United Yam – You Never Know

This Small Town Is Known as ‘Gingerbread City’ for Its Victorian Charm—and It’s Just 30 Minutes From Dallas #Travel For the record, it’s pronounced “woks-uh-hatch-ee.”

unitedyam July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

For the record, it’s pronounced “woks-uh-hatch-ee.”

unitedyam July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

Picture of the day

Adult woman of the Laarim Tribe smoking in a pipe, Kimotong, South Sudan.

unitedyam July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of a production cell inside the main factory building into a detached test building on a separate portion of the 829-acre site.

U.S. Ambassador clarifies view on pope’s role in politics, war after Vatican response – #Catholic – After the Vatican reframed statements that U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch made to The New York Times, the ambassador has clarified that he understands Pope Leo XIV’s role as a head of state is “inseparable” from his role as the universal shepherd of the Church.During a July 23 interview with the EWTN News program “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” Burch clarified that his July 9 comments to the Times were not meant to imply that Leo’s statements about Iran war policy should be seen as simply diplomatic — rather than spiritual — guidance.“I think thereʼs a misunderstanding,” Burch explained. “… [The role of] the pope as the universal sovereign of the Holy See and as the universal pastor — a pastor of the universal Church — is inseparable.”The controversy stemmed from a quotation in the Times article in which Burch said: “When the pope acts as the sovereign leader of the Holy See, he is coequal with world leaders.” The article also paraphrased Burch’s position by saying the ambassador argued that the pope’s comments about the Iran war were not made as the vicar of Christ but rather as the political leader of the Vatican City State.Without naming Burch, the Editorial Director for the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli, subsequently wrote a July 13 op-ed saying that “even when he speaks about war and peace … the Successor of Peter remains, above all, a spiritual leader.” Even though Leo is a head of state, he wrote, this “does not mean that he acts or speaks as a politician when addressing issues concerning the affairs of humanity.”In his interview with Arroyo, Burch disputed the Times’ characterization of his views, saying the outlet “doesnʼt exactly understand the nuances of Catholic social teaching and how to apply it.”“The pope has this dual role,” Burch said. “He is both the head of the sovereign territory of the Holy See, which has diplomatic relations with the world, but inseparable from that is his role as the universal pastor of the Catholic Church. And when he acts, he certainly acts in such a way to call the world to these high moral principles, to the ideals of … how [humanity] ought to live together.”At the same time, Burch insisted that “there are some very difficult, contingent, practical matters” that play into decisions about going to war, which he said “is the responsibility of the prudential wisdom of those responsible for the common good,” which are political leaders like President Trump.“I tried to explain [to the Times] where there are certain prudential questions,” Burch said. “For example, what does the intelligence information tell us about the situation in Iran? Where is the dialogue at? What [do] the regional alliances look like? What [does] the war game scenario implicate?”“These are very contingent, prudential questions that inform this question on the legitimate use of force,” he added. “And I think, to the Holy Fatherʼs credit, he is the universal shepherd that is calling humanity to this high ideal to try to resolve these sorts of conflicts without violence, without the use of force.”Burch told Arroyo that he does not see disagreement between Trump and Leo on the intended end goal: “Thereʼs no disagreement on peace, on disarming Iran, on the need for interreligious dialogue, for religious freedom.”“Where the challenge comes is the means to get there,” Burch said. He added that it’s not “a surprise, nor a shock, nor an unwelcome message from the Holy Father that we ought to seek peace, that we ought to seek ways to resolve these sorts of conflicts without the use of force.”“But as you know, original sin exists, and there are evil people in this world with evil intentions that, if they arenʼt stopped, certainly could do enormous damage, catastrophic damage, in the world,” the ambassador emphasized.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 24, 2026

Burch said his recent comments to the New York Times were not meant to imply that Pope Leo’s statements about the Iran war should be seen as simply diplomatic — rather than spiritual — guidance.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 24, 2026

O God, Who did cause the children of Israel
to traverse the Red Sea dryshod;
Thou Who did point out by a star to the Magi
the road that led them to Thee;
grant us we beseech Thee,
a prosperous journey and propitious weather;
so that, under the guidance of Thy holy angels
we may safely reach that journey’s end,
and later the haven of eternal salvation.

Hear, O Lord,
the prayers of Thy servants.
Bless their journeyings.
Thou Who art everywhere present,
shower …

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

Gerald Rhemann, taken from Farm Tivoli, Namibia The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is a planetary nebula around 650 light-years away in Aquarius, the glowing remains of a dying, Sun-like star’s outer layers. They now surround a hot white dwarf left at the nebula’s center. The imager captured about 24.3 hours of exposure in Hα/OIII/LRGB filtersContinue reading “A glowing eye”

The post A glowing eye appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Survey assesses impact of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain last month made a profound impact on the Spanish people, according to a survey commissioned by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.Conducted online by GAD3 with more than 5,000 of registered participants and volunteers involved in the apostolic journey, 97% held a positive or very positive view of the pontiff’s visit to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands that took place June 6–12.Fifty-seven percent of respondents acknowledged that, prior to the popeʼs arrival in Spain, their knowledge of the person, biography, and apostolic message of Leo XIV was limited. That number dropped to 14% following the visit.The vast majority of registered participants and volunteers indicated that the presence of the vicar of Christ in Spain has strengthened their desire to help improve the world, deepen their personal relationship with God, and reinforce their commitment to the Church.The visit has also contributed very positively to a better understanding of the person of Jesus Christ and the Church.Among the emotions most frequently experienced during the days of the papal visit to the country, respondents highlighted joy, enthusiasm, hope, peace, a sense of unity with others, spiritual connection, and pride.The popeʼs most impactful messagesAmong the messages from Pope Leo XIV that had the greatest impact were “the importance of prayer and a personal encounter with God” (19%); “the importance of living out oneʼs faith with joy and hope” (17%); “the call to serve and help others” (13%); and “building peace through dialogue, listening, and reconciliation” (12%).Among the least highlighted messages were “the value of volunteering” (1%), “the dialogue between faith, culture, and art” (2%), and “welcoming and integrating migrants and vulnerable people” (7%) even though a significant part of the pope’s visit and his messages involved the migration situation in Spain.Resolutions following the visitAfter the pope’s visit to Spain, the survey participants made personal resolutions, including “trying to live with more hope or joy” (45%), “attending more to my spiritual life” (41%), “trying to help others more” (30%), and “talking more about my faith with others” (28%).Likewise, many have committed to “spending more time in prayer” (27%), “considering an important decision,” “participating in my parish or community,” or “becoming more committed to the Church” (11%).Digital impactThe vast majority of participants read or listened to digital content about the pope after the visit (91%) or shared photos and videos of the visit via WhatsApp (89%).Seven out of 10 forwarded messages, quotes, or videos of the pope via WhatsApp or Telegram, while slightly more than half sought out and followed new social media profiles related to the pontiff or the visit, or shared content in parish, volunteer, or attendee groups.Furthermore, 55% used Instagram, 24% YouTube, 1 in 5 Facebook, 14% TikTok, and only 10% used X. More than a quarter of the respondents did not use social media.Overall, 91% felt that media coverage accurately reflected the experience to a great or significant extent.The group of registrants and volunteers consisted of 39% men and 61% women, with an average age of 36; 22% of those attending the various events were under the age of 18.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.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 24, 2026

Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to Spain was well received by attendees and volunteers, with 97% reporting a positive or very positive view.

Man who killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman receives consecutive life sentences – #Catholic – Vance Boelter was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years for shooting one Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and killing another and her husband last year.Boelter, 58, was sentenced after pleading guilty to stalking and murdering former Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, in their Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, home on June 14, 2025.Melissa Hortman was a Catholic who once taught Sunday school and volunteered in her parish’s children’s faith formation program.She and her husband “had been a part of the St. Timothy Parish community,” Father Joe Whalen, the pastor of the Blaine, Minnesota, parish, said in a statement following the murders.U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim sentenced Boelter in federal court on July 23. Boelter was also sentenced for the stalking and shooting of Sen. John Hoffman, D-Minnesota, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, and the attempted shooting of their daughter Hope Hoffman, who all survived Boelter’s attack in their Champlin, Minnesota, home.Boelter previously pleaded guilty June 11 to the six charges including two stalkings, two murders through use of a firearm, and two federal firearm-shooting offenses. Through his plea agreement, Boelter was able to avoid the possibility of the death penalty.“Vance Boelter’s crimes rank among the most horrific this office has ever prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a press release.“Today, the United States ensured that Boelter will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of release. Those who commit political violence at any level should take heed that the Department of Justice will seek and obtain the longest prison terms available for their crimes,” he said.In a statement following the attacks, Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, recalled meeting both Hortman and Hoffman at the state capitol a few months before the shootings during a meeting of bishops with state leaders.“I was deeply impressed by both,” Barron said in a statement. “Rep. Hortman listened to us with sharp intelligence and acute attention.”Both lawmakers also met regularly with the local Catholic bishops, according to Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 24, 2026

Vance Boelter was sentenced for the murder of Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Catholic lawmaker who once taught Sunday school and volunteered in her parish’s children’s faith formation program.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 24, 2026

The priest said “the human heart is made to worship” and warned that if it “does not worship God, it will worship something else: success, the body, money, or a soccer team.”

Ann Teresa O’Neill, healed in Seton canonization miracle, dies at 78 #Catholic Ann Teresa O’Neill, whose confirmed miracle led to the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, died on July 17 at age 78.O’Neill, of Easton, Maryland, had leukemia as a child, and her cure was accepted for Seton’s path to sainthood in 1975.Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore will serve as the principal celebrant for O’Neill’s funeral Mass on July 25 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Interment will follow on the grounds of the shrine.“Ann O’Neill spent more than seventy years answering questions about a miracle,” Rob Judge, executive director of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, said in a statement following her death. “Yet, if you talked with her for any length of time, you discovered she wasn’t really interested in talking about miracles.”“She wanted to talk about her mother’s faith. She wanted to talk about Mother Seton. Mostly, she wanted to talk about Jesus,” he said.

