‘Lo recuerdo como si fuera ayer’: Católicos describen su labor pastoral después de los atentados del 11 de Septiembre #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — El 11 de septiembre de 2001 — la fecha del peor ataque terrorista en la historia de Estados Unidos, cuando cuatro aviones secuestrados se convirtieron en armas mortales — no faltaron heroicos equipos de emergencia que enfrentaron el peligro en lugar de huir de él.
Entre ellos se encontraban numerosos miembros del clero y religiosos católicos, incluyendo sacerdotes, frailes y religiosas. Algunas de sus historias quizá sean menos conocidas, pero la ayuda y el consuelo que también brindaron a quienes sufrieron las devastadoras pérdidas del 11 de Septiembre (11-S) merecen ser recordados a medida que se aproxima el 25.º aniversario.
“Lo recuerdo como si fuera ayer”, declaró el padre Brian Jordan a OSV News.
Fraile franciscano de la Provincia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de su orden, el sacerdote es actualmente párroco de la Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís, ubicada en West 31st Street, en la ciudad de Nueva York.
Aquella mañana, el padre Jordan se encontraba en el Hospital Presbiteriano de Nueva York. Al enterarse del ataque, regresó al convento franciscano de la calle 31 –anexo a la parroquia de San Francisco de Asís– donde vivía, decidido a dirigirse al lugar del desastre.
Sin saber con certeza qué encontraría –aunque esperaba hallar tanto víctimas como responsables del ataque– tomó agua bendita y un par de nudillos de bronce. “Dije: ‘Los bendeciré con una mano y, por si acaso hay algunos malos, los bendeciré con la otra’”.
Antes de partir, otro fraile le dio una noticia devastadora: su compañero franciscano, el padre Mychal Judge, había muerto. Aun así, el padre Jordan sabía lo que el padre Judge habría querido que hiciera: ir a ayudar.
Después de detenerse en el Hospital St. Vincent de Manhattan –donde los únicos pacientes eran personas que recibían tratamiento por inhalación de polvo tras el colapso de las Torres Gemelas– el padre Jordan se dirigió a la Zona Cero, donde se encontró con un capitán de policía al que conocía.
“Me dio una mascarilla; me dio un par de guantes. Me dijo: ‘Padre, póngase la mascarilla, póngase los guantes y vaya a trabajar’. Y así recorrí arriba y abajo varias cuadras, y había cuerpos y partes de cuerpos. Simplemente los bendije a todos”.
El 16 de septiembre, el padre Jordan celebró su primera Misa en la Zona Cero; continuaría celebrando Misa allí durante casi 10 meses.
Luego, el 23 de septiembre, ocurrió algo inesperado.
“Un gran y corpulento trabajador de construcción del sindicato Local 731 se acercó a mí y me dijo: ‘Oiga, padre, ¿quiere ver la casa de Dios?’”.
“Entonces entramos en las ruinas del edificio 6 del World Trade Center”, recordó el padre Jordan. “Tenía como a 25 bomberos a mi lado, y el trabajador de construcción me preguntó: ‘¿Qué ve allí, padre, justo en el medio?’. Le dije: ‘No puedo creerlo … veo una cruz’”.
Dos vigas de acero que se cruzaban habían quedado cortadas de tal manera que formaban un crucifijo, después de que el edificio 6 del World Trade Center fuera alcanzado por los escombros del colapso de la Torre Norte.
Este impresionante hallazgo pasó a conocerse como la “Cruz de la Zona Cero” y, con el tiempo, pasó a formar parte de la colección del Memorial y Museo del 11 de Septiembre.
Fue excavada, colocada sobre una base de concreto y bendecida. El 7 de octubre se celebró una Misa cerca de ella, en la esquina de las calles Vesey y West.
“Aquel momento dio esperanza y ánimo a la gente”, explicó el padre Jordan, quien escribió sus propias memorias — “The Ground Zero Cross” (Xlibris) — y recibió la distinción de ser su guardián no oficial.
El 11 de septiembre, la hermana Margaret O’Brien, una Hermana de la Caridad que trabajaba en el Sistema de Atención Médica de las Hermanas de la Caridad, se encontraba en su oficina del Hospital Bayley Seton, en Staten Island, informando a una colega que acababa de regresar de vacaciones.
“Su secretaria entró y dijo: ‘Acabo de recibir una llamada. Un avión se estrelló contra el World Trade Center’”, recordó la hermana Margaret. “Fuimos por el pasillo hasta una ventana desde donde podíamos ver, y nos dimos cuenta de la gravedad de la situación”.
Las hermanas se prepararon rápidamente para ir al Hospital St. Vincent “a organizar la respuesta de emergencia y atención de traumas”, explicó la hermana Margaret. “Y los médicos estaban allí, las camillas estaban allí, todos esperando en la entrada, pero después de un corto tiempo, nadie llegó”.
La hermana Margaret atendió la línea telefónica de emergencia en el centro de operaciones del hospital de las hermanas, recibiendo llamadas de personas que buscaban a sus seres queridos.
“El teléfono fue realmente difícil”, reflexionó. “Porque las personas te daban un nombre y tú revisabas tu lista, y no los encontrabas. … Todo fue muy, muy emotivo, y durante los primeros días el teléfono no dejaba de sonar”.
Sin embargo, encontró una razón para sentirse agradecida.
“Recuerdo haber estado muy agradecida de tener algo en lo que pudiera colaborar, de poder ayudar”, expresó la hermana Margaret, actualmente asistente de la presidenta de las Hermanas de la Caridad de Nueva York.
El trauma fue una característica constante de los turnos de las hermanas, especialmente para una colega que atendía a los equipos de primera respuesta enviados a recibir atención después de participar en los trabajos de recuperación en la Zona Cero.
“A veces las personas hablaban, pero la mayoría de las veces simplemente no podían hacerlo”, explicó la hermana O’Brien. Su colega “recordaba a una persona: era muy callada y luego dijo: ‘Puedo levantar los brazos y las piernas. Pero cuando levanté una piedra y vi un rostro, solo una cabeza, aplastada contra el suelo …’”.
“Se derrumbó”, agregó la hermana O’Brien.
El padre Stephen McGraw –por entonces sacerdote de la Diócesis de Arlington, Virginia, justo en las afueras de Washington– también presenció escenas indescriptibles.
La mañana del 11 de septiembre acababa de concluir una Misa escolar y se dirigía al Cementerio Nacional de Arlington para un entierro cuando se equivocó y no tomó la salida correspondiente.
Le preocupaba que ahora casi con certeza llegaría tarde al entierro.
“Y entonces, sin previo aviso, el avión pasó rugiendo justo por encima de nuestros automóviles, muy, muy bajo”, relató el padre McGraw. “No puedo decir cuál de mis sentidos fue el más impactado: estaban la vibración y el rugido del avión, y un poste de luz fue golpeado y cayó sobre el automóvil de un taxista que estaba a pocos vehículos de distancia”.
Al mirar hacia su derecha, vio cómo el vuelo 77 de American Airlines se estrellaba contra el Pentágono.
“Lo vi chocar y desaparecer, mientras una enorme bola de fuego salía del edificio en el instante posterior al impacto”.
Como su radio no estaba encendida y no escuchó lo que estaba ocurriendo en la ciudad de Nueva York, “simplemente supuse que se trataba de un terrible y trágico accidente”.
Los viajeros quedaron paralizados, y el padre McGraw saltó de su automóvil –con la estola, los óleos para la unción y un libro de oraciones en las manos– cruzó la barrera de seguridad de la carretera y se dirigió al césped del Pentágono para llegar hasta las víctimas.
“Básicamente, mi mensaje para ellos era: ‘Jesús está con ustedes’. Eso era lo que repetía a las varias víctimas a las que atendí”, declaró el padre McGraw.
A una de las víctimas, que se identificó como católica –Juan Cruz, gerente de la división civil de contabilidad de la Oficina del Asistente Administrativo del Secretario del Ejército– se le administraron los sacramentos.
Otra víctima –Antoinette Sherman, analista de presupuesto del Ejército, quien falleció posteriormente– yacía boca abajo sobre el césped, con graves quemaduras en la espalda y un solo zapato en un pie. El padre McGraw se lo quitó suavemente a petición de ella.
“Entonces simplemente añadió, quizá a quien pudiera escucharla: ‘Díganles a mi madre y a mi padre que los amo’. Y yo le aseguré que lo haría”.
El padre McGraw –actualmente sacerdote misionero y párroco en la Misión de Bánica de la Diócesis de Arlington, en la República Dominicana– no cree que su desvío inesperado haya sido una coincidencia.
“Tuve una fuerte sensación de la providencia divina”, declaró a OSV News. “Estaba destinado a estar allí”.
Los ataques causaron la muerte de 2.977 personas e hirieron a miles más: 2.753 personas murieron en el colapso de las Torres Gemelas, derribadas después de que dos aviones comerciales secuestrados se estrellaran contra ellas; 184 personas murieron cuando un tercer avión secuestrado impactó contra el Pentágono; y 40 personas murieron en Shanksville, Pensilvania, cuando los pasajeros y la tripulación se enfrentaron a los secuestradores de un cuarto avión, obligándolo a estrellarse en un campo cerca de Shanksville. Las autoridades creen que el cuarto avión se dirigía al Capitolio de Estados Unidos o a la Casa Blanca.
