Day: August 13, 2026

Fact check: Has Finland’s first Catholic school opened? #Catholic Claims circulating widely on social media that Finland’s first Catholic school will open this month, or that it is already operational, are inaccurate.The Helsinki Catholic School, which was scheduled to begin operations in August, has postponed its opening until next year, according to Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki.The planned school gained attention after the Helsinki Diocese announced the project in its diocesan magazine last November. By the time of the announcement, groundwork was already underway, with fundraising efforts and the necessary administrative and bureaucratic processes being pursued.Once completed, the school would be the first Catholic school in Finland in roughly 500 years, following the near disappearance of Catholic institutional life in the country after the Reformation and the adoption of Lutheranism as Finland’s state religion in the 16th century. Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki, Finland. | Credit: Amira Abuzeid/EWTN News The school’s planned modelGoyarrola previously described the project to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, as an important step in rebuilding Catholic educational life in Finland.He said the school was intended to open in August 2026 and would initially operate on the second floor of a Lutheran church dedicated to St. James the Apostle on Lauttasaari, an island in Helsinki. The bishop had also expressed hope that, if finances permitted, the diocese could acquire the building within three years.The Helsinki Catholic School is planned as a small, inclusive school initially serving grades 1–3, following Finland’s national and Helsinki city curricula while incorporating Catholic values. Its approach focuses on personal attention, a calm learning environment, initiative, and a strong character foundation.Opening delayed until 2027In response to an inquiry from EWTN News, Goyarrola clarified that the school has not opened and that its launch has been postponed.“The school will open once everything is fully in place,” Goyarrola said. “We had hoped to begin this August, but after careful consideration we have decided to postpone the opening until next year, as there are still several important matters to resolve.”He also went on to say: “The administrative procedures, logistics, and financing alone are challenging.” He further noted that “when the school is also Catholic and privately run, the work and the requirements become even more demanding.”Social media accounts and online posts have recently presented the Helsinki Catholic School as though it is already operating in an educational sense. This is inaccurate. The school is not currently teaching any students, and it is not open in the capacity that formal classes or regular educational activities are being conducted. The project remains in development.The Diocese of Helsinki continues to work with its partners toward establishing the school and remains hopeful that it will become a reality in 2027.Goyarrola asked the faithful to pray for the project as the diocese works through the remaining requirements. “We would be deeply grateful for your prayers as we continue working to make this project a reality,” he told EWTN News.
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Fact check: Has Finland’s first Catholic school opened? #Catholic Claims circulating widely on social media that Finland’s first Catholic school will open this month, or that it is already operational, are inaccurate.The Helsinki Catholic School, which was scheduled to begin operations in August, has postponed its opening until next year, according to Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki.The planned school gained attention after the Helsinki Diocese announced the project in its diocesan magazine last November. By the time of the announcement, groundwork was already underway, with fundraising efforts and the necessary administrative and bureaucratic processes being pursued.Once completed, the school would be the first Catholic school in Finland in roughly 500 years, following the near disappearance of Catholic institutional life in the country after the Reformation and the adoption of Lutheranism as Finland’s state religion in the 16th century. Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki, Finland. | Credit: Amira Abuzeid/EWTN News The school’s planned modelGoyarrola previously described the project to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, as an important step in rebuilding Catholic educational life in Finland.He said the school was intended to open in August 2026 and would initially operate on the second floor of a Lutheran church dedicated to St. James the Apostle on Lauttasaari, an island in Helsinki. The bishop had also expressed hope that, if finances permitted, the diocese could acquire the building within three years.The Helsinki Catholic School is planned as a small, inclusive school initially serving grades 1–3, following Finland’s national and Helsinki city curricula while incorporating Catholic values. Its approach focuses on personal attention, a calm learning environment, initiative, and a strong character foundation.Opening delayed until 2027In response to an inquiry from EWTN News, Goyarrola clarified that the school has not opened and that its launch has been postponed.“The school will open once everything is fully in place,” Goyarrola said. “We had hoped to begin this August, but after careful consideration we have decided to postpone the opening until next year, as there are still several important matters to resolve.”He also went on to say: “The administrative procedures, logistics, and financing alone are challenging.” He further noted that “when the school is also Catholic and privately run, the work and the requirements become even more demanding.”Social media accounts and online posts have recently presented the Helsinki Catholic School as though it is already operating in an educational sense. This is inaccurate. The school is not currently teaching any students, and it is not open in the capacity that formal classes or regular educational activities are being conducted. The project remains in development.The Diocese of Helsinki continues to work with its partners toward establishing the school and remains hopeful that it will become a reality in 2027.Goyarrola asked the faithful to pray for the project as the diocese works through the remaining requirements. “We would be deeply grateful for your prayers as we continue working to make this project a reality,” he told EWTN News.

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Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki told EWTN News that the school will not open this August as planned and that the project has been pushed back to 2027.

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Pew report finds most American Catholics favor death penalty for those convicted of murder – #Catholic – A Pew Research Center survey found that 65% of American Catholics favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, with 28% who “strongly” favor it.The research showed that support for the death penalty among U.S. adults is 6 percentage points higher than it was in April 2021, and it is about equal to where it was in August 2020 (65%).It found that about two-thirds of all Americans (66%) favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.Pew surveyed 3,554 U.S. adults from July 6–12. Participants were all members of Pew’s American Trends Panel, which is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error for the sample of respondents was plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.The report, “Most Americans Favor the Death Penalty for Those Convicted of Murder,” found that 32% of Americans oppose the death penalty for people convicted of murder, 13% of whom reported they "strongly oppose” it.While most Catholics favor it, 34% said they oppose it, with 15% who "strongly oppose” it.When asked in the context of morality, 68% of all respondents said they see the death penalty as morally justified for those who have committed murder, while 28% believe it is morally wrong.Of Catholics, 64% believe the death penalty is morally justified when someone commits murder, and 32% said it is morally wrong.A 59% majority of all Americans said the death penalty is not a crime deterrent, while 39% said that it is. A majority of Americans (73%) also said there is some risk that an innocent person could be put to death, but a quarter said that there are safeguards in place to prevent this.Since the start of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly spoken out in strong opposition of the death penalty.“I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected,” the pope said in April.His remarks against the death penalty echo a relatively new magisterial teaching in the Catholic Church, which was promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018. The Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2267).Views differ by political party, age, and educationThe poll showed partisan divides on the death penalty persist among U.S. adults.Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party overwhelmingly support the death penalty with 84% in favor, including 47% who “strongly favor” it. Democrats and Democratic leaners were about split between support (51%) and opposition (48%).Most Republicans (85%) also said the death penalty is morally justified for a crime like murder, while Democrats are more split on the issue with 55% who believe it is morally justified and 42% who do not.Republicans and Democrats were most divided over whether the death penalty is fairly applied to different races.Most Republicans (77%), said white and Black people are equally likely to be sentenced to the death penalty for similar crimes, and only 23% of Democrats reported the same.The report also noted that younger adults are slightly less supportive of the death penalty than older adults. Of adults ages 18 to 29, 58% said it is morally wrong, compared with 47% of those 65 and older.Adults with a college degree, especially those with a postgraduate degree, are also slightly less likely than those with a high school degree or only some college education to favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.
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Pew report finds most American Catholics favor death penalty for those convicted of murder – #Catholic – A Pew Research Center survey found that 65% of American Catholics favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, with 28% who “strongly” favor it.The research showed that support for the death penalty among U.S. adults is 6 percentage points higher than it was in April 2021, and it is about equal to where it was in August 2020 (65%).It found that about two-thirds of all Americans (66%) favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.Pew surveyed 3,554 U.S. adults from July 6–12. Participants were all members of Pew’s American Trends Panel, which is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error for the sample of respondents was plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.The report, “Most Americans Favor the Death Penalty for Those Convicted of Murder,” found that 32% of Americans oppose the death penalty for people convicted of murder, 13% of whom reported they "strongly oppose” it.While most Catholics favor it, 34% said they oppose it, with 15% who "strongly oppose” it.When asked in the context of morality, 68% of all respondents said they see the death penalty as morally justified for those who have committed murder, while 28% believe it is morally wrong.Of Catholics, 64% believe the death penalty is morally justified when someone commits murder, and 32% said it is morally wrong.A 59% majority of all Americans said the death penalty is not a crime deterrent, while 39% said that it is. A majority of Americans (73%) also said there is some risk that an innocent person could be put to death, but a quarter said that there are safeguards in place to prevent this.Since the start of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly spoken out in strong opposition of the death penalty.“I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected,” the pope said in April.His remarks against the death penalty echo a relatively new magisterial teaching in the Catholic Church, which was promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018. The Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2267).Views differ by political party, age, and educationThe poll showed partisan divides on the death penalty persist among U.S. adults.Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party overwhelmingly support the death penalty with 84% in favor, including 47% who “strongly favor” it. Democrats and Democratic leaners were about split between support (51%) and opposition (48%).Most Republicans (85%) also said the death penalty is morally justified for a crime like murder, while Democrats are more split on the issue with 55% who believe it is morally justified and 42% who do not.Republicans and Democrats were most divided over whether the death penalty is fairly applied to different races.Most Republicans (77%), said white and Black people are equally likely to be sentenced to the death penalty for similar crimes, and only 23% of Democrats reported the same.The report also noted that younger adults are slightly less supportive of the death penalty than older adults. Of adults ages 18 to 29, 58% said it is morally wrong, compared with 47% of those 65 and older.Adults with a college degree, especially those with a postgraduate degree, are also slightly less likely than those with a high school degree or only some college education to favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.

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The research showed that support for the death penalty among U.S. adults is 6 percentage points higher than it was in April 2021.

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UN finds increase in migrant deaths on 2 routes in early 2026 amid Vatican concerns – #Catholic – A United Nations report published Aug. 12 found an increase in migrant deaths and missing migrants along two European routes during the first four months of 2026, as the Vatican and bishops continue to voice concerns about safety.The report, published by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), found that many migrants fall victim to human traffickers and scams along the journey. A majority of the increase in deaths, however, were caused by drownings in the Mediterranean Sea.“Attention tends to settle on a handful of routes, but nearly half of the world’s 304 million international migrants live within their own region, moving for work, family, education and safety,” IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels said in a statement.“Good data is not a substitute for solutions, but there are no solutions without it,” she said. “… When everyone is working from the same clear picture, better decisions follow.”The two routes with a sharp increase in migrant deaths were the Central Mediterranean Route and the Eastern Mediterranean Route. The central route mostly reflects migrants arriving in Italy from northern Africa and the eastern route mostly reflects routes from western Asia into Greece, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.According to the report, the number of migrants who died or went missing along the Central Mediterranean Route was at least 821, which is 111% higher than the same time last year. It found that the primary cause of death was drowning. About 430 migrants died or went missing in January, primarily due to Cyclone Harry.The number went up by 259% on the Eastern Mediterranean Route, reaching at least 244. The report found the primary cause to be drowning. This was caused by “a series of fatal incidents” near Crete — a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea.“This data highlights the risks faced by migrants along these routes, even as the estimates presented in this report are likely much lower than the real number of casualties,” the report states.In July, Pope Leo XIV visited the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, saying migrants who died in the sea are “victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made.”“Indifference to the common good and corruption in their countries of origin; a global economic system that generates poverty and exclusion; fear that fuels prejudice and contempt; the belief that such problems do not concern us; the criminal calculations of those who profit from the suffering of others; the slow and difficult transition from mere emergency management to the development of comprehensive and shared policies — all are present-day echoes of the haste to ‘pass by’ in the Gospel narrative,” the Holy Father said.
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UN finds increase in migrant deaths on 2 routes in early 2026 amid Vatican concerns – #Catholic – A United Nations report published Aug. 12 found an increase in migrant deaths and missing migrants along two European routes during the first four months of 2026, as the Vatican and bishops continue to voice concerns about safety.The report, published by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), found that many migrants fall victim to human traffickers and scams along the journey. A majority of the increase in deaths, however, were caused by drownings in the Mediterranean Sea.“Attention tends to settle on a handful of routes, but nearly half of the world’s 304 million international migrants live within their own region, moving for work, family, education and safety,” IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels said in a statement.“Good data is not a substitute for solutions, but there are no solutions without it,” she said. “… When everyone is working from the same clear picture, better decisions follow.”The two routes with a sharp increase in migrant deaths were the Central Mediterranean Route and the Eastern Mediterranean Route. The central route mostly reflects migrants arriving in Italy from northern Africa and the eastern route mostly reflects routes from western Asia into Greece, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.According to the report, the number of migrants who died or went missing along the Central Mediterranean Route was at least 821, which is 111% higher than the same time last year. It found that the primary cause of death was drowning. About 430 migrants died or went missing in January, primarily due to Cyclone Harry.The number went up by 259% on the Eastern Mediterranean Route, reaching at least 244. The report found the primary cause to be drowning. This was caused by “a series of fatal incidents” near Crete — a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea.“This data highlights the risks faced by migrants along these routes, even as the estimates presented in this report are likely much lower than the real number of casualties,” the report states.In July, Pope Leo XIV visited the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, saying migrants who died in the sea are “victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made.”“Indifference to the common good and corruption in their countries of origin; a global economic system that generates poverty and exclusion; fear that fuels prejudice and contempt; the belief that such problems do not concern us; the criminal calculations of those who profit from the suffering of others; the slow and difficult transition from mere emergency management to the development of comprehensive and shared policies — all are present-day echoes of the haste to ‘pass by’ in the Gospel narrative,” the Holy Father said.