She wanted to talk about her mother’s faith. She wanted to talk about Mother Seton. Mostly, she wanted to talk about Jesus. That may be the clearest evidence of why God chose her life to become part of one of the most important stories in American Catholic history.”

Rob JudgeExecutive director of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“That may be the clearest evidence of why God chose her life to become part of one of the most important stories in American Catholic history,” he said.“The saints are like our friends,” O’Neill said in an interview with the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Catholic Review in 2025. “Mother Seton was my mother’s friend. She’s my friend. And because we’re Catholic, we have a lot of friends in heaven.”Born on Oct. 7, 1947, O’Neill was the daughter of the late Felixena OʼNeill and the late William Richard OʼNeill.She is survived by her children, Joseph Hooe, Gerard Hooe, and Mary Alice Zawodny, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a funeral notice said. She was preceded in death by her son Robert Eugene Hooe Jr. The miracle that helped Mother Seton become a saintBorn in Baltimore, O’Neill developed advanced leukemia as a young girl in 1952. Despite doctors trying every treatment, she grew more sick and her case was considered hopeless.During Holy Week, it was expected that the 4-year-old girl would pass within a few weeks.While her family prepared for her loss, Sister Mary Alice Fowler, supervisor of the children’s ward at St. Agnes Hospital, gave O’Neill’s mother prayers for Seton’s intercession and had her give them to relatives and friends.She pinned a cloth that had touched Seton’s remains to O’Neill’s hospital gown. Family members, friends, and other religious leaders began a novena for O’Neill.On Good Friday in 1952, with her daughter’s condition deteriorating, O’Neill’s mother took her to Mother Seton’s resting place in Emmitsburg — where Seton started the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first community for religious women established in the U.S., and the first Catholic school for girls.Against doctors’ wishes, O’Neill’s parents drove her to Emmitsburg, laid her on Seton’s tomb in the cemetery, and took her inside Mother Seton’s house where the saint had died of tuberculosis in 1821.Once her mother returned O’Neill to the hospital, doctors performed blood work and testing. On Easter Monday her blood count was normal. Constant tests over the following years showed her health to be normal.O’Neillʼs cure was accepted for Seton’s path to sainthood. Pope Paul VI officially canonized Mother Seton on Sept. 14, 1975, the ceremony for which O’Neill attended in Rome.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 24, 2026

As a young girl, Ann Teresa O’Neill’s miraculous cure from leukemia was accepted as a miracle to advance St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s path to sainthood.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

Pope Leo takes road trip to mountainside shrines during his summer vacation #Catholic –

ROME (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV took a road trip pilgrimage with his older brother to the scenic mountainside Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra July 22 before stopping to pray in the Holy Cave in Subiaco, where a young St. Benedict sought refuge from the corruption of Rome in the early sixth century.

The Vatican said the pope traveled by car from Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending a few weeks in July, to the remote mountain sanctuary near the Italian region of Abruzzo, a roughly two-hour drive from Castel Gandolfo on winding mountain roads, then continued on to the Benedictine monasteries of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica in nearby Subiaco.

It was the second surprise pilgrimage the pope has made this week during his summer vacation. On July 20, he visited the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino, where he prayed for peace at the tomb of St. Benedict.

The Holy Trinity sanctuary sits more than 4,500 feet up Mount Autore, on the border of Italy’s Lazio and Abruzzo regions. Built into the rock itself, the shrine draws many pilgrims, who climb the mountain trails on foot, carrying banners each year in the days after Pentecost leading up to Trinity Sunday.

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Inside, Pope Leo prayed before a revered historic fresco of the Holy Trinity, rendered in Byzantine style. He then greeted the shrine’s religious community and the faithful gathered there.

A video shared by one pilgrim showed the pope’s brother John Prevost stepping out of the backseat of the black car along with Pope Leo, surrounded by a slew of papal security personnel, to the surprise of visitors who had come to the shrine without expecting a papal visit.

Speaking off the cuff from a balcony of the shrine, Pope Leo told the pilgrims that the beauty of the mountain sanctuary “reminds us of the desire in all our hearts to seek God, to seek holiness, and to seek the help of God, who never abandons us.” Before departing, he greeted pilgrims individually; many kissing the pope’s ring.

The feast of St. Anne, whose chapel stands at the foot of the steps leading out of the Vallepietra shrine, is celebrated July 26, and the sanctuary has already begun the days of celebrations and pilgrimage leading up to the feast.

From Vallepietra, the pope traveled to nearby Subiaco, where St. Benedict of Nursia withdrew as a hermit in the early sixth century following the example of the Desert Fathers and laying the spiritual groundwork that would later lead him to be considered the father of Western monasticism.

At the Monastery of St. Benedict, the pope paused in silent prayer before a 13th-century fresco of St. Francis, the oldest existing portrait of the saint from Assisi who came to Subiaco as a pilgrim in 1223.

In the Sacro Speco, the “Holy Cave” where St. Benedict lived in solitude, Pope Leo kissed the knee of the saint’s statue, a longstanding custom among pilgrims, and led those present in the Lord’s Prayer.

The pope then went on to the Monastery of St. Scholastica, named for St. Benedict’s sister, where he shared lunch with the Benedictine community and toured the cloisters before the return drive to Castel Gandolfo.

The Subiaco monasteries have been regarded as a center of Benedictine spirituality for nearly a thousand years. The Holy Cave holds frescoes spanning centuries, with some dating back to as early as the 9th century. The Church of St. Scholastica, first built in 981 and rebuilt in Gothic style after a 1228 earthquake, was also home to Italy’s first printing press, established there by German monks.

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

– ROME (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV took a road trip pilgrimage with his older brother to the scenic mountainside Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra July 22 before stopping to pray in the Holy Cave in Subiaco, where a young St. Benedict sought refuge from the corruption of Rome in the early sixth century. The Vatican said the pope traveled by car from Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending a few weeks in July, to the remote mountain sanctuary near the Italian region of Abruzzo, a roughly two-hour drive from Castel Gandolfo on winding mountain roads, then

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

Peru, Uruguay advance preparations for upcoming papal visit #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Anticipation for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to South America is building as Peru’s president-elect pledged state cooperation and Uruguay’s Church officials announced logistical plans for the U.S.-born pontiff’s return to the region as pope.

In a statement released July 16, the Peruvian bishops’ conference said it had welcomed Keiko Fujimori, whose victory in the country’s presidential election was declared July 4.

Fujimori met with Bishop Carlos García Camader of Lurín, president of the Peruvian bishops’ conference, as well as Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco of Callao and Msgr. Guillermo Inca Pereda, vice president and acting secretary general of the conference, respectively.

According to the statement, the bishops discussed several topics, including the papal visit “scheduled for November of this year.”

“At the end of the meeting, the president-elect expressed her satisfaction with the confirmation of the Holy Father’s visit and stated the future government’s willingness to coordinate with the Church the necessary actions to contribute to the development of this important pastoral event,” the bishops’ conference said.

The president-elect, the conference said, emphasized the importance of ensuring that the pope will “meet with as many faithful and communities as possible” during his visit and that doing so will strengthen “the message of hope, unity and closeness that characterizes his ministry.”

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While the Vatican has not officially announced the visit, some details of the trip were revealed in June by the outgoing Peruvian president, José María Balcázar, after meeting with Pope Leo.

Balcázar said in a statement published after his June 18 meeting with the pope that the visit could span eight to 10 days in early November, with planned stops in Lima, Chiclayo, Piura, Pucallpa and Cusco.

Uruguay prepares for Pope Leo

In May, Uruguay’s bishops’ conference said that while no official date has been announced, there was a “high probability” Pope Leo would visit in late 2026.

However, at a working breakfast with journalists hosted by the conference July 15, Cardinal Daniel Sturla of Montevideo said the official schedule of the visit would be confirmed by the Vatican in late July.

“Almost 40 years ago, we experienced the unforgettable visit of St. John Paul II. Now we welcome Pope Leo with enormous anticipation. It is a joy for the Church, but also for all of Uruguay,” the cardinal said.

The pope, he noted, is “a figure who transcends,” and that his visit is not just significant for Catholics but for all people in Uruguay and around the world.

“We saw it at Francis’ funeral and at the beginning of Leo XIV’s pontificate, where heads of state and representatives from all over the world were present. In Uruguay, too, he will be a gift for the entire country,” Cardinal Sturla said.

The Uruguayan cardinal told journalists he had extended an invitation to Pope Leo to visit the country shortly after the papal election and noted that the pope had expressed his desire to
visit Uruguay and Argentina.

Pope Leo’s visit to the country, he said, would include stops in Montevideo, Florida, as well as a visit to the northern part of the country, with the city of Paysandú named as a possible destination.

Cardinal Sturla also told journalists that the pope could also visit Casavalle Basin, a marginalized district on the outskirts of Montevideo, where the Catholic Church runs several social programs.

The Archdiocese of Montevideo stated that while it awaits the Vatican’s official confirmation of the pope’s schedule, the local church “continues to work with various public bodies and technical teams in organizing the visit, convinced that the pope’s arrival will be an opportunity to strengthen hope, encounter, and dialogue throughout the country.”

