EWTN to air film on St. Peter Claver, slave of the slaves #Catholic St. Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit priest who dedicated his life to the care of African slaves. On Sept. 9 — the saint’s feast day — EWTN will release an original docudrama on his life titled “Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves.”The docudrama was filmed on location in Spain, Colombia, and Cape Verde and uses interviews and dramatizations to present the life of Claver, who tirelessly ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia, for 40 years.The film will air on EWTN TV and EWTN+ on Sept. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET and re-air on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. At this time, the program will not air on YouTube. A behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves.” | Credit: EWTN Who was St. Peter Claver?Born on June 26, 1580, in Catalonia, Spain, Claver grew up in a devout Catholic farming family. He attended the University of Barcelona and at age 20 joined the Jesuits.During his studies as a novice, Claver met an older lay Jesuit brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez who encouraged Claver to become a missionary in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.In 1610, Claver traveled from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, where he was ordained a priest five years later.At that time, the African slave trade had been in place for several decades in the Americas, and Cartagena was one of the busiest slave ports in the Spanish empire.While there, Claver witnessed the cruelty with which the slaves were treated firsthand, despite Pope Paul III’s repeated condemnations of slavery. It is estimated that tens of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through Cartagena during Claver’s ministry.Moved by their suffering, Claver worked to bring both bodily and spiritual aid to the slaves. Despite his own health problems and the language barrier, he dedicated himself to his vocation.Claver would meet slave ships upon arrival in the harbor and board them to care for the poorly treated passengers on board who had made the journey from Africa in diseased and cramped conditions over the course of several months. He would tend to the sick — bringing food, water, and medicine — and treat wounds and illnesses. He would immediately baptize babies and those near death.After a slave was sold, Claver would continue to visit the individual, providing physical and spiritual support.When it came to catechesis, due to the language barrier, Claver used pictorial representations of the Gospel stories he was teaching.Throughout his ministry, Claver lived on small amounts of food and sleep. His lifestyle led to several miraculous occurrences, including when he healed the sick with the touch of his cloak or appeared surrounded by a supernatural light during his hospital visits.After suffering for several years from poor health, Claver died on Sept. 8, 1654. He had baptized and taught the faith to more than 300,000 slaves during his 40 years in Colombia.He was beatified by Pius IX on July 16, 1850, and canonized along with his friend St. Alphonsus Rodriguez on Jan. 15, 1888, by Pope Leo XIII.Claver is the patron saint of enslaved peoples, African missions, and interracial justice, and one of several patron saints of Colombia.
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EWTN to air film on St. Peter Claver, slave of the slaves #Catholic St. Peter Claver was a Spanish Jesuit priest who dedicated his life to the care of African slaves. On Sept. 9 — the saint’s feast day — EWTN will release an original docudrama on his life titled “Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves.”The docudrama was filmed on location in Spain, Colombia, and Cape Verde and uses interviews and dramatizations to present the life of Claver, who tirelessly ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia, for 40 years.The film will air on EWTN TV and EWTN+ on Sept. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET and re-air on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. At this time, the program will not air on YouTube. A behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves.” | Credit: EWTN Who was St. Peter Claver?Born on June 26, 1580, in Catalonia, Spain, Claver grew up in a devout Catholic farming family. He attended the University of Barcelona and at age 20 joined the Jesuits.During his studies as a novice, Claver met an older lay Jesuit brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez who encouraged Claver to become a missionary in the Spanish colonies in the Americas.In 1610, Claver traveled from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, where he was ordained a priest five years later.At that time, the African slave trade had been in place for several decades in the Americas, and Cartagena was one of the busiest slave ports in the Spanish empire.While there, Claver witnessed the cruelty with which the slaves were treated firsthand, despite Pope Paul III’s repeated condemnations of slavery. It is estimated that tens of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through Cartagena during Claver’s ministry.Moved by their suffering, Claver worked to bring both bodily and spiritual aid to the slaves. Despite his own health problems and the language barrier, he dedicated himself to his vocation.Claver would meet slave ships upon arrival in the harbor and board them to care for the poorly treated passengers on board who had made the journey from Africa in diseased and cramped conditions over the course of several months. He would tend to the sick — bringing food, water, and medicine — and treat wounds and illnesses. He would immediately baptize babies and those near death.After a slave was sold, Claver would continue to visit the individual, providing physical and spiritual support.When it came to catechesis, due to the language barrier, Claver used pictorial representations of the Gospel stories he was teaching.Throughout his ministry, Claver lived on small amounts of food and sleep. His lifestyle led to several miraculous occurrences, including when he healed the sick with the touch of his cloak or appeared surrounded by a supernatural light during his hospital visits.After suffering for several years from poor health, Claver died on Sept. 8, 1654. He had baptized and taught the faith to more than 300,000 slaves during his 40 years in Colombia.He was beatified by Pius IX on July 16, 1850, and canonized along with his friend St. Alphonsus Rodriguez on Jan. 15, 1888, by Pope Leo XIII.Claver is the patron saint of enslaved peoples, African missions, and interracial justice, and one of several patron saints of Colombia.