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The U.N. found an increase in migrant deaths from drowning incidents in the Mediterranean Sea, an issue about which Pope Leo XIV has expressed serious concerns.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 14 August 2026 – A reading from the Book of Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63 The word of the LORD came to me:  Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations. Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut; you were neither washed with water nor anointed, nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes. No one looked on you with pity or compassion to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome, the day you were born. Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood. I said to you: Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field. You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty; your breasts were formed, your hair had grown, but you were still stark naked. Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love. So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness; I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you; you became mine, says the Lord GOD. Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood, and anointed you with oil. I clothed you with an embroidered gown, put sandals of fine leather on your feet; I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms,  a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose, pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver; your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food. You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen. You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was, because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD.  But you were captivated by your own beauty, you used your renown to make yourself a harlot, and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by, whose own you became. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you, that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.From the Gospel according to Matthew 19:3-12 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?" He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate."  They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery." His disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." He answered, "Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."God makes of the two spouses one single life. The Bible uses a powerful expression and says ?one flesh?, so intimate is the union between man and woman in marriage. And this is precisely the mystery of marriage: the love of God which is reflected in the couple that decides to live together. Therefore a man leaves his home, the home of his parents, and goes to live with his wife and unites himself so strongly to her that the two become ? the Bible says ? one flesh. (?) When the husband prays for his wife and the wife prays for her husband, that bond becomes strong; one praying for the other. (?) And many times the husband and wife become a little fractious and argue between themselves. (?) Yet we must not become saddened by this, this is the human condition. The secret is that love is stronger than the moment when there is arguing, and therefore I always advise spouses: do not let a day when you have argued end without making peace. Always! (Pope Francis, General Audience, 2 April 2014)

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A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
16:1-15, 60, 63

The word of the LORD came to me: 
Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:
By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan;
your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut;
you were neither washed with water nor anointed,
nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.
No one looked on you with pity or compassion
to do any of these things for you.
Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,
the day you were born.

Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.
I said to you: Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.
You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty;
your breasts were formed, your hair had grown,
but you were still stark naked.
Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.
So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;
you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with an embroidered gown,
put sandals of fine leather on your feet;
I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms, 
a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,
pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver;
your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food.
You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was,
because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you,
says the Lord GOD. 

But you were captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,
and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,
whose own you became.

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
19:3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate." 
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery."
His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

God makes of the two spouses one single life. The Bible uses a powerful expression and says ?one flesh?, so intimate is the union between man and woman in marriage. And this is precisely the mystery of marriage: the love of God which is reflected in the couple that decides to live together. Therefore a man leaves his home, the home of his parents, and goes to live with his wife and unites himself so strongly to her that the two become ? the Bible says ? one flesh. (?)

When the husband prays for his wife and the wife prays for her husband, that bond becomes strong; one praying for the other. (?) And many times the husband and wife become a little fractious and argue between themselves. (?) Yet we must not become saddened by this, this is the human condition. The secret is that love is stronger than the moment when there is arguing, and therefore I always advise spouses: do not let a day when you have argued end without making peace. Always! (Pope Francis, General Audience, 2 April 2014)

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Priest takes Blessed Sacrament and flees church with faithful during earthquake in Colombia – #Catholic – The Aug. 10 earthquake in Colombia caught countless people by surprise while attending Mass at various parishes including Most Holy Trinity in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, where the priest ensured everyone’s safety by calmly exiting the church with the faithful, taking the Blessed Sacrament with him.As seen in the livestream of the Mass starting at 53:30 in the video, Father Oscar Aguirre Calderón had just consecrated the body and blood of Christ and was distributing the Eucharist to those assisting with the celebration of the Mass. As he was preparing to give Communion to the rest of the congregation, the ground began to shake and the churchʼs stained-glass windows started vibrating.Without losing his composure, the priest said, “Our Father, pray for us all; help us, Lord, holy and mighty God” and then told the people to leave the church in an orderly manner while he carried the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts, guiding the faithful to safety.“We were able to leave with the Blessed Sacrament, which was a blessing for us all, making our way to one of the arches of the doorway; we stayed there, and the entire community gathered in the small plaza,” the priest recounted in a video shared by the Diocese of Palmira.Although people were safe, the church tower partially collapsed, as did part of the cupola. Bricks also fell inside the church: “In the area of ​​the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima and the Just Judge, some bricks fell and smashed through the ceiling and damaged everything there,” Aguirre added.However, “thank God no one was harmed; there were no injuries and no fatalities, thank God,” he said.The priest noted that “Most Holy Trinity Parish is part of the municipality’s cultural heritage” and that many residents of Palmira have been baptized and received various sacraments there.Aguirre said there is work to be done to restore the church following the earthquake but that while repairs are being made “the Eucharist cannot be celebrated; yet, thank the Lord, we are all safe.”Other churches in Palmira also damaged The Diocese of Palmira reported that in addition to Most Holy Trinity church, the following parishes were also affected: Our Lady of La Candelaria, St. Peter the Apostle, Our Lady of Perpetual Hope, Immaculate Conception in Yotoco, Our Lady of the Rosary in Vijes, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Restrepo, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Rozo, and Our Lady of the Rosary in Chiquinquirá, as well as old St. Anthony of Padua chapel.Facebook postThis 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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Priest takes Blessed Sacrament and flees church with faithful during earthquake in Colombia – #Catholic – The Aug. 10 earthquake in Colombia caught countless people by surprise while attending Mass at various parishes including Most Holy Trinity in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, where the priest ensured everyone’s safety by calmly exiting the church with the faithful, taking the Blessed Sacrament with him.As seen in the livestream of the Mass starting at 53:30 in the video, Father Oscar Aguirre Calderón had just consecrated the body and blood of Christ and was distributing the Eucharist to those assisting with the celebration of the Mass. As he was preparing to give Communion to the rest of the congregation, the ground began to shake and the churchʼs stained-glass windows started vibrating.Without losing his composure, the priest said, “Our Father, pray for us all; help us, Lord, holy and mighty God” and then told the people to leave the church in an orderly manner while he carried the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts, guiding the faithful to safety.“We were able to leave with the Blessed Sacrament, which was a blessing for us all, making our way to one of the arches of the doorway; we stayed there, and the entire community gathered in the small plaza,” the priest recounted in a video shared by the Diocese of Palmira.Although people were safe, the church tower partially collapsed, as did part of the cupola. Bricks also fell inside the church: “In the area of ​​the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima and the Just Judge, some bricks fell and smashed through the ceiling and damaged everything there,” Aguirre added.However, “thank God no one was harmed; there were no injuries and no fatalities, thank God,” he said.The priest noted that “Most Holy Trinity Parish is part of the municipality’s cultural heritage” and that many residents of Palmira have been baptized and received various sacraments there.Aguirre said there is work to be done to restore the church following the earthquake but that while repairs are being made “the Eucharist cannot be celebrated; yet, thank the Lord, we are all safe.”Other churches in Palmira also damaged The Diocese of Palmira reported that in addition to Most Holy Trinity church, the following parishes were also affected: Our Lady of La Candelaria, St. Peter the Apostle, Our Lady of Perpetual Hope, Immaculate Conception in Yotoco, Our Lady of the Rosary in Vijes, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Restrepo, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Rozo, and Our Lady of the Rosary in Chiquinquirá, as well as old St. Anthony of Padua chapel.Facebook postThis 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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As the church began to shake right after the consecration, Father Oscar Aguirre uttered a quick prayer, grabbed the Blessed Sacrament, and directed the faithful to exit the church.

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El Papa León afirma que el domingo es fundamento y núcleo del año litúrgico #Catholic – CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — El Papa León XIV instó a los católicos a reunirse en persona para la Misa dominical y pidió que se establezcan condiciones de trabajo que permitan a las personas asistir, afirmando que el domingo es “fundamento y el núcleo de todo el año litúrgico”. “Para santificar el domingo es fundamental celebrar la Eucaristía”, dijo el Papa durante su audiencia general del 12 de agosto en la Basílica de San Pedro. El Santo Padre instó a todos “a crear las mejores condiciones posibles para que también puedan participar en la Santa Misa aquellos que los domingos no tienen la posibilidad de ausentarse del trabajo”. Continuando con su serie de catequesis sobre los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, el Papa León reflexionó sobre “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, la Constitución sobre la Sagrada Liturgia. El año litúrgico no es una representación estática de acontecimientos pasados, sino un encuentro continuo con Cristo, señaló. En su centro está la Pascua, cuando Cristo resucitó de entre los muertos, y por esa razón, dijo el Papa, es esencial que los fieles santifiquen el Día del Señor reuniéndose para celebrar la Eucaristía. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. “Que nuestra participación activa y nuestro testimonio firme nos ayuden a adentrarnos cada vez más profundamente en la realidad de pertenecer a Cristo, y que anticipemos con esperanza su venida en gloria”, dijo en sus comentarios dirigidos a los peregrinos de habla inglesa. El Papa León recordó la descripción que hizo San Juan Pablo II del domingo como la “Pascua semanal” y “el día del Señor, el día de la Iglesia, el día del hombre y, por último el ‘día de los días’”. Incluso en idiomas como el inglés y el alemán, donde el nombre del domingo hace referencia al “día del sol”, el Papa León señaló que los cristianos pueden discernir una alusión a Cristo, “el verdadero ‘sol de justicia’ que ilumina a todo hombre”. Escuchar la palabra de Dios, recibir el cuerpo de Cristo y reunirse los domingos, dijo el Papa, permite a “la comunidad cristiana” hacer “visible su comunión con el Señor” y dar testimonio de su fidelidad a Cristo y a la Iglesia. “Esta asamblea no puede sustituirse por una presencia meramente virtual, ni se reduce a una reunión meramente pasiva”, afirmó, subrayando que la asamblea litúrgica se realiza a través de la participación activa de los fieles. Dirigiéndose a los peregrinos de habla hispana, el Papa León también expresó su cercanía con las personas afectadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia el 10 de agosto, causando la muerte de cientos de personas y dejando a muchas otras heridas o desaparecidas. Los equipos de rescate continúan trabajando para encontrar a los sobrevivientes que siguen enterrados bajo los escombros. “Mientras ruego al Señor por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos, aseguro mis plegarias por sus familias y todos los que han sido golpeados por esta tragedia”, dijo. “Manifiesto mi gratitud a cuantos trabajan en las labores de rescate y de asistencia a los damnificados”.  
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El Papa León afirma que el domingo es fundamento y núcleo del año litúrgico #Catholic – CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — El Papa León XIV instó a los católicos a reunirse en persona para la Misa dominical y pidió que se establezcan condiciones de trabajo que permitan a las personas asistir, afirmando que el domingo es “fundamento y el núcleo de todo el año litúrgico”. “Para santificar el domingo es fundamental celebrar la Eucaristía”, dijo el Papa durante su audiencia general del 12 de agosto en la Basílica de San Pedro. El Santo Padre instó a todos “a crear las mejores condiciones posibles para que también puedan participar en la Santa Misa aquellos que los domingos no tienen la posibilidad de ausentarse del trabajo”. Continuando con su serie de catequesis sobre los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, el Papa León reflexionó sobre “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, la Constitución sobre la Sagrada Liturgia. El año litúrgico no es una representación estática de acontecimientos pasados, sino un encuentro continuo con Cristo, señaló. En su centro está la Pascua, cuando Cristo resucitó de entre los muertos, y por esa razón, dijo el Papa, es esencial que los fieles santifiquen el Día del Señor reuniéndose para celebrar la Eucaristía. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. “Que nuestra participación activa y nuestro testimonio firme nos ayuden a adentrarnos cada vez más profundamente en la realidad de pertenecer a Cristo, y que anticipemos con esperanza su venida en gloria”, dijo en sus comentarios dirigidos a los peregrinos de habla inglesa. El Papa León recordó la descripción que hizo San Juan Pablo II del domingo como la “Pascua semanal” y “el día del Señor, el día de la Iglesia, el día del hombre y, por último el ‘día de los días’”. Incluso en idiomas como el inglés y el alemán, donde el nombre del domingo hace referencia al “día del sol”, el Papa León señaló que los cristianos pueden discernir una alusión a Cristo, “el verdadero ‘sol de justicia’ que ilumina a todo hombre”. Escuchar la palabra de Dios, recibir el cuerpo de Cristo y reunirse los domingos, dijo el Papa, permite a “la comunidad cristiana” hacer “visible su comunión con el Señor” y dar testimonio de su fidelidad a Cristo y a la Iglesia. “Esta asamblea no puede sustituirse por una presencia meramente virtual, ni se reduce a una reunión meramente pasiva”, afirmó, subrayando que la asamblea litúrgica se realiza a través de la participación activa de los fieles. Dirigiéndose a los peregrinos de habla hispana, el Papa León también expresó su cercanía con las personas afectadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia el 10 de agosto, causando la muerte de cientos de personas y dejando a muchas otras heridas o desaparecidas. Los equipos de rescate continúan trabajando para encontrar a los sobrevivientes que siguen enterrados bajo los escombros. “Mientras ruego al Señor por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos, aseguro mis plegarias por sus familias y todos los que han sido golpeados por esta tragedia”, dijo. “Manifiesto mi gratitud a cuantos trabajan en las labores de rescate y de asistencia a los damnificados”.  