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

– (OSV News) — Anticipation for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to South America is building as Peru’s president-elect pledged state cooperation and Uruguay’s Church officials announced logistical plans for the U.S.-born pontiff’s return to the region as pope. In a statement released July 16, the Peruvian bishops’ conference said it had welcomed Keiko Fujimori, whose victory in the country’s presidential election was declared July 4. Fujimori met with Bishop Carlos García Camader of Lurín, president of the Peruvian bishops’ conference, as well as Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco of Callao and Msgr. Guillermo Inca Pereda, vice president and acting secretary general

This Is America’s Largest National Park—With 13 Million Acres of Mountains, Stunning Glaciers, and Ghost Towns #Travel Here’s what you should know before visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

Here’s what you should know before visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

5 things to know about St. Bridget of Sweden, mystic and mother #Catholic On July 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, a mystic of the Middle Ages who was a wife, mother to a large family, lady-in-waiting to a queen, and founder of a religious order that still exists today.1. St. Bridget experienced her first vision at age 10.Bridget, or “Birgitta,” was born to wealthy, devout parents in Sweden in the year 1303. Her mother died early in her life, and she and her siblings were raised by their aunt. At 10 years old, Bridget had a vision of Christ on the cross in his agonizing suffering. In her vision, Bridget saw Christ with his wounds from Good Friday, with the wounds of “The Man of Sorrows” in Isaiah 53. She asked Jesus who hurt him, and he responded: “Those who despise me and refuse my love for them.” She would go on to write about these revelations; her works were published posthumously.2. Bridget served in the royal court of Sweden.Bridget was married in 1316 at the young age of 13 to 18-year-old Ulf Gudmarsson, the Swedish prince of Nericia. The two joined the Third Order of St. Francis and dedicated their resources to building a hospital and caring for the needs of the poor. Ulf served on the council of the king of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson, and the king asked Bridget to be a lady-in-waiting for his wife, Queen Blanche of Namur.3. Bridget was a mother to eight children, and one of them became a saint.Bridget and Ulf raised a large family together while also serving the poor and managing their duties in court. Of Bridget’s eight children, two died in infancy, and another two died in the Crusades. Two of their surviving children were married, and another two joined religious life. One of those two became a saint and was canonized — St. Catherine of Sweden.4. Bridget founded a religious order, the Bridgettines, after her husband died.Bridget and Ulf made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain between 1341 and 1343, but on their return trip, Ulf became ill. The couple stopped in France until Ulf regained his health, but soon after they returned to Sweden, in 1344, he passed away.After his death, Bridget donated her belongings to the poor and devoted her life to Christ, following a call from God to start a new religious order.She founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, now known as the Brigittines, in 1346, and her congregation was approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. The Brigittines were to be led by an abbess and constitute both nuns and priests. The priests, who lived in a separate section, served as chaplains and confessors for the nuns.King Magnus helped Bridget make the Abbey of Vadstena the home of the Brigittines. He donated a small palace and land for the new monastery.But Bridget would never see her work come to fruition. She had a vision from Christ calling her to return to Rome and await the pope’s return from France during the Avignon Papacy. She never became a nun herself, and she never saw the monastery in Vadstena. She died several years before the pope’s permanent return to Rome.But her order spread through Europe and still exists today in both contemplative monasteries and apostolic convents, with branches in 19 countries including Sweden, Norway, Poland, Italy, Israel, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and the United States.5. St. Bridget is the co-patroness of Europe.After Bridget died in Rome on July 23, 1373, her children brought her remains back to the headquarters of her religious order. Less than 20 years later, in 1391, Pope Boniface IX proclaimed her a saint. Her revelations and writings on the sufferings of Christ were published after her death. In 1999, St. John Paul II chose her as one of the three female co-patronesses of Europe, along with St. Catherine of Siena and St. Edith Stein.This story was first published on July 23, 2024, and has been updated.

unitedyam July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

On July 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, a mystic of the Middle Ages who was a wife and mother of eight children.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

Picture of the day

The Medieval town of Belcastel in Aveyron, France, named one of “the most beautiful villages of France”. Today is Bastille Day, the French National Day.

A New Look – and Sound – for Messier 94 – Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it, called a starburst ring, where new stars are forming.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it, called a starburst ring, where new stars are forming.

9 Things Women Are Better At Than Men #BabylonBee – There’s no denying the natural order of things — there are some things women are just plain better at than men. Being aware of these things can help life go more smoothly.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

There’s no denying the natural order of things — there are some things women are just plain better at than men. Being aware of these things can help life go more smoothly.

United Methodist Church Announces Ban On Heterosexual Clergy #BabylonBee – U.S. — Finally making public a long-anticipated change to the denomination’s policy regarding qualifications for members of its pastorate, the United Methodist Church announced a ban on heterosexual clergy.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

U.S. — Finally making public a long-anticipated change to the denomination’s policy regarding qualifications for members of its pastorate, the United Methodist Church announced a ban on heterosexual clergy.

House panel clashes over Delaney Hall conditions amid accounts of detainee mistreatment – #Catholic – A House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the Delaney Hall ICE detention center highlighted sharply differing views over the treatment of detainees, with Republicans rejecting allegations of abuse and Democrats pointing to reports of inadequate medical care, poor sanitation, and deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.The hearing, titled “False Narratives: Exposing the Truth About ICE Detention Facilities,” focused on conditions at Delaney Hall, an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, operated by the GEO Group under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The facility reopened in 2025 after the Trump administration expanded detention capacity to support increased immigration enforcement.Fifty‑four people have died in ICE custody since the start of fiscal 2025, which is 125% more detainee deaths than occurred during all four previous fiscal years combined (24 deaths), according to ICE detainee death reporting data.Republicans defend Delaney HallSubcommittee Chair Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-New Jersey, said: “We’re here today because of a narrative that has been told over and over again for weeks… that Delaney Hall, and by extension all of these detention centers, are places of cruelty. It’s just not true.”

We’re here today because of a narrative that has been told over and over again for weeks… that Delaney Hall, and by extension all of these detention centers, are places of cruelty. It’s just not true.”

Rep Jefferson Van Drew

ICE facilities are required to comply with federal detention standards governing medical care, nutrition, sanitation, recreation, religious accommodations, and access to legal counsel. Compliance is monitored through inspections and oversight conducted by ICE and other federal entities, although advocacy groups, government watchdogs, and a federal judge have questioned whether those standards are being adequately enforced.Van Drew, who said he recently toured Delaney Hall, rejected allegations that detainees are being mistreated and said his firsthand observations contradicted criticism of the facility.“I walked the facility. I met with the staff… and what I saw goes against all the narratives that you hear,” he said.He described the detention center as clean and orderly, saying detainees receive “three meals a day,” access to medical, dental, and mental health care, recreation, and religious accommodations. “The Department of Homeland Security has said plainly that ICE holds these facilities to higher standards than most American prisons, and that’s what I saw,” Van Drew said.Democrats raise concerns over oversight and detainee careDemocrats on the panel sharply disputed that assessment, citing reports of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, poor sanitation, and deaths in ICE custody.Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, questioned whether Republicans had presented a complete picture of conditions at Delaney Hall, noting that the committee did not invite Department of Homeland Security or ICE officials to testify.“The ambiguous title of today’s hearing… naturally invites the question of whether the majority is seeking to debunk false narratives or entrench false narratives,” Raskin said.Raskin said lawmakers should hear directly from officials responsible for operating the facilities and accused the administration of obstructing congressional oversight visits. He also cited reports from detainees and advocates alleging poor medical care, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions.Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said Republicans overlooked documented concerns at privately operated detention facilities.“In the time since our last hearing on this topic, more than 50 people have died while in ICE custody,” Crockett said, adding that detainees at facilities operated by the GEO Group have reported “dangerously substandard conditions, including mold… and insufficient food and water.”Crockett also criticized the absence of officials from ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the GEO Group among the witnesses, arguing that “if the Republicans really wanted to know what was happening at Delaney Hall… they would push for unannounced congressional and independent oversight.”Witnesses offer competing perspectivesThe hearing included testimony from former ICE New York Field Office Deputy Director Scott Mechkowski, Federation for American Immigration Reform Border Security Adviser Art Del Cueto, Center for Immigration Studies Resident Fellow in Law and Policy Andrew Arthur, and Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey.Arthur, a former immigration judge, said he had not personally visited Delaney Hall but argued that ICE detention facilities operate under extensive oversight, including inspections, congressional review, internal watchdogs, and contractual detention standards. He said congressional oversight is appropriate but should be conducted in ways that do not interfere with facility operations or security.Del Cueto, a former Border Patrol agent, said Delaney Hall had become a target because detention “works.” He said allegations against the facility were part of “a broader assault on immigration enforcement” and urged Congress to support ICE officers and Border Patrol agents. Del Cueto also cited DHS statistics that he said showed increases in assaults and threats against ICE personnel during President Donald Trump’s second term, attributing the trend to increasingly inflammatory rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement.Sinha countered that concerns about Delaney Hall were supported by accounts from detainees and their families. He testified that people held at the facility had described delayed medical treatment, inadequate food, unsanitary conditions, and retaliation after participating in hunger strikes. Sinha called for “independent, unannounced, uncensored oversight” of ICE detention facilities and urged Congress to allow broader access for lawmakers, the press, and advocacy organizations.Rep. Henry “Hank” Johnson, D-Georgia, said not a single witness denied the claims of what is happening at Delaney Hall. “Not a single witness in here has testified that itʼs false,” Johnson said. “That whatʼs happening at Delaney Hall, the overcrowded cells crammed with inmates. Not a single Republican witness refuted that.”

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

Republicans insisted reports of medical neglect, spoiled food, and blocked oversight were “false narratives,” while Democrats pointed to deaths in ICE custody and allegations of substandard care.

WHOA: Online Petition To ‘Keep Argentina Out of the World Cup’ Amasses Over 23 Million Signatures – South American Villains Under Investigation by FIFA and the DOJ – From historical scandals to 2026 World Cup inferno: investigated by FIFA and the Department of Justice.
The post WHOA: Online Petition To ‘Keep Argentina Out of the World Cup’ Amasses Over 23 Million Signatures – South American Villains Under Investigation by FIFA and the DOJ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

From historical scandals to 2026 World Cup inferno: investigated by FIFA and the Department of Justice.

The post WHOA: Online Petition To ‘Keep Argentina Out of the World Cup’ Amasses Over 23 Million Signatures – South American Villains Under Investigation by FIFA and the DOJ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

O’Keefe Goes Undercover: Senior Pentagon Advisor Caught on Hidden Camera Bashing President Trump (VIDEO) – The O’Keefe Media Group on Wednesday released an undercover video of a senior Pentagon advisor bashing President Trump.
The post O’Keefe Goes Undercover: Senior Pentagon Advisor Caught on Hidden Camera Bashing President Trump (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

The O’Keefe Media Group on Wednesday released an undercover video of a senior Pentagon advisor bashing President Trump.