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“Saint Peter Claver — Slave of the Slaves” will air on EWTN on Sept. 9.

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Coalition backs parental rights lawsuit over California transgender student policy – #Catholic – A coalition of lawmakers, state attorneys general, and advocacy groups filed dozens of legal briefs in support of California parents who are challenging a state law that excludes parents from decisions about “socially” transitioning a child’s gender.California law does not allow school districts to adopt policies that require teachers and school administrators to tell parents when their child identifies as transgender and wants to be treated as the opposite sex. The law does not forbid voluntary notification by a teacher.In March, the U.S. Supreme Court halted enforcement of the state law, warning it cuts parents out of the conversation. The 6-3 decision did not offer a final ruling on the constitutionality of the law but found that it likely violates constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion and to direct the upbringing of one’s children, and sent the case back down to the lower courts.A lower court’s permanent injunction that blocks the law indefinitely is in effect, and the case is in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.The parents, represented by the Catholic nonprofit legal group The Thomas More Society, are getting support from 17 state attorneys general, five senators, and dozens of organizations that filed legal briefs with the appellate court in their defense.Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for Thomas More Society, said in a statement that the legal briefs “all converge on the same point,” which is that the law will not survive “strict scrutiny,” which is the highest standard of review, required in cases when constitutional rights are at risk.“Parents, not school bureaucrats, have the right to raise their children and to direct their religious upbringing,” Jonna said. “That means a school may not facilitate a childʼs gender transition without their knowledge and consent.”Legal briefs backing parentsFive Republican senators signed on to a joint brief supporting the parents: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas; Sen. Mike Lee of Utah; Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota; Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas; and Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana.“America’s history and tradition affirm that parents bear the primary responsibility for their children’s upbringing and have ‘natural bonds of affection’ with their children leading them to act in their children’s best interests,” the senators wrote.“The state must presume that parents are fit to direct their children’s upbringing and education,” they wrote. “It follows that parents are also in the best position to help their children with life’s struggles. That includes mental health struggles like gender dysphoria. When children engage with their school for help regarding their gender dysphoria, the school must tell the parents.”Republican attorneys general from 17 states also filed a brief: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.In the brief, they stated their intent is “to ensure that parents retain their fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their minor children.”“The need for parental involvement and oversight is only more pressing when the ideology pushed by the state confuses innocent and impressionable children experiencing ‘gender dysphoria,’” they wrote.A large coalition of more than 70 nongovernmental organizations, which includes Catholic and other Christian organizations, signed a separate brief. The signatories include Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.; the Christian Law Association; and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, along with Catholic former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.“Parents, whether religious or not, have the responsibility as well as the right to monitor the ideas to which their children are exposed and to protect them from those ideas likely to confuse and harm them,” the brief said.“When officious school officials use their access to children absent parental supervision to instill in those children ideas to which the parents are likely to object, they subvert the trust upon which family strength, and child wellbeing, depend,” it adds.Three legal scholars also filed a legal brief with the court: Professors Robert P. George, Melissa Moschella, and Eric A. DeGroff. George and Moschella are Catholic.“Anglo-American law has long recognized that parents — not the state — are the primary decision-makers for their children’s medical care,” the brief said. “This reflects a considered judgment that parents are best positioned to know their children’s needs, weigh risks and benefits in light of family values, and act in their children’s interests.”“Our legal tradition has never treated parental authority as absolute,” it added. “But the limits history has placed on that authority reflect two principles that, properly understood, reinforce rather than diminish the primacy of parental decision-making.”The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which secured a religious liberty and parental rights victory at the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor, also filed a brief in defense of the parents, as did a parent represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, who is fighting against a similar school policy in Wisconsin.
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Coalition backs parental rights lawsuit over California transgender student policy – #Catholic – A coalition of lawmakers, state attorneys general, and advocacy groups filed dozens of legal briefs in support of California parents who are challenging a state law that excludes parents from decisions about “socially” transitioning a child’s gender.California law does not allow school districts to adopt policies that require teachers and school administrators to tell parents when their child identifies as transgender and wants to be treated as the opposite sex. The law does not forbid voluntary notification by a teacher.In March, the U.S. Supreme Court halted enforcement of the state law, warning it cuts parents out of the conversation. The 6-3 decision did not offer a final ruling on the constitutionality of the law but found that it likely violates constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion and to direct the upbringing of one’s children, and sent the case back down to the lower courts.A lower court’s permanent injunction that blocks the law indefinitely is in effect, and the case is in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.The parents, represented by the Catholic nonprofit legal group The Thomas More Society, are getting support from 17 state attorneys general, five senators, and dozens of organizations that filed legal briefs with the appellate court in their defense.Paul M. Jonna, special counsel for Thomas More Society, said in a statement that the legal briefs “all converge on the same point,” which is that the law will not survive “strict scrutiny,” which is the highest standard of review, required in cases when constitutional rights are at risk.“Parents, not school bureaucrats, have the right to raise their children and to direct their religious upbringing,” Jonna said. “That means a school may not facilitate a childʼs gender transition without their knowledge and consent.”Legal briefs backing parentsFive Republican senators signed on to a joint brief supporting the parents: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas; Sen. Mike Lee of Utah; Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota; Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas; and Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana.“America’s history and tradition affirm that parents bear the primary responsibility for their children’s upbringing and have ‘natural bonds of affection’ with their children leading them to act in their children’s best interests,” the senators wrote.“The state must presume that parents are fit to direct their children’s upbringing and education,” they wrote. “It follows that parents are also in the best position to help their children with life’s struggles. That includes mental health struggles like gender dysphoria. When children engage with their school for help regarding their gender dysphoria, the school must tell the parents.”Republican attorneys general from 17 states also filed a brief: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.In the brief, they stated their intent is “to ensure that parents retain their fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their minor children.”“The need for parental involvement and oversight is only more pressing when the ideology pushed by the state confuses innocent and impressionable children experiencing ‘gender dysphoria,’” they wrote.A large coalition of more than 70 nongovernmental organizations, which includes Catholic and other Christian organizations, signed a separate brief. The signatories include Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.; the Christian Law Association; and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, along with Catholic former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.“Parents, whether religious or not, have the responsibility as well as the right to monitor the ideas to which their children are exposed and to protect them from those ideas likely to confuse and harm them,” the brief said.“When officious school officials use their access to children absent parental supervision to instill in those children ideas to which the parents are likely to object, they subvert the trust upon which family strength, and child wellbeing, depend,” it adds.Three legal scholars also filed a legal brief with the court: Professors Robert P. George, Melissa Moschella, and Eric A. DeGroff. George and Moschella are Catholic.“Anglo-American law has long recognized that parents — not the state — are the primary decision-makers for their children’s medical care,” the brief said. “This reflects a considered judgment that parents are best positioned to know their children’s needs, weigh risks and benefits in light of family values, and act in their children’s interests.”“Our legal tradition has never treated parental authority as absolute,” it added. “But the limits history has placed on that authority reflect two principles that, properly understood, reinforce rather than diminish the primacy of parental decision-making.”The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which secured a religious liberty and parental rights victory at the Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor, also filed a brief in defense of the parents, as did a parent represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, who is fighting against a similar school policy in Wisconsin.

