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106-year-old nun continues serving in the cloister and sharing the Gospel on YouTube #Catholic Sister Anna Maria of the Sacred Heart, an Italian nun, turned 106 on March 14 at her monastery near Milan, where she continues to serve her sick sisters and share reflections on the Gospel on YouTube.Still lucid “in thought and word,” and with 36 years of life in cloister, the nun belongs to the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, the Italian newspaper Il Giorno reported. Despite her advanced age, she continues to participate daily in Eucharistic adoration even during the night and assists in the monastery’s infirmary, caring for elderly or ailing nuns.Her birthday celebration took place with a Mass of Thanksgiving and a gathering with family members, experienced through the grilles of the cloister where Sister Anna Maria remains dedicated to prayer.“I do this like so many other things, out of love for Jesus who continually asks me to love my neighbor,” the religious, whose name before entering the convent was Anna Perfumo, said in a video shared by her community.“The years are many, but … with patience, God’s will shall be fulfilled. Pray for me, and I will always remember you on earth and in heaven,” she added.According to Il Giorno, the nun’s life was marked by hardships from the very beginning. At 4 months old, she contracted bronchopneumonia — a condition that was practically fatal in 1920 — and at age 4 she came down with scurvy, a disease that was incurable at that time. “The doctor told my mother: ‘I won’t be coming back tomorrow, because the child will be dead.’ Yet I was miraculously healed,” she said.Before entering the monastery, she worked for years as a governess and schoolteacher in addition to caring for elderly and infirm priests. Nevertheless, she always harbored in her heart the desire to consecrate herself to God in the contemplative life.That longing was finally realized at the age of 70, following the death of her mother. After several attempts, she was admitted to the Adorers’ monastery in Genoa, from where she would be transferred years later to Seregno, where she currently lives.In a video, Sister Anna Maria expressed her gratitude for the expressions of affection she had received and spoke about her late vocation: “It’s true; I had to wait quite a long time before fulfilling God’s will. But when it is God who desires something, it will always come to pass. That’s why one must have great confidence, great faith, great hope, and great patience.”In her message, she also shared a reflection on the passage of time and on faithfulness: “My grandfather used to tell us that it’s faithfulness that keeps us young and that it’s necessary to keep our eyes and souls open to what is beautiful, good, and true; in this way, one will experience a serene old age. Love keeps the heart young.”Finally, she extended a greeting for the Easter season: “Life is Christ — the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May the Lord grant you peace and joy… and also peace among peoples, for the sake of fraternity among nations.”The Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament are a contemplative, cloistered order of women whose life is centered on the continuous adoration of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Their mission is to intercede for the Church and the world from the silence of the monastery, offering their lives as a constant prayer.The congregation was founded in 1807 in Rome by Blessed Maria Magdalena of the Incarnation (Caterina Sordini) with the charism of Eucharistic adoration.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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106-year-old nun continues serving in the cloister and sharing the Gospel on YouTube #Catholic Sister Anna Maria of the Sacred Heart, an Italian nun, turned 106 on March 14 at her monastery near Milan, where she continues to serve her sick sisters and share reflections on the Gospel on YouTube.Still lucid “in thought and word,” and with 36 years of life in cloister, the nun belongs to the Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, the Italian newspaper Il Giorno reported. Despite her advanced age, she continues to participate daily in Eucharistic adoration even during the night and assists in the monastery’s infirmary, caring for elderly or ailing nuns.Her birthday celebration took place with a Mass of Thanksgiving and a gathering with family members, experienced through the grilles of the cloister where Sister Anna Maria remains dedicated to prayer.“I do this like so many other things, out of love for Jesus who continually asks me to love my neighbor,” the religious, whose name before entering the convent was Anna Perfumo, said in a video shared by her community.“The years are many, but … with patience, God’s will shall be fulfilled. Pray for me, and I will always remember you on earth and in heaven,” she added.According to Il Giorno, the nun’s life was marked by hardships from the very beginning. At 4 months old, she contracted bronchopneumonia — a condition that was practically fatal in 1920 — and at age 4 she came down with scurvy, a disease that was incurable at that time. “The doctor told my mother: ‘I won’t be coming back tomorrow, because the child will be dead.’ Yet I was miraculously healed,” she said.Before entering the monastery, she worked for years as a governess and schoolteacher in addition to caring for elderly and infirm priests. Nevertheless, she always harbored in her heart the desire to consecrate herself to God in the contemplative life.That longing was finally realized at the age of 70, following the death of her mother. After several attempts, she was admitted to the Adorers’ monastery in Genoa, from where she would be transferred years later to Seregno, where she currently lives.In a video, Sister Anna Maria expressed her gratitude for the expressions of affection she had received and spoke about her late vocation: “It’s true; I had to wait quite a long time before fulfilling God’s will. But when it is God who desires something, it will always come to pass. That’s why one must have great confidence, great faith, great hope, and great patience.”In her message, she also shared a reflection on the passage of time and on faithfulness: “My grandfather used to tell us that it’s faithfulness that keeps us young and that it’s necessary to keep our eyes and souls open to what is beautiful, good, and true; in this way, one will experience a serene old age. Love keeps the heart young.”Finally, she extended a greeting for the Easter season: “Life is Christ — the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May the Lord grant you peace and joy… and also peace among peoples, for the sake of fraternity among nations.”The Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament are a contemplative, cloistered order of women whose life is centered on the continuous adoration of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Their mission is to intercede for the Church and the world from the silence of the monastery, offering their lives as a constant prayer.The congregation was founded in 1807 in Rome by Blessed Maria Magdalena of the Incarnation (Caterina Sordini) with the charism of Eucharistic adoration.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Sister Anna Maria shares about her late-in-life vocation, some wisdom on living a long life, and how her advanced age has not stopped the elderly nun from keeping active.

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U.S. clergy celebrate Masses in detention centers, urging humane treatment #Catholic U.S. Catholic clergy are bringing the sacraments to the nation’s immigrant detention centers, celebrating Masses and urging humane treatment for those held inside. As part of this effort, pastoral visits are aimed at ensuring detainees can access the Eucharist and receive spiritual support.In California, Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno is set to celebrate Mass on Feb. 15 at the California City Detention Facility, the state’s largest ICE center. While the diocese regularly provides sacraments in prisons and detention sites, this will be Brennan’s first Mass inside an ICE facility.In Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland issued a Feb. 12 statement stressing the Church’s duty to safeguard detainees’ access to the sacraments and voicing concern about large‑scale deportations. “I just feel very strongly about this, that there has to be a better solution to solving the immigration problems we have in the United States,” he said.In December 2025, seven bishops celebrated Mass at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California.Chandler Marquez, director of public affairs and innovation at the Fresno Diocese, told EWTN News that there are “people who are in the facility [who] want the sacrament — they want the spiritual accompaniment,” which they are not able to access as frequently while in detention.Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Brian Nunes and Father Kris Sorenson, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in California City, will join for the Mass.With President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts still ongoing, Marquez said “the current climate has certainly motivated” Brennan’s decision to celebrate Mass at the facility. He said the bishop has been “vocal about the promotion of human dignity” for migrants.In January 2025, Brennan issued an open letter on “immigration challenges,” in which he said “it seemed as if we took a step back as a society, and the old days of immigration sweeps were upon us once again” when he saw the uptick of immigration enforcement within his diocese.“Our people are being asked to produce proof of citizenship, and it seems as if the request is based on how they look and how they speak,” he said at the time. “That is not, by way of example, going after hardened criminals or drug dealers which, I hope, none of us would take exception to. It is going after people who, rightly or wrongly, were allowed to cross a border and who are now being subjected to tactics that are causing much fear and anxiety among my people. It is an insult to human dignity, and it is simply wrong.” Bishop Joseph V. Brennan of Fresno, California. | Credit: Screenshot of Diocese of Fresno YouTube video Marquez noted the diocese has the largest detention facility and the “largest amount of prisons and detention centers” in the state, which is why the ministry at prisons and detention centers is “a very, very big part of our diocese.”“Our chaplains have a great relationship with the prisons and detention centers within our dioceses,” he said, adding that the diocese has not run into problems gaining access to the facilities to provide religious services.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates ICE, said it encourages clergy to request accommodations for religious services at long-term ICE detention centers.Catholic clergy ran into obstacles several times last year when trying to administer sacraments at an ICE field office in Broadview, Illinois, where detainees are processed. A federal judge said Feb. 12 that DHS must provide accommodations to ensure Catholic clergy could provide ashes and Communion for detainees on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.