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El Papa León afirma que el domingo es fundamento y núcleo del año litúrgico #Catholic –

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — El Papa León XIV instó a los católicos a reunirse en persona para la Misa dominical y pidió que se establezcan condiciones de trabajo que permitan a las personas asistir, afirmando que el domingo es “fundamento y el núcleo de todo el año litúrgico”.

“Para santificar el domingo es fundamental celebrar la Eucaristía”, dijo el Papa durante su audiencia general del 12 de agosto en la Basílica de San Pedro. El Santo Padre instó a todos “a crear las mejores condiciones posibles para que también puedan participar en la Santa Misa aquellos que los domingos no tienen la posibilidad de ausentarse del trabajo”.

Continuando con su serie de catequesis sobre los documentos del Concilio Vaticano II, el Papa León reflexionó sobre “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, la Constitución sobre la Sagrada Liturgia. El año litúrgico no es una representación estática de acontecimientos pasados, sino un encuentro continuo con Cristo, señaló.

En su centro está la Pascua, cuando Cristo resucitó de entre los muertos, y por esa razón, dijo el Papa, es esencial que los fieles santifiquen el Día del Señor reuniéndose para celebrar la Eucaristía.

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

“Que nuestra participación activa y nuestro testimonio firme nos ayuden a adentrarnos cada vez más profundamente en la realidad de pertenecer a Cristo, y que anticipemos con esperanza su venida en gloria”, dijo en sus comentarios dirigidos a los peregrinos de habla inglesa.

El Papa León recordó la descripción que hizo San Juan Pablo II del domingo como la “Pascua semanal” y “el día del Señor, el día de la Iglesia, el día del hombre y, por último el ‘día de los días’”.

Incluso en idiomas como el inglés y el alemán, donde el nombre del domingo hace referencia al “día del sol”, el Papa León señaló que los cristianos pueden discernir una alusión a Cristo, “el verdadero ‘sol de justicia’ que ilumina a todo hombre”.

Escuchar la palabra de Dios, recibir el cuerpo de Cristo y reunirse los domingos, dijo el Papa, permite a “la comunidad cristiana” hacer “visible su comunión con el Señor” y dar testimonio de su fidelidad a Cristo y a la Iglesia.

“Esta asamblea no puede sustituirse por una presencia meramente virtual, ni se reduce a una reunión meramente pasiva”, afirmó, subrayando que la asamblea litúrgica se realiza a través de la participación activa de los fieles.

Dirigiéndose a los peregrinos de habla hispana, el Papa León también expresó su cercanía con las personas afectadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia el 10 de agosto, causando la muerte de cientos de personas y dejando a muchas otras heridas o desaparecidas. Los equipos de rescate continúan trabajando para encontrar a los sobrevivientes que siguen enterrados bajo los escombros.

“Mientras ruego al Señor por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos, aseguro mis plegarias por sus familias y todos los que han sido golpeados por esta tragedia”, dijo. “Manifiesto mi gratitud a cuantos trabajan en las labores de rescate y de asistencia a los damnificados”.

 

– CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — El Papa León XIV instó a los católicos a reunirse en persona para la Misa dominical y pidió que se establezcan condiciones de trabajo que permitan a las personas asistir, afirmando que el domingo es “fundamento y el núcleo de todo el año litúrgico”. “Para santificar el domingo es fundamental celebrar la Eucaristía”, dijo el Papa durante su audiencia general del 12 de agosto en la Basílica de San Pedro. El Santo Padre instó a todos “a crear las mejores condiciones posibles para que también puedan participar en la Santa Misa aquellos que los domingos

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El Papa León XIV ora por las víctimas del terremoto en Colombia #Catholic – (OSV News) — El Papa León XIV expresó su profunda tristeza por las muertes y la destrucción provocadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia y dejó más de 100 muertos y decenas de edificios derrumbados. El Papa ofreció sus oraciones “por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos y eleva al Señor sus oraciones por la pronta recuperación de los afectados por esta tragedia”, según un telegrama dirigido al arzobispo Francisco Javier Múnera Correa de Cartagena, presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Colombiana, firmado por el cardenal Pietro Parolin, Secretario de Estado del Vaticano. El terremoto sacudió el país la mañana del 10 de agosto; se publicaron cientos de videos en línea en los que se veía a personas huyendo al aire libre mientras el suelo bajo sus pies temblaba violentamente. La Asociación Colombiana de Ciudades Capitales informó que el número de muertos ascendió a 132, con más de 570 heridos. La asociación, que es una red de las principales ciudades de Colombia, señaló que se espera que la cifra cambie a medida que continúen las evaluaciones de daños en las zonas afectadas. En su mensaje, publicado por el Vaticano el 11 de agosto, el cardenal Parolin transmitió las condolencias del Papa “a los familiares que, en esta hora de profundo dolor, lloran la pérdida de sus seres queridos”. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. “De igual modo, asegura su cercanía espiritual y manifiesta su gratitud a cuantos con generosa entrega, trabajan en las labores de búsqueda, socorro y asistencia a los damnificados”, dijo el telegrama. El Papa pidió también, por intercesión de la Bienaventurada Virgen María, que el Señor “derrame sobre el querido pueblo colombiano los dones de la fortaleza espiritual y la esperanza cristiana”, concluyó el mensaje. Según el Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC), el epicentro del sismo se ubicó en el departamento noroccidental de Chocó, y fue “el sismo que se ha sentido más fuerte en la última década en Colombia”. El Servicio Geológico también informó que, hasta la tarde del 10 de agosto, se habían registrado en el país 18 réplicas con magnitudes entre 1,4 y 4,8 desde el sismo inicial. En un mensaje publicado el 10 de agosto, la Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia expresó su cercanía con las víctimas del mortal sismo de magnitud 7,4. “Oramos por quienes han perdido la vida para que Dios les conceda el descanso eterno; por las personas que aún se encuentran desaparecidas; por los heridos y las familias damnificadas”, dijeron los obispos. Los obispos también oraron por los organismos de socorro y personal médico, así como por las autoridades militares y gubernamentales, y “todas las personas que, con generosidad y valentía, trabajan en las labores de búsqueda, rescate y atención de los afectados”. “Este momento doloroso nos recuerda que nadie puede afrontar solo una emergencia de esta magnitud”, se lee en el comunicado. “Colombia está llamada, una vez más, a reconocerse como una sola familia y a responder al sufrimiento de sus hermanos con generosidad, responsabilidad y solidaridad”. Entre los videos que mostraban la destrucción causada por el sismo había uno de la Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario en Manizales, así como imágenes de varias iglesias que sufrieron graves daños La Arquidiócesis de Manizales también compartió un video de 10 segundos que muestra una Misa que se estaba celebrando cuando ocurrió el sismo por la mañana. En un mensaje de video dirigido a los fieles de la ciudad, el arzobispo José Miguel Gómez de Manizales expresó que, si bien la arquidiócesis continúa evaluando los daños a las iglesias, “ahora lo más importante son ustedes: los fieles, los sacerdotes y todos los vecinos que también padecieron lo mismo”. “Dios, nuestro Señor, nunca nos abandona y en estos momentos es cuando, elevando la mirada hacia Él, tenemos todos que, con humildad y con sencillez, pedirle a Él las gracias que nos hacen falta para vivir estas dificultades”, dijo el arzobispo Gómez. El arzobispo también invocó la intercesión de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, pidiéndole que consuele y reconforte a los afectados por el desastre natural. Asimismo, instó a la población a seguir las indicaciones de las autoridades. “Y, siguiendo esas instrucciones, busquen siempre estar atentos a los que más sufren, para que ninguna persona se quede sin atención en estos momentos de dificultad”, concluyó antes de impartir su bendición. La Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia informó que las diócesis de todo el país están estableciendo puntos de acopio para garantizar la distribución de alimentos a albergues, hospitales y comunidades en las zonas afectadas. Los obispos también dijeron que Cáritas Colombia ha activado su Servicio Nacional de Emergencias para recaudar fondos y brindar asistencia directa “a las jurisdicciones y comunidades que resultaron mayormente afectadas por esta tragedia”. Junno Arocho Esteves es corresponsal internacional de OSV News. Síguelo en X @jae_journalist.  
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El Papa León XIV ora por las víctimas del terremoto en Colombia #Catholic – (OSV News) — El Papa León XIV expresó su profunda tristeza por las muertes y la destrucción provocadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia y dejó más de 100 muertos y decenas de edificios derrumbados. El Papa ofreció sus oraciones “por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos y eleva al Señor sus oraciones por la pronta recuperación de los afectados por esta tragedia”, según un telegrama dirigido al arzobispo Francisco Javier Múnera Correa de Cartagena, presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Colombiana, firmado por el cardenal Pietro Parolin, Secretario de Estado del Vaticano. El terremoto sacudió el país la mañana del 10 de agosto; se publicaron cientos de videos en línea en los que se veía a personas huyendo al aire libre mientras el suelo bajo sus pies temblaba violentamente. La Asociación Colombiana de Ciudades Capitales informó que el número de muertos ascendió a 132, con más de 570 heridos. La asociación, que es una red de las principales ciudades de Colombia, señaló que se espera que la cifra cambie a medida que continúen las evaluaciones de daños en las zonas afectadas. En su mensaje, publicado por el Vaticano el 11 de agosto, el cardenal Parolin transmitió las condolencias del Papa “a los familiares que, en esta hora de profundo dolor, lloran la pérdida de sus seres queridos”. Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí. “De igual modo, asegura su cercanía espiritual y manifiesta su gratitud a cuantos con generosa entrega, trabajan en las labores de búsqueda, socorro y asistencia a los damnificados”, dijo el telegrama. El Papa pidió también, por intercesión de la Bienaventurada Virgen María, que el Señor “derrame sobre el querido pueblo colombiano los dones de la fortaleza espiritual y la esperanza cristiana”, concluyó el mensaje. Según el Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC), el epicentro del sismo se ubicó en el departamento noroccidental de Chocó, y fue “el sismo que se ha sentido más fuerte en la última década en Colombia”. El Servicio Geológico también informó que, hasta la tarde del 10 de agosto, se habían registrado en el país 18 réplicas con magnitudes entre 1,4 y 4,8 desde el sismo inicial. En un mensaje publicado el 10 de agosto, la Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia expresó su cercanía con las víctimas del mortal sismo de magnitud 7,4. “Oramos por quienes han perdido la vida para que Dios les conceda el descanso eterno; por las personas que aún se encuentran desaparecidas; por los heridos y las familias damnificadas”, dijeron los obispos. Los obispos también oraron por los organismos de socorro y personal médico, así como por las autoridades militares y gubernamentales, y “todas las personas que, con generosidad y valentía, trabajan en las labores de búsqueda, rescate y atención de los afectados”. “Este momento doloroso nos recuerda que nadie puede afrontar solo una emergencia de esta magnitud”, se lee en el comunicado. “Colombia está llamada, una vez más, a reconocerse como una sola familia y a responder al sufrimiento de sus hermanos con generosidad, responsabilidad y solidaridad”. Entre los videos que mostraban la destrucción causada por el sismo había uno de la Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario en Manizales, así como imágenes de varias iglesias que sufrieron graves daños La Arquidiócesis de Manizales también compartió un video de 10 segundos que muestra una Misa que se estaba celebrando cuando ocurrió el sismo por la mañana. En un mensaje de video dirigido a los fieles de la ciudad, el arzobispo José Miguel Gómez de Manizales expresó que, si bien la arquidiócesis continúa evaluando los daños a las iglesias, “ahora lo más importante son ustedes: los fieles, los sacerdotes y todos los vecinos que también padecieron lo mismo”. “Dios, nuestro Señor, nunca nos abandona y en estos momentos es cuando, elevando la mirada hacia Él, tenemos todos que, con humildad y con sencillez, pedirle a Él las gracias que nos hacen falta para vivir estas dificultades”, dijo el arzobispo Gómez. El arzobispo también invocó la intercesión de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, pidiéndole que consuele y reconforte a los afectados por el desastre natural. Asimismo, instó a la población a seguir las indicaciones de las autoridades. “Y, siguiendo esas instrucciones, busquen siempre estar atentos a los que más sufren, para que ninguna persona se quede sin atención en estos momentos de dificultad”, concluyó antes de impartir su bendición. La Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia informó que las diócesis de todo el país están estableciendo puntos de acopio para garantizar la distribución de alimentos a albergues, hospitales y comunidades en las zonas afectadas. Los obispos también dijeron que Cáritas Colombia ha activado su Servicio Nacional de Emergencias para recaudar fondos y brindar asistencia directa “a las jurisdicciones y comunidades que resultaron mayormente afectadas por esta tragedia”. Junno Arocho Esteves es corresponsal internacional de OSV News. Síguelo en X @jae_journalist.  

unitedyam

El Papa León XIV ora por las víctimas del terremoto en Colombia #Catholic –

(OSV News) — El Papa León XIV expresó su profunda tristeza por las muertes y la destrucción provocadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia y dejó más de 100 muertos y decenas de edificios derrumbados.