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Dozens of organizations urged the court to protect parental rights and religious freedom as the state law remains blocked.

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SpaceX closes out SES’s O3b mPower constellation

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Rocket launches this week On Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:00 a.m. EST, a Long March 2D rocket is set to lift off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northern China’s Gobi Desert carrying an undisclosed payload, according to tracking from Next Spaceflight. The rocket is operated by the state-owned space contractor China Aerospace Science andContinue reading “SpaceX closes out SES’s O3b mPower constellation”

The post SpaceX closes out SES’s O3b mPower constellation appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 09 September 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 7:25-31 Brothers and sisters: In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that. I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping,  those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.From the Gospel according to Luke 6:20-26 Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.  For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false  prophets in this way.”On the mountain, Christ gives his disciples the new law, no longer written on stone. It is a law that renews our lives and makes them good, even when the world seems to have failed us and is full of misery. Only God can truly call the poor and afflicted blessed (cf. vv. 3-4), because he is the highest good who gives himself to all with infinite love. Only God can satisfy those who seek peace and justice (cf. vv. 6.9), because he is the just judge of the world and the author of eternal peace. Only in God do the meek, the merciful and the pure of heart find joy (vv. 5.7-8), because he is the fulfilment of their expectations. In persecution, God is the source of redemption; in falsehood, he is the anchor of truth. Therefore, Jesus proclaims: “Rejoice and be glad!” (…) In this way, Jesus illuminates the meaning of history. It is no longer written by conquerors, but rather by God, who is able to accomplish it by saving the oppressed. (…) The Beatitudes become for us a measure of happiness, leading us to ask whether we consider it an achievement to be bought or a gift to be shared; whether we place it in objects that are consumed or in relationships that accompany us. It is in fact because of Christ (cf. Mt 5:11) and thanks to him that the bitterness of trials is transformed into the joy of the redeemed. Jesus does not speak of a distant consolation, but of a constant grace that always sustains us, especially in times of affliction. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 1st February 2026)