The post O’Keefe Goes Undercover: Senior Pentagon Advisor Caught on Hidden Camera Bashing President Trump (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

A reading from the Letter to the Galatians
2:19-20

Brothers and sisters:
Through the law I died to the law,
that I might live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ;
yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me;
insofar as I now live in the flesh,
I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.

From the Gospel according to John
15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

The branches are joined to the vine and draw nourishment from it, so that the ‘fruit’ may sprout and grow. In the same way, the disciples are united to the Lord and, thanks to this existential union, can act spiritually and bear fruit: “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (Jn 15:4). The branches have no life of their own: they live only if they remain united to the vine that brought them into being. Their life is one and the same as that of the vine. A single sap flows between the vine and the branches; the vine and the branches bear the same fruit. There is therefore an unbreakable bond between them, which aptly symbolises that which exists between Jesus and His disciples: “Abide in me, and I in you” (Jn 15:4). If the branches all share the same sap with the vine, they are also bound to one another by mutual communion. From this communion of life springs the need for communion in love: “Love one another, as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). A strong love, which knows no limitations or boundaries, and which Jesus links to His own painful death to redeem His ‘friends’, the disciples who believed in Him: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). (John Paul II, General Audience, 25 January 1995)

Illegal Alien Richard Blumenthal and Far-Left CT Democrats Rallied to Protect is REGISTERED TO VOTE in Connecticut — Lied of Being a Citizen – The illegal alien from Montenegro whom Sen.
The post Illegal Alien Richard Blumenthal and Far-Left CT Democrats Rallied to Protect is REGISTERED TO VOTE in Connecticut — Lied of Being a Citizen appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

The illegal alien from Montenegro whom Sen.

The post Illegal Alien Richard Blumenthal and Far-Left CT Democrats Rallied to Protect is REGISTERED TO VOTE in Connecticut — Lied of Being a Citizen appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Vatican publishes biography of founder of Cuban nationhood, Father Félix Varela – #Catholic – The Vatican Publishing House recently released the first Italian edition of the book “Félix Varela: A Biography,” a work about the priest considered by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia to be “a sort of founder of [Cuban] national culture through his works and writings.”The 208-page volume, published July 9, was written by Monsignor Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a prominent figure in the Cuban Catholic Church who passed away in Havana in 2014. Paglia, president emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life, wrote the book’s foreword, noting in it that “the relationship between Varela and Cuban society is very profound.”This is because Varela’s writings “shaped an identity deeply linked to a faith expressed in a new humanism, where the primacy of conscience was supreme and the condemnation of slavery and the need for independence were fundamental,” the archbishop explained, according to a Vatican News report.Varela was a priest committed to social issues who lived during a time of profound change in the territories then held by the Spanish Empire in the Americas, according to the report.He was born in Havana on Nov. 20, 1788. Thanks to his high standing, he was sent to Spain in 1821 to represent the island before the parliament in Madrid.However, his legislative proposals to abolish slavery on the island, declare Cuban independence, and establish a government for the overseas provinces led to his exile in 1823; consequently, he was forced to settle in New York, where he lived while serving as a parish priest and episcopal vicar.In his preface, Paglia wrote that, in both Cuba and the United States, Varela fostered “efforts toward freedom, teaching love and stirring hearts to choose the poor as their primary companions on the journey.”Varela’s parish in New York “was interethnic and intercultural.” Moreover, he dedicated himself especially to immigrants, establishing a system of social and charitable assistance unprecedented in the United States. He was convinced that a mission centered on the Gospel could give rise to a more just and compassionate society.Varela’s legacyThe Cuban priest passed away in St. Augustine, Florida, on Feb. 27, 1853, leaving behind works such as “Letters to Elpidio on Impiety, Superstition, and Fanaticism in Their Relationship with Society,” a work described by St. John Paul II during his 1998 apostolic journey to Cuba as a “true monument of moral teaching.”“It’s no coincidence,” Vatican News pointed out, “that his work can be described as ‘civilizing’: an exemplary priest, a ‘principled patriot,’ and ‘the first to teach us how to think,’ Varela was able to revitalize pedagogical methods and the teaching of philosophy, theology, law, and science, creating a synthesis in which faith and culture become inseparable dimensions.”Furthermore, as Paglia noted, in a “contemporary world where we often face incredible forms of violence and dangerous political divisions,” Varela “represents the possibility of unity.”He was “a truly Catholic — that is, universal — priest,” Paglia wrote, and therefore “reflects the message of the Gospel, which does not divide but unites, while respecting individual differences.” Paglia also noted that Varela’s message is in line with Popes Leo XIV and Francis: “Three witnesses from the Americas inviting the Americas to a renewed enthusiasm for a missionary vocation that places faith at the service of a society fervently rooted in the Gospel.”Varela was declared venerable by Benedict XVI in March 2012. The Vatican decree highlights that “the Servant of God stands out on the horizon of Cuba’s history as a figure remarkable for his human gifts and for his Christian and priestly virtues.”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.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

The Vatican’s publication of a book on the life of Father Félix Varela (1788–1853) once again draws attention to Cuban priest’s virtues and accomplishments.

Summer advice from Pope Leo XIV: Don’t forget the less fortunate – #Catholic – In response to a question about summer advice, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of remembering those most in need during the holidays.The question and answer were both published in the July/August 2026 issue of Piazza San Pietro, the official magazine of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. As reported by Vatican News on July 22, Maurizio from Rome asked the pontiff how best to deepen his spiritual life during the summer amid the distractions of daily life. Leo XIV responded that one ought to think of those unable to enjoy the summer, particularly the sick, victims of war, and migrants who do not feel welcomed.“Holidays should also be for everyone a space of respite from occupations and worries,” Leo wrote.“Let us think of the sick, of people who have lost faith in life, of those who are overwhelmed by grief over the loss of loved ones, of the victims of wars, of hatred, of terrorism and of violence, of those persecuted for their faith and for justice, of prisoners, of those who have been left without work, without a home, of migrants who have not been humanely welcomed.”The pope also reminded Maurizio and families of the importance of the elderly, encouraging them to support them during the summer.“To families I say: Do not leave your elderly alone.”“Here is the advice I can give to increase our faith. Use the summer time as well to live the gospel of peace and mercy. Let us think of the privilege we have when we support the poor and bear witness to evangelical poverty,” the pope said.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

“Let us think of the privilege we have when we support the poor,” Pope Leo said.

France becomes first European country to ban social media for minors under 15 #Catholic The French Parliament on July 21 definitively passed a law banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media, making France the first country in Europe to enshrine such a restriction in its national legislation. The measure is the culmination of a campaign led by President Emmanuel Macron since 2017 in which he has denounced anonymity on social media as a gateway to online abuse.The law, presented as a child protection measure against all the risks associated with the use of social media, from addiction to bullying and abuse, has also reignited concerns about increased government oversight of internet users, as the age verification requirements — intended to target minors — entail identity checks for everyone.“France is leading the way in Europe by becoming the first country to establish a ‘digital age of majority’ to better protect our children online,” said Anne Le Hénanff, minister delegate for digital sovereignty, following the vote.The Senate adopted the compromise bill by a vote of 243 to 2, and the National Assembly followed suit a few hours later, paving the way for Macron to sign the measure into law, subject to review by the Constitutional Council.The bill’s central provision bars minors under 15 from accessing “an online social network service.” Leading platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are expected to fall under the ban, though lawmakers left the precise scope undefined. Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias, along with open-source software and educational platforms, are explicitly exempted. Responsibility for verifying users’ ages falls to the platforms themselves, which must offer at least two different verification methods.Enforcement will unfold in two different stages. New accounts will be subject to age checks starting Sept. 1, while existing accounts belonging to minors under 15 will have until Jan. 1, 2027, before they are suspended.The law also extends France’s existing smartphone ban in middle schools to high schools starting in the 2026 school year.France’s move makes it the first EU member state to enact a blanket social-network age floor, though it follows Australia, which imposed a minimum age of 16 in December 2025. Officials say a coalition of roughly 15 European countries is interested in adopting a similar standard. Le Hénanff confirmed Greece is ready to transpose the French model, with Spain expected to follow in the fall. The European Commission is separately developing its own EU-wide age-verification tool, expected to be available to member states by the end of the year.Under the model France has adopted — built around the “double anonymity” principle found in the EU’s Digital Services Act, the bloc’s main online-platform law — a trusted third party would verify a user’s age from an ID document or bank card and issue an anonymous token confirming only whether the user is over or under 15, without revealing the user’s identity or which platform requested the check. Le Hénanff has described this as a way of avoiding data collection by the platforms themselves. Critics, however, argue the system’s implementation is far less safe than officials suggest.The underlying concern is that this child-protection measure could evolve into a broader mechanism for verifying and tracking the identity of internet users generally. Opponents of the law claim that the mechanics of age verification remain largely undefined barely a month before the law takes effect.They also point to recent history of large-scale personal data breaches across government agencies as a reason for caution about centralizing age- or identity-verification data.La Quadrature du Net, France’s leading digital-rights advocacy group, and the Conseil national du numérique, an official government advisory body, both warned that the law amounted to what they termed “generalized surveillance disguised as child protection.”The European Center for Law and Justice, along the same lines, argues that France and the European Commission are each independently pushing to generalize identity checks across the EU under the banner of online safety policy.Several digital-rights groups are reportedly preparing separate challenges before France’s Council of State and the EU’s Court of Justice, arguing the law violates free-expression and proportionality principles.For now, all eyes are on Australia, the only country with a comparable ban already in force. An early analysis of survey data from roughly 400 young social media users, published in The BMJ on June 24, found little evidence that Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act had produced any substantial early drop in social media use among adolescents in its first three months — although researchers cautioned that legislative effects can take time to appear and called for longer-term evaluation.A companion analysis reported that roughly 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using restricted platforms, the most common workarounds being fake accounts and private browsers.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 23, 2026

“France is leading the way in Europe by becoming the first country to establish a ‘digital age of majority,’” said the country’s minister delegate for digital sovereignty.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

SpaceX is now targeting Thursday, July 23, for the 13th test flight of Starship, after the company scrubbed its first attempt on July 16. It will be only the second launch of the vehicle’s V3 configuration — the version of the rocket that will fly astronauts to the Moon for NASA’s Artemis program. The 90-minuteContinue reading “SpaceX targeting Thursday for second launch of the world’s largest rocket”

The post SpaceX targeting Thursday for second launch of the world’s largest rocket appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

Bishop Sweeney visits hermits in bucolic beauty of Chester #Catholic –

On July 20, the Hermits of Bethlehem and visitors of Bethlehem Hermitage, situated in the rustic splendor of Chester, N.J., welcomed Kevin J. Sweeney. He celebrated Mass in the chapel. The hermitage is a foundation of Catholic hermits — men and women who live a life of prayer, penance, silence, and solitude.