El Papa ofreció sus oraciones “por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos y eleva al Señor sus oraciones por la pronta recuperación de los afectados por esta tragedia”, según un telegrama dirigido al arzobispo Francisco Javier Múnera Correa de Cartagena, presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Colombiana, firmado por el cardenal Pietro Parolin, Secretario de Estado del Vaticano.

El terremoto sacudió el país la mañana del 10 de agosto; se publicaron cientos de videos en línea en los que se veía a personas huyendo al aire libre mientras el suelo bajo sus pies temblaba violentamente.

La Asociación Colombiana de Ciudades Capitales informó que el número de muertos ascendió a 132, con más de 570 heridos. La asociación, que es una red de las principales ciudades de Colombia, señaló que se espera que la cifra cambie a medida que continúen las evaluaciones de daños en las zonas afectadas.

En su mensaje, publicado por el Vaticano el 11 de agosto, el cardenal Parolin transmitió las condolencias del Papa “a los familiares que, en esta hora de profundo dolor, lloran la pérdida de sus seres queridos”.

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

“De igual modo, asegura su cercanía espiritual y manifiesta su gratitud a cuantos con generosa entrega, trabajan en las labores de búsqueda, socorro y asistencia a los damnificados”, dijo el telegrama.

El Papa pidió también, por intercesión de la Bienaventurada Virgen María, que el Señor “derrame sobre el querido pueblo colombiano los dones de la fortaleza espiritual y la esperanza cristiana”, concluyó el mensaje.

Según el Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC), el epicentro del sismo se ubicó en el departamento noroccidental de Chocó, y fue “el sismo que se ha sentido más fuerte en la última década en Colombia”.

El Servicio Geológico también informó que, hasta la tarde del 10 de agosto, se habían registrado en el país 18 réplicas con magnitudes entre 1,4 y 4,8 desde el sismo inicial.

En un mensaje publicado el 10 de agosto, la Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia expresó su cercanía con las víctimas del mortal sismo de magnitud 7,4.

“Oramos por quienes han perdido la vida para que Dios les conceda el descanso eterno; por las personas que aún se encuentran desaparecidas; por los heridos y las familias damnificadas”, dijeron los obispos.

Los obispos también oraron por los organismos de socorro y personal médico, así como por las autoridades militares y gubernamentales, y “todas las personas que, con generosidad y valentía, trabajan en las labores de búsqueda, rescate y atención de los afectados”.

“Este momento doloroso nos recuerda que nadie puede afrontar solo una emergencia de esta magnitud”, se lee en el comunicado. “Colombia está llamada, una vez más, a reconocerse como una sola familia y a responder al sufrimiento de sus hermanos con generosidad, responsabilidad y solidaridad”.

Entre los videos que mostraban la destrucción causada por el sismo había uno de la Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario en Manizales, así como imágenes de varias iglesias que sufrieron graves daños

La Arquidiócesis de Manizales también compartió un video de 10 segundos que muestra una Misa que se estaba celebrando cuando ocurrió el sismo por la mañana.
En un mensaje de video dirigido a los fieles de la ciudad, el arzobispo José Miguel Gómez de Manizales expresó que, si bien la arquidiócesis continúa evaluando los daños a las iglesias, “ahora lo más importante son ustedes: los fieles, los sacerdotes y todos los vecinos que también padecieron lo mismo”.

“Dios, nuestro Señor, nunca nos abandona y en estos momentos es cuando, elevando la mirada hacia Él, tenemos todos que, con humildad y con sencillez, pedirle a Él las gracias que nos hacen falta para vivir estas dificultades”, dijo el arzobispo Gómez.

El arzobispo también invocó la intercesión de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, pidiéndole que consuele y reconforte a los afectados por el desastre natural. Asimismo, instó a la población a seguir las indicaciones de las autoridades.

“Y, siguiendo esas instrucciones, busquen siempre estar atentos a los que más sufren, para que ninguna persona se quede sin atención en estos momentos de dificultad”, concluyó antes de impartir su bendición.

La Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia informó que las diócesis de todo el país están estableciendo puntos de acopio para garantizar la distribución de alimentos a albergues, hospitales y comunidades en las zonas afectadas.

Los obispos también dijeron que Cáritas Colombia ha activado su Servicio Nacional de Emergencias para recaudar fondos y brindar asistencia directa “a las jurisdicciones y comunidades que resultaron mayormente afectadas por esta tragedia”.

Junno Arocho Esteves es corresponsal internacional de OSV News. Síguelo en X @jae_journalist.

 

– (OSV News) — El Papa León XIV expresó su profunda tristeza por las muertes y la destrucción provocadas por el fuerte terremoto que sacudió Colombia y dejó más de 100 muertos y decenas de edificios derrumbados. El Papa ofreció sus oraciones “por el eterno descanso de los fallecidos y eleva al Señor sus oraciones por la pronta recuperación de los afectados por esta tragedia”, según un telegrama dirigido al arzobispo Francisco Javier Múnera Correa de Cartagena, presidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Colombiana, firmado por el cardenal Pietro Parolin, Secretario de Estado del Vaticano. El terremoto sacudió el país la mañana

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Pope Leo night at White Sox baseball park maxes out stadium capacity #Catholic – CHICAGO (OSV News) — White Sox baseball fans sporting custom-designed black and gold mitre-style hats celebrated Pope Leo XIV, a fellow diehard Sox fan, at a pope-themed game in Chicago Aug. 11. Dominican Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of Springfield, Illinois, threw the first pitch, and fans shook hands with the “sign of peace,” led by the Chicago Archdiocese’s Father Tom Hurley, during the fifth inning at Rate Field, home of Pope Leo’s favorite baseball team. White Sox management handed out “pope hats” to over 38,000 fans who showed up at the third game in a series against the Cincinnati Reds. The promo project started out as a fan giveaway for the first 2,500 tickets, which sold quickly and it added another fast-selling 500. Management expanded the promo to the full stadium capacity and the tickets flew. “The only anxiety was: Can we get 40,000 here by the time of this day? So as soon as we figured out we could, it’s been a lot of fun to be part of,” Brooks Boyer, White Sox executive vice president, said in a story about the Pope Leo-themed game written for the team’s website. “We were talking about this before. Is there anything that has rivaled this where we’d have to say, we have to go to 40,000?” he said from the dugout Aug. 11. “We couldn’t remember anything where we’ve had to put it to 40,000.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “The place was capacity,” Richard King, a die-hard Sox fan who watched the game on TV, told OSV News. The game also featured its own familiar penitential rite for Sox fans, as the Reds rallied in the 10th inning to beat the White Sox 5-4, giving Cincinnati a lead in the three-game series that concludes Aug. 13. However, the Sox still lead the American League Central Division. King, 78, grew up on Chicago’s Southside and has been following his team since he was seven. King, a daily Massgoer and a member of the Knights of Columbus, said the fifth inning “sign of peace” and having Catholicism so openly on display was “great!” He expected the event would raise interest and more curiosity about the Catholic faith. “Very excited about Pope Night, and obviously a lot of people are excited about it,” White Sox manager Will Venable said in the Sox website story. “Any time we get to celebrate the pope and his fandom of the White Sox is something that we’ll lean into.” Pope Leo, a Chicago native who grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a south suburb, has been pictured sporting a White Sox baseball cap at the Vatican, and has received multiple Sox-themed presents since his election as pontiff in May 2024. The pope being a close follower of the Sox made him an instant hit in the Chicago area and across the country, where people have mentioned how relatable he is. Video footage of then-Father Bob Prevost attending Game 1 of the White Sox 2005 World Series match against the Houston Astros went viral. The Sox swept the Astros 4-0 in the series, ending an 88-year drought famously known as the “Curse of the Black Sox.” A thanksgiving Mass for the pope’s election led by Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich was held at Rate Field a month after the conclave. In the months that followed Pope Leo’s election, the ballpark was outfitted with papal reminders including a mural of the pope at the entrance to the section where he sat during the World Series matchup and markers on the chair he sat in. Then, a major shareholder of the White Sox told the media the pope told him “he’d love to” throw the first pitch in a new stadium — “schedule permitting” — that is being envisioned for the team’s future. Chicago White Sox Charities, the team’s philanthropic arm, gave the Augustinians — Pope Leo’s religious order — a ,000 donation on the Pope Leo-themed night. Father Tom McCarthy and Brother David Relstab, the prior provincial and vocations director respectively of the Augustinians’ Midwest province, accepted the gift on the ballfield. Simone Orendain is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Chicago.  
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Pope Leo night at White Sox baseball park maxes out stadium capacity #Catholic – CHICAGO (OSV News) — White Sox baseball fans sporting custom-designed black and gold mitre-style hats celebrated Pope Leo XIV, a fellow diehard Sox fan, at a pope-themed game in Chicago Aug. 11. Dominican Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of Springfield, Illinois, threw the first pitch, and fans shook hands with the “sign of peace,” led by the Chicago Archdiocese’s Father Tom Hurley, during the fifth inning at Rate Field, home of Pope Leo’s favorite baseball team. White Sox management handed out “pope hats” to over 38,000 fans who showed up at the third game in a series against the Cincinnati Reds. The promo project started out as a fan giveaway for the first 2,500 tickets, which sold quickly and it added another fast-selling 500. Management expanded the promo to the full stadium capacity and the tickets flew. “The only anxiety was: Can we get 40,000 here by the time of this day? So as soon as we figured out we could, it’s been a lot of fun to be part of,” Brooks Boyer, White Sox executive vice president, said in a story about the Pope Leo-themed game written for the team’s website. “We were talking about this before. Is there anything that has rivaled this where we’d have to say, we have to go to 40,000?” he said from the dugout Aug. 11. “We couldn’t remember anything where we’ve had to put it to 40,000.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “The place was capacity,” Richard King, a die-hard Sox fan who watched the game on TV, told OSV News. The game also featured its own familiar penitential rite for Sox fans, as the Reds rallied in the 10th inning to beat the White Sox 5-4, giving Cincinnati a lead in the three-game series that concludes Aug. 13. However, the Sox still lead the American League Central Division. King, 78, grew up on Chicago’s Southside and has been following his team since he was seven. King, a daily Massgoer and a member of the Knights of Columbus, said the fifth inning “sign of peace” and having Catholicism so openly on display was “great!” He expected the event would raise interest and more curiosity about the Catholic faith. “Very excited about Pope Night, and obviously a lot of people are excited about it,” White Sox manager Will Venable said in the Sox website story. “Any time we get to celebrate the pope and his fandom of the White Sox is something that we’ll lean into.” Pope Leo, a Chicago native who grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a south suburb, has been pictured sporting a White Sox baseball cap at the Vatican, and has received multiple Sox-themed presents since his election as pontiff in May 2024. The pope being a close follower of the Sox made him an instant hit in the Chicago area and across the country, where people have mentioned how relatable he is. Video footage of then-Father Bob Prevost attending Game 1 of the White Sox 2005 World Series match against the Houston Astros went viral. The Sox swept the Astros 4-0 in the series, ending an 88-year drought famously known as the “Curse of the Black Sox.” A thanksgiving Mass for the pope’s election led by Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich was held at Rate Field a month after the conclave. In the months that followed Pope Leo’s election, the ballpark was outfitted with papal reminders including a mural of the pope at the entrance to the section where he sat during the World Series matchup and markers on the chair he sat in. Then, a major shareholder of the White Sox told the media the pope told him “he’d love to” throw the first pitch in a new stadium — “schedule permitting” — that is being envisioned for the team’s future. Chicago White Sox Charities, the team’s philanthropic arm, gave the Augustinians — Pope Leo’s religious order — a $14,000 donation on the Pope Leo-themed night. Father Tom McCarthy and Brother David Relstab, the prior provincial and vocations director respectively of the Augustinians’ Midwest province, accepted the gift on the ballfield. Simone Orendain is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Chicago.  

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Pope Leo night at White Sox baseball park maxes out stadium capacity #Catholic –

CHICAGO (OSV News) — White Sox baseball fans sporting custom-designed black and gold mitre-style hats celebrated Pope Leo XIV, a fellow diehard Sox fan, at a pope-themed game in Chicago Aug. 11.

Dominican Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of Springfield, Illinois, threw the first pitch, and fans shook hands with the “sign of peace,” led by the Chicago Archdiocese’s Father Tom Hurley, during the fifth inning at Rate Field, home of Pope Leo’s favorite baseball team.

White Sox management handed out “pope hats” to over 38,000 fans who showed up at the third game in a series against the Cincinnati Reds. The promo project started out as a fan giveaway for the first 2,500 tickets, which sold quickly and it added another fast-selling 500.

Management expanded the promo to the full stadium capacity and the tickets flew.

“The only anxiety was: Can we get 40,000 here by the time of this day? So as soon as we figured out we could, it’s been a lot of fun to be part of,” Brooks Boyer, White Sox executive vice president, said in a story about the Pope Leo-themed game written for the team’s website.

“We were talking about this before. Is there anything that has rivaled this where we’d have to say, we have to go to 40,000?” he said from the dugout Aug. 11. “We couldn’t remember anything where we’ve had to put it to 40,000.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“The place was capacity,” Richard King, a die-hard Sox fan who watched the game on TV, told OSV News.

The game also featured its own familiar penitential rite for Sox fans, as the Reds rallied in the 10th inning to beat the White Sox 5-4, giving Cincinnati a lead in the three-game series that concludes Aug. 13. However, the Sox still lead the American League Central Division.

