Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84; Catholic leaders praise civil rights leader’s work for justice #Catholic – 
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholic leaders were among those who praised the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Baptist minister and prominent civil rights leader, who died Feb. 17. He was 84.
“For more than six decades, Reverend Jackson dedicated his life to advancing equality, dismantling systems of oppression, and amplifying the voices of the underserved,” said a statement from his family announcing his death.
News reports said he died at his home in Chicago. A cause of death was not immediately shared by the family.
A former aide to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jackson later sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. Although those bids were unsuccessful, he became the first Black candidate for U.S. president to get on the primary ballot in all 50 states.
Although, as a politician, Rev. Jackson took some public policy positions at odds with church teaching — such as changing his original views opposing abortion to supporting it over the course of his life — Catholic leaders praised his work in the area of racial justice.
Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, said in written comments to OSV News, “As an advocate for racial justice and a central figure in the civil rights movement, Rev. Jesse Jackson played a key role in securing equal rights for African Americans and offered prophetic witness to the dignity of people of all racial backgrounds.”
“He inspired generations to pursue racial justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with God. My prayers are with his family and close collaborators — may his legacy continue to inspire, guide and uplift all who strive for a more just world and an end to racism,” Bishop Garcia said.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, told OSV News that in 1991, Rev. Jackson “came through my small hometown in Connecticut.” The network she heads advocates for the abolition of capital punishment in line with Catholic teaching as well as restorative justice, including addressing the sin of racism.
“He literally walked his talk as he marched through our state, calling attention to the social and economic ills for people who were forgotten, overlooked, and marginalized,” she said. “He was a larger-than-life figure and a deeply faithful man who consistently and pointedly connected the realities of injustice in the present day to the often overlooked sins of systemic racism and institutionalized discrimination.
“Jesse carried an indefatigable hope and a more perfect vision for the future. His faith informed his engagement in politics and the policy arena and undergirded his vision for justice that centered the dignity of all people.”
Vaillancourt Murphy said Catholic Mobilizing Network’s “advocacy to end the death penalty, which recognizes the deep-rooted racism and institutionalized discrimination within the U.S. criminal legal system, has learned much from civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson.”
“Racism is a sin, and engagement in racial justice efforts are required at the individual, social and systemic levels so that truth-telling can dismantle unjust systems and build up approaches to justice that are equitable, restorative, and life-affirming — more fitting of our faith convictions,” she said. “Jesse Jackson’s witness — a tireless and fervently hopeful pursuit of the good — provides a faithful inspiration in this work.”
Gloria Purvis, a special adviser for integral human development and dignity at Providence College in Rhode Island and a senior fellow at Georgetown’s Initiative for Catholic Social Thought in Public Life in Washington, told OSV News that Rev. Jackson met with St. John Paul II multiple times, notably to advocate for Haitian refugees.
“The preferential option for the poor, solidarity with the oppressed, the dignity of the human person, all of those things, I think, are the positive parts of his legacy that should be remembered and even though he was Baptist, he recognized the moral authority of the Holy Father,” Purvis said.
In a post on X, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said, “A few years ago, I shared a dinner with a number of US representatives, and among them was Jesse Jackson, Jr. When I shook his hand, I said, ‘tell your Dad I’m praying for him.’”
“Though we differed on a number of issues, I always admired Jesse Jackson, who died today at 84,” Bishop Barron said. “A top lieutenant of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jackson consistently advocated for the transformative power of non-violence. At a time when our social interaction is marked by terrible violence, this continues to be a welcome message.”
“Moreover, throughout his long public career, Jackson called for the empowerment of young black men through education and the assuming of moral responsibility,” Bishop Barron said. “He knew that government programs were never sufficient for the lifting up of the black community; what was especially needed was the shaping of character. He was also one of the very best public speakers on the scene when I was coming of age. I particularly recall an episode of ‘Firing Line’ which featured a debate between William F. Buckley and Jesse Jackson: very different styles indeed, but both a delight to listen to. So on the day of his death, I will, once again, pray for Jesse Jackson.”
Bipartisan tributes were also made to Rev. Jackson.
Purvis said that “at this time in particular (when) to be able to empathize with other people’s struggles seems to be a difficulty,” Rev. Jackson’s legacy was “a practical enactment” of what Catholic social teaching calls solidarity, “the recognition that we are all responsible for one another.”
President Donald Trump called Rev. Jackson “a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts’” in a post on his social media website Truth Social.
“He was very gregarious – Someone who truly loved people!” Trump said, adding he was sending “my deepest sympathies and condolences” to his family.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Rev. Jackson “a legendary voice for the voiceless, powerful civil rights champion and trailblazer extraordinaire.”
“For decades, while laboring in the vineyards of the community, he inspired us to keep hope alive in the struggle for liberty and justice for all,” Jeffries said in a post on X. “We are thankful for the incredible service of Rev. Jesse Jackson to the nation and his profound sacrifice as the people’s champion.”
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
– WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholic leaders were among those who praised the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Baptist minister and prominent civil rights leader, who died Feb. 17. He was 84. “For more than six decades, Reverend Jackson dedicated his life to advancing equality, dismantling systems of oppression, and amplifying the voices of the underserved,” said a statement from his family announcing his death. News reports said he died at his home in Chicago. A cause of death was not immediately shared by the family. A former aide to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jackson
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![Bishop celebrates Ash Wednesday at Paterson medical center #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., on Feb. 18, to celebrate Mass for Ash Wednesday, which marks the first day of Lent. He blessed and placed ashes in the mark of a cross on the foreheads of St. Joseph’s staff during Mass. Afterward, Bishop Sweeney visited patients’ rooms to give them ashes and pray with them.
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BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/bishop-celebrates-ash-wednesday-at-paterson-medical-center-catholic-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-visited-st-josephs-university-medical-center-in-paterson-n-j-on-feb-18-to-celebrate-mass-f.jpg)
![Scouts encouraged to be inspired by saints at Mass #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged scouts and leaders to find inspiration in the saints, such as Ss. Cyril & Methodius, while celebrating the annual Scout Sunday Mass of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey on Feb. 14, the feast of the two Slavic saints and St. Valentine’s Day. The liturgy was held at Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) Church in the Pompton Plains neighborhood of Pequannock, N.J.
After presiding over the Mass, Bishop Sweeney presented religious awards to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and adult Boy Scout leaders to inspire and strengthen their Catholic faith.