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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
7:25-31

Brothers and sisters:
In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord,
but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
So this is what I think best because of the present distress:
that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is.
Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation.
Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife.
If you marry, however, you do not sin,
nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries;
but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life,
and I would like to spare you that.

I tell you, brothers, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping, 
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.

From the Gospel according to Luke
6:20-26

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. 
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false 
prophets in this way.”

On the mountain, Christ gives his disciples the new law, no longer written on stone. It is a law that renews our lives and makes them good, even when the world seems to have failed us and is full of misery. Only God can truly call the poor and afflicted blessed (cf. vv. 3-4), because he is the highest good who gives himself to all with infinite love. Only God can satisfy those who seek peace and justice (cf. vv. 6.9), because he is the just judge of the world and the author of eternal peace. Only in God do the meek, the merciful and the pure of heart find joy (vv. 5.7-8), because he is the fulfilment of their expectations. In persecution, God is the source of redemption; in falsehood, he is the anchor of truth. Therefore, Jesus proclaims: “Rejoice and be glad!” (…) In this way, Jesus illuminates the meaning of history. It is no longer written by conquerors, but rather by God, who is able to accomplish it by saving the oppressed. (…) The Beatitudes become for us a measure of happiness, leading us to ask whether we consider it an achievement to be bought or a gift to be shared; whether we place it in objects that are consumed or in relationships that accompany us. It is in fact because of Christ (cf. Mt 5:11) and thanks to him that the bitterness of trials is transformed into the joy of the redeemed. Jesus does not speak of a distant consolation, but of a constant grace that always sustains us, especially in times of affliction. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 1st February 2026)

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Colombian government to help finance restoration of earthquake-damaged basilica – #Catholic – Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced an initial disbursement of 1.2 billion pesos (0,000) to restore the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, which was damaged by the Aug. 10 earthquake.The basilica, located in the city of Buga in the Valle del Cauca department (administrative district), sustained damage to its dome. As a safety precaution, Masses inside the church have been suspended and are currently being held in the town’s central square.In addition, as the basilica has the legal designation of an asset of cultural interest, any restoration work must be supervised by the Ministry of Culture.During his Sept. 5 visit to Valle del Cauca, De la Espriella expressed the governmentʼs commitment to “protecting the spiritual symbols of the Colombian people.” Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announces the government’s plan to partially fund the repair of the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, which was damaged in the Aug. 10, 2026, earthquake. | Credit: Screenshot/Presidency of the Republic, Colombia “We already have 1.2 billion pesos [approximately 0,000] to repair our Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, and we are working with the private sector to secure another 5 billion [.6 million] to rebuild and repair the basilica so that Masses can be held there,” he announced Sept. 5.Referring to the image of Christ crucified in the church, which depicts the Savior with dark-colored skin, the president stated the state-funded repairs are intended to “honor our beloved [Black Christ],” as the Lord of Miracles of Buga is also known, “and to defend that symbol of faith and spirituality that means so much to us Colombians.”The announcement comes just days before the feast of the Lord of Miracles in Buga, celebrated on Sept. 14, which draws thousands of pilgrims.In a Facebook video, Father Alcides de Jesús Orozco, rector of the basilica, explained that although the basilica is closed, the part of the church where the image of Christ is enthroned suffered no damage and the faithful may enter there.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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Colombian government to help finance restoration of earthquake-damaged basilica – #Catholic – Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced an initial disbursement of 1.2 billion pesos ($320,000) to restore the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, which was damaged by the Aug. 10 earthquake.The basilica, located in the city of Buga in the Valle del Cauca department (administrative district), sustained damage to its dome. As a safety precaution, Masses inside the church have been suspended and are currently being held in the town’s central square.In addition, as the basilica has the legal designation of an asset of cultural interest, any restoration work must be supervised by the Ministry of Culture.During his Sept. 5 visit to Valle del Cauca, De la Espriella expressed the governmentʼs commitment to “protecting the spiritual symbols of the Colombian people.” Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announces the government’s plan to partially fund the repair of the Minor Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, which was damaged in the Aug. 10, 2026, earthquake. | Credit: Screenshot/Presidency of the Republic, Colombia “We already have 1.2 billion pesos [approximately $320,000] to repair our Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, and we are working with the private sector to secure another 5 billion [$1.6 million] to rebuild and repair the basilica so that Masses can be held there,” he announced Sept. 5.Referring to the image of Christ crucified in the church, which depicts the Savior with dark-colored skin, the president stated the state-funded repairs are intended to “honor our beloved [Black Christ],” as the Lord of Miracles of Buga is also known, “and to defend that symbol of faith and spirituality that means so much to us Colombians.”The announcement comes just days before the feast of the Lord of Miracles in Buga, celebrated on Sept. 14, which draws thousands of pilgrims.In a Facebook video, Father Alcides de Jesús Orozco, rector of the basilica, explained that although the basilica is closed, the part of the church where the image of Christ is enthroned suffered no damage and the faithful may enter there.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 government has pledged to help finance repairs to the church, a part of Colombia’s cultural heritage and a popular pilgrimage site.