King, 78, grew up on Chicago’s Southside and has been following his team since he was seven. King, a daily Massgoer and a member of the Knights of Columbus, said the fifth inning “sign of peace” and having Catholicism so openly on display was “great!” He expected the event would raise interest and more curiosity about the Catholic faith.

“Very excited about Pope Night, and obviously a lot of people are excited about it,” White Sox manager Will Venable said in the Sox website story. “Any time we get to celebrate the pope and his fandom of the White Sox is something that we’ll lean into.”

Pope Leo, a Chicago native who grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a south suburb, has been pictured sporting a White Sox baseball cap at the Vatican, and has received multiple Sox-themed presents since his election as pontiff in May 2024.

The pope being a close follower of the Sox made him an instant hit in the Chicago area and across the country, where people have mentioned how relatable he is. Video footage of then-Father Bob Prevost attending Game 1 of the White Sox 2005 World Series match against the Houston Astros went viral. The Sox swept the Astros 4-0 in the series, ending an 88-year drought famously known as the “Curse of the Black Sox.”

A thanksgiving Mass for the pope’s election led by Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich was held at Rate Field a month after the conclave.

In the months that followed Pope Leo’s election, the ballpark was outfitted with papal reminders including a mural of the pope at the entrance to the section where he sat during the World Series matchup and markers on the chair he sat in. Then, a major shareholder of the White Sox told the media the pope told him “he’d love to” throw the first pitch in a new stadium — “schedule permitting” — that is being envisioned for the team’s future.

Chicago White Sox Charities, the team’s philanthropic arm, gave the Augustinians — Pope Leo’s religious order — a $14,000 donation on the Pope Leo-themed night. Father Tom McCarthy and Brother David Relstab, the prior provincial and vocations director respectively of the Augustinians’ Midwest province, accepted the gift on the ballfield.

Simone Orendain is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Chicago.

 

– CHICAGO (OSV News) — White Sox baseball fans sporting custom-designed black and gold mitre-style hats celebrated Pope Leo XIV, a fellow diehard Sox fan, at a pope-themed game in Chicago Aug. 11. Dominican Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of Springfield, Illinois, threw the first pitch, and fans shook hands with the “sign of peace,” led by the Chicago Archdiocese’s Father Tom Hurley, during the fifth inning at Rate Field, home of Pope Leo’s favorite baseball team. White Sox management handed out “pope hats” to over 38,000 fans who showed up at the third game in a series against the Cincinnati Reds.

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In West Virginia mountains, over 2,000 Catholic Scouts gather for Mass ‘filled with joy, hope’ #Catholic – (OSV News) — Every four years, thousands of Catholic Scouts from across the U.S. gather for Sunday Mass in the mountains of West Virginia. As faith is the first of the core principles which they hold dear, they joyfully observe their Sunday obligation while participating in the Scouting America National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, W.Va., which was held this year July 22-31. “It was a wonderful Mass filled with joy, with hope,” said Bishop Evelio Menjívar of Wheeling-Charleston, who celebrated the July 26 Mass for more than 2,000 Catholic Scouts who filled a field at the reserve that morning. “For the church, seeing so many young people is always a sign of hope.” The Scouts, he said, are devout, willing to serve and pledge to honor God and country. “It is just beautiful,” Bishop Menjívar told The Catholic Spirit, the news outlet of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The Catholic Scouts were among the more than 20,000 Scouts from throughout the country who attended the nine-day jamboree, which is held every four years at the reserve. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Concelebrating the Mass and giving the homily was Bishop Michael W. Fisher of Buffalo, New York, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ episcopal liaison to Catholic Scouting America, which is the largest of the faith-based Scouting America groups. A Scout is reverent, Bishop Fisher said in his homily. “That’s what brings us here today as God’s people,” he said, “to give thanks, to give prayer and to offer that ultimate prayer in this holy Eucharist.” Scouts, he said, are first reverent to God; faithful in his or her religious duties; and respect the convictions of others in matters of religion and custom. Noting that they were surrounded by God’s beauty and creation, Bishop Fisher told the Scouts that reverence comes naturally to human beings and, in a particular way, to Catholics. “When we look at the mountains and forests,” he said, “we can’t help but praise our creator. For truly we are in God’s country.” In the Gospel for the Mass (Mt 13:44-52), Bishop Fisher said that Jesus reminds us that reverence is about finding hidden treasure and gives numerous examples of those who are searching. “It’s not just an outward posture, but it’s about being transformed internally in our hearts and in our souls,” he said. In the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” A critical question to all, Bishop Fisher said, is: “What is that true treasure that you’re seeking in your life?” To answer that, he pointed to the first reading (1 Kings 3:5, 7-12), where God appears to a young King Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon doesn’t ask for riches, or a long life, or power over his enemies, Bishop Fisher said. Instead, he admits his limitations and says, “I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.” He asks God for an understanding heart, Bishop Fisher said, to discern between right and wrong. He asked for wisdom. “This is exactly what we promise every time we stand at attention and make this Scout Sign, and repeat the Scout Oath,” Bishop Fisher said. “When we say we will do our duty to God and country and keep ourselves lawfully straight, we are asking for Solomon’s gift of wisdom. We are asking for a wise heart to navigate a complicated world.” Bishop Fisher, an Eagle Scout himself, reminded all of the national jamboree’s theme, “Elevate,” and said that Jesus is calling all to elevate what they treasure in life. “The treasure,” he said, “is God’s grace, his love and truth acting within us. To elevate means to stop digging for that cheap, temporary treasure like popularity or selfishness in material things,” he said. “Instead, hopefully, we sell out completely for what lasts: kindness, purity, reverence, and justice.” A Scout who lives out the Scout Law is a living sign of God’s kingdom on earth, Bishop Fisher said. “Have you ever thought of yourself in that way?” he asked the Scouts. In the second reading for the Mass, Bishop Fisher said that St. Paul reminds the Romans that we are called to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. “Jesus is, you might say, that ultimate Scout leader,” Bishop Fisher said. “He did not come to be served, but to serve. He did a good turn daily. He prepared. He navigated the wilderness. He gathered a patrol of disciples. And he laid down his life to show that ultimate trail, that trail map to heaven. “When you leave this jamboree and pack up your dirty laundry, your gear, and your cool patches, as well as great memories, the most important thing you should take home with you is a renewed spirit,” Bishop Fisher said. “God wants to elevate our character so that we become leaders and guides to others to what is right, and what is truly lasting in God’s kingdom.” Jesus concludes the Gospel for the Mass with the warning about a net thrown into the sea that catches fish of every kind, Bishop Fisher said. At the end of the day, the good are gathered, he said, and the bad are thrown away. “Our lives are kind of like that net,” Bishop Fisher said. “Every day, we gather choices, words, and habits.” He encouraged the Scouts to use the wisdom of Solomon, the great gift he asked for from the Lord, to sort through all of it and to be prepared. Bishop Fisher urged them to throw away gossip and dishonesty and keep the treasures of faith, service and the Scout spirit. “Let us pray today for the courage to sell out for the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of God,” Bishop Fisher said, “to elevate our thoughts and actions, and to always seek the true treasure — a heart that knows, that loves, and serves God always. A Scout is reverent. Amen.” The Catholic Scouts also prayed for the nation in the celebration of its 250th anniversary. With them was Jesuit Father Mark Carr, national chaplain for Catholic Scouting America, who led the “Novena Prayer for America.” Together, they prayed, “that the Church in the United States boldly proclaims the Gospel. May we all, especially our young Scouts, be joyful witnesses of Christ in our neighborhoods and schools.” For more than 100 years, Catholic Scouting America has provided young people adventure, character building and values-based lessons grounded in the Catholic faith, the organization’s website states. And this, Bishop Menjívar said, the church must continue to support. “It’s a good place for children to learn and to grow, mature as a person but also in their faith and in their commitment to serve. I really encourage parents to look at those opportunities that the Scouts offer, especially at this time when we need to take the kids out of social media, the screens,” he said. Colleen Rowan is executive editor of The Catholic Spirit, the news outlet of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News. For more information about Catholic Scouting America and to explore resources for parishes, families, and councils, visit CatholicScoutingAmerica.org.  
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In West Virginia mountains, over 2,000 Catholic Scouts gather for Mass ‘filled with joy, hope’ #Catholic – (OSV News) — Every four years, thousands of Catholic Scouts from across the U.S. gather for Sunday Mass in the mountains of West Virginia. As faith is the first of the core principles which they hold dear, they joyfully observe their Sunday obligation while participating in the Scouting America National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, W.Va., which was held this year July 22-31. “It was a wonderful Mass filled with joy, with hope,” said Bishop Evelio Menjívar of Wheeling-Charleston, who celebrated the July 26 Mass for more than 2,000 Catholic Scouts who filled a field at the reserve that morning. “For the church, seeing so many young people is always a sign of hope.” The Scouts, he said, are devout, willing to serve and pledge to honor God and country. “It is just beautiful,” Bishop Menjívar told The Catholic Spirit, the news outlet of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The Catholic Scouts were among the more than 20,000 Scouts from throughout the country who attended the nine-day jamboree, which is held every four years at the reserve. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Concelebrating the Mass and giving the homily was Bishop Michael W. Fisher of Buffalo, New York, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ episcopal liaison to Catholic Scouting America, which is the largest of the faith-based Scouting America groups. A Scout is reverent, Bishop Fisher said in his homily. “That’s what brings us here today as God’s people,” he said, “to give thanks, to give prayer and to offer that ultimate prayer in this holy Eucharist.” Scouts, he said, are first reverent to God; faithful in his or her religious duties; and respect the convictions of others in matters of religion and custom. Noting that they were surrounded by God’s beauty and creation, Bishop Fisher told the Scouts that reverence comes naturally to human beings and, in a particular way, to Catholics. “When we look at the mountains and forests,” he said, “we can’t help but praise our creator. For truly we are in God’s country.” In the Gospel for the Mass (Mt 13:44-52), Bishop Fisher said that Jesus reminds us that reverence is about finding hidden treasure and gives numerous examples of those who are searching. “It’s not just an outward posture, but it’s about being transformed internally in our hearts and in our souls,” he said. In the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” A critical question to all, Bishop Fisher said, is: “What is that true treasure that you’re seeking in your life?” To answer that, he pointed to the first reading (1 Kings 3:5, 7-12), where God appears to a young King Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon doesn’t ask for riches, or a long life, or power over his enemies, Bishop Fisher said. Instead, he admits his limitations and says, “I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.” He asks God for an understanding heart, Bishop Fisher said, to discern between right and wrong. He asked for wisdom. “This is exactly what we promise every time we stand at attention and make this Scout Sign, and repeat the Scout Oath,” Bishop Fisher said. “When we say we will do our duty to God and country and keep ourselves lawfully straight, we are asking for Solomon’s gift of wisdom. We are asking for a wise heart to navigate a complicated world.” Bishop Fisher, an Eagle Scout himself, reminded all of the national jamboree’s theme, “Elevate,” and said that Jesus is calling all to elevate what they treasure in life. “The treasure,” he said, “is God’s grace, his love and truth acting within us. To elevate means to stop digging for that cheap, temporary treasure like popularity or selfishness in material things,” he said. “Instead, hopefully, we sell out completely for what lasts: kindness, purity, reverence, and justice.” A Scout who lives out the Scout Law is a living sign of God’s kingdom on earth, Bishop Fisher said. “Have you ever thought of yourself in that way?” he asked the Scouts. In the second reading for the Mass, Bishop Fisher said that St. Paul reminds the Romans that we are called to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. “Jesus is, you might say, that ultimate Scout leader,” Bishop Fisher said. “He did not come to be served, but to serve. He did a good turn daily. He prepared. He navigated the wilderness. He gathered a patrol of disciples. And he laid down his life to show that ultimate trail, that trail map to heaven. “When you leave this jamboree and pack up your dirty laundry, your gear, and your cool patches, as well as great memories, the most important thing you should take home with you is a renewed spirit,” Bishop Fisher said. “God wants to elevate our character so that we become leaders and guides to others to what is right, and what is truly lasting in God’s kingdom.” Jesus concludes the Gospel for the Mass with the warning about a net thrown into the sea that catches fish of every kind, Bishop Fisher said. At the end of the day, the good are gathered, he said, and the bad are thrown away. “Our lives are kind of like that net,” Bishop Fisher said. “Every day, we gather choices, words, and habits.” He encouraged the Scouts to use the wisdom of Solomon, the great gift he asked for from the Lord, to sort through all of it and to be prepared. Bishop Fisher urged them to throw away gossip and dishonesty and keep the treasures of faith, service and the Scout spirit. “Let us pray today for the courage to sell out for the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of God,” Bishop Fisher said, “to elevate our thoughts and actions, and to always seek the true treasure — a heart that knows, that loves, and serves God always. A Scout is reverent. Amen.” The Catholic Scouts also prayed for the nation in the celebration of its 250th anniversary. With them was Jesuit Father Mark Carr, national chaplain for Catholic Scouting America, who led the “Novena Prayer for America.” Together, they prayed, “that the Church in the United States boldly proclaims the Gospel. May we all, especially our young Scouts, be joyful witnesses of Christ in our neighborhoods and schools.” For more than 100 years, Catholic Scouting America has provided young people adventure, character building and values-based lessons grounded in the Catholic faith, the organization’s website states. And this, Bishop Menjívar said, the church must continue to support. “It’s a good place for children to learn and to grow, mature as a person but also in their faith and in their commitment to serve. I really encourage parents to look at those opportunities that the Scouts offer, especially at this time when we need to take the kids out of social media, the screens,” he said. Colleen Rowan is executive editor of The Catholic Spirit, the news outlet of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News. For more information about Catholic Scouting America and to explore resources for parishes, families, and councils, visit CatholicScoutingAmerica.org.  