Founded on March 15, 1975, Bethlehem Hermitage sits on 18 acres of land. The hermits live in what is called a laura: a colony of small solitary wooden cottages situated a distance from each other around a chapel and central house. They combine hours of work with hours of prayer.

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The Bethlehem Hermitage offers a retreat based on principles of silence and solitude. An integral part of it is the daily celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist and Eucharistic adoration. It is a time to encounter self and deepen one’s faith, hope, and love through prayerful listening and reflection on Sacred Scripture, which speaks when the retreatant is open in a prayerful disposition.

For more information, visit bethlehemhermitage.com.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI & JESSICA MARTINEZ

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– On July 20, the Hermits of Bethlehem and visitors of Bethlehem Hermitage, situated in the rustic splendor of Chester, N.J., welcomed Kevin J. Sweeney. He celebrated Mass in the chapel. The hermitage is a foundation of Catholic hermits — men and women who live a life of prayer, penance, silence, and solitude. Founded on March 15, 1975, Bethlehem Hermitage sits on 18 acres of land. The hermits live in what is called a laura: a colony of small solitary wooden cottages situated a distance from each other around a chapel and central house. They combine hours of work with hours

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

State Knights officers installed amid significant membership growth #Catholic –

A Catholic from the Paterson Diocese led the installation of State officers of the N.J. State Knights of Columbus for the 2026-27 fraternal year on July 18, 2026, during a Mass held at St. Jude Thaddeus Church in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J. During the last fraternal year, the N.J. State Knights notched a record, adding 2,754 men to the membership rolls — the best in 26 years.

James P. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese was also installed for his second year of a two-year term as State Deputy. He belongs to St. Jude Parish in Mount Olive and is a member of the Knights of Columbus Father Joseph A. Cassidy Council 6100. Sweeney also sits on the board of trustees of diocesan Catholic Charities and the diocesan Pastoral Council led by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who was the main celebrant and homilist of the installation Mass.

The following remaining State Knights officers were installed that day: Father Ernest G. Rush, State Chaplain, who is pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Lyndhurst; Russell D. Petrocelli, State Secretary, from the Newark Archdiocese; Scott C. Williams, State Treasurer, from the Metuchen Diocese; Edward V. Michalak, State Advocate, from the Trenton Diocese; and Christopher A. Tomasello, Sr., State Warden, from the Camden Diocese.

During the 2025-26 fraternal year, the State Knights, which oversees 350 councils with a total membership of more than 60,000 Catholic men, also expanded its Evangelization and Faith Formation program throughout the state. This includes Cor program, named after the Latin word for “heart” and the root of “courage,” It features 60- to 90-minute monthly or bi-monthly gatherings focused on three pillars: prayer, formation, and fraternity. Men gather periodically to “discuss their faith and how it impacts their daily lives,” Sweeney said.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“There has been a resurgence of men in our parishes looking to grow in their faith. The Knights is a perfect place for them. We create a community where men can share their faith and then put their faith into action,” said Sweeney. He continued to say, “We are the right faith organization at the right time, offering every Catholic gentleman the opportunity to become a Knight”.

These young men might be attracted to the Knights because they live their “faith in action” across New Jersey, supporting numerous charities, Sweeney said. Among them are a few in the Paterson Diocese, including the support of the Catholic Charities Department of Persons with Disabilities support through the Intellectual Disabilities drive. They also support the Coats-for-Kids drive, where the Knights in conjunction with the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., give an average of more than 2,000 coats, at the “Bethlehem in Paterson,” an annual Christmas charity event at the Cathedral.

The installation liturgy began with Knights of Columbus Color Corp from throughout the state leading a procession of the NJ State Council leaders and clergy down the center aisle of St. Jude’s Church, wearing crisp blue uniforms and white gloves and holding ceremonial swords and flags.

Concelebrating the installation Mass were Bishop Emeritus Paul G. Bootkoski of the Metuchen Diocese, who is now State Chaplain Emeritus; Father Ernest Rush State Chaplain; Father J. Antonio Gaviria, pastor of St. Jude’s; Father William Smith, a retired priest of the Metuchen Diocese; and Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of St. John’s and diocesan vicar for special projects.

The State Knights hold an annual State Officers/District Deputies Installation ceremony to install the newly elected state-level officers for the upcoming fraternal year. The ceremony marks the start of the Columbian Year for the organization. The officers’ family and friends attended the liturgy as a sign of support.

A banquet followed the July 20 installation Mass.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– A Catholic from the Paterson Diocese led the installation of State officers of the N.J. State Knights of Columbus for the 2026-27 fraternal year on July 18, 2026, during a Mass held at St. Jude Thaddeus Church in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township, N.J. During the last fraternal year, the N.J. State Knights notched a record, adding 2,754 men to the membership rolls — the best in 26 years. James P. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese was also installed for his second year of a two-year term as State Deputy. He belongs to St. Jude Parish in

The Most Beautiful Place in Every State—From Arizona’s Grand Canyon to Maine’s Acadia National Park #Travel These scenic spots truly live up to the “America the Beautiful” claim.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

These scenic spots truly live up to the “America the Beautiful” claim.

St. Mary Magdalene: The first witness to the Resurrection #Catholic Not much is known about the life of St. Mary Magdalene, whose feast day is celebrated in the Catholic Church on July 22. She first appears in the Gospel of Luke as a follower of Christ from whom seven demons have been cast out. In the Gospels, she is sometimes associated with two other women in Scripture: the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with oil and Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.Her most prominent position in Scripture occurs in the Gospel of John, where she remains with Jesus at the Crucifixion, keeps vigil at the tomb, and is the first to see him on Easter morning. Differing traditions have her evangelizing in Ephesus, while others place her in Marseille, France.Her body has never been found.Apart from the Blessed Virgin Mary, perhaps no other saint alive during the time of Christ appears to have been as deeply moved by Jesus’ death as this saint.“How beautiful to think that the first appearance of the Risen One took place in such a personal way! That there is someone who knows us, who sees our suffering and delusion, who is moved by us, and who calls us by name,” said Pope Francis of the encounter in a 2017 general audience the year after upgrading her memorial to a feast day in 2016.After this shocking encounter, the joy of Christ’s resurrection imbued her with the courage to spread this good news joyfully. “I have seen the Lord!” she proclaimed to the apostles and the whole world. Once known as a sinful woman, Mary Magdalene becomes the Apostle to the Apostles, the first witness to the Resurrection, and the model of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ risen from the grave.“God surprises her in the most unexpected way,” Pope Francis opined. “So that woman, who is the first to encounter Jesus … now has become an apostle of the new and greatest hope.”This story was first published on July 21, 2021, and has been updated.

unitedyam July 22, 2026July 22, 2026

Once known as a sinful woman, Mary Magdalene became the Apostle to the Apostles and the first witness to the Resurrection.

Picture of the day

Arhbalou village nestled in the foothills of the barren north face of the Western High Atlas, Al Haouz, Morocco.
#ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Picture of the day

Arhbalou village nestled in the foothills of the barren north face of the Western High Atlas, Al Haouz, Morocco.

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

This composite of images taken by NASA’s Psyche mission shows the crescent of Mars grow as the spacecraft approached the planet for a gravity assist from May 2 to May 15, 2026. Because Psyche approached Mars from a high phase angle, the planet appeared as a thin crescent in the days running up to the close approach, lit by sunlight reflecting off its surface.

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 22, 2026

A reading from the Song of Songs
3:1-4b

The Bride says:
On my bed at night I sought him
whom my heart loves–
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me,
as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?
I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

From the Gospel according to John
20:1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him."

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him."
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
"Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’"
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he told her.

Mary suffers twice as much: first for the death of Jesus, and then for the inexplicable disappearance of his body.

It is as she is stooping near the tomb, her eyes filled with tears, that God surprises her in the most unexpected way. John the Evangelist stresses how persistent her blindness is. She does not notice the presence of the two angels who question her, and she does not become suspicious even when she sees the man behind her, whom she believes is the custodian of the garden. Instead, she discovers the most overwhelming event in the history of mankind when she is finally called by her name: “Mary!” (v. 16).

How nice it is to think that the first apparition of the Risen One — according to the Gospels — took place in such a personal way! To think that there is someone who knows us, who sees our suffering and disappointment, who is moved with us and calls us by name. It is a law which we find engraved on many pages of the Gospel. There are many people around Jesus who search for God, but the most prodigious reality is that, long before that, in the first place there is God, who is concerned about our life, who wants to raise it, and to do this, he calls us by name, recognizing the individual face of each person. Each person is a love story that God writes on this earth. (…) The Gospels describe Mary’s happiness. Jesus’ Resurrection is not a joy which is measured with a dropper, but a waterfall that cascades over life. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 17 May 2017)

U.S., Catholic Relief Services send first Cuba aid flight under Rubio plan – #Catholic – The United States and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sent the first flight with humanitarian aid to Cuba under Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 0 million assistance plan.In partnership with the Catholic Church and Caritas Cuba, the kits of prepackaged food and hygiene kits for up to 700 Cuban families will be delivered by CRS — the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the U.S.“This partnership builds upon the success of the Department’s program last year with CRS and Caritas Cuba to deliver million in direct support to the island following Hurricane Melissa,” according to a U.S. Department of State statement.“Building on the success of the previous program, the direct delivery of humanitarian commodities by local parish representatives in the island will ensure critical U.S. assistance reaches everyday Cubans in need, without any opportunity for regime diversion or theft,” the department said.CRS sent the flight on July 21 from Miami with Jeremy Lewin, Rubio’s senior adviser and director of foreign assistance, and Viviana Bovo, senior adviser for the department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.The supplies sent are the first humanitarian relief sent under Rubio’s commitment of 0 million in humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people, as they “are suffering from the consequences of the Communist regime’s kleptocracy, brutality, and economic incompetence,” the statement said.The aid is part of a million award to CRS from the department’s 0 million fund for expanding humanitarian assistance to vulnerable families across Cuba.“The award will enable CRS, in partnership with Caritas Cuba, to provide emergency food and hygiene supplies to nearly 200,000 households, or more than half a million people, across the country and essential household items — including mattresses and blankets — to another 7,000 people who need them,” CRS said in a press release.“Families in Cuba are facing growing hardship as they struggle to put food on the table, access clean water and meet other basic needs,” said Sean Callahan, CRS president and CEO, in the press release.“This support will allow CRS and our long-standing partner, Caritas Cuba, to significantly expand humanitarian assistance through the Catholic Churchʼs trusted network, reaching vulnerable families with the help they urgently need.”