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Seton Hall University welcomes academically strong Class of 2023 #Catholic – Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. recently welcomed about 1,560 first-year students to campus, representing 42 states and 17 countries. The Class of 2030 was selected from a pool of 28,070 applicants, roughly 2,300 more than the year prior — one of many signs of growing interest in a Seton Hall education. That growth has come with increased selectivity. Seton Hall’s admission rate has fallen from 79 percent in 2023 to 67.5 percent in 2026, a decline of nearly 12 percent in three years. At the same time, the academic profile of incoming students remains strong, continuing a broader trend of gains over the past decade. “Seton Hall is proud to welcome the Class of 2030, an accomplished and diverse group of students who bring tremendous talent, ambition and greater purpose to our community,” said Kathleen (Katie) McCarthy, MBA, ’17, Seton Hall’s vice president for enrollment management. “We look forward to seeing all they will accomplish in the years ahead.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Among the 33 percent of incoming students who submitted standardized test scores, the average SAT score was 1323, and the average ACT score was 29. The average high school GPA for the incoming class is 3.68, up from 3.55 in 2016. The Class of 2030 also reflects Seton Hall’s longstanding role as a university of opportunity, bringing together students from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. More than 40 percent of incoming first-year students are the first in their families to attend college, and 41 percent are Pell Grant-eligible. The class reflects the communities Seton Hall serves, with 62 percent of incoming students identifying as students of color and 61 percent identifying as female. These varied perspectives and experiences strengthen classroom discussions, campus life, and the university community. Founded in 1856, Seton Hall, which is located in the Newark Archdiocese, N.J., remains grounded in its Catholic mission and its commitment to being a home for the mind, heart, and spirit. Guided by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and our patroness and intercessor, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the university welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds into a community that encourages intellectual growth, service to others, and the pursuit of greater purpose.  
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Seton Hall University welcomes academically strong Class of 2023 #Catholic – Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. recently welcomed about 1,560 first-year students to campus, representing 42 states and 17 countries. The Class of 2030 was selected from a pool of 28,070 applicants, roughly 2,300 more than the year prior — one of many signs of growing interest in a Seton Hall education. That growth has come with increased selectivity. Seton Hall’s admission rate has fallen from 79 percent in 2023 to 67.5 percent in 2026, a decline of nearly 12 percent in three years. At the same time, the academic profile of incoming students remains strong, continuing a broader trend of gains over the past decade. “Seton Hall is proud to welcome the Class of 2030, an accomplished and diverse group of students who bring tremendous talent, ambition and greater purpose to our community,” said Kathleen (Katie) McCarthy, MBA, ’17, Seton Hall’s vice president for enrollment management. “We look forward to seeing all they will accomplish in the years ahead.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Among the 33 percent of incoming students who submitted standardized test scores, the average SAT score was 1323, and the average ACT score was 29. The average high school GPA for the incoming class is 3.68, up from 3.55 in 2016. The Class of 2030 also reflects Seton Hall’s longstanding role as a university of opportunity, bringing together students from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. More than 40 percent of incoming first-year students are the first in their families to attend college, and 41 percent are Pell Grant-eligible. The class reflects the communities Seton Hall serves, with 62 percent of incoming students identifying as students of color and 61 percent identifying as female. These varied perspectives and experiences strengthen classroom discussions, campus life, and the university community. Founded in 1856, Seton Hall, which is located in the Newark Archdiocese, N.J., remains grounded in its Catholic mission and its commitment to being a home for the mind, heart, and spirit. Guided by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and our patroness and intercessor, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the university welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds into a community that encourages intellectual growth, service to others, and the pursuit of greater purpose.  