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In West Virginia mountains, over 2,000 Catholic Scouts gather for Mass ‘filled with joy, hope’ #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Every four years, thousands of Catholic Scouts from across the U.S. gather for Sunday Mass in the mountains of West Virginia.

As faith is the first of the core principles which they hold dear, they joyfully observe their Sunday obligation while participating in the Scouting America National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, W.Va., which was held this year July 22-31.

“It was a wonderful Mass filled with joy, with hope,” said Bishop Evelio Menjívar of Wheeling-Charleston, who celebrated the July 26 Mass for more than 2,000 Catholic Scouts who filled a field at the reserve that morning. “For the church, seeing so many young people is always a sign of hope.” The Scouts, he said, are devout, willing to serve and pledge to honor God and country.

“It is just beautiful,” Bishop Menjívar told The Catholic Spirit, the news outlet of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

The Catholic Scouts were among the more than 20,000 Scouts from throughout the country who attended the nine-day jamboree, which is held every four years at the reserve.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Concelebrating the Mass and giving the homily was Bishop Michael W. Fisher of Buffalo, New York, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ episcopal liaison to Catholic Scouting America, which is the largest of the faith-based Scouting America groups.

A Scout is reverent, Bishop Fisher said in his homily. “That’s what brings us here today as God’s people,” he said, “to give thanks, to give prayer and to offer that ultimate prayer in this holy Eucharist.”

Scouts, he said, are first reverent to God; faithful in his or her religious duties; and respect the convictions of others in matters of religion and custom.

Noting that they were surrounded by God’s beauty and creation, Bishop Fisher told the Scouts that reverence comes naturally to human beings and, in a particular way, to Catholics.

“When we look at the mountains and forests,” he said, “we can’t help but praise our creator. For truly we are in God’s country.”

In the Gospel for the Mass (Mt 13:44-52), Bishop Fisher said that Jesus reminds us that reverence is about finding hidden treasure and gives numerous examples of those who are searching.

“It’s not just an outward posture, but it’s about being transformed internally in our hearts and in our souls,” he said.

In the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

A critical question to all, Bishop Fisher said, is: “What is that true treasure that you’re seeking in your life?”

To answer that, he pointed to the first reading (1 Kings 3:5, 7-12), where God appears to a young King Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”

Solomon doesn’t ask for riches, or a long life, or power over his enemies, Bishop Fisher said. Instead, he admits his limitations and says, “I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.”

He asks God for an understanding heart, Bishop Fisher said, to discern between right and wrong. He asked for wisdom.

“This is exactly what we promise every time we stand at attention and make this Scout Sign, and repeat the Scout Oath,” Bishop Fisher said. “When we say we will do our duty to God and country and keep ourselves lawfully straight, we are asking for Solomon’s gift of wisdom. We are asking for a wise heart to navigate a complicated world.”

Bishop Fisher, an Eagle Scout himself, reminded all of the national jamboree’s theme, “Elevate,” and said that Jesus is calling all to elevate what they treasure in life.

“The treasure,” he said, “is God’s grace, his love and truth acting within us. To elevate means to stop digging for that cheap, temporary treasure like popularity or selfishness in material things,” he said. “Instead, hopefully, we sell out completely for what lasts: kindness, purity, reverence, and justice.”

A Scout who lives out the Scout Law is a living sign of God’s kingdom on earth, Bishop Fisher said. “Have you ever thought of yourself in that way?” he asked the Scouts.

In the second reading for the Mass, Bishop Fisher said that St. Paul reminds the Romans that we are called to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.

“Jesus is, you might say, that ultimate Scout leader,” Bishop Fisher said. “He did not come to be served, but to serve. He did a good turn daily. He prepared. He navigated the wilderness. He gathered a patrol of disciples. And he laid down his life to show that ultimate trail, that trail map to heaven.

“When you leave this jamboree and pack up your dirty laundry, your gear, and your cool patches, as well as great memories, the most important thing you should take home with you is a renewed spirit,” Bishop Fisher said. “God wants to elevate our character so that we become leaders and guides to others to what is right, and what is truly lasting in God’s kingdom.”

Jesus concludes the Gospel for the Mass with the warning about a net thrown into the sea that catches fish of every kind, Bishop Fisher said. At the end of the day, the good are gathered, he said, and the bad are thrown away. “Our lives are kind of like that net,” Bishop Fisher said. “Every day, we gather choices, words, and habits.”

He encouraged the Scouts to use the wisdom of Solomon, the great gift he asked for from the Lord, to sort through all of it and to be prepared. Bishop Fisher urged them to throw away gossip and dishonesty and keep the treasures of faith, service and the Scout spirit.

“Let us pray today for the courage to sell out for the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of God,” Bishop Fisher said, “to elevate our thoughts and actions, and to always seek the true treasure — a heart that knows, that loves, and serves God always. A Scout is reverent. Amen.”

The Catholic Scouts also prayed for the nation in the celebration of its 250th anniversary.

With them was Jesuit Father Mark Carr, national chaplain for Catholic Scouting America, who led the “Novena Prayer for America.”

Together, they prayed, “that the Church in the United States boldly proclaims the Gospel. May we all, especially our young Scouts, be joyful witnesses of Christ in our neighborhoods and schools.”

For more than 100 years, Catholic Scouting America has provided young people adventure, character building and values-based lessons grounded in the Catholic faith, the organization’s website states.

And this, Bishop Menjívar said, the church must continue to support.

“It’s a good place for children to learn and to grow, mature as a person but also in their faith and in their commitment to serve. I really encourage parents to look at those opportunities that the Scouts offer, especially at this time when we need to take the kids out of social media, the screens,” he said.

Colleen Rowan is executive editor of The Catholic Spirit, the news outlet of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. This story was originally published by The Catholic Spirit and is distributed through a partnership with OSV News. For more information about Catholic Scouting America and to explore resources for parishes, families, and councils, visit CatholicScoutingAmerica.org.

 

– (OSV News) — Every four years, thousands of Catholic Scouts from across the U.S. gather for Sunday Mass in the mountains of West Virginia. As faith is the first of the core principles which they hold dear, they joyfully observe their Sunday obligation while participating in the Scouting America National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mount Hope, W.Va., which was held this year July 22-31. “It was a wonderful Mass filled with joy, with hope,” said Bishop Evelio Menjívar of Wheeling-Charleston, who celebrated the July 26 Mass for more than 2,000 Catholic Scouts who filled a field at

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Pope Leo XIV urges sisters to foster vocations to religious life in United States #Catholic – (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV encouraged sisters to foster vocations to religious life in the United States in a video message sent Aug. 12. Addressing participants in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly taking place in Orlando, Florida, the pope said “the work of fostering religious vocations is of vital importance,” noting that despite secularization, there is also “a growing hunger for God” among the young. “As many of us have personally experienced, Christ’s call to follow him with an undivided heart through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience brings joy, peace and fulfillment,” said Pope Leo, who entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine at age 21. “In your interactions with the young people, therefore, try to seek ways to introduce them to your way of life, and help them to hear the voice of the Lord, who speaks to us in the depths of our hearts,” he added. The pope urged sisters to inspire young people “to be courageous in responding to Jesus, who is never outdone in generosity, so that they too may share the joy that comes from following his call.” LCWR has nearly 1,270 members who are leaders of different women’s congregations, representing about 66% of the 35,000 religious sisters in the United States. The conference is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with its Aug. 11-14 assembly, and this year’s gathering brings together women and men religious from Canada, the United States and Latin America for “an historic encounter.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The pope emphasized how consecrated men and women throughout history have “helped to make the mission and mystery of the Church visible in our world” through the many charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit. “The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world,” Pope Leo told the religious, noting “the longstanding contributions of your Institutes in the fields of evangelization, education and caring for the poor and marginalized, to name but a few.” Speakers at the assembly include Sister Nathalie Becquart, a member of the Institut La Xavière Missionnaire du Christ Jésus and the undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Sister Vicky Larson, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the president of the conference. Dominican Sister Mila Díaz Solano, originally from Peru, and Sister Mary Gabriel Devlin, a Sister of Life from New York, are among the facilitators for synodal “Conversation in the Spirit” at the assembly. Pope Leo commended the assembly’s inclusion of a synodal method of listening, discussion and discernment during the proceedings, expressing hope that “through this format of fraternal and receptive dialogue, you will be able to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying about the present and future of consecrated life in the nations where you serve.” “All Christians are called to be builders of Christ’s communion, formed in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission according to their own charism and ministry,” the pope said. “In a special way, those in religious life are called to become experts in synodality due to the opportunities afforded by community life to practice it, as well as the very way that your Congregations are organized.” Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.  
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Pope Leo XIV urges sisters to foster vocations to religious life in United States #Catholic – (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV encouraged sisters to foster vocations to religious life in the United States in a video message sent Aug. 12. Addressing participants in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly taking place in Orlando, Florida, the pope said “the work of fostering religious vocations is of vital importance,” noting that despite secularization, there is also “a growing hunger for God” among the young. “As many of us have personally experienced, Christ’s call to follow him with an undivided heart through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience brings joy, peace and fulfillment,” said Pope Leo, who entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine at age 21. “In your interactions with the young people, therefore, try to seek ways to introduce them to your way of life, and help them to hear the voice of the Lord, who speaks to us in the depths of our hearts,” he added. The pope urged sisters to inspire young people “to be courageous in responding to Jesus, who is never outdone in generosity, so that they too may share the joy that comes from following his call.” LCWR has nearly 1,270 members who are leaders of different women’s congregations, representing about 66% of the 35,000 religious sisters in the United States. The conference is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with its Aug. 11-14 assembly, and this year’s gathering brings together women and men religious from Canada, the United States and Latin America for “an historic encounter.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The pope emphasized how consecrated men and women throughout history have “helped to make the mission and mystery of the Church visible in our world” through the many charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit. “The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world,” Pope Leo told the religious, noting “the longstanding contributions of your Institutes in the fields of evangelization, education and caring for the poor and marginalized, to name but a few.” Speakers at the assembly include Sister Nathalie Becquart, a member of the Institut La Xavière Missionnaire du Christ Jésus and the undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Sister Vicky Larson, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the president of the conference. Dominican Sister Mila Díaz Solano, originally from Peru, and Sister Mary Gabriel Devlin, a Sister of Life from New York, are among the facilitators for synodal “Conversation in the Spirit” at the assembly. Pope Leo commended the assembly’s inclusion of a synodal method of listening, discussion and discernment during the proceedings, expressing hope that “through this format of fraternal and receptive dialogue, you will be able to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying about the present and future of consecrated life in the nations where you serve.” “All Christians are called to be builders of Christ’s communion, formed in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission according to their own charism and ministry,” the pope said. “In a special way, those in religious life are called to become experts in synodality due to the opportunities afforded by community life to practice it, as well as the very way that your Congregations are organized.” Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.  

unitedyam

Pope Leo XIV urges sisters to foster vocations to religious life in United States #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV encouraged sisters to foster vocations to religious life in the United States in a video message sent Aug. 12.

Addressing participants in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly taking place in Orlando, Florida, the pope said “the work of fostering religious vocations is of vital importance,” noting that despite secularization, there is also “a growing hunger for God” among the young.

“As many of us have personally experienced, Christ’s call to follow him with an undivided heart through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience brings joy, peace and fulfillment,” said Pope Leo, who entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine at age 21.

“In your interactions with the young people, therefore, try to seek ways to introduce them to your way of life, and help them to hear the voice of the Lord, who speaks to us in the depths of our hearts,” he added.

The pope urged sisters to inspire young people “to be courageous in responding to Jesus, who is never outdone in generosity, so that they too may share the joy that comes from following his call.”

LCWR has nearly 1,270 members who are leaders of different women’s congregations, representing about 66% of the 35,000 religious sisters in the United States.

The conference is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with its Aug. 11-14 assembly, and this year’s gathering brings together women and men religious from Canada, the United States and Latin America for “an historic encounter.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The pope emphasized how consecrated men and women throughout history have “helped to make the mission and mystery of the Church visible in our world” through the many charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit.

“The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world,” Pope Leo told the religious, noting “the longstanding contributions of your Institutes in the fields of evangelization, education and caring for the poor and marginalized, to name but a few.”

Speakers at the assembly include Sister Nathalie Becquart, a member of the Institut La Xavière Missionnaire du Christ Jésus and the undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Sister Vicky Larson, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the president of the conference.
Dominican Sister Mila Díaz Solano, originally from Peru, and Sister Mary Gabriel Devlin, a Sister of Life from New York, are among the facilitators for synodal “Conversation in the Spirit” at the assembly.

Pope Leo commended the assembly’s inclusion of a synodal method of listening, discussion and discernment during the proceedings, expressing hope that “through this format of fraternal and receptive dialogue, you will be able to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying about the present and future of consecrated life in the nations where you serve.”