El 25.º aniversario del 11 de septiembre no solo será un momento de solemne recuerdo, sino que también despierta en algunos el anhelo por la unidad nacional que los estadounidenses demostraron en aquel entonces.
“Vimos la maldad en su peor expresión”, afirmó el padre Jordan. “Pero también vimos la bondad en su máxima plenitud. La ciudad de Nueva York se unió. El país se unió. El mundo se unió”.
Kimberley Heatherington es corresponsal de OSV News. Escribe desde Virginia.
– (OSV News) — El 11 de septiembre de 2001 — la fecha del peor ataque terrorista en la historia de Estados Unidos, cuando cuatro aviones secuestrados se convirtieron en armas mortales — no faltaron heroicos equipos de emergencia que enfrentaron el peligro en lugar de huir de él. Entre ellos se encontraban numerosos miembros del clero y religiosos católicos, incluyendo sacerdotes, frailes y religiosas. Algunas de sus historias quizá sean menos conocidas, pero la ayuda y el consuelo que también brindaron a quienes sufrieron las devastadoras pérdidas del 11 de Septiembre (11-S) merecen ser recordados a medida que se aproxima
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![New religious to diocese build bonds at annual gathering #Catholic – On Sept. 4, 75 religious newly assigned to the Paterson Diocese, N.J., priests, seminarians and discerners gathered for an evening of prayer, fraternity, recreation, and relaxation during the annual gathering at Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, N.J.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney commenced the event with adoration and vespers in St. Joseph’s Chapel of Mary Help, run by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco. He gave a moving reflection.
Together, they ate a meal, prepared by the Knights of Columbus, in the school cafeteria. Members of the various participating religious communities mingled at the tables to get to know one another. All the new religious men and women serving the diocese also had the opportunity to introduce themselves. The religious also had the opportunity to meet Bishop Sweeney and build relationships with attending seminarians — future priests of the diocese.
That sense of fraternity continued as many of the participants headed to the school gym to play competitive volleyball.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/new-religious-to-diocese-build-bonds-at-annual-gathering-catholic-on-sept-4-75-religious-newly-assigned-to-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-priests-seminarians-and-discerners-gathered-for-an-evening.jpg "New religious to diocese build bonds at annual gathering #Catholic – On Sept. 4, 75 religious newly assigned to the Paterson Diocese, N.J., priests, seminarians and discerners gathered for an evening of prayer, fraternity, recreation, and relaxation during the annual gathering at Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, N.J.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney commenced the event with adoration and vespers in St. Joseph’s Chapel of Mary Help, run by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco. He gave a moving reflection.
Together, they ate a meal, prepared by the Knights of Columbus, in the school cafeteria. Members of the various participating religious communities mingled at the tables to get to know one another. All the new religious men and women serving the diocese also had the opportunity to introduce themselves. The religious also had the opportunity to meet Bishop Sweeney and build relationships with attending seminarians — future priests of the diocese.
That sense of fraternity continued as many of the participants headed to the school gym to play competitive volleyball.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
![Vatican vegetable garden goes 100% organic #Catholic A vegetable garden and orchard inside the Vatican walls, which historically provided food for the pope’s household, is now cultivated using exclusively organic farming techniques.The private garden covers almost a tenth of an acre of cultivable land inside the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery property, where Pope Benedict XVI lived during his retirement and now reside cloistered Benedictine nuns from the Abbey of St. Scholastica in Victoria, Argentina.Sometimes known as “the pope’s garden,” the vegetable plot “has always been a defining feature of the Vatican Gardens because, in fact, the Vatican Gardens were originally created primarily for that purpose — to provide sustenance for the [Apostolic] Palace,” Stefano Giampaolo, a forestry expert and head of the Gardens and Environment Service of the Vatican, told EWTN News.Giampaolo explained that now the plot is more accurately understood as the vegetable garden of the Vatican Gardens — an area that covers roughly half of Vatican City at 57 acres.
Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, built inside Vatican City in the 1990s to house nuns who support the ministry of the pope through prayer, has an adjoining vegetable garden and orchard. | Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/EWTN News
The Benedictine nuns at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, who pray for the pope, eat the fruit and vegetables grown in the garden and use them to make jams and other food preserves. The excess produce is given to a Vatican soup kitchen run by the Missionaries of Charity.The move to biological farming techniques has been underway for several years, partly in response to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, Giampaolo said.The challenges of organicAccording to Gilberto Bianchi, the gardener responsible for the orchard and vegetable patch since 2008, the Vatican has a “desire to respect nature” in how it cares for the plants and trees on its land.But it’s far from easy.“Clearly, running a completely organic vegetable garden presents challenges, partly because insects are aggressive, and we use natural predators in the soil to control them,” Bianchi said. “No chemical fertilizers or insecticides are used.”He added that soil drainage and water conservation are also challenges.“This type of soil drains very well, so to conserve water, we add coconut fiber to retain moisture. And it’s watered with a drip irrigation system specifically to target the plants and avoid wasting water,” he said.Part of an organic agriculture also means respecting the seasons, he said. “Right now, the winter crops are being planted, while the summer crops are being harvested.”
The fresh produce grown in the vegetable garden and orchard in Vatican City feeds the Benedictine nuns living in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery and supports the nearby Missionaries of Charity-run soup kitchen. | Credit: Governorate of Vatican City State
The end-of-summer harvest includes tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers, while the fall and winter crop has broccoli, spinach, lettuce, and pumpkins.According to Vatican Media, the garden also includes garlic, basil, and a Peruvian variety of chili peppers known for its intensity. Kiwi plants were also added recently at the request of the Argentinian nuns.Next to the garden is a small orchard of around 15 citrus trees, some of which are 150 years old.“At this time, we’re planting savoy cabbage,” Bianchi said. “In short, whatever is in season. … So whatever is planted is because nature dictates it at that moment. The plants are grown from seed. We don’t use lab-grown plants.”A historic collection of gardensBianchi, who has worked for more than three decades in the Vatican Gardens, “is the one with the most expertise in this field, and he is now passing that knowledge on to a new gardener,” Giampaolo said.The expert gardener is part of a team of around 35 gardeners and administrators who oversee the Vatican’s green spaces and provide the flower arrangements for papal ceremonies.
Stefano Giampaolo, left, head of the Gardens and Environment Service of Vatican City, and expert gardener Gilberto Bianchi, right, the main caretaker of the orchard and vegetable garden commonly known as “the pope’s garden,” share their expertise with EWTN News in the Vatican Gardens on Sept. 9, 2026. | Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/EWTN News
“People expect to see a single garden, but in reality, as the name suggests, they are the Vatican Gardens — a collection of gardens,” Giampaolo said.The Gardens date to the mid-13th century, when Pope Nicolas III moved the papal residence from the Lateran Palace to the Vatican, had the city state’s walls built, and ordered the creation of a lawn, orchard, and “viridarium” — a Roman-style garden with flowerbeds and a fountain.Today, Giampaolo said, “there are countless different species, both trees and flowers. This is because, over time, the gardens have been enriched by donations and the search for specific botanical material, to the point of becoming a true botanical garden.”“Visitors are often struck by the diversity of the spaces — so many different gardens contained within this small area.”Ultimately, he said, the gardeners hope to one day eliminate all synthetic fertilizers and pesticides from their care of the entire Vatican territory.“It’s a process — the transformation of all the Gardens into organic ones,” he said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/vatican-vegetable-garden-goes-100-organic-catholic-a-vegetable-garden-and-orchard-inside-the-vatican-walls-which-historically-provided-food-for-the-popes-household-is-now-cultivated-using-scaled.jpg "Vatican vegetable garden goes 100% organic #Catholic A vegetable garden and orchard inside the Vatican walls, which historically provided food for the pope’s household, is now cultivated using exclusively organic farming techniques.The private garden covers almost a tenth of an acre of cultivable land inside the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery property, where Pope Benedict XVI lived during his retirement and now reside cloistered Benedictine nuns from the Abbey of St. Scholastica in Victoria, Argentina.Sometimes known as “the pope’s garden,” the vegetable plot “has always been a defining feature of the Vatican Gardens because, in fact, the Vatican Gardens were originally created primarily for that purpose — to provide sustenance for the [Apostolic] Palace,” Stefano Giampaolo, a forestry expert and head of the Gardens and Environment Service of the Vatican, told EWTN News.Giampaolo explained that now the plot is more accurately understood as the vegetable garden of the Vatican Gardens — an area that covers roughly half of Vatican City at 57 acres.
Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, built inside Vatican City in the 1990s to house nuns who support the ministry of the pope through prayer, has an adjoining vegetable garden and orchard. | Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/EWTN News
The Benedictine nuns at Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, who pray for the pope, eat the fruit and vegetables grown in the garden and use them to make jams and other food preserves. The excess produce is given to a Vatican soup kitchen run by the Missionaries of Charity.The move to biological farming techniques has been underway for several years, partly in response to Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, Giampaolo said.The challenges of organicAccording to Gilberto Bianchi, the gardener responsible for the orchard and vegetable patch since 2008, the Vatican has a “desire to respect nature” in how it cares for the plants and trees on its land.But it’s far from easy.“Clearly, running a completely organic vegetable garden presents challenges, partly because insects are aggressive, and we use natural predators in the soil to control them,” Bianchi said. “No chemical fertilizers or insecticides are used.”He added that soil drainage and water conservation are also challenges.“This type of soil drains very well, so to conserve water, we add coconut fiber to retain moisture. And it’s watered with a drip irrigation system specifically to target the plants and avoid wasting water,” he said.Part of an organic agriculture also means respecting the seasons, he said. “Right now, the winter crops are being planted, while the summer crops are being harvested.”
The fresh produce grown in the vegetable garden and orchard in Vatican City feeds the Benedictine nuns living in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery and supports the nearby Missionaries of Charity-run soup kitchen. | Credit: Governorate of Vatican City State
The end-of-summer harvest includes tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers, while the fall and winter crop has broccoli, spinach, lettuce, and pumpkins.According to Vatican Media, the garden also includes garlic, basil, and a Peruvian variety of chili peppers known for its intensity. Kiwi plants were also added recently at the request of the Argentinian nuns.Next to the garden is a small orchard of around 15 citrus trees, some of which are 150 years old.“At this time, we’re planting savoy cabbage,” Bianchi said. “In short, whatever is in season. … So whatever is planted is because nature dictates it at that moment. The plants are grown from seed. We don’t use lab-grown plants.”A historic collection of gardensBianchi, who has worked for more than three decades in the Vatican Gardens, “is the one with the most expertise in this field, and he is now passing that knowledge on to a new gardener,” Giampaolo said.The expert gardener is part of a team of around 35 gardeners and administrators who oversee the Vatican’s green spaces and provide the flower arrangements for papal ceremonies.
Stefano Giampaolo, left, head of the Gardens and Environment Service of Vatican City, and expert gardener Gilberto Bianchi, right, the main caretaker of the orchard and vegetable garden commonly known as “the pope’s garden,” share their expertise with EWTN News in the Vatican Gardens on Sept. 9, 2026. | Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/EWTN News
“People expect to see a single garden, but in reality, as the name suggests, they are the Vatican Gardens — a collection of gardens,” Giampaolo said.The Gardens date to the mid-13th century, when Pope Nicolas III moved the papal residence from the Lateran Palace to the Vatican, had the city state’s walls built, and ordered the creation of a lawn, orchard, and “viridarium” — a Roman-style garden with flowerbeds and a fountain.Today, Giampaolo said, “there are countless different species, both trees and flowers. This is because, over time, the gardens have been enriched by donations and the search for specific botanical material, to the point of becoming a true botanical garden.”“Visitors are often struck by the diversity of the spaces — so many different gardens contained within this small area.”Ultimately, he said, the gardeners hope to one day eliminate all synthetic fertilizers and pesticides from their care of the entire Vatican territory.“It’s a process — the transformation of all the Gardens into organic ones,” he said.")
![Catholic professor calls families to reclaim the home in a technological age #Catholic John Cuddeback, a professor of philosophy at Christendom College, says families today don’t often know how to achieve what they desire in their homes and family life. As a remedy, drawing from both ancient and modern thinkers, he has released "The Intentional Household: Living as if People Matter,” a book that outlines eight pillars for reclaiming the home as a place of human flourishing. “Families today are struggling to achieve what they so badly want: to have the kind of relationships we’re made for, beginning in the home, especially between spouses and between parents and children,” Cuddeback said. “They know they want something different, something better, but they feel hamstrung. In a culture that works against them in many ways, they are frustrated because they lack clear vision and examples to pattern themselves after.”
“The Intentional Household: Living as if People Matter” by Christendom College professor John Cuddeback. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News
Cuddeback, who teaches a course on family and household and is also the author of “True Friendship,” spoke to EWTN News about how he hopes his book conveys that “[a]nyone can choose to be intentional about their household and make real progress with dramatic fruits in the lives of those we love most.” EWTN News: What do you see as the biggest challenge to building and maintaining an intentional home?Cuddebach: It all begins with priorities. As a society we have turned away from the intense focus that our household requires — and this is evident in how we struggle in marriage, raising children, and relating to the elderly. Even many traditionally-minded folks struggle to realize and enact the demanding, even while ordinary, aspects of God’s plan for our homes.Aristotle says that a society tends to produce the kind of people it honors. We do not honor those who prioritize home life — either women or men. This means that many of the structures, practices, and assumptions of our age are at odds with the real good of home life. This is especially evident in our obsession with the latest technologies.This book is a call to all of us to do something radically different and profoundly better — while always recognizing we must be people of our time and place. It calls us to discover that looking first to what our children and our elderly really need is the high road to deeper fulfillment for all of us.How has Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas influenced your thought on how technology should be incorporated in the home?Pope Leo makes clear that we have come to a crisis point. The time is now to be honest, serious, and persistent in examining our use of technology in view of real human flourishing. This must start in the home. No one else is going to do this for us.But as the pope makes clear, right practice must flow from an understanding of who we are and what we’re made for. “The Intentional Household” offers the rich and positive view of daily life in the home that grounds such an examination. It gives the “yes” that strengthens the “nos” we need to say. It gives direction for rising to the challenges of our age, including how to channel technology to true human flourishing.Approaching homelife intentionally — especially attending to the ordinary in good work and true leisure as essential to our relationships — we can take real steps to become those biblical good stewards so honored by the Lord.How does this apply to those across all walks of life, including single people, married couples without children, those who are divorced or separated?The principles of a vibrant home life are both perennial and flexible. Wherever we find ourselves we can discover how the plan that God wrote into human nature is much better than we have realized.Brokenness and suffering today are widespread. God’s plan encompasses these realities. By the grace of God, anyone who is humble and willing to take an intentional approach can affect real, and indeed dramatic change by applying the book’s eight principles. We can all take real steps to make our homes a place of vibrant life, with deep belonging, connection, and presence.One of the thinkers you cite in your book is Wendell Berry. In light of his recent passing can you speak to his influence on your life and thinking?Wendell Berry saw clearly how the loss of activities of work and leisure in the home has led to our experience of disconnection and isolation. Home should be a place of deep connection: between us and loved ones and neighbors, between soul and body, between us and the earth.One of Berry’s pivotal insights is the key role of a certain kind of work in the home. Berry has pointed out that the work of traditional home arts is much more important than we have realized. He argues that as the breakdown of home life came especially through the loss of good work, the renewal will likewise come through a rediscovery of work that connects us to one another as it connects us to our bodies and to the earth, and ultimately to God.Wendell Berry was a prophet of the extraordinary beauty and importance of the ordinary. Making our home an intentional household means rediscovering the power of ordinary things, such as mealtimes with the whole household, shared work in the kitchen and other home arts, and “porch time” and other such leisure times. Attention to these things can transform our marriage, parenting, and other key relationships.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/catholic-professor-calls-families-to-reclaim-the-home-in-a-technological-age-catholic-john-cuddeback-a-professor-of-philosophy-at-christendom-college-says-families-today-dont-often-know-ho.jpg "Catholic professor calls families to reclaim the home in a technological age #Catholic John Cuddeback, a professor of philosophy at Christendom College, says families today don’t often know how to achieve what they desire in their homes and family life. As a remedy, drawing from both ancient and modern thinkers, he has released \"The Intentional Household: Living as if People Matter,” a book that outlines eight pillars for reclaiming the home as a place of human flourishing. “Families today are struggling to achieve what they so badly want: to have the kind of relationships we’re made for, beginning in the home, especially between spouses and between parents and children,” Cuddeback said. “They know they want something different, something better, but they feel hamstrung. In a culture that works against them in many ways, they are frustrated because they lack clear vision and examples to pattern themselves after.”