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Seton Hall University welcomes academically strong Class of 2023 #Catholic –

Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. recently welcomed about 1,560 first-year students to campus, representing 42 states and 17 countries. The Class of 2030 was selected from a pool of 28,070 applicants, roughly 2,300 more than the year prior — one of many signs of growing interest in a Seton Hall education.

That growth has come with increased selectivity. Seton Hall’s admission rate has fallen from 79 percent in 2023 to 67.5 percent in 2026, a decline of nearly 12 percent in three years. At the same time, the academic profile of incoming students remains strong, continuing a broader trend of gains over the past decade.

“Seton Hall is proud to welcome the Class of 2030, an accomplished and diverse group of students who bring tremendous talent, ambition and greater purpose to our community,” said Kathleen (Katie) McCarthy, MBA, ’17, Seton Hall’s vice president for enrollment management. “We look forward to seeing all they will accomplish in the years ahead.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Among the 33 percent of incoming students who submitted standardized test scores, the average SAT score was 1323, and the average ACT score was 29. The average high school GPA for the incoming class is 3.68, up from 3.55 in 2016.

The Class of 2030 also reflects Seton Hall’s longstanding role as a university of opportunity, bringing together students from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. More than 40 percent of incoming first-year students are the first in their families to attend college, and 41 percent are Pell Grant-eligible.

The class reflects the communities Seton Hall serves, with 62 percent of incoming students identifying as students of color and 61 percent identifying as female. These varied perspectives and experiences strengthen classroom discussions, campus life, and the university community.

Founded in 1856, Seton Hall, which is located in the Newark Archdiocese, N.J., remains grounded in its Catholic mission and its commitment to being a home for the mind, heart, and spirit. Guided by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and our patroness and intercessor, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the university welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds into a community that encourages intellectual growth, service to others, and the pursuit of greater purpose.

 

– Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. recently welcomed about 1,560 first-year students to campus, representing 42 states and 17 countries. The Class of 2030 was selected from a pool of 28,070 applicants, roughly 2,300 more than the year prior — one of many signs of growing interest in a Seton Hall education. That growth has come with increased selectivity. Seton Hall’s admission rate has fallen from 79 percent in 2023 to 67.5 percent in 2026, a decline of nearly 12 percent in three years. At the same time, the academic profile of incoming students remains strong, continuing a broader