“All Christians are called to be builders of Christ’s communion, formed in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission according to their own charism and ministry,” the pope said.

“In a special way, those in religious life are called to become experts in synodality due to the opportunities afforded by community life to practice it, as well as the very way that your Congregations are organized.”

Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.

 

– (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV encouraged sisters to foster vocations to religious life in the United States in a video message sent Aug. 12. Addressing participants in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly taking place in Orlando, Florida, the pope said “the work of fostering religious vocations is of vital importance,” noting that despite secularization, there is also “a growing hunger for God” among the young. “As many of us have personally experienced, Christ’s call to follow him with an undivided heart through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience brings joy, peace and fulfillment,” said Pope Leo, who

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Sainthood cause takes step forward for Rhoda Wise, an Ohio housewife, mystic and stigmatist #Catholic – (OSV News) — Ohio resident Rhoda Wise was a laywoman, a wife and an adoptive mother — but she was also a mystic, stigmatist, and now the candidate for sainthood could be declared venerable by the Church. Wise’s cause for canonization took a significant step forward July 7 when the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, announced that the official “positio” — a comprehensive document detailing her life of virtue and alleged miracles — was submitted to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The dicastery will investigate her life and determine whether she should be declared venerable and it should recommend the pope make that declaration. Wise, declared a servant of God in 2017 when the late Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown opened her sainthood cause, was born into a Protestant family of modest means in 1888, according to EWTN’s program “They Might Be Saints,” which aired July 7, 2022. She endured a life of hardship, including infertility, the loss of one of two daughters whom she adopted and an alcoholic husband who could not hold down a job. In the 1930s, Wise suffered several health challenges, including a 39-pound ovarian cyst and a broken foot that would not heal properly. During one of her stays in the hospital, she befriended the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, who told her how to pray the rosary and told her about St. Thérèse of Lisieux, to whom she became “greatly devoted.” She was received into the Catholic Church on Jan. 1, 1939, according to her diary. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On May 8, 1939, doctors at Mercy Hospital in Canton, Ohio, sent her home to die. The painful wound in her abdomen from her abdominal surgery had become infected and multiple surgical attempts to remove an abscess had failed. Shortly after she returned home, she began having visions of Christ and later, St. Thérèse. After a vision of both Christ and St. Thérèse on June 28, 1939, she wrote in her diary that she was miraculously healed. “I was astounded to find that the wound on my abdomen was entirely closed,” she wrote. “Great was the rejoicing of my relatives and friends and in the days that followed a large number of people came to my home to see me.” She continued to have visions until her death in 1948, and beginning on Good Friday, April 3, 1942, she experienced the stigmata every First Friday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. through 1945, according to the Rhoda Wise House and Grotto website. The bleeding stigmata appeared on Wise’s forehead and continued to appear and bleed at intervals over the next two years. In 1943, bleeding stigmata appeared on her hands and feet as well as her forehead. The bleeding stigmata were witnessed by many visitors to the Wise home. As her reputation for holiness spread, many visitors came to speak with her and pray outside of her house, which continues to be a place of pilgrimage to this day. Ryan Schweitzer, who has served as the assistant director of the Wise home and nonprofit in Canton since the fall of 2023, said that in 2025 alone 5,500 people visited the home from 19 countries. Healing — both physical and spiritual — are commonplace at the home, Schweitzer said. “Our Lord had told Rhoda that there would be many more miracles here on the site, many more wonderful miracles than the ones that she experienced, and our Lord has held true to his word,” Schweitzer told OSV News. In 2018, Dr. Mark Shoag was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoma and given six months to live. As chemotherapy ravaged his body, his wife, Betsy Shoag, read him Wise’s diary, according to the EWTN program. One day, as Mark was too weak to leave his bed, Betsy brought his shirt to the Wise house to pray for a miracle. When she returned, she found Mark alert and asking to leave the house. “I went from somebody who believed that science could explain everything to somebody who believes … that there are miracles,” said Mark, who outlived his prognosis by eight years before dying in 2024. EWTN has its origins in a miracle that happened at Wise’s house. As a teenager, Mother Angelica — then Rita Antoinette Rizzo — was taken to see Wise in hopes of a healing for her debilitating stomach pain caused by a rare condition called ptosis of the stomach, according to ETWN. Wise told her to pray a novena, according to the ETWN program about Wise, after which her stomach ailment suddenly resolved. This miracle changed the trajectory of her life, eventually propelling her to become a religious and then the foundress of EWTN. She joined the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, taking the name Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, and in 1981 launched what is now a global Catholic media organization. “If there hadn’t been a Rhoda Wise, there wouldn’t have been a Mother Angelica, because her healing led to her vocation and to EWTN,” said Karen Sigler, who directs the Rhoda Wise Shrine. Father John Sheridan of the Youngstown Diocese, liaison for Wise’s cause, said that Wise’s “positio” will be reviewed by two Vatican commissions, the theological commission and the historical commission. “The historical commission will evaluate the life and the times that Rhoda Wise lived in, growing up in the United States in Ohio beginning in the 1880s and then living through the Depression and the First and Second World War,” Father Sheridan told OSV News. “The theologians will be evaluating the claims that she was a mystic, that she experienced stigmata.” These commissions will separately make recommendations on the case to the bishops, cardinals and experts who make up the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The dicastery can then recommend to the pope he make a declaration of her heroic virtues and the Church give her the title of venerable. The next steps in the sainthood process are beatification and canonization. In general, each step needs a verified miracle having occurred through Wise’s intercession. If she is declared a saint someday, Father Sheridan said she might be the patron of those struggling with addictions, since her husband was ultimately healed from his alcoholism. She also could be a patron of housewives or adoptive mothers. “Rhoda Wise exemplifies … the virtue of patient endurance,” Sheridan said. “She lived a life of poverty, even though many people were flocking to her house she never, never tried to enrich herself. She continued to live in the same poor home and live the same poor life. I think there’s something beautiful about that.” Anna Dougherty writes for OSV News from Texas.  
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Sainthood cause takes step forward for Rhoda Wise, an Ohio housewife, mystic and stigmatist #Catholic – (OSV News) — Ohio resident Rhoda Wise was a laywoman, a wife and an adoptive mother — but she was also a mystic, stigmatist, and now the candidate for sainthood could be declared venerable by the Church. Wise’s cause for canonization took a significant step forward July 7 when the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, announced that the official “positio” — a comprehensive document detailing her life of virtue and alleged miracles — was submitted to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The dicastery will investigate her life and determine whether she should be declared venerable and it should recommend the pope make that declaration. Wise, declared a servant of God in 2017 when the late Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown opened her sainthood cause, was born into a Protestant family of modest means in 1888, according to EWTN’s program “They Might Be Saints,” which aired July 7, 2022. She endured a life of hardship, including infertility, the loss of one of two daughters whom she adopted and an alcoholic husband who could not hold down a job. In the 1930s, Wise suffered several health challenges, including a 39-pound ovarian cyst and a broken foot that would not heal properly. During one of her stays in the hospital, she befriended the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, who told her how to pray the rosary and told her about St. Thérèse of Lisieux, to whom she became “greatly devoted.” She was received into the Catholic Church on Jan. 1, 1939, according to her diary. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On May 8, 1939, doctors at Mercy Hospital in Canton, Ohio, sent her home to die. The painful wound in her abdomen from her abdominal surgery had become infected and multiple surgical attempts to remove an abscess had failed. Shortly after she returned home, she began having visions of Christ and later, St. Thérèse. After a vision of both Christ and St. Thérèse on June 28, 1939, she wrote in her diary that she was miraculously healed. “I was astounded to find that the wound on my abdomen was entirely closed,” she wrote. “Great was the rejoicing of my relatives and friends and in the days that followed a large number of people came to my home to see me.” She continued to have visions until her death in 1948, and beginning on Good Friday, April 3, 1942, she experienced the stigmata every First Friday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. through 1945, according to the Rhoda Wise House and Grotto website. The bleeding stigmata appeared on Wise’s forehead and continued to appear and bleed at intervals over the next two years. In 1943, bleeding stigmata appeared on her hands and feet as well as her forehead. The bleeding stigmata were witnessed by many visitors to the Wise home. As her reputation for holiness spread, many visitors came to speak with her and pray outside of her house, which continues to be a place of pilgrimage to this day. Ryan Schweitzer, who has served as the assistant director of the Wise home and nonprofit in Canton since the fall of 2023, said that in 2025 alone 5,500 people visited the home from 19 countries. Healing — both physical and spiritual — are commonplace at the home, Schweitzer said. “Our Lord had told Rhoda that there would be many more miracles here on the site, many more wonderful miracles than the ones that she experienced, and our Lord has held true to his word,” Schweitzer told OSV News. In 2018, Dr. Mark Shoag was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoma and given six months to live. As chemotherapy ravaged his body, his wife, Betsy Shoag, read him Wise’s diary, according to the EWTN program. One day, as Mark was too weak to leave his bed, Betsy brought his shirt to the Wise house to pray for a miracle. When she returned, she found Mark alert and asking to leave the house. “I went from somebody who believed that science could explain everything to somebody who believes … that there are miracles,” said Mark, who outlived his prognosis by eight years before dying in 2024. EWTN has its origins in a miracle that happened at Wise’s house. As a teenager, Mother Angelica — then Rita Antoinette Rizzo — was taken to see Wise in hopes of a healing for her debilitating stomach pain caused by a rare condition called ptosis of the stomach, according to ETWN. Wise told her to pray a novena, according to the ETWN program about Wise, after which her stomach ailment suddenly resolved. This miracle changed the trajectory of her life, eventually propelling her to become a religious and then the foundress of EWTN. She joined the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, taking the name Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, and in 1981 launched what is now a global Catholic media organization. “If there hadn’t been a Rhoda Wise, there wouldn’t have been a Mother Angelica, because her healing led to her vocation and to EWTN,” said Karen Sigler, who directs the Rhoda Wise Shrine. Father John Sheridan of the Youngstown Diocese, liaison for Wise’s cause, said that Wise’s “positio” will be reviewed by two Vatican commissions, the theological commission and the historical commission. “The historical commission will evaluate the life and the times that Rhoda Wise lived in, growing up in the United States in Ohio beginning in the 1880s and then living through the Depression and the First and Second World War,” Father Sheridan told OSV News. “The theologians will be evaluating the claims that she was a mystic, that she experienced stigmata.” These commissions will separately make recommendations on the case to the bishops, cardinals and experts who make up the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The dicastery can then recommend to the pope he make a declaration of her heroic virtues and the Church give her the title of venerable. The next steps in the sainthood process are beatification and canonization. In general, each step needs a verified miracle having occurred through Wise’s intercession. If she is declared a saint someday, Father Sheridan said she might be the patron of those struggling with addictions, since her husband was ultimately healed from his alcoholism. She also could be a patron of housewives or adoptive mothers. “Rhoda Wise exemplifies … the virtue of patient endurance,” Sheridan said. “She lived a life of poverty, even though many people were flocking to her house she never, never tried to enrich herself. She continued to live in the same poor home and live the same poor life. I think there’s something beautiful about that.” Anna Dougherty writes for OSV News from Texas.  

unitedyam

Sainthood cause takes step forward for Rhoda Wise, an Ohio housewife, mystic and stigmatist #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Ohio resident Rhoda Wise was a laywoman, a wife and an adoptive mother — but she was also a mystic, stigmatist, and now the candidate for sainthood could be declared venerable by the Church.

Wise’s cause for canonization took a significant step forward July 7 when the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, announced that the official “positio” — a comprehensive document detailing her life of virtue and alleged miracles — was submitted to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

The dicastery will investigate her life and determine whether she should be declared venerable and it should recommend the pope make that declaration.

Wise, declared a servant of God in 2017 when the late Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown opened her sainthood cause, was born into a Protestant family of modest means in 1888, according to EWTN’s program “They Might Be Saints,” which aired July 7, 2022. She endured a life of hardship, including infertility, the loss of one of two daughters whom she adopted and an alcoholic husband who could not hold down a job.

In the 1930s, Wise suffered several health challenges, including a 39-pound ovarian cyst and a broken foot that would not heal properly. During one of her stays in the hospital, she befriended the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, who told her how to pray the rosary and told her about St. Thérèse of Lisieux, to whom she became “greatly devoted.” She was received into the Catholic Church on Jan. 1, 1939, according to her diary.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

On May 8, 1939, doctors at Mercy Hospital in Canton, Ohio, sent her home to die. The painful wound in her abdomen from her abdominal surgery had become infected and multiple surgical attempts to remove an abscess had failed. Shortly after she returned home, she began having visions of Christ and later, St. Thérèse.

After a vision of both Christ and St. Thérèse on June 28, 1939, she wrote in her diary that she was miraculously healed.

“I was astounded to find that the wound on my abdomen was entirely closed,” she wrote. “Great was the rejoicing of my relatives and friends and in the days that followed a large number of people came to my home to see me.”

She continued to have visions until her death in 1948, and beginning on Good Friday, April 3, 1942, she experienced the stigmata every First Friday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. through 1945, according to the Rhoda Wise House and Grotto website.

The bleeding stigmata appeared on Wise’s forehead and continued to appear and bleed at intervals over the next two years. In 1943, bleeding stigmata appeared on her hands and feet as well as her forehead. The bleeding stigmata were witnessed by many visitors to the Wise home.