“The Intentional Household: Living as if People Matter” by Christendom College professor John Cuddeback. | Credit: Ken Oliver-Méndez/EWTN News
Cuddeback, who teaches a course on family and household and is also the author of “True Friendship,” spoke to EWTN News about how he hopes his book conveys that “[a]nyone can choose to be intentional about their household and make real progress with dramatic fruits in the lives of those we love most.” EWTN News: What do you see as the biggest challenge to building and maintaining an intentional home?Cuddebach: It all begins with priorities. As a society we have turned away from the intense focus that our household requires — and this is evident in how we struggle in marriage, raising children, and relating to the elderly. Even many traditionally-minded folks struggle to realize and enact the demanding, even while ordinary, aspects of God’s plan for our homes.Aristotle says that a society tends to produce the kind of people it honors. We do not honor those who prioritize home life — either women or men. This means that many of the structures, practices, and assumptions of our age are at odds with the real good of home life. This is especially evident in our obsession with the latest technologies.This book is a call to all of us to do something radically different and profoundly better — while always recognizing we must be people of our time and place. It calls us to discover that looking first to what our children and our elderly really need is the high road to deeper fulfillment for all of us.How has Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas influenced your thought on how technology should be incorporated in the home?Pope Leo makes clear that we have come to a crisis point. The time is now to be honest, serious, and persistent in examining our use of technology in view of real human flourishing. This must start in the home. No one else is going to do this for us.But as the pope makes clear, right practice must flow from an understanding of who we are and what we’re made for. “The Intentional Household” offers the rich and positive view of daily life in the home that grounds such an examination. It gives the “yes” that strengthens the “nos” we need to say. It gives direction for rising to the challenges of our age, including how to channel technology to true human flourishing.Approaching homelife intentionally — especially attending to the ordinary in good work and true leisure as essential to our relationships — we can take real steps to become those biblical good stewards so honored by the Lord.How does this apply to those across all walks of life, including single people, married couples without children, those who are divorced or separated?The principles of a vibrant home life are both perennial and flexible. Wherever we find ourselves we can discover how the plan that God wrote into human nature is much better than we have realized.Brokenness and suffering today are widespread. God’s plan encompasses these realities. By the grace of God, anyone who is humble and willing to take an intentional approach can affect real, and indeed dramatic change by applying the book’s eight principles. We can all take real steps to make our homes a place of vibrant life, with deep belonging, connection, and presence.One of the thinkers you cite in your book is Wendell Berry. In light of his recent passing can you speak to his influence on your life and thinking?Wendell Berry saw clearly how the loss of activities of work and leisure in the home has led to our experience of disconnection and isolation. Home should be a place of deep connection: between us and loved ones and neighbors, between soul and body, between us and the earth.One of Berry’s pivotal insights is the key role of a certain kind of work in the home. Berry has pointed out that the work of traditional home arts is much more important than we have realized. He argues that as the breakdown of home life came especially through the loss of good work, the renewal will likewise come through a rediscovery of work that connects us to one another as it connects us to our bodies and to the earth, and ultimately to God.Wendell Berry was a prophet of the extraordinary beauty and importance of the ordinary. Making our home an intentional household means rediscovering the power of ordinary things, such as mealtimes with the whole household, shared work in the kitchen and other home arts, and “porch time” and other such leisure times. Attention to these things can transform our marriage, parenting, and other key relationships.")
![Surrogate mother petitions Supreme Court to ensure lifesaving care for newborn #Catholic A surrogate mother filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure a newborn baby will have access to lifesaving treatment for a heart condition amid her concerns that the biological parents may not continue treatment.McKenna West, an Alaska nurse and surrogate mother, gave birth to the baby boy on Aug. 12. She is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a court order that recognized the boy’s biological parents as having full custody and being the authority in medical decisions.The unborn child was diagnosed with a treatable heart defect at about 20 weeks into pregnancy. His biological parents demanded West abort the child because of the defect and threatened her with financial penalties if she did not, according to the petition filed by West’s lawyers at Alliance Defending Freedom.West refused and fled to Texas because the state’s pro-life laws prohibit most abortions. The boy is receiving lifesaving medical treatment at this time due to a court order in Texas. However, the petition states the biological parents “refused to commit to authorizing any life-saving care” for as long as needed to treat the condition.“Since [West] is now completely excluded from the life of the medically fragile infant she brought into the world, much less from the ability to make critical health decisions that protect him, time is of the essence,” the petition states.The petition warns that without immediate Supreme Court action, “the child could be removed from the Texas hospital and taken to California for hospice — despite his treatable condition — around September 17, if not sooner.”“Relief is all the more warranted here, given that the stakes involve the child’s life,” the petition adds.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/surrogate-mother-petitions-supreme-court-to-ensure-lifesaving-care-for-newborn-catholic-a-surrogate-mother-filed-an-emergency-appeal-to-the-u-s-supreme-court-to-ensure-a-newborn-baby-will-have-acces.png "Surrogate mother petitions Supreme Court to ensure lifesaving care for newborn #Catholic A surrogate mother filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure a newborn baby will have access to lifesaving treatment for a heart condition amid her concerns that the biological parents may not continue treatment.McKenna West, an Alaska nurse and surrogate mother, gave birth to the baby boy on Aug. 12. She is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a court order that recognized the boy’s biological parents as having full custody and being the authority in medical decisions.The unborn child was diagnosed with a treatable heart defect at about 20 weeks into pregnancy. His biological parents demanded West abort the child because of the defect and threatened her with financial penalties if she did not, according to the petition filed by West’s lawyers at Alliance Defending Freedom.West refused and fled to Texas because the state’s pro-life laws prohibit most abortions. The boy is receiving lifesaving medical treatment at this time due to a court order in Texas. However, the petition states the biological parents “refused to commit to authorizing any life-saving care” for as long as needed to treat the condition.“Since [West] is now completely excluded from the life of the medically fragile infant she brought into the world, much less from the ability to make critical health decisions that protect him, time is of the essence,” the petition states.The petition warns that without immediate Supreme Court action, “the child could be removed from the Texas hospital and taken to California for hospice — despite his treatable condition — around September 17, if not sooner.”“Relief is all the more warranted here, given that the stakes involve the child’s life,” the petition adds.")
![Bishop to Catholics: let 9/11 heroes energize your vocations #Catholic – On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged Catholics to find inspiration from the “ordinary heroes” of that terrible day as they live their faith and the vocation to which Christ has called them. He said these heroes “were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” courageously sacrificing their lives to save others that day.
Bishop Sweeney offered those reflections on Friday as the main celebrant and homilist of a Memorial Mass for the 9/11 anniversary for the staff of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., in the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The faithful joined their fellow Americans across the country to “never forget” a quarter-century since that horrible day that shocked and changed the United States and the world.
Today, parishes around the diocese are prayerfully holding Memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney praised the 9/11 heroes: first responders who assisted at the catastrophic disaster sites, including those who perished in the line of duty, and airline passengers who tried to stop the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people perished at the World Trade Center that day, but 17,000 were saved thanks to people who laid down their lives, he said.
“These ordinary people showed extraordinary courage, generosity, and wisdom, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the most challenging moments,” said Bishop Sweeney, who mentioned the 250th birthday of the nation this year. “We saw our country at our best on that day [9/11]. We saw citizens who were grateful for the freedoms that they received, because others were willing to sacrifice for previous generations,” he said.
These heroes modeled how Catholics should live their faith and “try to be open to God’s will and respond to our vocation” in their various roles in life, Bishop Sweeney told the congregation at St. Paul’s. In our vocations, Jesus calls all Catholics to become “servant leaders,” he said.
“We remember those who were lost 25 years ago. They gave so much. We remember them with gratitude, and we pray that we might be the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be, asking that we would be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Concelebrating the Memorial Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Msgr. T. Mark Condon, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls, N.J.; Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office and pastor of St. Brendan and St. George Parish in Clifton, N.J.; Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan vicar for evangelization at St. Paul’s; Father Charles Lana Jr., director of the diocesan Vocations Office; and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, a retired diocesan priest and adjutant judicial vicar for the diocesan Tribunal.
On social media, Bishop Sweeney added, “As we remember, we pray and, as Archbishop Hicks reminded us in a powerful homily yesterday, ‘healing takes time, Hope is Eternal.’ May they rest in Peace as we continue to pray and work for Peace on Earth.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bishop-to-catholics-let-9-11-heroes-energize-your-vocations-catholic-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-the-sept-11-2001-terrorist-attacks-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-urged-catholics-to-find-inspiration-fr.jpg "Bishop to Catholics: let 9/11 heroes energize your vocations #Catholic – On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged Catholics to find inspiration from the “ordinary heroes” of that terrible day as they live their faith and the vocation to which Christ has called them. He said these heroes “were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” courageously sacrificing their lives to save others that day.
Bishop Sweeney offered those reflections on Friday as the main celebrant and homilist of a Memorial Mass for the 9/11 anniversary for the staff of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., in the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The faithful joined their fellow Americans across the country to “never forget” a quarter-century since that horrible day that shocked and changed the United States and the world.
Today, parishes around the diocese are prayerfully holding Memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney praised the 9/11 heroes: first responders who assisted at the catastrophic disaster sites, including those who perished in the line of duty, and airline passengers who tried to stop the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people perished at the World Trade Center that day, but 17,000 were saved thanks to people who laid down their lives, he said.
“These ordinary people showed extraordinary courage, generosity, and wisdom, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the most challenging moments,” said Bishop Sweeney, who mentioned the 250th birthday of the nation this year. “We saw our country at our best on that day [9/11]. We saw citizens who were grateful for the freedoms that they received, because others were willing to sacrifice for previous generations,” he said.
These heroes modeled how Catholics should live their faith and “try to be open to God’s will and respond to our vocation” in their various roles in life, Bishop Sweeney told the congregation at St. Paul’s. In our vocations, Jesus calls all Catholics to become “servant leaders,” he said.
“We remember those who were lost 25 years ago. They gave so much. We remember them with gratitude, and we pray that we might be the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be, asking that we would be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Concelebrating the Memorial Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Msgr. T. Mark Condon, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls, N.J.; Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office and pastor of St. Brendan and St. George Parish in Clifton, N.J.; Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan vicar for evangelization at St. Paul’s; Father Charles Lana Jr., director of the diocesan Vocations Office; and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, a retired diocesan priest and adjutant judicial vicar for the diocesan Tribunal.