Among the priests concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Father Frank Agresti, chaplain of the diocesan Catholic Committee on Girl Scouting who is offering pastoral assistance to St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne, N.J.; Father Christopher Barkhausen, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in the McAfee neighborhood of Vernon, N.J., and chaplain of the diocesan Catholic Committee on Boy Scouting; and Father Benjamin Williams, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in the Oak Ridge neighborhood of Jefferson Township and St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J. who is involved in several capacities with the Boy Scouts’ Patriots Path Council.
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Father Darwin Lastra, pastor of OLGC, also concelebrated the Mass. Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office, was master of ceremonies for the liturgy.
On social media, Bishop Sweeney posted after the event, “I was blessed to celebrate Mass this Morning with our Catholic Scouting Community and be part of their annual Awards Ceremony. I thanked the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, their parents, Scout Leaders, and Chaplains for their dedication, generosity, and example of servant leadership. I encouraged them to learn from and be inspired by the saints, especially Ss. Cyril & Methodius.”
Ss. Cyril and Methodius were two missionaries, brothers from Thessaloniki in Greece, who popularized Christianity among the Slavic peoples. Such was their influence that they are now known as the “Apostles to the Slavs.”
Deacon Marc Mackin of OLGC assisted with the Mass. Several Scouts participated in the Mass.
The diocese’s Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been holding a Scout Sunday Mass collectively for at least 10 years. Last year, the Boy Scouts of America rebranded as Scouting America to be more inclusive to all youth.
A list of Boy Scout and Girl Scout award recipients will follow soon.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/scouts-encouraged-to-be-inspired-by-saints-at-mass-catholic-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-urged-scouts-and-leaders-to-find-inspiration-in-the-saints-such-as-ss-cyril-methodius-while-celebrating.jpg)
![Families make unforgettable memories at Haskell prom #Catholic - Once again, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque, N.J., was excited on Feb. 13 to be an official host church for the 2026 Night to Shine Prom sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation.
Night to Shine is a prom night experience and part of a worldwide celebration, centered on God’s love, for people with physical or developmental disabilities, ages 14 and older. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Father Greg Golba, pastor of St. Francis, joined the party that night.
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Guests of Night to Shine entered the complimentary event on a red carpet with a warm welcome from a friendly crowd and paparazzi. Once inside, guests received the royal treatment, including hair and makeup stations, shoe shining stations, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres, a karaoke room, a catered dinner, prom favors, a Respite Room for parents and caretakers, and dancing.
The highlight of the night arrived when each Night to Shine guest was crowned a king or queen of the prom.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/families-make-unforgettable-memories-at-haskell-prom-catholic-once-again-st-francis-of-assisi-parish-in-the-haskell-neighborhood-of-wanaque-n-j-was-excited-on-feb-13-to-be-an-official-host-ch.jpg)
![Catholic thinkers, tech experts reflect on promise and perils of AI at New York Encounter #Catholic NEW YORK — How can Catholic social teaching guide us in weighing the benefits of artificial intelligence against the dangers it poses to human dignity? That question animated a wide-ranging discussion among Catholic thinkers and technology experts at the New York Encounter on Saturday.Citing Pope Leo XIV’s call to use AI responsibly as well as the Church’s historic defense of human dignity in the face of modern technology, Davide Bolchini, moderator and dean of the Luddy School of Informatics at Indiana University, opened the discussion before an audience of several hundred people gathered for the three-day cultural conference in New York City.“The pope encouraged us to use AI responsibly, to use it in a way that helps us grow, not to let it work against us, but to let it work with us, not to substitute human intelligence, not to replace our judgment of what’s right … our ability of authentic wonder,” Bolchini said.With technology rapidly advancing, Bolchini asked, how can the Church stay ahead of these challenges?Chuck Rossi, an engineer at Meta who is developing AI-driven content moderation technology at the technology conglomerate, which includes Facebook and Instagram, argued that in his work, developments in AI have been instrumental in safeguarding human beings from harm. AI systems, he said, can examine 2.5 billion pieces of of shared online content per hour, filtering harmful material including nudity and sexual activity, bullying and harassment, child endanger, dangerous organizations, fake accounts, hateful conduct, restricted goods and services, spam, suicide and self-injury, violence and incitement, and violent and graphic content.“That’s my world,” he said. “It’s a very, very hard problem. If we miss 0.1% of 2. 5 billion, that’s millions of things that we didn’t want to be seeing. But we do an excellent job, and we have for years — we’re one of the best at it,” Rossi said.Using AI also protects human content moderators from being exposed to disturbing material, as they were in the past.“The good thing that we are giving back to humans is you never have to do this horrible work,” he said.Paul Scherz, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, acknowledged the benefits of AI, which he said included advances in medicine and efficiency for tasks like billing (“Nobody wants to do billing,” he said).But Scherz warned of the dangers of relying on technology to do what is intrinsically human.“We are really starting to turn to AI as people more broadly for these relational aspects, which would be tragic because there is something in that human-to-human connection, the ‘I/thou connection,’ as Martin Buber called it, that is irreplaceable by a machine,” Scherz said. He noted that AI has even moved into ministry, with the rise of Catholic apps relying on bots to offer catechesis.Scherz also cautioned that substituting AI for human interaction and intelligence risks eroding our skills, whether in relationships or in professional life.“My fear is as we use these chatbots more and more we will lose those person-to-person skills. We’ll no longer be able to engage one another as well, or have the patience and virtue to deeply love and encounter one another,” Scherz said.In addition, relying on AI in our work, for example, when a doctor consults AI to make a diagnosis, will result in our “de-skilling,” he said. “We know that people, when they’re using automated systems, they tend to just become biased and complacent and just approve the automated system. They lose their skills,” he said, adding that airline pilots who rely too much on autopilot are more prone to making errors.Louis Kim, former vice president of personal systems and AI at Hewlett-Packard who is currently pursuing graduate studies in theology and health care, pointed out that it’s not possible to know today what skills will be required in the future.“My personal view is I often find that predictions of impacted technology are largely unconsciously based on what we know of the current paradigm and structure and technologies,” Kim said.“There are going to be skills needed to control AI that are going to be different,” he said.Kim also called for “humility” in discussions about AI’s potential to affect human relationships.“Let’s ask ourselves about the quality of our current human relationships, whether it’s in the workplace, in toxic cultures, sometimes at home — even at conferences, at your next break, as you go around talking to this person [or] that person, how many times that person is looking over your shoulder for the more important person to talk to?” he said.Our moral formation, he said, will continue to shape the quality of our encounters with others.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/catholic-thinkers-tech-experts-reflect-on-promise-and-perils-of-ai-at-new-york-encounter-catholic-new-york-how-can-catholic-social-teaching-guide-us-in-weighing-the-benefits-of-artificial-scaled.jpg "Catholic thinkers, tech experts reflect on promise and perils of AI at New York Encounter #Catholic NEW YORK — How can Catholic social teaching guide us in weighing the benefits of artificial intelligence against the dangers it poses to human dignity? That question animated a wide-ranging discussion among Catholic thinkers and technology experts at the New York Encounter on Saturday.Citing Pope Leo XIV’s call to use AI responsibly as well as the Church’s historic defense of human dignity in the face of modern technology, Davide Bolchini, moderator and dean of the Luddy School of Informatics at Indiana University, opened the discussion before an audience of several hundred people gathered for the three-day cultural conference in New York City.