As her reputation for holiness spread, many visitors came to speak with her and pray outside of her house, which continues to be a place of pilgrimage to this day.

Ryan Schweitzer, who has served as the assistant director of the Wise home and nonprofit in Canton since the fall of 2023, said that in 2025 alone 5,500 people visited the home from 19 countries. Healing — both physical and spiritual — are commonplace at the home, Schweitzer said.

“Our Lord had told Rhoda that there would be many more miracles here on the site, many more wonderful miracles than the ones that she experienced, and our Lord has held true to his word,” Schweitzer told OSV News.

In 2018, Dr. Mark Shoag was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoma and given six months to live. As chemotherapy ravaged his body, his wife, Betsy Shoag, read him Wise’s diary, according to the EWTN program.

One day, as Mark was too weak to leave his bed, Betsy brought his shirt to the Wise house to pray for a miracle. When she returned, she found Mark alert and asking to leave the house.

“I went from somebody who believed that science could explain everything to somebody who believes … that there are miracles,” said Mark, who outlived his prognosis by eight years before dying in 2024.

EWTN has its origins in a miracle that happened at Wise’s house.

As a teenager, Mother Angelica — then Rita Antoinette Rizzo — was taken to see Wise in hopes of a healing for her debilitating stomach pain caused by a rare condition called ptosis of the stomach, according to ETWN.

Wise told her to pray a novena, according to the ETWN program about Wise, after which her stomach ailment suddenly resolved. This miracle changed the trajectory of her life, eventually propelling her to become a religious and then the foundress of EWTN. She joined the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, taking the name Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, and in 1981 launched what is now a global Catholic media organization.

“If there hadn’t been a Rhoda Wise, there wouldn’t have been a Mother Angelica, because her healing led to her vocation and to EWTN,” said Karen Sigler, who directs the Rhoda Wise Shrine.

Father John Sheridan of the Youngstown Diocese, liaison for Wise’s cause, said that Wise’s “positio” will be reviewed by two Vatican commissions, the theological commission and the historical commission.

“The historical commission will evaluate the life and the times that Rhoda Wise lived in, growing up in the United States in Ohio beginning in the 1880s and then living through the Depression and the First and Second World War,” Father Sheridan told OSV News. “The theologians will be evaluating the claims that she was a mystic, that she experienced stigmata.”

These commissions will separately make recommendations on the case to the bishops, cardinals and experts who make up the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The dicastery can then recommend to the pope he make a declaration of her heroic virtues and the Church give her the title of venerable.

The next steps in the sainthood process are beatification and canonization. In general, each step needs a verified miracle having occurred through Wise’s intercession.

If she is declared a saint someday, Father Sheridan said she might be the patron of those struggling with addictions, since her husband was ultimately healed from his alcoholism. She also could be a patron of housewives or adoptive mothers.

“Rhoda Wise exemplifies … the virtue of patient endurance,” Sheridan said. “She lived a life of poverty, even though many people were flocking to her house she never, never tried to enrich herself. She continued to live in the same poor home and live the same poor life. I think there’s something beautiful about that.”

Anna Dougherty writes for OSV News from Texas.

 

– (OSV News) — Ohio resident Rhoda Wise was a laywoman, a wife and an adoptive mother — but she was also a mystic, stigmatist, and now the candidate for sainthood could be declared venerable by the Church. Wise’s cause for canonization took a significant step forward July 7 when the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, announced that the official “positio” — a comprehensive document detailing her life of virtue and alleged miracles — was submitted to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The dicastery will investigate her life and determine whether she should be declared venerable and it should

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America at 250: We must remember we are still a nation of immigrants #Catholic – In 1958, at age 14, I learned a personal lesson about patriotism on a Boy Scout pilgrimage to Europe. Our first stop was the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. As we viewed the various pavilions, of course we stopped at the United States pavilion first. There was perhaps a little disappointment because we saw a very honest portrayal of the problems America faced at the time: racial divisions, housing needs, poverty and an economy that barely supported a nation of our size. In contrast, when we visited the Russian pavilion, all one could see were the glorious achievements of Russia, which had survived the Second World War and taken its place among the great nations of the world. From the exhibit and the guidance of the priest-chaplain, I learned that America was a self-correcting nation because she acknowledged her shortcomings and found ways to overcome them. In the same year as the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958, John F. Kennedy wrote a book titled “A Nation of Immigrants.” It was not a history of immigration, but rather a prelude to his efforts in Congress to find the path to reform the deficiencies of the discriminatory Immigration Act of 1924, which was still influencing immigration. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. As we mark our 250th anniversary as a nation, we are returning to the same playbook that was used in 1924 to shut down most future immigration. The Founding Fathers followed the unwritten law in the practice of granting citizenship to all who were born here, presuming their desire to become citizens and contribute to the nation of immigrants. Our nation was built on immigrant labor and on the desire of immigrants to achieve the American dream, which was basically to live in freedom and to support their families. On this 250th anniversary, we celebrate our democracy and our achievements as a nation, but at the same time we can never forget that it was because of immigration that we have achieved so much. If we wish America to continue being great, we must deal with the problems that still afflict us. Immigration reform is necessary to preserve our moral place among nations. America’s greatness came from our concern for other nations in the world and for welcoming those immigrants needed to enhance our progress in a free and open society. We cannot deny our heritage as a nation built by immigrants. We cannot watch our democratic institutions erode to the point where no compromises can be found, which enables our society to overcome the polarization that divides our nation. Of course, there are other related issues on the international scene, especially those regarding basic human rights. Unfortunately, our country sometimes falls short of exhibiting commitment to our founding principle of equality among peoples: namely, the heritage of slavery, racial discrimination, high levels of poverty and lack of economic opportunities. The positive international developments of the post-World War II era are sometimes viewed as because of the Pax Americana (Latin for “American Peace”). However, in this new century, we need to find the unique contribution that we can make to the nations of the world. Peace is not merely the absence of war, but an era when international cooperation becomes the basis of a lasting peace and prosperity. The greatness of America not only consists of our achievements, but also our ability to correct our deficiencies. This is true today, more than ever, especially as we look toward the future and recognize our moral position among nations. Especially on the issue of international migration, we as a nation can take the lead to make this constant phenomenon of our time a positive contribution to the welfare of all nations. Our nation could lead by the example of our ability to integrate immigrants, as no nation of the world ever has, and which has made us a great nation. If we wish to maintain that greatness, we must return to one of the causes of our greatness: regulated and generous immigration. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is the retired bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. He writes the column “Walking With Migrants” for The Tablet and OSV News.  
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America at 250: We must remember we are still a nation of immigrants #Catholic – In 1958, at age 14, I learned a personal lesson about patriotism on a Boy Scout pilgrimage to Europe. Our first stop was the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. As we viewed the various pavilions, of course we stopped at the United States pavilion first. There was perhaps a little disappointment because we saw a very honest portrayal of the problems America faced at the time: racial divisions, housing needs, poverty and an economy that barely supported a nation of our size. In contrast, when we visited the Russian pavilion, all one could see were the glorious achievements of Russia, which had survived the Second World War and taken its place among the great nations of the world. From the exhibit and the guidance of the priest-chaplain, I learned that America was a self-correcting nation because she acknowledged her shortcomings and found ways to overcome them. In the same year as the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958, John F. Kennedy wrote a book titled “A Nation of Immigrants.” It was not a history of immigration, but rather a prelude to his efforts in Congress to find the path to reform the deficiencies of the discriminatory Immigration Act of 1924, which was still influencing immigration. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. As we mark our 250th anniversary as a nation, we are returning to the same playbook that was used in 1924 to shut down most future immigration. The Founding Fathers followed the unwritten law in the practice of granting citizenship to all who were born here, presuming their desire to become citizens and contribute to the nation of immigrants. Our nation was built on immigrant labor and on the desire of immigrants to achieve the American dream, which was basically to live in freedom and to support their families. On this 250th anniversary, we celebrate our democracy and our achievements as a nation, but at the same time we can never forget that it was because of immigration that we have achieved so much. If we wish America to continue being great, we must deal with the problems that still afflict us. Immigration reform is necessary to preserve our moral place among nations. America’s greatness came from our concern for other nations in the world and for welcoming those immigrants needed to enhance our progress in a free and open society. We cannot deny our heritage as a nation built by immigrants. We cannot watch our democratic institutions erode to the point where no compromises can be found, which enables our society to overcome the polarization that divides our nation. Of course, there are other related issues on the international scene, especially those regarding basic human rights. Unfortunately, our country sometimes falls short of exhibiting commitment to our founding principle of equality among peoples: namely, the heritage of slavery, racial discrimination, high levels of poverty and lack of economic opportunities. The positive international developments of the post-World War II era are sometimes viewed as because of the Pax Americana (Latin for “American Peace”). However, in this new century, we need to find the unique contribution that we can make to the nations of the world. Peace is not merely the absence of war, but an era when international cooperation becomes the basis of a lasting peace and prosperity. The greatness of America not only consists of our achievements, but also our ability to correct our deficiencies. This is true today, more than ever, especially as we look toward the future and recognize our moral position among nations. Especially on the issue of international migration, we as a nation can take the lead to make this constant phenomenon of our time a positive contribution to the welfare of all nations. Our nation could lead by the example of our ability to integrate immigrants, as no nation of the world ever has, and which has made us a great nation. If we wish to maintain that greatness, we must return to one of the causes of our greatness: regulated and generous immigration. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is the retired bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. He writes the column “Walking With Migrants” for The Tablet and OSV News.  

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America at 250: We must remember we are still a nation of immigrants #Catholic –

In 1958, at age 14, I learned a personal lesson about patriotism on a Boy Scout pilgrimage to Europe.

Our first stop was the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. As we viewed the various pavilions, of course we stopped at the United States pavilion first. There was perhaps a little disappointment because we saw a very honest portrayal of the problems America faced at the time: racial divisions, housing needs, poverty and an economy that barely supported a nation of our size.

In contrast, when we visited the Russian pavilion, all one could see were the glorious achievements of Russia, which had survived the Second World War and taken its place among the great nations of the world.

From the exhibit and the guidance of the priest-chaplain, I learned that America was a self-correcting nation because she acknowledged her shortcomings and found ways to overcome them.

In the same year as the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958, John F. Kennedy wrote a book titled “A Nation of Immigrants.” It was not a history of immigration, but rather a prelude to his efforts in Congress to find the path to reform the deficiencies of the discriminatory Immigration Act of 1924, which was still influencing immigration.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

As we mark our 250th anniversary as a nation, we are returning to the same playbook that was used in 1924 to shut down most future immigration.

The Founding Fathers followed the unwritten law in the practice of granting citizenship to all who were born here, presuming their desire to become citizens and contribute to the nation of immigrants. Our nation was built on immigrant labor and on the desire of immigrants to achieve the American dream, which was basically to live in freedom and to support their families.

On this 250th anniversary, we celebrate our democracy and our achievements as a nation, but at the same time we can never forget that it was because of immigration that we have achieved so much.

If we wish America to continue being great, we must deal with the problems that still afflict us. Immigration reform is necessary to preserve our moral place among nations. America’s greatness came from our concern for other nations in the world and for welcoming those immigrants needed to enhance our progress in a free and open society.

We cannot deny our heritage as a nation built by immigrants. We cannot watch our democratic institutions erode to the point where no compromises can be found, which enables our society to overcome the polarization that divides our nation.

Of course, there are other related issues on the international scene, especially those regarding basic human rights.

Unfortunately, our country sometimes falls short of exhibiting commitment to our founding principle of equality among peoples: namely, the heritage of slavery, racial discrimination, high levels of poverty and lack of economic opportunities.

The positive international developments of the post-World War II era are sometimes viewed as because of the Pax Americana (Latin for “American Peace”).

However, in this new century, we need to find the unique contribution that we can make to the nations of the world. Peace is not merely the absence of war, but an era when international cooperation becomes the basis of a lasting peace and prosperity.

The greatness of America not only consists of our achievements, but also our ability to correct our deficiencies. This is true today, more than ever, especially as we look toward the future and recognize our moral position among nations. Especially on the issue of international migration, we as a nation can take the lead to make this constant phenomenon of our time a positive contribution to the welfare of all nations.

Our nation could lead by the example of our ability to integrate immigrants, as no nation of the world ever has, and which has made us a great nation.

If we wish to maintain that greatness, we must return to one of the causes of our greatness: regulated and generous immigration.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is the retired bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. He writes the column “Walking With Migrants” for The Tablet and OSV News.

 

– In 1958, at age 14, I learned a personal lesson about patriotism on a Boy Scout pilgrimage to Europe. Our first stop was the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. As we viewed the various pavilions, of course we stopped at the United States pavilion first. There was perhaps a little disappointment because we saw a very honest portrayal of the problems America faced at the time: racial divisions, housing needs, poverty and an economy that barely supported a nation of our size. In contrast, when we visited the Russian pavilion, all one could see were the glorious achievements of Russia,

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Aug. 13, 2011: Perseids from space

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Likely the best-known meteor shower of the year, the Perseids occur from late July through late August annually, typically peaking around Aug. 12-13. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the debris field left behind as a comet orbits the Sun. In the case of the Perseids, that comet is Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, discovered inContinue reading “Aug. 13, 2011: Perseids from space”

The post Aug. 13, 2011: Perseids from space appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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