On social media, Bishop Sweeney added, “As we remember, we pray and, as Archbishop Hicks reminded us in a powerful homily yesterday, ‘healing takes time, Hope is Eternal.’ May they rest in Peace as we continue to pray and work for Peace on Earth.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
![Apostolic nuncio calls for ‘moral voice’ in AI development #Catholic Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States, discussed the need for a “moral voice” in artificial intelligence (AI) development during a panel discussion hosted by Georgetown University on Sept. 9.The panel, titled “AI, Catholic Social Teaching, and Pope Leoʼs Invitation to Dialogue with the World,” examined Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and its call for a shared human effort to develop technology that serves the common good rather than harms it.Speakers noted that the Holy Father’s encyclical stopped short of prescribing specific policy ideas for addressing the moral and ethical concerns, but the nuncio said “there is the perception that we need a moral voice” on the subject.“A moral voice is what?” he said. “Not everything which is possible to be done should be done. Not everything that technology offers should be taken. This is a moral choice.”Caccia stressed that decisions affecting human lives should not be handed over to AI, citing distinctions between AI algorithms and the human conscience, as the Holy Father discussed in Magnifica Humanitas.Leo drew a distinction between artificial intelligence and human intelligence in the encyclical, focusing on how each approaches moral questions. The pope wrote that he rejected ideas of “artificial moral agents” and the notion that a machine can “distinguish between right and wrong with greater consistency than a human being.”“Moral judgment cannot be reduced to calculation, for it involves conscience, personal responsibility and the recognition of the other as a person,” Leo wrote. “Therefore, it is not permissible to entrust lethal or otherwise irreversible decisions to artificial systems.”Caccia said during the panel discussion that, as a society, “we have to keep the value of the human relationship.”“The problem is that [if] life and death is decided by a machine, not by the human being, who is accountable?” he said. “So these are very important, important questions. But I am confident, as I said, that together we can face this situation and find a way.”The nuncio said he has similar concerns about the use of AI in other types of decision-making that impacts humans.“I hear very troubling accounts of algorithms that can block access to healthcare, employment, and security on the basis of data tainted by prejudice and injustice,” he said. “And Iʼve heard the silence of those who have no voice. When decisions are made, decisions [are] likely to generate new forms of exclusion and suffering.”Quoting the encyclical, Caccia affirmed the pope’s call that AI “needs to be disarmed.”
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, speaks on Aug. 29, 2025, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. | Credit: Holy See Mission to the United Nations
“The word is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity,” he said. “This is more or less a framework in which we can go on with the conversation.”Speaking to EWTN News after the panel, Caccia said the pope’s call to address moral concerns of AI is not just a call to Church leadership but to every Catholic.“There is, of course, the voice of the bishops,” he said. “But there is also the voice of Catholic people who are in the business or are engineers who are in the economy, who are in the field. So itʼs not just for those who have pastoral responsibility, but for the bigger community.”Pope’s impact on AI discussionSeveral panelists discussed the importance of Magnifica Humanitas in providing a type of moral guidance on AI development that focuses on the common good of humanity.Jasmine Sun, a journalist who writes about AI and Silicon Valley, said she “was actually surprised by how much folks I knew in Silicon Valley, in the AI industry did pay attention to Magnifica Humanitas.”“It was a lot more engagement, I think, than I expected,” she said. “And once again, I think itʼs because there is this sense that the profit motive that has driven Silicon Valley, that continues to drive Silicon Valley, is not enough.”Molly Kinder, CEO of the Breakwater Initiative, said the Church provides “wisdom and moral leadership” and believes its broad focus on humanity is why people listened.“Iʼm struck that in the opening pages of the Bible, there is a discussion of Adam and Eve being put on Earth to till the land as our fundamental reason for existing,” she said. “And it feels to me sometimes when Iʼm in Silicon Valley … they almost talk about almost a new Garden of Eden that AI is going to bring about, that maybe our purpose is not to work, or maybe itʼs leisure or a check and a hobby.”Caccia too said he was “positively surprised” by the reaction to the encyclical, saying “it seems that there was a need to do something about this.”“It didnʼt pretend to have the answers,” he said, “but he put questions, common questions that we have to tackle together to decide where we want to go.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/apostolic-nuncio-calls-for-moral-voice-in-ai-development-catholic-archbishop-gabriele-giordano-caccia-apostolic-nuncio-to-the-united-states-discussed-the-need-for-a-moral.jpg "Apostolic nuncio calls for ‘moral voice’ in AI development #Catholic Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States, discussed the need for a “moral voice” in artificial intelligence (AI) development during a panel discussion hosted by Georgetown University on Sept. 9.The panel, titled “AI, Catholic Social Teaching, and Pope Leoʼs Invitation to Dialogue with the World,” examined Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and its call for a shared human effort to develop technology that serves the common good rather than harms it.Speakers noted that the Holy Father’s encyclical stopped short of prescribing specific policy ideas for addressing the moral and ethical concerns, but the nuncio said “there is the perception that we need a moral voice” on the subject.“A moral voice is what?” he said. “Not everything which is possible to be done should be done. Not everything that technology offers should be taken. This is a moral choice.”Caccia stressed that decisions affecting human lives should not be handed over to AI, citing distinctions between AI algorithms and the human conscience, as the Holy Father discussed in Magnifica Humanitas.Leo drew a distinction between artificial intelligence and human intelligence in the encyclical, focusing on how each approaches moral questions. The pope wrote that he rejected ideas of “artificial moral agents” and the notion that a machine can “distinguish between right and wrong with greater consistency than a human being.”“Moral judgment cannot be reduced to calculation, for it involves conscience, personal responsibility and the recognition of the other as a person,” Leo wrote. “Therefore, it is not permissible to entrust lethal or otherwise irreversible decisions to artificial systems.”Caccia said during the panel discussion that, as a society, “we have to keep the value of the human relationship.”“The problem is that [if] life and death is decided by a machine, not by the human being, who is accountable?” he said. “So these are very important, important questions. But I am confident, as I said, that together we can face this situation and find a way.”The nuncio said he has similar concerns about the use of AI in other types of decision-making that impacts humans.“I hear very troubling accounts of algorithms that can block access to healthcare, employment, and security on the basis of data tainted by prejudice and injustice,” he said. “And Iʼve heard the silence of those who have no voice. When decisions are made, decisions [are] likely to generate new forms of exclusion and suffering.”Quoting the encyclical, Caccia affirmed the pope’s call that AI “needs to be disarmed.”
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, speaks on Aug. 29, 2025, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. | Credit: Holy See Mission to the United Nations
“The word is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention, awakening consciences, and indicating paths forward for humanity,” he said. “This is more or less a framework in which we can go on with the conversation.”Speaking to EWTN News after the panel, Caccia said the pope’s call to address moral concerns of AI is not just a call to Church leadership but to every Catholic.“There is, of course, the voice of the bishops,” he said. “But there is also the voice of Catholic people who are in the business or are engineers who are in the economy, who are in the field. So itʼs not just for those who have pastoral responsibility, but for the bigger community.”Pope’s impact on AI discussionSeveral panelists discussed the importance of Magnifica Humanitas in providing a type of moral guidance on AI development that focuses on the common good of humanity.Jasmine Sun, a journalist who writes about AI and Silicon Valley, said she “was actually surprised by how much folks I knew in Silicon Valley, in the AI industry did pay attention to Magnifica Humanitas.”“It was a lot more engagement, I think, than I expected,” she said. “And once again, I think itʼs because there is this sense that the profit motive that has driven Silicon Valley, that continues to drive Silicon Valley, is not enough.”Molly Kinder, CEO of the Breakwater Initiative, said the Church provides “wisdom and moral leadership” and believes its broad focus on humanity is why people listened.“Iʼm struck that in the opening pages of the Bible, there is a discussion of Adam and Eve being put on Earth to till the land as our fundamental reason for existing,” she said. “And it feels to me sometimes when Iʼm in Silicon Valley … they almost talk about almost a new Garden of Eden that AI is going to bring about, that maybe our purpose is not to work, or maybe itʼs leisure or a check and a hobby.”Caccia too said he was “positively surprised” by the reaction to the encyclical, saying “it seems that there was a need to do something about this.”“It didnʼt pretend to have the answers,” he said, “but he put questions, common questions that we have to tackle together to decide where we want to go.”")
![Bishop visits joyful Paterson parish to celebrate Spanish Mass #Catholic – St. Therese Parish in Paterson, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Sept. 6, who celebrated a Spanish Mass. Deacon Luis A. Ramirez of St. Therese assisted with the liturgy.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bishop-visits-joyful-paterson-parish-to-celebrate-spanish-mass-catholic-st-therese-parish-in-paterson-n-j-welcomed-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-on-sept-6-who-celebrated-a-spanish-mass-deacon-luis.jpg "Bishop visits joyful Paterson parish to celebrate Spanish Mass #Catholic – St. Therese Parish in Paterson, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Sept. 6, who celebrated a Spanish Mass. Deacon Luis A. Ramirez of St. Therese assisted with the liturgy.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
![Memory of brother killed on 9/11 still inspires priest #Catholic – On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Daniel Murphy and his family were dealt pain almost too agonizing to bear. His brother, Edward, 42, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, leaving his entire family distraught.