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will deliver kits of prepackaged food and hygiene kits for up to 700 Cuban families.

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel sees a resurgence with new shrine in Mexico City - #Catholic - As of this year, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has a new site in Mexico City. On July 15, the old non-parochial church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was dedicated as an archdiocesan shrine, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the historic church.In recent days, the church, located in the traditional San Ángel neighborhood on the city’s south side, has begun to welcome more visitors than usual. Every year on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on July 16, hundreds of pilgrims are drawn to the shrine.

Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in San Ángel, Mexico City. | Credit: EWTN News

However, interest has gained new momentum since Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, primatial archbishop of Mexico, announced in May that the historic church would be elevated to a shrine.Among those drawn by curiosity was Mariana Ledesma. Although she acknowledged that she is only just beginning to learn about this devotion to Our Lady under this title, she wanted to be part of a moment she considers historic.“The shrine is beautiful and full of symbolism; seeing the devotion of the entire community, being able to share in that faith, is something truly beautiful. That is precisely the purpose of the shrine: to make it known to others as well,” she told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.4 centuries of historyThe relationship between Mexico City and Our Lady of Mount Carmel dates back to 1585, when the first missionaries of the Discalced Carmelite order arrived in New Spain to assist in the work of evangelization.In the early 17th century, they established one of their most important convents in San Ángel, from which they fostered contemplative life, spiritual formation, and devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a devotion that took deep root among the capitalʼs inhabitants.

Carmelite friars. | Credit: Discalced Carmelites of Central America

For centuries, the church and convent served as an important religious and cultural center. However, following the Reform Laws of 1876, the old convent was nationalized and became state property.Today, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church remains a place of Catholic worship while the former convent, after serving various purposes over the years, houses a museum. After more than 400 years of tending to the church, this year the Discalced Carmelites handed over its administration to the Archdiocese of Mexico due to a decline in vocations within the order.Mary, ‘strengthen my heart’During the Mass of canonical dedication as a shrine, Héctor Mario Pérez Villarreal, auxiliary bishop of Mexico, explained that the decision to elevate the church to a shrine reflects the fact that the faithful have long been making pilgrimages there to “seek solace and to come seeking the nourishment of the sacraments and the mercy of confession.”

Mass of dedication of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as a shrine, July 15, 2026. | Credit: Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico

“Let us hope that this [act] serves as an encouragement for many more people to return here to renew the consolation offered by the Virgin of Mount Carmel and their love for Jesus Christ,” he stated.He also invited the faithful to turn to Mary during times of difficulty. He noted that when faith or hope “begin to fade,” it is necessary to turn one’s gaze toward Mary and say: “Most Holy Mother, you who were able to remain faithful even [standing] before your Son’s cross, strengthen my heart.”

Mass of Dedication of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as a shrine on July 15, 2026. | Credit: Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico

Petitions to Our Lady of Mount CarmelThe aisles of the shrine were filled with people holding scapulars, flowers, or photographs of their family members. Some came to give thanks for favors received; others sought to place their concerns in Maryʼs hands.Among them was Claudio de la Paz, a devotee who traveled from the state of Campeche, over 500 miles away, to take part in the celebration. In addition to hoping the faithful will draw closer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he asked that young people be specially commended to her care, as he said they are currently going through “times of great vulnerability.”

Mass of Dedication of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as a shrine on July 15, 2026. | Credit: Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico

For Rafael Estrada, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel “represents a quest for peace, serenity, and harmony.” Estrada urged Catholics to ask for Mary’s protection amid the tribulations Mexico is going through.Sister Nina Ramos, a religious of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, invited the faithful to visit the new shrine and noted that those who fulfill the conditions established by the Church may obtain a plenary indulgence.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.

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Formerly served by the Discalced Carmelites, the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been elevated to an archdiocesan shrine and has seen an increase in the number of pilgrims.

Caritas Venezuela adds recovery component to ongoing relief efforts – #Catholic – In the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that struck the country, Caritas Venezuela, the social services arm of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, issued an updated bulletin in which it noted that, at this stage, “the immediate emergency begins to overlap with the first steps toward recovery.” The organization continues to maintain field operations, particularly in the coastal city of La Guaira, where the destruction is overwhelming.In total, Caritas Venezuela reported that it has received over 19,000 tons of aid, of which it has so far managed to distribute approximately nearly 16,000 tons, representing 84% of the total received. The remaining aid “remains in stock, ready for upcoming deliveries.”Critical needsAlong with food and water, healthcare has become an urgent need for the communities affected by the disaster. In total, Caritas has dispatched 96,156 units of medical supplies and medicines, most of which are destined for hospitals and care centers operating under immense strain.“In a healthcare system stretched by the magnitude of the disaster, every box of medicine that arrives on time sustains care for dozens of people,” Caritas explained.Likewise, the organization highlighted the work of thousands of volunteers nationwide who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to receiving, sorting, packing, and distributing aid. Caritas estimated that around 10,000 people have joined volunteer efforts across all of Venezuela’s dioceses and parishes.“They are teachers, young people, mothers, retirees, and neighbors who decided that the suffering of others is their own as well. They are, without exaggeration, the heart of this response,” the organization noted.The clergy have also been present at every collection center, at every distribution point, and in every camp across the affected cities.They have engaged in relief efforts “through prayer and action.” According to the bulletin, the greatest help provided by bishops, priests, and religious has been taking the time to listen to and be there for those grieving the loss of loved ones and to console those left homeless.What lies ahead?Caritas Venezuela noted that the 3,095 tons of humanitarian aid still available will allow them to “continue responding” but stated that “the emergency is far from over.”“Thousands of families remain in temporary camps, and many others will not be able to return to their homes. In the coming weeks, the operation will shift from immediate assistance to the recovery of those who lost everything — a long process that will require sustained solidarity over time,” the organization explained.When the camera crews depart and the news media turns to covering other events, “the need remains. That’s why we reiterate our call to continue making contributions through official channels and to keep moving forward together,” the organization emphasized.“Monetary donations are the most efficient, as they allow us to procure exactly what is needed at any given moment directly from the field,” Caritas advised.The official death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela now stands at over 5,200. Tens of thousands of other people have been injured and have lost their homes in Caracas, La Guaira, El Junquito, and other cities across the country.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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The Catholic Church’s social services arm in the country reports that its operations are in a transitional phase, as it shifts from immediate assistance to the recovery of those who lost everything.

Catholic relief agencies mobilize across Asia as storms trigger widespread humanitarian need #Catholic Catholic aid groups in Bangladesh and China are responding to severe midsummer storms, with Caritas Bangladesh coordinating relief in dioceses hit by early‑July monsoon flooding and Jinde Charities delivering assistance on behalf of the Shanghai and Beijing dioceses after flash floods and tornadoes.Caritas Bangladesh is collaborating with local partners in dioceses affected by monsoon rains and flooding that swept the country in early July.Caritas disaster relief efforts have been underway after the July 5–9 flooding, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 34 people in Bangladesh, according to a July 10 press release from the aid organization. “More than 241,000 people have been affected. Among them are more than 7,400 Rohingya refugees living in 25 camps severely affected by floods and landslides,” Caritas said.The rainfall has impacted Bangladesh’s Chattogram Division, including the districts of Bandarban, Khagrachari, Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, and Chattogram.“Caritas Bangladesh has mobilized local staff and community volunteers, who went from door to door sharing early warning messages and helping families living in high-risk areas move to safety before the worst of the rains arrived,” the aid organization said.“This latest disaster comes on top of a protracted humanitarian crisis,” the press release continued. “As humanitarian funding continues to decline, many Rohingya families face growing food insecurity, reduced access to essential services and fewer opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity. The floods are a reminder that sustained international solidarity remains essential.”Catholics in China distribute aid after flooding The government-registered Catholic relief organization Jinde Charities has been acting on behalf of the Shanghai and Beijing dioceses to deliver humanitarian assistance in the wake of flash floods and tornadoes.

Rescue workers evacuate flood-affected students in Guigang, in China’s southern Guangxi region, on July 8, 2026. | Credit: CN-STR/AFP via Getty Images

According to a July 18 press release on the organization’s website, Jinde Charities is collaborating with local partners and traveling to Shuangfeng Village, Sanli Town, Qintang District, Guigang City, Guangxi, to deliver food aid to disaster-affected villagers.Jinde noted in an earlier release that as of July 13, about 827,000 people have been affected by the disaster in Guigang City. In addition to food aid, Jinde has distributed tools such as chainsaws, shovels, wheelbarrows, bamboo brooms, and other supplies. Fides News Agency, a Vatican news service, reported that many Catholic families in Guigang have been left without running water and electricity.

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Caritas Bangladesh and Jinde Charities in China are providing aid after devastating flooding.

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Lebanon’s cardinal urges prayer, guidance as its president visits the White House #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Lebanon’s Cardinal Bechara Rai, the patriarch of the country’s Maronite Catholic Church, has urged for prayer and guidance as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun makes a critical visit to the White House July 21 to present President Donald Trump with a plan on how to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

“However severe the crises facing Lebanon may become, this country is not lost as long as God accompanies it. This hope drives us to look toward the future,” Cardinal Rai urged during a Sunday Mass commemorating the feast day of Lebanon’s patron saint, St. Charbel Makhlouf, on July 19.

