desvanecerse con el tiempo, y dijo que para mantenerlo es necesario permanecer en la presencia de Dios a través de la oración, con “constancia, perseverancia y la firme certeza de que el Padre Celestial nunca nos abandona”.

Citando al Papa Benedicto XVI, añadió: “¡No tengan, pues, miedo de Cristo! Él no quita nada, lo da todo”.

En un tercer mensaje en video, dirigido a los jóvenes reunidos en Lamego, Portugal, para la segunda Jornada Nacional de la Juventud “Rejoice” (Alégrate), el Papa León reflexionó sobre sus recientes encuentros con jóvenes católicos –desde el Jubileo de los Jóvenes en Roma hasta una vigilia juvenil durante su viaje apostólico a España– y expresó su entusiasmo ante la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud que se celebrará en Seúl, Corea del Sur, en agosto de 2027.

“Siempre es especial estar con los jóvenes, ¡porque el entusiasmo de su fe es contagioso!”, dijo el Papa.

El Papa León animó a los jóvenes a “aprovechar lo que les inquieta para –en momentos de oración y silencio, en diálogo con Dios– preguntarle: Señor, ¿qué quieres que haga en la Iglesia y en el mundo? ¿Cuál es mi vocación? ¿Me llamas a formar una familia a través del matrimonio? ¿O me llama a la vida sacerdotal? ¿O a la vida religiosa’”.

“¡No tengan miedo de la inquietud que llevan dentro! Aprovechen ese impulso para acercarse aún más a Cristo y para dar testimonio de los valores del Evangelio”, dijo el Papa.

Courtney Mares es editora de temas del Vaticano para OSV News. Sígala en X en @catholicourtney.

– ROMA (OSV News) — El Papa León XIV instó a los jóvenes a no ser “jóvenes de sillón” en un mensaje en video del 25 de julio, añadiendo que la Iglesia necesita su energía misionera y su “rebeldía santa”. “Jesús no los quiere ‘jóvenes de sillón’, adormecidos o instalados en la comodidad del ‘siempre se ha hecho así’”, dijo el Papa León, citando la frase en español que el Papa Francisco utilizó durante su discurso en la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud de 2016 en Cracovia. En un mensaje de video en español dirigido a los jóvenes de la Prelatura

Obituary: Salesian Sister Nivia Arias, 65 #Catholic –

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 10:30 p.m. at Mary Help of Christians Academy, St. Joseph Chapel, in North Haledon, N.J., for Salesian Sister Nivia Arias, who died on July 24 at Chilton Memorial Hospital in the Pompton Plains neighborhood of Pequannock, N.J. She was 65.

She was a Salesian Sister for 42 years.

Sister Arias was born in Tampa, Florida, to Cuban immigrants Alberto and Maria Luisa Arias. She graduated from Villa Madonna School there in 1975. In Villa’s 90-year history, she was the only student to become a Salesian Sister.

Sister Arias entered the Salesian Sisters after helping at Camp Auxilium in Newton, N.J., a summer camp run by the religious order. In 1984, she made her first religious profession.

She taught in elementary schools in Paterson and Tampa and taught archery at summer camps in New Jersey and Florida. For many years, Sister Arias was dedicated to retreat ministry at Sacred Heart Center in Newton.

Sister Arias is survived by her brother, Carlos, and a large extended family.
“Please join us in praying for the eternal repose of Sr. She was a loving Sister who naturally lived ‘Laudato Si’ and had a heart for the least,” the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, Daughters Mary Help of Christians, posted on social media. “She had so many creative gifts and loved her Salesian vocation, with a special eye toward catechizing the young. Her prayer was often for peace and reconciliation, especially in people’s hearts. We will miss you, Sister Nivia,” they posted.
A wake for Sister Arias will be held on Friday, July 31, at the Salesians’ Provincial House in Haledon, N.J. It will consist of a 4:30 to 6 p.m. wake, 4:30 p.m. rosary, and 5:30 p.m. reading of her biography and evening prayer.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 10:30 p.m. at Mary Help of Christians Academy, St. Joseph Chapel, in North Haledon, N.J. Her burial and repast will follow it in the academy’s cafeteria.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 10:30 p.m. at Mary Help of Christians Academy, St. Joseph Chapel, in North Haledon, N.J., for Salesian Sister Nivia Arias, who died on July 24 at Chilton Memorial Hospital in the Pompton Plains neighborhood of Pequannock, N.J. She was 65. She was a Salesian Sister for 42 years. Sister Arias was born in Tampa, Florida, to Cuban immigrants Alberto and Maria Luisa Arias. She graduated from Villa Madonna School there in 1975. In Villa’s 90-year history, she was the only student to become a Salesian Sister. Sister