“The pope encouraged us to use AI responsibly, to use it in a way that helps us grow, not to let it work against us, but to let it work with us, not to substitute human intelligence, not to replace our judgment of what’s right … our ability of authentic wonder,” Bolchini said.With technology rapidly advancing, Bolchini asked, how can the Church stay ahead of these challenges?Chuck Rossi, an engineer at Meta who is developing AI-driven content moderation technology at the technology conglomerate, which includes Facebook and Instagram, argued that in his work, developments in AI have been instrumental in safeguarding human beings from harm. AI systems, he said, can examine 2.5 billion pieces of of shared online content per hour, filtering harmful material including nudity and sexual activity, bullying and harassment, child endanger, dangerous organizations, fake accounts, hateful conduct, restricted goods and services, spam, suicide and self-injury, violence and incitement, and violent and graphic content.“That’s my world,” he said. “It’s a very, very hard problem. If we miss 0.1% of 2. 5 billion, that’s millions of things that we didn’t want to be seeing. But we do an excellent job, and we have for years — we’re one of the best at it,” Rossi said.Using AI also protects human content moderators from being exposed to disturbing material, as they were in the past.“The good thing that we are giving back to humans is you never have to do this horrible work,” he said.Paul Scherz, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, acknowledged the benefits of AI, which he said included advances in medicine and efficiency for tasks like billing (“Nobody wants to do billing,” he said).But Scherz warned of the dangers of relying on technology to do what is intrinsically human.“We are really starting to turn to AI as people more broadly for these relational aspects, which would be tragic because there is something in that human-to-human connection, the ‘I/thou connection,’ as Martin Buber called it, that is irreplaceable by a machine,” Scherz said. He noted that AI has even moved into ministry, with the rise of Catholic apps relying on bots to offer catechesis.Scherz also cautioned that substituting AI for human interaction and intelligence risks eroding our skills, whether in relationships or in professional life.“My fear is as we use these chatbots more and more we will lose those person-to-person skills. We’ll no longer be able to engage one another as well, or have the patience and virtue to deeply love and encounter one another,” Scherz said.In addition, relying on AI in our work, for example, when a doctor consults AI to make a diagnosis, will result in our “de-skilling,” he said. “We know that people, when they’re using automated systems, they tend to just become biased and complacent and just approve the automated system. They lose their skills,” he said, adding that airline pilots who rely too much on autopilot are more prone to making errors.Louis Kim, former vice president of personal systems and AI at Hewlett-Packard who is currently pursuing graduate studies in theology and health care, pointed out that it’s not possible to know today what skills will be required in the future.“My personal view is I often find that predictions of impacted technology are largely unconsciously based on what we know of the current paradigm and structure and technologies,” Kim said.“There are going to be skills needed to control AI that are going to be different,” he said.Kim also called for “humility” in discussions about AI’s potential to affect human relationships.“Let’s ask ourselves about the quality of our current human relationships, whether it’s in the workplace, in toxic cultures, sometimes at home — even at conferences, at your next break, as you go around talking to this person [or] that person, how many times that person is looking over your shoulder for the more important person to talk to?” he said.Our moral formation, he said, will continue to shape the quality of our encounters with others.")
![Mother of boy healed through intercession of Fulton Sheen celebrates his upcoming beatification #Catholic Bonnie Engstrom, the mother of the child who was healed through Archbishop J. Fulton Sheen’s intercession, said she “laughed out loud with joy” when she heard his beatification was going to move forward.On Feb. 9, the Holy See officially informed Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, that the cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to beatification. He is credited for the miracle that saved the life of Engstrom’s son James Fulton Engstrom, who was named after Sheen.“We had started getting to know Fulton Sheen and growing in our devotion to him while I was pregnant with James,” Engstrom said in a Feb. 13 interview with “EWTN News In Depth.” “During that pregnancy we had decided to name our son after him … to really put him under his patronage.”On Sept. 16, 2010, James was born at home. It had been a healthy pregnancy, and it was a healthy labor, but there was a knot in James’ umbilical cord that tightened during birth. “He was a stillborn, there was absolutely no sign of life,” Engstrom said.In the “time of crisis, I was in a state of shock,” she said. “I didn’t really know what to do, but I remember calling on Fulton Sheen, just saying his name, ‘Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen.’”“While [James] was at home, while he was in the ambulance, and while he was at the hospital in the emergency room, he did not have a pulse for that entire time,” she said. “Right as the medical team was ready to call time of death, all hands were off. And at that moment, his heart started to beat again, and it never stopped after that.”James is a freshman in high school and doing “great,” Engstrom said. “He is doing really well. He loves music. He’s in an art class that he’s really enjoying … he’s a great kid. Hardworking, funny.”While James “has had some medical issues along the way,” there is nothing the family can attribute to his health issues at birth.Engstrom said that her son’s “initial MRI, the first 24 hours of his life, showed extensive brain damage, and the follow-up one was perfectly clear.”Sheen’s beatificationSheen’s cause for canonization was first opened in 2002 under the leadership of the Diocese of Peoria, Sheen’s birthplace, and from then on he was referred to as a servant of God. Pope Benedict XVI declared him venerable in June 2012.On March 6, 2014, the board of medical experts who advise the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously approved the reported miracle of James. Pope Francis approved of the miracle of Sheen’s on July 5, 2019, and the beatification experienced numerous delays due to an ownership dispute of his remains and an investigation into clergy sex abuse in New York.While obstacles were eventually cleared, Engstrom said initially her family was “frustrated” and “disappointed” with the delays. “I think as things in the Church just continue to progress and time went by, we realized, we trust in Jesus and he’s got it in control. And so we were able to really lean into that and move past the initial disappointment,” she said.The family is “so excited,” Engstrom said. "We’re so happy about it.” “We really appreciate that in all of Church history, our family has a little footnote in it in a very special way, and it’s remarkable. It is such an honor, and it’s such a joyful thing,” she said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/mother-of-boy-healed-through-intercession-of-fulton-sheen-celebrates-his-upcoming-beatification-catholic-bonnie-engstrom-the-mother-of-the-child-who-was-healed-through-archbishop-j-fulton-sheen.png "Mother of boy healed through intercession of Fulton Sheen celebrates his upcoming beatification #Catholic Bonnie Engstrom, the mother of the child who was healed through Archbishop J. Fulton Sheen’s intercession, said she “laughed out loud with joy” when she heard his beatification was going to move forward.On Feb. 9, the Holy See officially informed Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, that the cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to beatification. He is credited for the miracle that saved the life of Engstrom’s son James Fulton Engstrom, who was named after Sheen.“We had started getting to know Fulton Sheen and growing in our devotion to him while I was pregnant with James,” Engstrom said in a Feb. 13 interview with “EWTN News In Depth.” “During that pregnancy we had decided to name our son after him … to really put him under his patronage.”On Sept. 16, 2010, James was born at home. It had been a healthy pregnancy, and it was a healthy labor, but there was a knot in James’ umbilical cord that tightened during birth. “He was a stillborn, there was absolutely no sign of life,” Engstrom said.In the “time of crisis, I was in a state of shock,” she said. “I didn’t really know what to do, but I remember calling on Fulton Sheen, just saying his name, ‘Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen.’”