“We pray for Lebanon and its officials, asking God to guide them in working for national unity, preserving the dignity of the people and safeguarding sovereignty. Peace is our choice, and Lebanon must choose the paths of truth, not illusions, because truth is what builds the state and brings the Lebanese together,” Cardinal Rai said at the St. Maron Monastery in Annaya.

The Maronite Catholic Church is the largest and most powerful Christian denomination in Lebanon. Cardinal Rai is considered by many Lebanese to be the Church’s most influential leader. By convention, the country’s president is always a Maronite.

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Aoun, a Maronite Christian, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet President Trump face-to-face for the first time.

Cardinal Rai called for the preservation of his beleaguered nation’s sovereignty, caught up in a destructive conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel. The latest round of fighting between the two sides began March 2 as Iran came under U.S. and Israeli attack.

More than 4,300 people have been killed so far, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, including nearly 800 children, women and medics and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced from southern Lebanon.

The Catholic Church in Lebanon has played a key role in assisting the displaced and providing spiritual sustenance both to those who lost their homes and livelihoods and other Lebanese who refused to leave their villages despite Israeli aerial and ground bombardment.

Aoun is seeking Trump’s help to press Israel to implement a U.S.-brokered June 26 “Framework Agreement” between Lebanon and Israel that works on disarming Hezbollah, sees Israeli troops withdraw from large swathes of Lebanese territory it occupies, and sets the possibility for peaceful ties between Lebanon and Israel.

After the war began, Aoun quickly called for direct talks with Israel, a historic departure for a state repeatedly invaded by Israel since 1978. It led to the highest-level face-to-face negotiations in decades between the two countries.

Yet, Hezbollah has firmly rejected the Lebanese government’s direct talks with Israel — and efforts by the state to decommission its massive weapons arsenal held since the time of the country’s 1975-1990 civil war and supplemented by Iran.

Cardinal Rai said that “any agreement that preserves Lebanon’s sovereignty, safeguards its national rights and strengthens the authority of the state deserves support.” He renewed his call for the implementation of the “Framework Agreement,” saying it establishes a gateway to consolidating state sovereignty and safeguarding Lebanon’s national rights.

All parties must commit to implementing the “Framework Agreement,” he said, stressing that “active neutrality” remains the national choice that protects Lebanon from the conflict between rival countries or groups and strengthens its internal unity.

“Lebanon is called upon today more than ever to adhere to this historical message that has made it a homeland of coexistence, dialogue and openness,” Cardinal Rai said at another venue in Bqaa Kafra, the birthplace of St. Charbel.

He referred to the 18 different religious sects that comprise the rich cultural diversity of the tiny Mediterranean nation.

He said the Lebanese are weary of conflict and divisions and hope to enter a new period of stability and security — for peace and not war.

“Peace is the only path that preserves life, protects human dignity, and lays the foundation for future generations,” he argued.

“Nations are not built through disputes or hate speech, but through reconciliation, solidarity and cooperation among all their people,” Cardinal Rai affirmed.

Dale Gavlak writes for OSV News from Amman, Jordan.

– (OSV News) — Lebanon’s Cardinal Bechara Rai, the patriarch of the country’s Maronite Catholic Church, has urged for prayer and guidance as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun makes a critical visit to the White House July 21 to present President Donald Trump with a plan on how to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. “However severe the crises facing Lebanon may become, this country is not lost as long as God accompanies it. This hope drives us to look toward the future,” Cardinal Rai urged during a Sunday Mass commemorating the feast day of Lebanon’s

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Women religious sue New York over law they say would force them to assist in patient suicides #Catholic –

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Four orders of women religious and Catholic healthcare ministries sued the state of New York July 17 over a new law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide.

In a lawsuit filed by Becket, a religious liberty law firm, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict and the Little Sisters of the Poor argued the law would require them to facilitate such deaths in violation of their faith.

Mother Mary Rose Heery, prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said in a July 20 statement, “At our homes, we bring Christ’s unbounded love to elderly New Yorkers of every background and walk of life.”

“We strive to bring His compassion to those entrusted to our care, ensuring that no resident ever has to die alone,” she said. “This law strikes at the heart of that vocation.”

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New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Supporters of physician-assisted suicide argue the practice protects the autonomy of suffering individuals in their final days, but opponents argue the practice disregards the dignity of human life and leaves those who are ill or dying vulnerable to coercion, among other concerns.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns the practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as “morally unacceptable” and a violation of the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., signed the law in February, arguing she had “secured” guardrails during the legislative process that ensured the “integrity of patient decision and preparedness of medical institutions.” The state’s Catholic bishops were among those who objected to the law.

But Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and the lead attorney for the healthcare ministries, said in a July 20 statement, “New York is forcing sick and dying people to consider suicide at their lowest moment, regardless of whether they ask for it or not.”

“Worse, it’s conscripting the nuns who care for them into its suicide cult on pain of crushing fines and professional ruin,” Rienzi said. “That is both unconscionable and unconstitutional. We’re confident the federal courts will put a stop to it.”

Becket, which is representing the religious orders and Bishop John O. Barres of Rockville Centre, New York, said the religious ministries plan to seek a preliminary injunction against the law in the coming days.

In a statement, Bishop Barres added, “We will never submit to New York’s culture of death.”

“Assisted suicide is a grave moral failure that puts the elderly, the disabled, and those suffering from mental and emotional illness at risk of abuse and manipulation,” said the bishop, whose diocese is also a plaintiff. “Christ the Divine Physician calls us to accompany the sick and dying with compassion, not abandon them to death. The court should protect that millennia-old mission.”

The lawsuit is another in a series of lawsuits from Catholic nuns against recent Empire State laws. Earlier this year, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who operate a 42-bed palliative care program for the dying poor, challenged a law implementing requirements on gender identity accommodations for nursing home residents.

New York is one of 13 states, as well as the District of Columbia, that have legalized assisted suicide.

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.

– WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Four orders of women religious and Catholic healthcare ministries sued the state of New York July 17 over a new law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide. In a lawsuit filed by Becket, a religious liberty law firm, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict and the Little Sisters of the Poor argued the law would require them to facilitate such deaths in violation of their faith. Mother Mary Rose Heery, prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

When massive stars die, they explode, leaving behind supernova remnants. Given how common binary star systems are — more than half the stars in our galaxy have a companion — it stands to reason that paired supernova remnants would also be common. But astronomers have never found one. Now, hiding in the bright shine ofContinue reading “Is this the first known binary system to produce two supernova remnants?”

The post Is this the first known binary system to produce two supernova remnants? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The Largest Temperate Rain Forest in the World Is in the U.S.—With Stunning Glaciers and Fjords #Travel Tongass National Forest encompasses 17 million acres and is home to bears and bald eagles.

unitedyam July 21, 2026July 21, 2026

Tongass National Forest encompasses 17 million acres and is home to bears and bald eagles.

Our First View of the Surface of Mars – On the morning of July 20, 1976, roughly 40 minutes after mission controllers received word that the Viking 1 lander had successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, this photo gave us our first view from the surface of another planet.

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 20, 2026

On the morning of July 20, 1976, roughly 40 minutes after mission controllers received word that the Viking 1 lander had successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, this photo gave us our first view from the surface of another planet.

Bishop Barres, Catholic sisters sue New York over assisted suicide mandates – #Catholic – Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and four communities of religious sisters have filed a lawsuit against New York’s attorney general and commissioner of health over a law they say would force them to participate in the process of physician-assisted suicide.The Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, and the religious communities — the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and the Little Sisters of the Poor — provide care for elderly and terminally ill people and say their Catholic faith prohibits them from participation in the process in any way.Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide in February, and the law goes into effect in August. Although some facilities can opt out of parts of the physician‑assisted suicide process, the exemptions are limited, and the law imposes additional requirements on the diocese and religious communities.“We will never submit to New York’s culture of death,” Barres said in a statement through his attorneys at the Becket Fund.“Assisted suicide is a grave moral failure that puts the elderly, the disabled, and those suffering from mental and emotional illness at risk of abuse and manipulation,” the bishop said. “Christ the Divine Physician calls us to accompany the sick and dying with compassion, not abandon them to death. The court should protect that millennia-old mission.”The New York’s attorney general’s office and Department of Health did not immediately reply to a request for comment.Requirements in the lawMore than a dozen states have legalized physician-assisted suicide over the past two decades, but New York’s opt out policy “is among the narrowest in the nation,” according to the lawsuit, and it affects some of the religious communities differently.While most of the Catholic-run facilities qualify for the narrow “opt outs,” those that qualify must still follow existing laws to offer counseling to terminally ill patients that explains various options for end-of-life care, along with the “risks and benefits” of their options, or refer them to someone who will.According to the lawsuit, this will now apply to the “option” of physician-assisted suicide, which means nurse practitioners or physicians “must either counsel terminal patients about the availability and benefits of [physician-assisted suicide], or else help the patient find a provider who is willing do so.”Physicians covered by the opt outs must also assist in determining whether patients qualify for assisted suicide through actions such as referring them for mental health evaluations. Facilities covered by the opt outs — if they refuse to directly participate in the suicide itself — must refer the patient to a facility that will administer it, according to the lawsuit.The lawsuit further states that providers must sign a death certificate that says the patient died from his or her underlying condition, rather than the drugs that ended his or her life. It states that facilities may also not be able to take adverse employment actions against employees who act in accordance with New York’s physician-assisted suicide law, even if the facility prohibits it.At least one facility — the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict — is not covered by the opt outs, which means it must also allow the prescription and the ingestion of the suicide drugs on its property. Those that qualify for the opt out are exempted from this requirement.Adele Keim, senior counsel at Becket, told EWTN News the law essentially requires all the facilities to “take [the patients] through the process” and “allow that very involved process to take place in their facilities.”“[They] will not do that,” she said, explaining that it violates their religious beliefs.First Amendment objectionsKeim said Catholic sisters have offered end-of-life care to New Yorkers for more than 100 years, “providing that personal accompaniment, which in Catholic teaching, is rooted in the example of Mary sitting at the foot of the cross as Jesus died.”“That’s what they believe they’re called to do,” she said. “… [They are] bearing witness to the distinctly Catholic response to the suffering people experience in their final days."Sister Justyna Owsiejko, O.S.B., of the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, said in a statement through Becket that “we are simple nuns whose mission is to serve God — and we do that by offering the aged a home in which to live their final days in peace, tranquility, and comfort, cared for by sisters who see the face of Christ in each person they serve.”“New York is trying to force us to abandon that vocation and help our residents commit suicide,” she said. “That is something we will never do. Our foundress overcame war and exile to serve those in need — we will overcome this law to do the same.”Mother Alice Marie Monica of the Little Sisters of the Poor said in a statement that “we have served God by welcoming the elderly poor and dying into our homes for nearly 200 years.”“Our calling is to protect and care for needy seniors, not steer them toward suicide,” she said. “We will remain true to that mission, whatever the cost.”The lawsuit argues that forcing Catholic-run facilities to participate in physician-assisted suicide violates their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. The Church teaches that life must be protected from conception until natural death.The suit also argues that the law violates their freedom of speech by compelling them to counsel their patients about physician-assisted suicide.“The sisters’ Catholic faith leads them to accept death as the natural end to a life well-lived: neither artificially prolonging it through burdensome technological and medical interventions that provide no reasonable benefit, nor artificially hastening it,” the lawsuit states.“Above all,” the lawsuit adds, “it means that the sisters seek to personally provide a loving human presence alongside each person — bearing witness to the ending of a uniquely beautiful and unrepeatable life.”