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Holy Spirit’s 70-year legacy of academic and spiritual growth #Catholic – Holy Spirit School in Pequannock, N.J., is filled with anticipation as it begins its 70th school year! The school is thrilled to welcome its new staff, families, and students into the Holy Spirit family for the 2026–2027 school year. Each new school year brings opportunities for academic and spiritual growth, service to others, and living out the faith within the school community and beyond. Holy Spirit’s administration is proud to lead the school community as it continues to live by the school motto, “Inspiring Minds, Igniting Faith and Shaping the Future.” Virtue formation will remain an important focus throughout the year. Each month, Holy Spirit students will explore a different virtue and discover how they can grow closer to Jesus. Through the school community’s words, actions, and service to others, it strives to put its faith into practice and model Christ’s love. In Holy Spirit’s classrooms, students are engaged in meaningful learning experiences across the curriculum. Whether experimenting in our Science Lab, tackling challenges in STREAM, completing novel studies in language arts, solving problems in math, creating projects in social studies, or producing masterpieces in art, students work collaboratively, ask thoughtful questions, and think critically. Instilling a lifelong love of learning remains a priority in every classroom. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Beyond the classroom, Holy Spirit’s students have many opportunities to explore their interests, develop leadership skills, build friendships, and serve others. Students can participate in Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, CYO basketball, cheerleading, performing arts, TREP$, and many other activities throughout the year. Holy Spirit looks forward to seeing its students take on leadership roles and plan meaningful service projects that bring the entire school community together. As Holy Spirit celebrates this special year, it looks forward to its annual Legacy Gala, honoring Rod Donnelly of Donnelly Construction and Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Wayne, N.J. The event will be held at The Brownstone in Paterson, N.J., on Friday, Nov. 20 and will celebrate and support Catholic education. The school invites alums from the past 70 years to join in celebrating this remarkable milestone, along with all who have helped shape Holy Spirit School’s history. Most importantly, Holy Spirit remains devoted to faith formation, which is woven throughout every aspect of the school day. Led by Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, and Filippini Sister Marie Antonelli, the school’s principal, students witness firsthand their dedication to their vocations. Holy Spirit’s school community is touched by the spirit of St. Lucy Filippini, foundress of the Religious Teachers Filippini, who lead the school. The school celebrates Masses weekly, with class Masses and adoration held each Tuesday. As the school begins its 70th year, it is excited to embark on a year together filled with learning, love, faith, and fun. Holy Spirit is grateful for the generations of families, educators, students, alums, and supporters who have made the school what it is today, and it looks forward to continuing this legacy.  
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Holy Spirit’s 70-year legacy of academic and spiritual growth #Catholic – Holy Spirit School in Pequannock, N.J., is filled with anticipation as it begins its 70th school year! The school is thrilled to welcome its new staff, families, and students into the Holy Spirit family for the 2026–2027 school year. Each new school year brings opportunities for academic and spiritual growth, service to others, and living out the faith within the school community and beyond. Holy Spirit’s administration is proud to lead the school community as it continues to live by the school motto, “Inspiring Minds, Igniting Faith and Shaping the Future.” Virtue formation will remain an important focus throughout the year. Each month, Holy Spirit students will explore a different virtue and discover how they can grow closer to Jesus. Through the school community’s words, actions, and service to others, it strives to put its faith into practice and model Christ’s love. In Holy Spirit’s classrooms, students are engaged in meaningful learning experiences across the curriculum. Whether experimenting in our Science Lab, tackling challenges in STREAM, completing novel studies in language arts, solving problems in math, creating projects in social studies, or producing masterpieces in art, students work collaboratively, ask thoughtful questions, and think critically. Instilling a lifelong love of learning remains a priority in every classroom. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Beyond the classroom, Holy Spirit’s students have many opportunities to explore their interests, develop leadership skills, build friendships, and serve others. Students can participate in Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, CYO basketball, cheerleading, performing arts, TREP$, and many other activities throughout the year. Holy Spirit looks forward to seeing its students take on leadership roles and plan meaningful service projects that bring the entire school community together. As Holy Spirit celebrates this special year, it looks forward to its annual Legacy Gala, honoring Rod Donnelly of Donnelly Construction and Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Wayne, N.J. The event will be held at The Brownstone in Paterson, N.J., on Friday, Nov. 20 and will celebrate and support Catholic education. The school invites alums from the past 70 years to join in celebrating this remarkable milestone, along with all who have helped shape Holy Spirit School’s history. Most importantly, Holy Spirit remains devoted to faith formation, which is woven throughout every aspect of the school day. Led by Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, and Filippini Sister Marie Antonelli, the school’s principal, students witness firsthand their dedication to their vocations. Holy Spirit’s school community is touched by the spirit of St. Lucy Filippini, foundress of the Religious Teachers Filippini, who lead the school. The school celebrates Masses weekly, with class Masses and adoration held each Tuesday. As the school begins its 70th year, it is excited to embark on a year together filled with learning, love, faith, and fun. Holy Spirit is grateful for the generations of families, educators, students, alums, and supporters who have made the school what it is today, and it looks forward to continuing this legacy.  

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Holy Spirit’s 70-year legacy of academic and spiritual growth #Catholic –

Holy Spirit School in Pequannock, N.J., is filled with anticipation as it begins its 70th school year! The school is thrilled to welcome its new staff, families, and students into the Holy Spirit family for the 2026–2027 school year.

Each new school year brings opportunities for academic and spiritual growth, service to others, and living out the faith within the school community and beyond. Holy Spirit’s administration is proud to lead the school community as it continues to live by the school motto, “Inspiring Minds, Igniting Faith and Shaping the Future.”

Virtue formation will remain an important focus throughout the year. Each month, Holy Spirit students will explore a different virtue and discover how they can grow closer to Jesus. Through the school community’s words, actions, and service to others, it strives to put its faith into practice and model Christ’s love.

In Holy Spirit’s classrooms, students are engaged in meaningful learning experiences across the curriculum. Whether experimenting in our Science Lab, tackling challenges in STREAM, completing novel studies in language arts, solving problems in math, creating projects in social studies, or producing masterpieces in art, students work collaboratively, ask thoughtful questions, and think critically. Instilling a lifelong love of learning remains a priority in every classroom.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Beyond the classroom, Holy Spirit’s students have many opportunities to explore their interests, develop leadership skills, build friendships, and serve others. Students can participate in Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, CYO basketball, cheerleading, performing arts, TREP$, and many other activities throughout the year. Holy Spirit looks forward to seeing its students take on leadership roles and plan meaningful service projects that bring the entire school community together.