“While [James] was at home, while he was in the ambulance, and while he was at the hospital in the emergency room, he did not have a pulse for that entire time,” she said. “Right as the medical team was ready to call time of death, all hands were off. And at that moment, his heart started to beat again, and it never stopped after that.”James is a freshman in high school and doing “great,” Engstrom said. “He is doing really well. He loves music. He’s in an art class that he’s really enjoying … he’s a great kid. Hardworking, funny.”While James “has had some medical issues along the way,” there is nothing the family can attribute to his health issues at birth.Engstrom said that her son’s “initial MRI, the first 24 hours of his life, showed extensive brain damage, and the follow-up one was perfectly clear.”Sheen’s beatificationSheen’s cause for canonization was first opened in 2002 under the leadership of the Diocese of Peoria, Sheen’s birthplace, and from then on he was referred to as a servant of God. Pope Benedict XVI declared him venerable in June 2012.On March 6, 2014, the board of medical experts who advise the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously approved the reported miracle of James. Pope Francis approved of the miracle of Sheen’s on July 5, 2019, and the beatification experienced numerous delays due to an ownership dispute of his remains and an investigation into clergy sex abuse in New York.While obstacles were eventually cleared, Engstrom said initially her family was “frustrated” and “disappointed” with the delays. “I think as things in the Church just continue to progress and time went by, we realized, we trust in Jesus and he’s got it in control. And so we were able to really lean into that and move past the initial disappointment,” she said.The family is “so excited,” Engstrom said. \"We’re so happy about it.” “We really appreciate that in all of Church history, our family has a little footnote in it in a very special way, and it’s remarkable. It is such an honor, and it’s such a joyful thing,” she said.")
![Head of U.S. bishops joins call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor #Catholic U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley is urging the University of Notre Dame to drop the leadership appointment of an outspoken pro-abortion professor, joining nearly a dozen bishops in calling on the historic Catholic university to back away from the controversial decision. The controversy at Notre Dame exploded this week after Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the school's appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.Ostermann has in the past spoken out strongly in favor of abortion and sharply criticized the pro-life movement, at times suggesting that its roots are in "white supremacy" and misogyny. Rhoades said Ostermann's beliefs, coupled with her leadership promotion at the Catholic school, were “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Multiple U.S. bishops from around the country backed Rhoades's call throughout the week, with Coakley himself speaking out about the controversy on Feb. 13. "I fully support Bishop Kevin Rhoades in his challenge to Notre Dame to rectify its poor judgement in hiring a professor who openly stands against Catholic teaching when it comes to the sanctity of life, in this case protection of the unborn," Coakley said in a statement on X. TweetThe statement was shared hundreds of times on X, including by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. Though criticism against Notre Dame's decision has come from top Catholic leadership in the U.S. throughout the week, the school has indicated that it will be standing by its plan to have Ostermann lead the institute. Notre Dame told EWTN News on Feb. 13 that Ostermann is "a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar" who is "well prepared" to serve in the role. At the same time the university stressed its “unwavering” commitment “to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage.” Ostermann herself has told media that she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage." She has described herself as "fully committed to maintaining an environment of academic freedom where a plurality of voices can flourish."](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/head-of-u-s-bishops-joins-call-for-notre-dame-to-drop-appointment-of-pro-abortion-professor-catholic-u-s-conference-of-catholic-bishops-president-archbishop-paul-coakley-is-urging-the-university-of.jpg "Head of U.S. bishops joins call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor #Catholic U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley is urging the University of Notre Dame to drop the leadership appointment of an outspoken pro-abortion professor, joining nearly a dozen bishops in calling on the historic Catholic university to back away from the controversial decision. The controversy at Notre Dame exploded this week after Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the school's appointment of Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.Ostermann has in the past spoken out strongly in favor of abortion and sharply criticized the pro-life movement, at times suggesting that its roots are in \"white supremacy\" and misogyny. Rhoades said Ostermann's beliefs, coupled with her leadership promotion at the Catholic school, were “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Multiple U.S. bishops from around the country backed Rhoades's call throughout the week, with Coakley himself speaking out about the controversy on Feb. 13. \"I fully support Bishop Kevin Rhoades in his challenge to Notre Dame to rectify its poor judgement in hiring a professor who openly stands against Catholic teaching when it comes to the sanctity of life, in this case protection of the unborn,\" Coakley said in a statement on X. TweetThe statement was shared hundreds of times on X, including by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. Though criticism against Notre Dame's decision has come from top Catholic leadership in the U.S. throughout the week, the school has indicated that it will be standing by its plan to have Ostermann lead the institute. Notre Dame told EWTN News on Feb. 13 that Ostermann is \"a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar\" who is \"well prepared\" to serve in the role. At the same time the university stressed its “unwavering” commitment “to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage.” Ostermann herself has told media that she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage.\" She has described herself as \"fully committed to maintaining an environment of academic freedom where a plurality of voices can flourish.\"")
![U.S. clergy celebrate Masses in detention centers, urging humane treatment #Catholic U.S. Catholic clergy are bringing the sacraments to the nation’s immigrant detention centers, celebrating Masses and urging humane treatment for those held inside. As part of this effort, pastoral visits are aimed at ensuring detainees can access the Eucharist and receive spiritual support.In California, Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno is set to celebrate Mass on Feb. 15 at the California City Detention Facility, the state’s largest ICE center. While the diocese regularly provides sacraments in prisons and detention sites, this will be Brennan’s first Mass inside an ICE facility.In Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland issued a Feb. 12 statement stressing the Church’s duty to safeguard detainees’ access to the sacraments and voicing concern about large‑scale deportations. “I just feel very strongly about this, that there has to be a better solution to solving the immigration problems we have in the United States,” he said.In December 2025, seven bishops celebrated Mass at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California.Chandler Marquez, director of public affairs and innovation at the Fresno Diocese, told EWTN News that there are “people who are in the facility [who] want the sacrament — they want the spiritual accompaniment,” which they are not able to access as frequently while in detention.Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Brian Nunes and Father Kris Sorenson, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in California City, will join for the Mass.With President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts still ongoing, Marquez said “the current climate has certainly motivated” Brennan’s decision to celebrate Mass at the facility. He said the bishop has been “vocal about the promotion of human dignity” for migrants.In January 2025, Brennan issued an open letter on “immigration challenges,” in which he said “it seemed as if we took a step back as a society, and the old days of immigration sweeps were upon us once again” when he saw the uptick of immigration enforcement within his diocese.“Our people are being asked to produce proof of citizenship, and it seems as if the request is based on how they look and how they speak,” he said at the time. “That is not, by way of example, going after hardened criminals or drug dealers which, I hope, none of us would take exception to. It is going after people who, rightly or wrongly, were allowed to cross a border and who are now being subjected to tactics that are causing much fear and anxiety among my people. It is an insult to human dignity, and it is simply wrong.”