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 20, 2026

The bishop said “we will never submit” to “the culture of death” as the Catholic diocese and religious sisters argue that their faith prevents them from participating in physician-assisted suicide.

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 21, 2026

A reading from the Book of Micah
7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea
all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
12:46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers
are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

This word of Jesus, if we think about it carefully, generates a new way of understanding the family.

Do you see? At the beginning I addressed you by calling you “brothers and sisters”. It is not merely a formula, a conventional turn of phrase. No. It is a reality, a new reality generated by Jesus Christ. And as I was saying, this word of Jesus radically renewed the family, so that the strongest, most important bond for us Christians is no longer that of blood, but of the love of Christ. His love transforms the family, freeing it from the dynamics of selfishness, which derive from the human condition and from sin; he frees it and enriches it with a new bond, even stronger but free, not dominated by the interests and conventions of kinship, but animated by gratitude, recognition, and reciprocal service. (…) Roots are important! And let us give thanks to God for the gift of life and for those who have transmitted it. But above all, let us give thanks because Jesus Christ has called us to be part of his family, in which what counts is doing the will of the Father who is in Heaven. (Pope Francis, Address to the pilgrimage of the diocese of Asti, 5 May 2023)

U.S. bishops demand justice and transparency following migrant deaths in ICE custody – #Catholic – U.S. Bishops Daniel E. García and Brendan J. Cahill lamented the deaths of migrants that occurred during recent immigration enforcement operations and called for “accountability, transparency, and justice.”García, chair of the Subcommittee on the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Cahill, chair of the Committee on Migration, issued a pastoral reflection following “several recent immigration enforcement encounters resulting in the loss of life.”In Houston on July 7, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araújo during an operation. On July 13, Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero died after being shot by a federal agent in Maine.In both cases, the U.S. government maintains that the agents acted in self-defense.In their joint reflection, the prelates said that Catholics “grieve all situations where human life is brought to an unnatural end.” “This is a core teaching of our faith and one we can never grow weary of proclaiming as disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” they noted.The bishops recalled the statement issued by the USCCB in November 2025, in which the American bishops expressed concern regarding the “climate of fear and anxiety” they observed among the population “around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”“Racial profiling in particular not only violates God-given dignity but also inflicts profound harm on individuals, families, and communities by fostering fear, eroding trust, and increasing the risk of unjust and even tragic outcomes. Our pastoral concerns are distinct from what the civil law itself may permit,” the two bishops stated.Likewise, they warned that “acts that diminish or disregard the dignity of any person or group of people should never be normalized in our society.” “The dehumanization of immigrants, regardless of their legal status, is one such example of this; the vilification of law enforcement officers is yet another," they noted.The bishops recalled that the authorities must “apply the law in a humane manner and with respect for fundamental human rights,” exercising state power “always within the limits of the moral law.”“To that end, we call for accountability, transparency, and justice, which require that meaningful reforms be made to our immigration system,” they stated in their pastoral reflection.“We join in praying for the souls of those killed and for their families,” they declared, “for our nation, and for all those entrusted with the duties of public service. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric, racial prejudice, and violence and for a renewed commitment to recognizing the inherent dignity of every person as a child of God.”On June 25, the Human Rights Watch organization published a 73-page report in which it charged that, so far during President Donald Trumpʼs administration, “52 people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the United States.” The document lists among the causes “poor detention conditions and lack of adequate medical care.”Added to these is the death on July 13 of 45-year-old Venezuelan Jesús Manuel Arias-Silva. According to the ICE statement, the migrant was detained on Thursday, July 9 and died “while being transferred between detention facilities in Georgia.”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.

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 20, 2026

In a joint statement, Bishops Daniel García and Brendan Cahill called for the application of immigration law in a humane manner and with respect for fundamental human rights.

Picture of the day

Scarlet flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) in Mato Grosso, Brazil
#ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 20, 2026

Picture of the day

Scarlet flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) in Mato Grosso, Brazil

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 20, 2026

80-year-old Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata has been missing for 19 days.

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 20, 2026

Rocket launches this week On Tuesday, July 21, SpaceX opens the week with the Starlink Group 17-39 mission, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10 a.m. EDT. The Falcon 9 booster is expected to land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch it here. Later thatContinue reading “A robotic satellite servicer and Starship’s return headline this week’s launches”

The post A robotic satellite servicer and Starship’s return headline this week’s launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Earthquake in Peru: statue of Mary untouched as church roof caves in #Catholic Following an earthquake the night of July 18 in Junín, Peru, that left at least five people dead, a statue of the Virgin Mary remained intact even as the roof and part of the façade of St. James the Apostle parish church collapsed.Speaking from the scene, Father Henry Díaz described the extensive damage to the church, RPP’s Rotafono reported.“A large part of the church nave has collapsed. You can see huge cracks everywhere and roof tiles that have come loose. The high altar collapsed into the rubble. The statue of the Virgin remains intact,” the priest recounted.Instagram post“The Viceroyalty-era altars have been …very damaged. It appears the church tower is leaning slightly backward and to the right,” Díaz noted.The priest called on the Ministry of Culture and the authorities who visited the earthquake-affected area to help rebuild the church.He also noted that the church’s restoration could cost more than 7 million soles (.06 M) and take about a year to complete.July 18 earthquakePeruʼs bishops offered prayers and expressed their solidarity with the victims of the earthquake that struck the night of July 18, leaving at least five people dead, more than 20 injured, and hundreds more affected.The earthquake, recorded around 9 p.m., was centered in the district of Chongos Bajo, Chupaca province, Junín region, in the central Peruvian Andes, 193 miles east of Lima, according to the National Civil Defense Institute.As a result of the quake, the historic Cani Cross erected in 1534 and located in the main square of Chongos Bajo, one of the regionʼs oldest religious monuments, also collapsed.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.

unitedyam July 20, 2026July 21, 2026

The walls of the colonial era church are still standing, but the roof collapsed into the nave. The parish priest estimated restoring the church will cost $2 million.

Older Posts

This Small Town Is Known as ‘Gingerbread City’ for Its Victorian Charm—and It’s Just 30 Minutes From Dallas #Travel For the record, it’s pronounced “woks-uh-hatch-ee.”

Picture of the day Adult woman of the Laarim Tribe smoking in a pipe, Kimotong, South Sudan. #ImageOfTheDay

Crews Move Artemis IV Liquid Hydrogen Tank – Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of a production cell inside the main factory building into a detached test building on a separate portion of the 829-acre site.

A glowing eye

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Uruguay prepares for Pope Leo

This Is America’s Largest National Park—With 13 Million Acres of Mountains, Stunning Glaciers, and Ghost Towns #Travel Here’s what you should know before visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Picture of the day The Medieval town of Belcastel in Aveyron, France, named one of “the most beautiful villages of France”. Today is Bastille Day, the French National Day. #ImageOfTheDay

A New Look – and Sound – for Messier 94 – Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy with a bright inner ring around it, called a starburst ring, where new stars are forming.

9 Things Women Are Better At Than Men #BabylonBee – There’s no denying the natural order of things — there are some things women are just plain better at than men. Being aware of these things can help life go more smoothly.

United Methodist Church Announces Ban On Heterosexual Clergy #BabylonBee – U.S. — Finally making public a long-anticipated change to the denomination’s policy regarding qualifications for members of its pastorate, the United Methodist Church announced a ban on heterosexual clergy.

SpaceX targeting Thursday for second launch of the world’s largest rocket

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The Most Beautiful Place in Every State—From Arizona’s Grand Canyon to Maine’s Acadia National Park #Travel These scenic spots truly live up to the “America the Beautiful” claim.

Picture of the day Arhbalou village nestled in the foothills of the barren north face of the Western High Atlas, Al Haouz, Morocco. #ImageOfTheDay

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Is this the first known binary system to produce two supernova remnants?

The Largest Temperate Rain Forest in the World Is in the U.S.—With Stunning Glaciers and Fjords #Travel Tongass National Forest encompasses 17 million acres and is home to bears and bald eagles.

Our First View of the Surface of Mars – On the morning of July 20, 1976, roughly 40 minutes after mission controllers received word that the Viking 1 lander had successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, this photo gave us our first view from the surface of another planet.

Picture of the day Scarlet flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) in Mato Grosso, Brazil #ImageOfTheDay

A robotic satellite servicer and Starship’s return headline this week’s launches