Shortly after the attacks, Father Murphy, then pastor of Blessed [now St.] Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, N.J., found Jesus’ comfort in the following Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 15. It tells the parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, and Prodigal Son.
EDWARD MURPHY
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Father Murphy is again reflecting on Luke 15 and what he has lost — and found —in his life since the attacks that changed the United States — and the world — forever. Today, he is a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.
“I lost knowing a brother as an older adult, which I would have liked, and my mother, Evelyn, lost her youngest son and struggled with that,” said Father Murphy, the oldest of three Murphy brothers. In the tragedy’s aftermath, he has been meditating on the saving “Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection celebrated at Mass that leads us Christians from death to life.”
That’s because Father Murphy has gained much in the wake of his brother Edward’s tragic death on 9/11. For example, the priest had become Evelyn’s caregiver after the death of Edward, who lived in Clifton, N.J., and cared for her.
FATHER DANIEL MURPHY
“In caring for my mother, I learned more about who she is — her humor, strength and faithfulness — despite her great loss,” said Father Murphy, noting that Evelyn died five years after 9/11.
Along with Father Murphy, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese will unite with all Americans on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services to pray for the victims, their families, first responders, and world peace.
The 25th anniversary is especially difficult for people in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones — or knew people — who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.
In the attacks, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
In his recent column on BeaconNJ., Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney gives a personal reflection on 9/11. He urges Americans to remember the courage, kindness, gratitude, unity and prayer that were fostered during that dark time. He praises first responders, who arrived at the disaster zones at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Penn., including many who died. Bishop Sweeney also commends those who inspired these “ordinary citizens,” many of whom were formed in Catholic schools and parishes.
“If we remember and if we continue to learn the lessons taught to us by the Heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, I believe we can be stronger, kinder, more united, grateful, and prayerful as individuals and families, as communities, as a nation, and as a Church,” Bishop Sweeney writes in his column.
Father Murphy’s brother, Edward, 42, was managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied several upper floors in WTC’s North Tower. That morning, Father Murphy was having breakfast in the Sparta Diner and overheard people talking about a plane that hit one of WTC’s towers. Fortunately, the priest’s nephew, Ryan, who worked on a lower floor at WTC, managed to escape.
“Priests often feel that they need to be the ones supporting their parishes. But after the attacks, I learned that priests also need the support of their parish families,” Father Murphy said. “My Blessed Kateri parishioners carried my family and me with their kindness and compassion. It’s important that priests learn to be vulnerable,” he said.
Also, Father Murphy discovered a passion for initiating interfaith dialogues in parishes, especially among Catholics, Jews and Moslems.
“I was determined to remember the pain and loss of my brother’s violent death and make sure it did not become a source for more violence, division and animosity in our world,” Father Murphy said. “I know that my faith life and the lives of many others have been deepened by better understanding and appreciating the faith lives of people different from Christians,” he said.
Deeply affected by the pain of 9/11, Father Murphy had the opportunity to be present in 2015 when Pope Francis visited the WTC site for an interfaith prayer service. Father Murphy said, “I was very touched by the simple gesture of his lighting a candle at the site as a sign of our call to find light in the midst of darkness.”
Together, the Murphy family found some comfort in Edward’s death by establishing a scholarship in his name for a deserving student at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Father Murphy serves there as a part-time chaplain and is a graduate.
On Friday, the day of the 25th anniversary, Father Murphy will not celebrate Memorial Masses or speak. He will concelebrate a Mass at Xavier High School the day before. Instead, he will travel to Boston, Mass., to visit Richard, the middle of the Murphy brothers, and his family.
They will inevitably share memories of Edward, a lifelong Clifton resident. He was chairman of the township’s Traffic Safety Commission and a former Supreme Knight of the Regina Mundi Council of the Knights of Columbus.
Edward was also an avid golfer and a marathon runner who competed in the New York and Boston marathons.
“Ed was quiet — an introvert. He was intense about his interests like running, golf, or finances. I still miss him,” Father Murphy said.
To read Bishop Sweeney’s column, “Remembering Sept. 11, 2001: What do we Remember?” click here.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/memory-of-brother-killed-on-9-11-still-inspires-priest-catholic-on-sept-11-2001-father-daniel-murphy-and-his-family-were-dealt-pain-almost-too-agonizing-to-bear-his-brother-edward-42-was-kil.jpg "Memory of brother killed on 9/11 still inspires priest #Catholic – On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Daniel Murphy and his family were dealt pain almost too agonizing to bear. His brother, Edward, 42, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, leaving his entire family distraught.
Shortly after the attacks, Father Murphy, then pastor of Blessed [now St.] Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, N.J., found Jesus’ comfort in the following Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 15. It tells the parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, and Prodigal Son.
EDWARD MURPHY
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Father Murphy is again reflecting on Luke 15 and what he has lost — and found —in his life since the attacks that changed the United States — and the world — forever. Today, he is a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.
“I lost knowing a brother as an older adult, which I would have liked, and my mother, Evelyn, lost her youngest son and struggled with that,” said Father Murphy, the oldest of three Murphy brothers. In the tragedy’s aftermath, he has been meditating on the saving “Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection celebrated at Mass that leads us Christians from death to life.”
That’s because Father Murphy has gained much in the wake of his brother Edward’s tragic death on 9/11. For example, the priest had become Evelyn’s caregiver after the death of Edward, who lived in Clifton, N.J., and cared for her.
FATHER DANIEL MURPHY
“In caring for my mother, I learned more about who she is — her humor, strength and faithfulness — despite her great loss,” said Father Murphy, noting that Evelyn died five years after 9/11.
Along with Father Murphy, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese will unite with all Americans on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services to pray for the victims, their families, first responders, and world peace.
The 25th anniversary is especially difficult for people in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones — or knew people — who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.
In the attacks, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
In his recent column on BeaconNJ., Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney gives a personal reflection on 9/11. He urges Americans to remember the courage, kindness, gratitude, unity and prayer that were fostered during that dark time. He praises first responders, who arrived at the disaster zones at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Penn., including many who died. Bishop Sweeney also commends those who inspired these “ordinary citizens,” many of whom were formed in Catholic schools and parishes.
“If we remember and if we continue to learn the lessons taught to us by the Heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, I believe we can be stronger, kinder, more united, grateful, and prayerful as individuals and families, as communities, as a nation, and as a Church,” Bishop Sweeney writes in his column.
Father Murphy’s brother, Edward, 42, was managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied several upper floors in WTC’s North Tower. That morning, Father Murphy was having breakfast in the Sparta Diner and overheard people talking about a plane that hit one of WTC’s towers. Fortunately, the priest’s nephew, Ryan, who worked on a lower floor at WTC, managed to escape.
“Priests often feel that they need to be the ones supporting their parishes. But after the attacks, I learned that priests also need the support of their parish families,” Father Murphy said. “My Blessed Kateri parishioners carried my family and me with their kindness and compassion. It’s important that priests learn to be vulnerable,” he said.
Also, Father Murphy discovered a passion for initiating interfaith dialogues in parishes, especially among Catholics, Jews and Moslems.
“I was determined to remember the pain and loss of my brother’s violent death and make sure it did not become a source for more violence, division and animosity in our world,” Father Murphy said. “I know that my faith life and the lives of many others have been deepened by better understanding and appreciating the faith lives of people different from Christians,” he said.
Deeply affected by the pain of 9/11, Father Murphy had the opportunity to be present in 2015 when Pope Francis visited the WTC site for an interfaith prayer service. Father Murphy said, “I was very touched by the simple gesture of his lighting a candle at the site as a sign of our call to find light in the midst of darkness.”
Together, the Murphy family found some comfort in Edward’s death by establishing a scholarship in his name for a deserving student at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Father Murphy serves there as a part-time chaplain and is a graduate.
On Friday, the day of the 25th anniversary, Father Murphy will not celebrate Memorial Masses or speak. He will concelebrate a Mass at Xavier High School the day before. Instead, he will travel to Boston, Mass., to visit Richard, the middle of the Murphy brothers, and his family.
They will inevitably share memories of Edward, a lifelong Clifton resident. He was chairman of the township’s Traffic Safety Commission and a former Supreme Knight of the Regina Mundi Council of the Knights of Columbus.
Edward was also an avid golfer and a marathon runner who competed in the New York and Boston marathons.
“Ed was quiet — an introvert. He was intense about his interests like running, golf, or finances. I still miss him,” Father Murphy said.