Bishop Joseph V. Brennan of Fresno, California. | Credit: Screenshot of Diocese of Fresno YouTube video
Marquez noted the diocese has the largest detention facility and the “largest amount of prisons and detention centers” in the state, which is why the ministry at prisons and detention centers is “a very, very big part of our diocese.”“Our chaplains have a great relationship with the prisons and detention centers within our dioceses,” he said, adding that the diocese has not run into problems gaining access to the facilities to provide religious services.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates ICE, said it encourages clergy to request accommodations for religious services at long-term ICE detention centers.Catholic clergy ran into obstacles several times last year when trying to administer sacraments at an ICE field office in Broadview, Illinois, where detainees are processed. A federal judge said Feb. 12 that DHS must provide accommodations to ensure Catholic clergy could provide ashes and Communion for detainees on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/u-s-clergy-celebrate-masses-in-detention-centers-urging-humane-treatment-catholic-u-s-catholic-clergy-are-bringing-the-sacraments-to-the-nations-immigrant-detention-centers-celebrating-m.jpg)
![Amid criticism by bishops, Notre Dame says pro-abortion professor ‘well prepared’ to lead institute #Catholic The University of Notre Dame is signaling that it will stick by its appointment of an outspoken pro-abortion advocate to lead a university institute even after bishops from around the U.S. have criticized the decision and urged the school to change course.Multiple bishops have lamented the school’s decision to appoint global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. The school announced the appointment in January.On Feb. 11 Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, whose diocesan territory includes the university, expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the appointment and called on the school to rescind the assignment, citing Ostermann’s public support for abortion.Several of Rhoades’ brother bishops followed suit, commending Rhoades for his statement and similarly calling on the university to reverse course on Ostermann’s appointment.Yet in a Feb. 13 statement to EWTN News, the school indicated that it would not pull Ostermann’s nomination to the leadership post.Ostermann “is a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar whose insightful research on regulatory compliance … demonstrates the rigorous, interdisciplinary expertise required to lead the Liu Institute,” the school said.Calling Ostermann a “deeply committed educator,” the school said she is “well prepared to expand the institute’s global partnerships and create impactful research opportunities that advance our dedication to serving as the preeminent global Catholic research institution.”The university stressed its “unwavering” commitment “to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage.”“Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said.The school did not immediately respond when asked for direct confirmation that it was continuing with Ostermann’s appointment to lead the Liu Institute.But its statement suggested the school is not backing down from the controversial decision, one that has brought withering criticism from both U.S. bishops and pro-life advocates and has seen the departure of at least two academics from the storied Catholic institution.Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.Ostermann’s outspoken abortion advocacy has included instances where she has linked the pro-life movement to white supremacy and misogyny.The professor told the National Catholic Register in January that she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage” and described herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”She told the Register that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”Ostermann had no further comment beyond her earlier statement, according to a university spokesperson.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/amid-criticism-by-bishops-notre-dame-says-pro-abortion-professor-well-prepared-to-lead-institute-catholic-the-university-of-notre-dame-is-signaling-that-it-will-stick-by-its-appoin.jpg "Amid criticism by bishops, Notre Dame says pro-abortion professor ‘well prepared’ to lead institute #Catholic The University of Notre Dame is signaling that it will stick by its appointment of an outspoken pro-abortion advocate to lead a university institute even after bishops from around the U.S. have criticized the decision and urged the school to change course.Multiple bishops have lamented the school’s decision to appoint global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. The school announced the appointment in January.On Feb. 11 Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, whose diocesan territory includes the university, expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the appointment and called on the school to rescind the assignment, citing Ostermann’s public support for abortion.Several of Rhoades’ brother bishops followed suit, commending Rhoades for his statement and similarly calling on the university to reverse course on Ostermann’s appointment.Yet in a Feb. 13 statement to EWTN News, the school indicated that it would not pull Ostermann’s nomination to the leadership post.Ostermann “is a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar whose insightful research on regulatory compliance … demonstrates the rigorous, interdisciplinary expertise required to lead the Liu Institute,” the school said.Calling Ostermann a “deeply committed educator,” the school said she is “well prepared to expand the institute’s global partnerships and create impactful research opportunities that advance our dedication to serving as the preeminent global Catholic research institution.”The university stressed its “unwavering” commitment “to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage.”“Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said.The school did not immediately respond when asked for direct confirmation that it was continuing with Ostermann’s appointment to lead the Liu Institute.But its statement suggested the school is not backing down from the controversial decision, one that has brought withering criticism from both U.S. bishops and pro-life advocates and has seen the departure of at least two academics from the storied Catholic institution.Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.Ostermann’s outspoken abortion advocacy has included instances where she has linked the pro-life movement to white supremacy and misogyny.The professor told the National Catholic Register in January that she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage” and described herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”She told the Register that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”Ostermann had no further comment beyond her earlier statement, according to a university spokesperson.")