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U.S. clergy celebrate Masses in detention centers, urging humane treatment #Catholic U.S. Catholic clergy are bringing the sacraments to the nation’s immigrant detention centers, celebrating Masses and urging humane treatment for those held inside. As part of this effort, pastoral visits are aimed at ensuring detainees can access the Eucharist and receive spiritual support.In California, Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno is set to celebrate Mass on Feb. 15 at the California City Detention Facility, the state’s largest ICE center. While the diocese regularly provides sacraments in prisons and detention sites, this will be Brennan’s first Mass inside an ICE facility.In Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland issued a Feb. 12 statement stressing the Church’s duty to safeguard detainees’ access to the sacraments and voicing concern about large‑scale deportations. “I just feel very strongly about this, that there has to be a better solution to solving the immigration problems we have in the United States,” he said.In December 2025, seven bishops celebrated Mass at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California.Chandler Marquez, director of public affairs and innovation at the Fresno Diocese, told EWTN News that there are “people who are in the facility [who] want the sacrament — they want the spiritual accompaniment,” which they are not able to access as frequently while in detention.Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Brian Nunes and Father Kris Sorenson, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in California City, will join for the Mass.With President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts still ongoing, Marquez said “the current climate has certainly motivated” Brennan’s decision to celebrate Mass at the facility. He said the bishop has been “vocal about the promotion of human dignity” for migrants.In January 2025, Brennan issued an open letter on “immigration challenges,” in which he said “it seemed as if we took a step back as a society, and the old days of immigration sweeps were upon us once again” when he saw the uptick of immigration enforcement within his diocese.“Our people are being asked to produce proof of citizenship, and it seems as if the request is based on how they look and how they speak,” he said at the time. “That is not, by way of example, going after hardened criminals or drug dealers which, I hope, none of us would take exception to. It is going after people who, rightly or wrongly, were allowed to cross a border and who are now being subjected to tactics that are causing much fear and anxiety among my people. It is an insult to human dignity, and it is simply wrong.” Bishop Joseph V. Brennan of Fresno, California. | Credit: Screenshot of Diocese of Fresno YouTube video Marquez noted the diocese has the largest detention facility and the “largest amount of prisons and detention centers” in the state, which is why the ministry at prisons and detention centers is “a very, very big part of our diocese.”“Our chaplains have a great relationship with the prisons and detention centers within our dioceses,” he said, adding that the diocese has not run into problems gaining access to the facilities to provide religious services.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which operates ICE, said it encourages clergy to request accommodations for religious services at long-term ICE detention centers.Catholic clergy ran into obstacles several times last year when trying to administer sacraments at an ICE field office in Broadview, Illinois, where detainees are processed. A federal judge said Feb. 12 that DHS must provide accommodations to ensure Catholic clergy could provide ashes and Communion for detainees on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.

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Archbishop Alexander Sample issued a statement stressing the Church’s duty to safeguard detainees’ access to the sacraments.