To read Bishop Sweeney’s column, “Remembering Sept. 11, 2001: What do we Remember?” click here.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
![U.S. bishops urge Supreme Court to allow communities to regulate firearms under Second Amendment #Catholic The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow local communities to regulate firearm ownership, weighing in on a high-profile federal case that could significantly reshape the nation’s gun laws. The case before the high court, Viramontes v. Cook County, concerns a regulation enacted by Cook County, Illinois, banning more than 100 types of semiautomatic weapons, including the popular AR-15 platform.Two plaintiffs, Cutberto Viramontes and Christopher Khaya, sued to dispute the regulations under the Second and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit argues that the Supreme Court should rule on the case “to guarantee fundamental Second Amendment rights and to address the confusion in the lower courts” regarding Supreme Court precedent.In their amicus brief regarding the legal dispute, the U.S. bishops urge the court to “[preserve] the traditional authority of political communities to regulate weapons.” The “autonomy of local authority” is a significant part of “America’s historical tradition of federalism,” the bishops write, comparing it to the long-standing Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which holds that the authority closest to a local need is best suited to tackle the issue. The principle of federalism does not allow for the wholesale redefinition of the Second Amendment, the bishops write. But, they argue, a “uniform constitutional standard need not require uniform firearm policy.” Guns have historically been regulated differently throughout the U.S. depending on the locality, the bishops say, and the U.S. Constitution “does not require every community to exercise … its authority to regulate weapons identically.” The prelates further argue that modern advances in weaponry mean firearms like AR-15s are “fundamentally dissimilar” from the standards of the 18th century; such weapons are “dangerous and unusual,” the bishops suggest, and are thus open to reasonable regulation. Though the issue was brought to trial due to the local regulation, the ultimate question before the Supreme Court is whether the Second Amendment “guarantee[s] the right to possess [the] AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles.” In the past 20 years the Supreme Court has significantly affirmed Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, including in the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, which upheld the right to own a firearm unconnected with service in a state militia. Those rights were broadly expanded in subsequent Supreme Court rulings such as 2010’s McDonald v. Chicago and the 2022 decision NYSRPA v. Bruen. The latter decision upheld a constitutional right to carry firearms for self-defense. In the 2024 decision United States v. Rahimi, on the other hand, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment does allow for individuals to be disarmed if they have been found to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of someone else.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/u-s-bishops-urge-supreme-court-to-allow-communities-to-regulate-firearms-under-second-amendment-catholic-the-u-s-conference-of-catholic-bishops-is-urging-the-u-s-supreme-court-to-allow-local-commu.jpg "U.S. bishops urge Supreme Court to allow communities to regulate firearms under Second Amendment #Catholic The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow local communities to regulate firearm ownership, weighing in on a high-profile federal case that could significantly reshape the nation’s gun laws. The case before the high court, Viramontes v. Cook County, concerns a regulation enacted by Cook County, Illinois, banning more than 100 types of semiautomatic weapons, including the popular AR-15 platform.Two plaintiffs, Cutberto Viramontes and Christopher Khaya, sued to dispute the regulations under the Second and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit argues that the Supreme Court should rule on the case “to guarantee fundamental Second Amendment rights and to address the confusion in the lower courts” regarding Supreme Court precedent.In their amicus brief regarding the legal dispute, the U.S. bishops urge the court to “[preserve] the traditional authority of political communities to regulate weapons.” The “autonomy of local authority” is a significant part of “America’s historical tradition of federalism,” the bishops write, comparing it to the long-standing Catholic principle of subsidiarity, which holds that the authority closest to a local need is best suited to tackle the issue. The principle of federalism does not allow for the wholesale redefinition of the Second Amendment, the bishops write. But, they argue, a “uniform constitutional standard need not require uniform firearm policy.” Guns have historically been regulated differently throughout the U.S. depending on the locality, the bishops say, and the U.S. Constitution “does not require every community to exercise … its authority to regulate weapons identically.” The prelates further argue that modern advances in weaponry mean firearms like AR-15s are “fundamentally dissimilar” from the standards of the 18th century; such weapons are “dangerous and unusual,” the bishops suggest, and are thus open to reasonable regulation. Though the issue was brought to trial due to the local regulation, the ultimate question before the Supreme Court is whether the Second Amendment “guarantee[s] the right to possess [the] AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles.” In the past 20 years the Supreme Court has significantly affirmed Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution, including in the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, which upheld the right to own a firearm unconnected with service in a state militia. Those rights were broadly expanded in subsequent Supreme Court rulings such as 2010’s McDonald v. Chicago and the 2022 decision NYSRPA v. Bruen. The latter decision upheld a constitutional right to carry firearms for self-defense. In the 2024 decision United States v. Rahimi, on the other hand, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment does allow for individuals to be disarmed if they have been found to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of someone else.")
![Faith on the Hill: Catholic members of Congress share how faith shapes their lives and work #Catholic For many of the 150 Catholics serving in the 119th Congress, faith plays an important role in their lives and work.The current number of Catholic lawmakers on Capitol Hill is slightly higher than the previous Congress, with Catholics accounting for more than 28% of the members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Of the Catholic members, 126 serve in the House and 24 in the Senate, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.In this special report, EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales spoke with various Catholic members of Congress about their faith and how they live it in their work.Sen. Eric SchmittSen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, grew up a cradle Catholic and said his parents instilled in him the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ at a young age.“I grew up in St. Louis, which is a very Catholic town and has been referred to as the Rome of the West because per capita, very Catholic,” Schmitt told Rosales.A “conversation back home, it might very easily start … ‘What parish are you at? or ‘What parish did you grow up in?’” Schmitt said.At 17, Schmitt went to a Jesuit retreat house that had a profound impact on him. Later, when his son was born with a rare genetic condition, Schmitt would often return to the Jesuits for prayer.It “was a seed that was planted … when I was confronted with this really kind of difficult situation. I went back there, and it was a profound experience,” he said. “I go back every year. Itʼs a … weekend silent retreat. And that keeps me very rooted.”When working busy days on the Hill, Schmitt said he looks to prayer.“Iʼll listen to a podcast by Bishop [Robert] Barron or Father Michael Schmitz,” he said. “I think technology now too has allowed a different avenue for people to … maintain their faith and grow their faith.”Even “if itʼs five or 10 minutes, it really does help me kind of start the day right,” Schmitt said.Rep. John RutherfordRep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, also spoke about leaning on his faith when working in a hectic position, often by attending Mass and saying the rosary.“In Ephesians 2:10, it says, ‘for we are all Godʼs workmanship, created in the image of Christ Jesus to do good work,’ which he prepared … in advance for us to do,’” Rutherford said. “So heʼs got work out there that heʼs prepared for me to do,” he continued.While Rutherford’s Catholic faith is incorporated into his day-to-day life, he shared that was not always the case. He grew up in the United Methodist Church, but at about 14 years old, “fell away from the church,” he said.After becoming a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, Rutherford’s perspective on faith changed. Witnessing crimes made him question his own mortality.“So I went back to the Bible, and I read the Bible literally cover to cover, not once but twice,” he said.Rutherford returned to the Methodist Church, while his wife and kids attended Catholic Mass. After reading about the Methodist Churchʼs seven principles, he realized he didnʼt agree with them.“It was a long process, but I finally read a book by Pope John Paul II, ‘Crossing the Threshold of Hope,’ and that explained where the authority of the Church is,” Rutherford said. “And how itʼs passed down through the papacy.”After his research, and inspired by the true Church and presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Rutherford entered the Catholic Church.Rep. Mark MessmerRep. Mark Messmer, R-Indiana, said he has spent his life putting God, family, and community first.It was during his time as a state legislator that a colleague invited Messmer and his wife to attend a Cursillo, a retreat focused on showing Christian laity how to become effective leaders and how to use the Gospel in daily life.“It ignited a passion and a love for Christ, and a love for the Eucharist that I always said I wanted. And then it gives you the tools [for] your prayer life, study life, and evangelization, how to live that out on a daily basis,” he said.Messmer said he stays grounded with daily Mass and his Friday morning prayer group. He and his family also all join together for a weekly group call to catch up and join for “spiritual reinforcement.”Rep. Stephanie BiceRep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, converted to Catholicism in college after she started going to Mass with her now husband.Bice served six years in the Oklahoma Senate and later ran for U.S. Congress. She joined a number of women who have been elected over the past two cycles.“Not every woman believes that … you should be able to terminate pregnancies up to birth,” Bice said. “So you had a groundswell of women consider running for congressional seats and Senate seats,” she said.While serving on Capitol Hill, Bice said she turns to prayer and the comfort of the Blessed Mother.“I stumbled across a group of staffers that actually pray the rosary on fly-in days in the morning,” she explained. “I said, ‘Hey, can a member come?’ And they were delighted that I would even ask.”One highlight of her congressional career was meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. The invitation came from Rep. James Langevin, a fellow Catholic and Democrat from Rhode Island.Pope Francis “looked at my husband and I after blessing us both, and he said: ‘Will you pray for me?’ And that was pretty profound,” Bice said.Rep. Robert Onder“Really, my Catholic faith has motivated me my whole life, my whole career, and really motivated in many ways the direction my life has taken,” Rep. Robert Onder, R-Missouri, said.Onder said his faith was present in his work trying to pass a religious liberty bill in the Missouri Senate and through his fight to protect the conscience rights of physicians who are forced to perform abortions.As a medical doctor, Onder detailed the present problem in some states and hospitals, which “want to force physicians to participate in abortions, participate in vitro fertilization or artificial contraception, and, of course, more recently, participate in euthanasia.”Onder said his political service has been motivated by love of God, family, and country. He said he stays rooted in faith by attending daily Mass. He said he also enjoys talking with other lawmakers about their love for Christ.“Speaker [Mike] Johnson is absolutely a brother in the Christian faith and a very, very strong believer,” Onder said. “It does give me a lot hope and a lot of encouragement to serve with other people who really take their faith seriously.”Rep. Riley MooreRep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, said his Catholic faith is “is the most important thing” in his life.“It forms me — every decision I make, everything that I do here on the Hill, it is central to my life. Iʼm always praying to be able to deepen my faith, be a strong family man, and then also my service.”“So itʼs my faith, my family, my service to my state, my country. But faith comes first.”“Canʼt always be easy to discern Godʼs will, particularly in a place that is more about individual will and not Godʼs will,” Moore said. “Iʼm trying to re-center myself towards that. Thatʼs that gravitational pull for me that Iʼm always trying to get back to.”Moore started as a Hill staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, working under the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois. One of his priorities is drawing attention to the persecution of Christians around the world, especially in Nigeria.While in Nigeria, “I met a woman who had had all five of her children murdered, murdered by Islamic terrorists,” Moore said. “I met another woman who had her two daughters and husband killed right in front of her, and then they killed her unborn child.”“As we know and weʼve heard many times, and itʼs so true that there is salvation through suffering. I think that … their suffering offers us salvation as well by doing something here,” he said.House Majority Whip Tom EmmerMajority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Emmer discussed how his faith was largely inspired by his family, including his father, who attended daily Mass.“The example that they set is, I believe, why I am who I am,” said Emmer, R-Minnesota.Emmer also detailed the trials of his faith, including the loss of his sister Bridget, who died of breast cancer at 38 years old.Emmer said he was angry at the Lord and had doubts about Godʼs will because of his sisterʼs suffering. A conversation with Bridget during her chemotherapy treatment was a pivotal moment for him and his faith.“She looked at me and she said, ‘Tom, would I love to live forever? Absolutely. But Iʼm not going to,’” he explained. His sister added: “I have lived a good life. If God comes and calls me today, so be it.”Emmer said her words brought him away from his own anger with the Lord. Now his message to others is to put God first while living each moment to the fullest.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/faith-on-the-hill-catholic-members-of-congress-share-how-faith-shapes-their-lives-and-work-catholic-for-many-of-the-150-catholics-serving-in-the-119th-congress-faith-plays-an-important-role-in-thei-scaled.jpg "Faith on the Hill: Catholic members of Congress share how faith shapes their lives and work #Catholic For many of the 150 Catholics serving in the 119th Congress, faith plays an important role in their lives and work.The current number of Catholic lawmakers on Capitol Hill is slightly higher than the previous Congress, with Catholics accounting for more than 28% of the members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Of the Catholic members, 126 serve in the House and 24 in the Senate, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.In this special report, EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales spoke with various Catholic members of Congress about their faith and how they live it in their work.Sen. Eric SchmittSen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, grew up a cradle Catholic and said his parents instilled in him the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ at a young age.“I grew up in St. Louis, which is a very Catholic town and has been referred to as the Rome of the West because per capita, very Catholic,” Schmitt told Rosales.A “conversation back home, it might very easily start … ‘What parish are you at? or ‘What parish did you grow up in?’” Schmitt said.At 17, Schmitt went to a Jesuit retreat house that had a profound impact on him. Later, when his son was born with a rare genetic condition, Schmitt would often return to the Jesuits for prayer.It “was a seed that was planted … when I was confronted with this really kind of difficult situation. I went back there, and it was a profound experience,” he said. “I go back every year. Itʼs a … weekend silent retreat. And that keeps me very rooted.”When working busy days on the Hill, Schmitt said he looks to prayer.“Iʼll listen to a podcast by Bishop [Robert] Barron or Father Michael Schmitz,” he said. “I think technology now too has allowed a different avenue for people to … maintain their faith and grow their faith.”Even “if itʼs five or 10 minutes, it really does help me kind of start the day right,” Schmitt said.Rep. John RutherfordRep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, also spoke about leaning on his faith when working in a hectic position, often by attending Mass and saying the rosary.“In Ephesians 2:10, it says, ‘for we are all Godʼs workmanship, created in the image of Christ Jesus to do good work,’ which he prepared … in advance for us to do,’” Rutherford said. “So heʼs got work out there that heʼs prepared for me to do,” he continued.While Rutherford’s Catholic faith is incorporated into his day-to-day life, he shared that was not always the case. He grew up in the United Methodist Church, but at about 14 years old, “fell away from the church,” he said.After becoming a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, Rutherford’s perspective on faith changed. Witnessing crimes made him question his own mortality.“So I went back to the Bible, and I read the Bible literally cover to cover, not once but twice,” he said.Rutherford returned to the Methodist Church, while his wife and kids attended Catholic Mass. After reading about the Methodist Churchʼs seven principles, he realized he didnʼt agree with them.“It was a long process, but I finally read a book by Pope John Paul II, ‘Crossing the Threshold of Hope,’ and that explained where the authority of the Church is,” Rutherford said. “And how itʼs passed down through the papacy.”After his research, and inspired by the true Church and presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Rutherford entered the Catholic Church.Rep. Mark MessmerRep. Mark Messmer, R-Indiana, said he has spent his life putting God, family, and community first.It was during his time as a state legislator that a colleague invited Messmer and his wife to attend a Cursillo, a retreat focused on showing Christian laity how to become effective leaders and how to use the Gospel in daily life.“It ignited a passion and a love for Christ, and a love for the Eucharist that I always said I wanted. And then it gives you the tools [for] your prayer life, study life, and evangelization, how to live that out on a daily basis,” he said.Messmer said he stays grounded with daily Mass and his Friday morning prayer group. He and his family also all join together for a weekly group call to catch up and join for “spiritual reinforcement.”Rep. Stephanie BiceRep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, converted to Catholicism in college after she started going to Mass with her now husband.Bice served six years in the Oklahoma Senate and later ran for U.S. Congress. She joined a number of women who have been elected over the past two cycles.“Not every woman believes that … you should be able to terminate pregnancies up to birth,” Bice said. “So you had a groundswell of women consider running for congressional seats and Senate seats,” she said.While serving on Capitol Hill, Bice said she turns to prayer and the comfort of the Blessed Mother.“I stumbled across a group of staffers that actually pray the rosary on fly-in days in the morning,” she explained. “I said, ‘Hey, can a member come?’ And they were delighted that I would even ask.”One highlight of her congressional career was meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. The invitation came from Rep. James Langevin, a fellow Catholic and Democrat from Rhode Island.Pope Francis “looked at my husband and I after blessing us both, and he said: ‘Will you pray for me?’ And that was pretty profound,” Bice said.Rep. Robert Onder“Really, my Catholic faith has motivated me my whole life, my whole career, and really motivated in many ways the direction my life has taken,” Rep. Robert Onder, R-Missouri, said.Onder said his faith was present in his work trying to pass a religious liberty bill in the Missouri Senate and through his fight to protect the conscience rights of physicians who are forced to perform abortions.As a medical doctor, Onder detailed the present problem in some states and hospitals, which “want to force physicians to participate in abortions, participate in vitro fertilization or artificial contraception, and, of course, more recently, participate in euthanasia.”Onder said his political service has been motivated by love of God, family, and country. He said he stays rooted in faith by attending daily Mass. He said he also enjoys talking with other lawmakers about their love for Christ.“Speaker [Mike] Johnson is absolutely a brother in the Christian faith and a very, very strong believer,” Onder said. “It does give me a lot hope and a lot of encouragement to serve with other people who really take their faith seriously.”Rep. Riley MooreRep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, said his Catholic faith is “is the most important thing” in his life.“It forms me — every decision I make, everything that I do here on the Hill, it is central to my life. Iʼm always praying to be able to deepen my faith, be a strong family man, and then also my service.”“So itʼs my faith, my family, my service to my state, my country. But faith comes first.”“Canʼt always be easy to discern Godʼs will, particularly in a place that is more about individual will and not Godʼs will,” Moore said. “Iʼm trying to re-center myself towards that. Thatʼs that gravitational pull for me that Iʼm always trying to get back to.”Moore started as a Hill staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, working under the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois. One of his priorities is drawing attention to the persecution of Christians around the world, especially in Nigeria.While in Nigeria, “I met a woman who had had all five of her children murdered, murdered by Islamic terrorists,” Moore said. “I met another woman who had her two daughters and husband killed right in front of her, and then they killed her unborn child.”“As we know and weʼve heard many times, and itʼs so true that there is salvation through suffering. I think that … their suffering offers us salvation as well by doing something here,” he said.House Majority Whip Tom EmmerMajority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Emmer discussed how his faith was largely inspired by his family, including his father, who attended daily Mass.“The example that they set is, I believe, why I am who I am,” said Emmer, R-Minnesota.Emmer also detailed the trials of his faith, including the loss of his sister Bridget, who died of breast cancer at 38 years old.Emmer said he was angry at the Lord and had doubts about Godʼs will because of his sisterʼs suffering. A conversation with Bridget during her chemotherapy treatment was a pivotal moment for him and his faith.“She looked at me and she said, ‘Tom, would I love to live forever? Absolutely. But Iʼm not going to,’” he explained. His sister added: “I have lived a good life. If God comes and calls me today, so be it.”Emmer said her words brought him away from his own anger with the Lord. Now his message to others is to put God first while living each moment to the fullest.")