![Puerto Rico’s penal code recognizes unborn babies as human beings #Catholic Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González signed into law on Feb. 12 a bill amending the penal code to recognize unborn babies as human beings at “any stage of gestation.”Senate Bill 923 — which when signed became Law 18-2026 — amends Article 92 of the penal code, which currently states that “murder is the intentional, knowing, or reckless killing of a human being.”The new law establishes that “for the purposes of this chapter, ‘human being’ shall include any conceived [unborn child] at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”This legislation was authored by González, a Republican. In a press release posted on X, she explained that the objective is to complement Law 166-2025, known as the Keyshla Madlane Law, named after a pregnant woman in Puerto Rico who was murdered in April 2021.This law, the press release states, “among other things, defines as first-degree murder the intentional and knowing killing of a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”In this regard, the approval of Law 18-2026 stands out, noting that “the legislation aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the conceived unborn child as a human being.”In December 2025, the governor also signed into law Senate Bill 504, which amended the civil code to state that “a human being in gestation or nasciturus is a natural person, including the conceived child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”A natural person simply means a living human being as distinct from a legal person such as a corporation. At the time, all of these laws were criticized by feminist and pro-abortion groups, who argued that they could lead to a ban on abortion in Puerto Rico and other U.S. jurisdictions.However, Puerto Rico Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve defended the passage of Bill 923 in January, stating that “the message of this type of legislation is powerful. It reaffirms this kind of language in our public policy that in the womb of a pregnant woman there is not just anything, not a mere indefinable object, but a subject, a developing human being who has dignity and whose value is intrinsic to their human nature.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/puerto-ricos-penal-code-recognizes-unborn-babies-as-human-beings-catholic-puerto-rico-gov-jenniffer-gonzalez-signed-into-law-on-feb-12-a-bill-amending-the-penal-code-to-recognize-unborn-ba.jpg "Puerto Rico’s penal code recognizes unborn babies as human beings #Catholic Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González signed into law on Feb. 12 a bill amending the penal code to recognize unborn babies as human beings at “any stage of gestation.”Senate Bill 923 — which when signed became Law 18-2026 — amends Article 92 of the penal code, which currently states that “murder is the intentional, knowing, or reckless killing of a human being.”The new law establishes that “for the purposes of this chapter, ‘human being’ shall include any conceived [unborn child] at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”This legislation was authored by González, a Republican. In a press release posted on X, she explained that the objective is to complement Law 166-2025, known as the Keyshla Madlane Law, named after a pregnant woman in Puerto Rico who was murdered in April 2021.This law, the press release states, “among other things, defines as first-degree murder the intentional and knowing killing of a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”In this regard, the approval of Law 18-2026 stands out, noting that “the legislation aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the conceived unborn child as a human being.”In December 2025, the governor also signed into law Senate Bill 504, which amended the civil code to state that “a human being in gestation or nasciturus is a natural person, including the conceived child at any stage of gestation within the mother’s womb.”A natural person simply means a living human being as distinct from a legal person such as a corporation. At the time, all of these laws were criticized by feminist and pro-abortion groups, who argued that they could lead to a ban on abortion in Puerto Rico and other U.S. jurisdictions.However, Puerto Rico Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve defended the passage of Bill 923 in January, stating that “the message of this type of legislation is powerful. It reaffirms this kind of language in our public policy that in the womb of a pregnant woman there is not just anything, not a mere indefinable object, but a subject, a developing human being who has dignity and whose value is intrinsic to their human nature.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
![More bishops call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor #Catholic Nearly half a dozen more bishops have joined the growing backlash against the University of Notre Dame over its controversial appointment of an outspoken abortion advocate to lead a university department.Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 issued a statement criticizing the university for appointing global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.Three of Rhoades’ fellow bishops quickly backed the prelate’s remarks, voicing support on social media and calling on the university to drop Ostermann’s nomination. On Feb. 12, five more bishops commended Rhoades for his statement and expressed hope that the historic Catholic university would rescind the appointment. Gallup, New Mexico, Bishop James Wall praised Rhoades for his stance, with the western U.S. prelate offering a quote attributed to Pope Leo XIV: “We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest, whether the child in the womb or the old man in his fragility, for both are gifts from God.”TweetSan Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone also thanked Rhoades for “speaking up.” “Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name,” Cordileone said. TweetGreen Bay, Wisconsin, Bishop David Ricken, meanwhile, wrote: “I fully affirm and stand in solidarity with my brother bishop [Rhoades].” He said Rhoades spoke “with clarity, courage, and fidelity to the Church’s mission.”“[L]et us turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady, pray for us! You are our loving Mother — we love you and entrust this to your Immaculate Heart,” Ricken wrote.TweetMadison, Wisconsin, Bishop Donald Hying described Rhoades’ statement as “a profound reflection on human dignity and the culture of life.”Tweet“We pray that all of our educational institutions support Catholic teaching, especially regarding human life,” he said. Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop James Conley said he “stand[s] in support of Bishop Rhoades” while sharing his concern over the appointment. “Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership,” he said. TweetThe University of Notre Dame has continued to stand by its appointment of Ostermann, whose post is scheduled to take effect July 1. Rhoades on Feb. 11 said there is “still time [for the university] to make things right.”Ostermann, meanwhile, told the National Catholic Register in January that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”The professor said she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage” and described herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/more-bishops-call-for-notre-dame-to-drop-appointment-of-pro-abortion-professor-catholic-nearly-half-a-dozen-more-bishops-have-joined-the-growing-backlash-against-the-university-of-notre-dame-over-its.jpg "More bishops call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor #Catholic Nearly half a dozen more bishops have joined the growing backlash against the University of Notre Dame over its controversial appointment of an outspoken abortion advocate to lead a university department.Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 issued a statement criticizing the university for appointing global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.Three of Rhoades’ fellow bishops quickly backed the prelate’s remarks, voicing support on social media and calling on the university to drop Ostermann’s nomination. On Feb. 12, five more bishops commended Rhoades for his statement and expressed hope that the historic Catholic university would rescind the appointment. Gallup, New Mexico, Bishop James Wall praised Rhoades for his stance, with the western U.S. prelate offering a quote attributed to Pope Leo XIV: “We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest, whether the child in the womb or the old man in his fragility, for both are gifts from God.”TweetSan Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone also thanked Rhoades for “speaking up.” “Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name,” Cordileone said. TweetGreen Bay, Wisconsin, Bishop David Ricken, meanwhile, wrote: “I fully affirm and stand in solidarity with my brother bishop [Rhoades].” He said Rhoades spoke “with clarity, courage, and fidelity to the Church’s mission.”“[L]et us turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady, pray for us! You are our loving Mother — we love you and entrust this to your Immaculate Heart,” Ricken wrote.TweetMadison, Wisconsin, Bishop Donald Hying described Rhoades’ statement as “a profound reflection on human dignity and the culture of life.”Tweet“We pray that all of our educational institutions support Catholic teaching, especially regarding human life,” he said. Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop James Conley said he “stand[s] in support of Bishop Rhoades” while sharing his concern over the appointment. “Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership,” he said. TweetThe University of Notre Dame has continued to stand by its appointment of Ostermann, whose post is scheduled to take effect July 1. Rhoades on Feb. 11 said there is “still time [for the university] to make things right.”Ostermann, meanwhile, told the National Catholic Register in January that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”The professor said she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage” and described herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”")