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Season 3 of EWTN hit series ‘James the Less’ to be released Feb. 14 #Catholic The third season of the award-winning online EWTN series “James the Less” will be released on Saturday, Feb. 14, on the EWTN YouTube channel.The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job. James is an atheist. However, a “help wanted” sign on the church bulletin board catches his eye and entices him to interview for the position: handyman.James accepts the position at St. James the Less Church and starts to encounter Catholicism. Soon, James finds his ideals challenged by the no-nonsense pastor Father Lambert Burns and through his romantic pursuit of parishioner Anne-Marie.The second season showed James’ growing interest in Catholicism and more questions were answered regarding Anne-Marie’s mysterious past.James is played by Catholic artist and missionary Tanner Kalina, who has participated in ministries such as FOCUS, Ascension Presents, NET, and others.Kalina told EWTN News that in Season 3 viewers can “expect some closure in the story of James and what happens and all the open-ended questions that we have. I think you can find some very satisfying answers.”While filming these three seasons of the series, Kalina shared that the best part has been working with all those involved, “who put a lot of heart and creativity and fun and joy and prayer into it all and by the end everyone became a good, loving family.”He also pointed out that he has learned a lot from James while portraying him, including that the “faith is vibrant.”“It’s just a good reminder that inside all of our hearts we’re aching and longing for the Lord and we’re longing for a guide to just invite us and to bring us to the Lord,” he added. “So playing James has kind of reawakened that reality to me … and that when we just speak truth and when we just put someone in front of Jesus, then it awakens something very deep within someone.”Kalina also pointed out the recent growth in interest among Gen Z in the Catholic faith and the need to provide these individuals with “good content that is rooted in the truth of the faith, that’s rooted in the joy of the faith, and that is something that actually not only feeds the intellect and feeds the time and feeds the scroll, but really feeds the heart.”“So, my hope is that as the younger generation stumbles upon this, it can be an avenue that they can find good content that really feeds them,” he added.He also said he hopes viewers are left “smiling” after watching the series.“I hope that they’re having fun and falling in love with these characters and recognizing that like, ‘Oh yeah, our faith is a great treasure’ and it’s not just like another option amongst options, but we are sitting atop a mound of gold that needs to be shared with the world.”Watch the Season 3 trailer below.
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Season 3 of EWTN hit series ‘James the Less’ to be released Feb. 14 #Catholic The third season of the award-winning online EWTN series “James the Less” will be released on Saturday, Feb. 14, on the EWTN YouTube channel.The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job. James is an atheist. However, a “help wanted” sign on the church bulletin board catches his eye and entices him to interview for the position: handyman.James accepts the position at St. James the Less Church and starts to encounter Catholicism. Soon, James finds his ideals challenged by the no-nonsense pastor Father Lambert Burns and through his romantic pursuit of parishioner Anne-Marie.The second season showed James’ growing interest in Catholicism and more questions were answered regarding Anne-Marie’s mysterious past.James is played by Catholic artist and missionary Tanner Kalina, who has participated in ministries such as FOCUS, Ascension Presents, NET, and others.Kalina told EWTN News that in Season 3 viewers can “expect some closure in the story of James and what happens and all the open-ended questions that we have. I think you can find some very satisfying answers.”While filming these three seasons of the series, Kalina shared that the best part has been working with all those involved, “who put a lot of heart and creativity and fun and joy and prayer into it all and by the end everyone became a good, loving family.”He also pointed out that he has learned a lot from James while portraying him, including that the “faith is vibrant.”“It’s just a good reminder that inside all of our hearts we’re aching and longing for the Lord and we’re longing for a guide to just invite us and to bring us to the Lord,” he added. “So playing James has kind of reawakened that reality to me … and that when we just speak truth and when we just put someone in front of Jesus, then it awakens something very deep within someone.”Kalina also pointed out the recent growth in interest among Gen Z in the Catholic faith and the need to provide these individuals with “good content that is rooted in the truth of the faith, that’s rooted in the joy of the faith, and that is something that actually not only feeds the intellect and feeds the time and feeds the scroll, but really feeds the heart.”“So, my hope is that as the younger generation stumbles upon this, it can be an avenue that they can find good content that really feeds them,” he added.He also said he hopes viewers are left “smiling” after watching the series.“I hope that they’re having fun and falling in love with these characters and recognizing that like, ‘Oh yeah, our faith is a great treasure’ and it’s not just like another option amongst options, but we are sitting atop a mound of gold that needs to be shared with the world.”Watch the Season 3 trailer below.

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The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job.

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