Obituary: Deacon Stephen Marabeti, 86 #Catholic –

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln Park, N.J., for Deacon Stephen Marabeti, who died on July 24. He was 86.

In 1974, Bishop Lawrence Casey, the fifth bishop of Paterson, ordained Deacon Marabeti as a member of the first class of men to of the Permanent Diaconate for the diocese, N.J. He served St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park from the date of his ordination until his death.

On July 6, 2024, Deacon Marabeti celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination at a Mass for which Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the principal celebrant.

“Deacon Steve faithfully served God and the people of St. Joseph Parish with dedication, kindness, and a generous heart.,” St. Joseph’s posted on social media. “His unwavering faith, compassion, and commitment to our parish community touched countless lives His passing is a tremendous loss for our parish family, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him,” the parish posted.

Deacon Marabeti belonged to the steering committee that helped start the diocesan diaconate program with Msgr. Kenneth Lasch, now retired, directed by Bishop Lawrence Casey. Through his work with the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops on the Permanent Diaconate, he traveled around the country to encourage other dioceses to start diaconate programs.

Deacon Marabeti pursued a career in education. He taught history at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J. from 1964 to 1969. Afterward, he taught history and other subjects at Parsippany Hills High School for 32 years before retiring.
A wake for Deacon Marabeti will be held on Friday, July 31, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Keri-Lozito Funeral Home in Lincoln Park.

Deacons are invited to vest and process in alb and diocesan stole at the Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church. Repast will be held after at the parish.

Please keep Deacon Marabeti and his family in your prayers.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln Park, N.J., for Deacon Stephen Marabeti, who died on July 24. He was 86. In 1974, Bishop Lawrence Casey, the fifth bishop of Paterson, ordained Deacon Marabeti as a member of the first class of men to of the Permanent Diaconate for the diocese, N.J. He served St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park from the date of his ordination until his death. On July 6, 2024, Deacon Marabeti celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination at a Mass for

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s Schedule: August, 2026 #Catholic –

– 8/1 Sat., 8 a.m. Mass for Life & Procession – St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown; 10:30 a.m. Transitional Diaconate ordination of seminarian Carlos Vargas – St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Passaic; 2:30 p.m. Mass for the closing of ECCADS, annual Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Encounter for Servants (Servidores de la Renovación Carismática) – St. Gerard Majella Parish gymnasium, Paterson. 8/4 Tues., 10 a.m. Mass – Nazareth Village, Chester; 1:30 p.m. Priest meeting – St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. 8/5 Wed., 3 p.m. Final profession – Mary Help of Christians, North Haledon. 8/12 Wed., 8:30 a.m. Opening Mass for principals

The ‘Education Freedom Tax Credit’ — We hope and pray that New Jersey will ‘opt in’ #Catholic –

“A new federal program could bring direct educational support to New Jersey families at no cost to the state or taxpayers — if the state opts in to participate…”

Education Tax Credit Overview

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

I hope that many readers of this column are already aware of the potential impact of the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit to expand educational opportunities for students and families across the State of New Jersey. I hope that you read the article in the Beacon last week, “Why NJ parents should promote federal education tax credits.” 