![BREAKING: Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to professor’s appointment at Notre Dame #Catholic Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a pro-abortion professor to a leadership position at the school, with the bishop urging the university to “make things right” and rescind the appointment. Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has regularly criticized the pro-life movement, up to and including linking it to white supremacy and misogyny. The university has come under fire for the appointment, including from Catholic advocates and pro-life students at Notre Dame. Bishop urges school to retract appointmentIn his Feb. 11 statement, Rhoades — whose diocesan territory includes the university — said that since the controversy began he has read many of Ostermann’s pro-abortion op-eds and was moved to “express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment,” which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Ostermann’s public support of abortion and her “disparaging and inflammatory” criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” the prelate said. The professor’s pro-abortion advocacy and her remarks about pro-life advocates “should disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.While expressing hope that Ostermann would “explicitly retract” her pro-abortion advocacy and change her mind on abortion, the bishop said that the appointment “understandably creates confusion” regarding Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity.Leadership appointments “have [a] profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.The bishop in issuing the letter cited the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which directs in part that bishops “have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity.”“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Rhoades said. Noting that Ostermann’s appointment is not scheduled to go into effect until July 1, the prelate wrote: “There is still time to make things right.”The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News. Yet the school has defended Ostermann’s appointment since the controversy erupted, telling media that she is “a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar” who is qualified to lead the Liu Institute. “Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said. Among criticism from both within and without the school, at least two scholars have resigned their position at the Asian studies institute in response to the appointment. Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/breaking-bishop-rhoades-expresses-strong-opposition-to-professors-appointment-at-notre-dame-catholic-fort-wayne-south-bend-indiana-bishop-kevin-rhoades-on-feb-11-expres-scaled.jpg "BREAKING: Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to professor’s appointment at Notre Dame #Catholic Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a pro-abortion professor to a leadership position at the school, with the bishop urging the university to “make things right” and rescind the appointment. Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has regularly criticized the pro-life movement, up to and including linking it to white supremacy and misogyny. The university has come under fire for the appointment, including from Catholic advocates and pro-life students at Notre Dame. Bishop urges school to retract appointmentIn his Feb. 11 statement, Rhoades — whose diocesan territory includes the university — said that since the controversy began he has read many of Ostermann’s pro-abortion op-eds and was moved to “express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment,” which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Ostermann’s public support of abortion and her “disparaging and inflammatory” criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” the prelate said. The professor’s pro-abortion advocacy and her remarks about pro-life advocates “should disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.While expressing hope that Ostermann would “explicitly retract” her pro-abortion advocacy and change her mind on abortion, the bishop said that the appointment “understandably creates confusion” regarding Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity.Leadership appointments “have [a] profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.The bishop in issuing the letter cited the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which directs in part that bishops “have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity.”“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Rhoades said. Noting that Ostermann’s appointment is not scheduled to go into effect until July 1, the prelate wrote: “There is still time to make things right.”The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News. Yet the school has defended Ostermann’s appointment since the controversy erupted, telling media that she is “a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar” who is qualified to lead the Liu Institute. “Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said. Among criticism from both within and without the school, at least two scholars have resigned their position at the Asian studies institute in response to the appointment. Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.")
![Freezing temperatures fail to stop advocates attending Life Mass #Catholic - Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown.
Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop established the monthly devotion in October 2023.
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But on Feb. 7, Bishop Sweeney had a previous scheduling commitment that morning, so Father Sebastian Munoz, St. Margaret’s parochial vicar, celebrated the Mass for Life. The liturgy was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church while participants prayed the rosary.
The Mass and Rosary Procession for Life is held on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s. Priests and faithful from around the diocese are invited to join.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/freezing-temperatures-fail-to-stop-advocates-attending-life-mass-catholic-brutal-single-digit-temperatures-may-have-stopped-the-faithful-from-praying-the-monthly-rosary-procession-for-life-on-the-s.jpg)
![Paterson shares in joy of New York archbishop’s installation #Catholic -
Even from a TV studio a block away, Father Cesar Jaramillo could feel the excitement bursting from inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Feb. 6. That afternoon, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks was making history during a special Mass in St. Patrick’s, being installed as the 11th archbishop of New York.
From a studio in nearby Rockefeller Center, Father Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., was filled with emotion as he sat under bright lights providing on-air commentary of the Mass in Spanish for Telemundo 47 TV. Along with the hosts, the priest helped guide viewers through the religious significance of what they were hearing and seeing on the telecast of the bilingual liturgy.
Meanwhile, a few faithful representing the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, were feeling the excitement firsthand as Mass participants that Friday afternoon inside St. Patrick’s. Bishop Sweeney helped concelebrate the liturgy. Luisa Fernanda Torres, a St. Patrick’s cantor, led the congregation in singing Spanish and English hymns as lead cantor. Father Jaramillo and Torres became friends years ago in youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J.
“It was a beautiful day. Archbishop Hicks will use his talents and gifts to build on the great work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan [his predecessor] and those before him,” Father Jaramillo told BeaconNJ.org. after the installation Mass. “Archbishop Hicks not only speaks Spanish, but he also relates to the immigrant community in a radical and new way as its new shepherd.”
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Bishop Sweeney, who was originally a priest from the Brooklyn Diocese in New York, was among about 90 cardinals and bishops who processed into St. Patrick’s, also known as “America’s parish church.” A capacity crowd of 2,400 churchgoers, including many non-Catholics and leaders from other faith traditions, filled the cathedral for the installation Mass, which was also broadcast on XPIX 11 TV.
“It was a blessing to be able to concelebrate the Installation Mass for Archbishop Hicks. In his beautiful homily, in English and Spanish, he expressed gratitude and also spoke of the need to be a Missionary Church and for each of us to be Missionary Disciples. He also asked everyone to keep him in our prayers,” Bishop Sweeney shared on social media.
Also among the participants was Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.
A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor, according to Our Sunday Visitor (OSV).
For two hours on air, Father Jaramillo sought to capture the joy and importance of this blessed moment in the New York Archdiocese. He gave “shout-outs” to Torres during the broadcast. The priest also noted that the inclusion of Spanish hymns, such as “Alma Misionera” (Missionary Soul), shows Archbishop Hicks’ Latin American heart, like our bishop, Bishop Sweeney.”