I am happy to share with you, if you are not already aware, that the New Jersey Catholic Conference (NJCC) has launched a new website to provide education and resources about this potentially “game changing” opportunity. The website is designed to serve as a “one-stop shop” for parents, schools, potential donors, and legislators to learn about the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, to learn how they can support this effort (including sharing the website within their networks), and sign up for updates as the process develops. The website will serve as the central location for action alerts issued by NJCC and their partners in the nonpublic school community encouraging Gov. Mikie Sherrill to opt in to the program.

In early June, James J. King, executive director of the NJCC wrote a letter to Sherrill on behalf of Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., and all the Catholic bishops of the state, respectfully urging the governor and her administration to “opt in” so that New Jesey children, families, schools and communities of all faiths (and of no faith) can benefit from the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program. King enumerated the many ways in which the Tax Credit program would benefit, not only Catholic Schools, but private and public schools, without any reduction in the state’s support of public education.

At the newly launched NJCC website, you can learn a great deal about the potential benefits and details of this Federal Tax Credit program. One important aspect of the program is the role that will be played by “Scholarship Granting Organizations” (SGOs):

“… This program allows individuals to donate up to $1,700 per year to authorized Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit. Eligible families and students can receive funds from these organizations as scholarships for school-related expenses, benefiting the taxpayer and also the students.” — Education Tax Credit Overview

Here in our diocese, we will be well prepared to benefit from the Tax Credits because we have a “Scholarship Granting Organization,” the Tri-County Scholarship Fund, with which I hope readers are already very familiar. The Tri-County Scholarship Fund was founded 45 years ago by Bishop Frank Rodimer and Ed Henessey. “Since 1981, Tri-County Scholarship Fund has provided partial K-12th grade scholarships to financially disadvantaged children from Northern New Jersey so they can attend safe, values-based, quality independent schools which allow them to thrive.” — Tri-County Scholarship Fund

The Board of “Tri-County,” led by President Prudence A. Pigott, has been working diligently to educate and inform their donors, school partners, and families about the potential benefits of the Federal Tax Credit program, as well as the importance of encouraging Sherrill to “opt in” so that children, families, teachers, schools, and communities across our state can receive these benefits.

I encourage you to go to the Tri-County website where you will find:

• Ways you can contact Gov. Sherrill’s Office and encourage her to “opt in”
• The Text of the New Law (creating the Tax Credit program), related articles, and review “Frequently Asked Questions”
• How this Tax Credit program could “transform educational opportunity in New Jersey”
• WHY this Tax Credit program “Matters”: “The new federal tax credit will help close the education gap for low-income children and those living in economically depressed zip codes. It will provide scholarship funds not only for tuition, but for all types of education enrichment including tutoring, SAT prep, extended school day, autism, special ed, language, art, dance, music classes, and more…” — New Jersey Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Guide

I will conclude with one additional or, hopefully, complementary “argument” as to why this Federal Tax Credit program is such an important opportunity for us, our families, parishes and schools. This past Sunday, July 26, was the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, patron saints of grandparents and World Day of Prayer for grandparents and the elderly. During the coming week, we will celebrate, on July 29, the Feast of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and on July 31 and Aug. 1, the Feasts of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. The first two Feast Days remind us of the value and sanctity of life, especially family life. The Feasts of St. Ignatius and St. Alphonsus remind us of the importance of education, especially Catholic Education and Catholic Schools.

It may not be obvious to all that there is an important “connection” between a Federal Tax Credit program and support for Family Life and Catholic Education. Yet, if we pause and reflect (and if you have read this far), I believe that Catholics and all the citizens, residents, and families of New Jersey should be able to see the benefits of our state and our governor “opting in.” Let us all do our part, as we pray and hope that New Jersey will “opt in.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– “A new federal program could bring direct educational support to New Jersey families at no cost to the state or taxpayers — if the state opts in to participate…” Education Tax Credit Overview BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY I hope that many readers of this column are already aware of the potential impact of the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit to expand educational opportunities for students and families across the State of New Jersey. I hope that you read the article in the Beacon last week, “Why NJ parents should promote federal education tax credits.”  I am happy to share with