“We all made the Paterson Diocese proud. I was proud of Bishop Sweeney and Luisa, who is one of the best bilingual cantors of sacred music in the area,” said Father Jaramillo, who thinks Telemundo 47 asked him to provide on-air commentary for the Mass because of his canon-law background. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Among Father Jaramillo’s favorite moments of the Mass was when Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., escorted Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair that represents his authority. During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre, with the choir, sang a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76, according to OSV.
Father Jaramillo was also moved when the new archbishop reminded New York’s 2.5 million faithful, “I love Jesus. I love the Church.”
“As priests, we don’t say that we love Jesus enough. Archbishop Hicks reminded us that we should be more vocal about our intimate friendship with the Lord,” Father Jaramillo said.
On social media before the start of the Mass on Feb. 6, Torres posted that she was “excited and honored” to be singing for the installation.
Also before the Mass, Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony’s in Passaic, posted on social media, “Way to go, Luisa Fernanda Torres & Fr. Cesar Dario Jaramillo! So proud of you! Thank you & blessings to Cardinal Timothy Dolan for his years of service & love. Blessings upon Archbishop Ronald Hicks as he begins this new ministry to God’s people.”
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among those from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey who participated in the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks as the 11th archbishop of New York on Feb. 6 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Bishop Sweeney captured the following photos with his cell phone during the historic Mass, which were also posted to his social media.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/paterson-shares-in-joy-of-new-york-archbishops-installation-catholic-even-from-a-tv-studio-a-block-away-father-cesar-jaramillo-could-feel-the-excitement-bursting-from-inside-st-patrick.jpg)
![‘He did his best for Jesus’ #Catholic - Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz, the Sisters of Mary, and an invitation
“In 1989, he (Father Aloysius Schwartz) was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a fatal, degenerative condition. This cross marked his final years with patience and humility. In 1984, he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but as he was wasting away, he told his sister he would be happy if his gravestone read, “Here lies Father Al. He tried his best for Jesus.” He died at the Girlstown in Manila on March 16, 1992, and was declared venerable by Pope Francis on Jan. 22, 2015.”
Ven. Aloysius Schwartz: Modern Missionary to Korea
BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
In late October of 2023, I wrote a column entitled: “Priest and Beggar: Have you ever heard of Fr. Aloysius Schwartz?.” I concluded that column with the quote (above) from an article about “Father Al”, written by Megan O’Neill and published in the National Catholic Reporter in December 2020. I wrote about Father Al and the Sisters of Mary again, in August of 2024, as I was preparing to visit an orphanage and school, “Villa de las Ninas” (Girlstown), run by the Sisters of Mary in Chalco, Mexico. Chalco is just outside Mexico City, so a visit to Chalco also provides an opportunity to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most popular (and beautiful) pilgrimage sites in the world, marking the place where our Blessed Mother, identifying herself as “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” appeared to St. Juan Diego in December of 1531.
As I was preparing to visit Chalco, I encouraged readers to read an article about Father Al and the Sisters of Mary, written by Kevin Wells, author of the powerful biography, “Priest and Beggar: The Heroic Life of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz.” I was very blessed to join Kevin and a group of pilgrims to visit Girlstown in Chalco and the Basilica of Guadalupe in August of 2024. It was so inspiring to see the ways in which the Gospel is lived out, day by day, in community, as 40 Sisters, along with staff and teachers, care for 3,000 young girls ages 12 to 18.
It was also amazing and inspiring for me to see the similarities between the life and ministry of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her Missionaries of Charity and the life and ministry of Father Al, which continues to be present in the loving, healing, and prayerful ministry of the Sisters of Mary. To learn and see more about the lives and ministry of the Sisters of Mary, I once again recommend Kevin Wells’ article, “Eight Apparitions, One Priest, and the Endless Miracle of the Sisters of Mary,” published in The Catholic World Report on August 9, 2024. You can also learn a great deal more about Father Al, the Sisters, and their work by going to the website of “World Villages for Children” where you can learn that:
“World Villages for Children supports the Sisters of Mary Boystowns and Girlstowns in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania. At these live-in schools, the Sisters educate and care for more than 20,000 children living in extreme poverty. This support is provided at no cost to their families.”
In addition, and, I believe, much more importantly than learning information and data, at the “World Villages” website, you can see the smiling faces of the Sisters and the children they care for, educate, and help to heal.
Kevin Wells was recently a guest on our “Beyond the Beacon” podcast and he speaks eloquently of the ways in which the young girls, many of whom have suffered greatly from physical abuse, trauma, poverty and/or neglect, are “brought back to life” by the care and love they receive from the Sisters. One of the reasons that Kevin was on the podcast was to offer an invitation to listeners and viewers, the same invitation that I would like to extend to you, dear reader.
Kevin and I, along with Kevin’s younger brother, Father David Wells, will be making a “return trip” to Girlstown in Chalco and to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe this coming Sept. 18-21, 2026. Those who join us for this pilgrimage will be able to see what I and all those who visit Girlstown in Chalco are able to see: the Sisters of Mary continuing the life-saving ministry of Venerable Father Aloysius Schwartz. Spending one day at Girlstown, Chalco, is a spiritual experience that can stand alone. However, the experience of being able to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Girlstown on back-to-back days has the potential to be a life-changing experience. It will surely be an experience of the Joy and Peace of the Gospel. For more information and to register for the Pilgrimage, you can go to A Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
As I return again to the story and witness of Father Al, the Sisters of Mary, their vocations and ministry, in closing, I would ask that you take a moment to pray for the Beatification and Canonization of Father Al:
PRAYER FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VENERABLE ALOYSIUS SCHWARTZ
Almighty, ever living God, giver of all good gifts, You have filled Venerable Al with an ardent love for you and for souls. You have inspired him to dedicate his life to relieve the sufferings of the orphans, the abandoned, the sick and the poor especially the youth, which he did with all humility and courage until the end of his life. May his holy life of love and service to the poor be recognized by the Church through his beatification and canonization.
For Your honor and glory, we pray that the life of Venerable Al will be an inspiration for us in striving for perfection in the love of God and service to others.
Bestow on us, through his intercession.. (mention the favors or intentions here). We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son and the maternal aid of Mary, the Virgin of the Poor. Amen.
[Please, Pray and Share this Beautiful Prayer]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/he-did-his-best-for-jesus-catholic-venerable-father-aloysius-schwartz-the-sisters-of-mary-and-an-invitationin-1989-he-father-aloysius-schwartz-was-diagnosed-with-am.jpg)