As Holy Spirit celebrates this special year, it looks forward to its annual Legacy Gala, honoring Rod Donnelly of Donnelly Construction and Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Wayne, N.J. The event will be held at The Brownstone in Paterson, N.J., on Friday, Nov. 20 and will celebrate and support Catholic education. The school invites alums from the past 70 years to join in celebrating this remarkable milestone, along with all who have helped shape Holy Spirit School’s history.

Most importantly, Holy Spirit remains devoted to faith formation, which is woven throughout every aspect of the school day. Led by Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, and Filippini Sister Marie Antonelli, the school’s principal, students witness firsthand their dedication to their vocations.

Holy Spirit’s school community is touched by the spirit of St. Lucy Filippini, foundress of the Religious Teachers Filippini, who lead the school. The school celebrates Masses weekly, with class Masses and adoration held each Tuesday.
As the school begins its 70th year, it is excited to embark on a year together filled with learning, love, faith, and fun.

Holy Spirit is grateful for the generations of families, educators, students, alums, and supporters who have made the school what it is today, and it looks forward to continuing this legacy.

 

– Holy Spirit School in Pequannock, N.J., is filled with anticipation as it begins its 70th school year! The school is thrilled to welcome its new staff, families, and students into the Holy Spirit family for the 2026–2027 school year. Each new school year brings opportunities for academic and spiritual growth, service to others, and living out the faith within the school community and beyond. Holy Spirit’s administration is proud to lead the school community as it continues to live by the school motto, “Inspiring Minds, Igniting Faith and Shaping the Future.” Virtue formation will remain an important focus throughout the

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Indianapolis becomes seventh U.S. diocese to grant Mass dispensation to migrants fearing deportation – #Catholic – The archbishop of Indianapolis has granted a dispensation from Mass for parishioners who fear deportation, making Indianapolis the seventh U.S. diocese to issue such a decree amid rising federal immigration-enforcement activity nationwide.Catholic parishioners, regardless of documentation, are permitted to miss Sunday Mass if they “reasonably fear being detained, separated from their families, or experience intimidation due to the increased immigration enforcement,” according to the decree, showing how the archdiocese is accompanying migrants.The dispensation took effect Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 30 unless extended. With Indianapolis added, dioceses that have issued similar decrees encompass about 3.5 million Catholics, according to the Official Catholic Directory 2025.During the pandemic in 2020, all Catholic dioceses and archdioceses issued Mass dispensations. Canon 1245 allows a diocesan bishop or pastor to grant a dispensation from Mass obligation “for a just cause.” “The decision to grant the dispensation at this time came as a response to requests from our pastors who work closely with our immigrant communities,” Sally Krause, the archdiocese’s director of communications, told EWTN. “They are experiencing fear and uncertainty due to an increase in immigration enforcement in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. By granting the dispensation, we wished to express the Churchʼs solidarity and care for those who are afraid to leave their homes.”Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis said the dispensation and his statement came after what he described as a “recent surge in immigration enforcement activity in Indiana,” which he said “has caused fear and uncertainty for many families, particularly when detention results in the sudden separation of parents and children.” Archbishop Charles Thompson. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Archdiocese of Indianapolis Thompson encouraged the faithful who use the dispensation to supplement with prayer, reading the Sunday readings, praying the rosary, and watching livestreamed Mass.“Pastors and all those who minister to the faithful within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are encouraged to attend to the spiritual care of those who must make use of this dispensation to the best of their ability, especially regarding the Sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Sick, or the distribution of Holy Communion to the homebound,” he said.Thompson said the dispensation applies to immigrant parishioners fearing detention, adding: “This applies even to those with proper legal documentation.”“While recognizing the need for law enforcement to protect and defend, it is gravely concerning to witness families being torn apart,” Thompson said in the statement. “The family, the fabric of stability in our society, must be cherished and defended. The inherent dignity of being created in the image of God demands that every person be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.”Krause said: “It is our practice that dispensations have a specific time frame delineated for which they have legal force. One month is a measured amount of time for such a decree, and we knew that we would discern the situation again in a monthʼs time.”Dispensations across the U.S.The dispensation in Indianapolis marks the seventh such dispensation granted in the U.S. for migrants fearing deportation by immigration enforcement officers since the start of the Trump administration.The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the dioceses of Columbus, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, San Bernardino, and Nashville have granted dispensations.Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee has said he would consider granting dispensation from Mass obligations to migrants fearing deportation, should the situation in his archdiocese require it. No dispensation has been announced in Milwaukee to date.Bishops in other dioceses along the border, including the Diocese of El Paso, the Diocese of Brownsville, and the Diocese of Tucson, have not granted dispensations but issued strong statements of condemnation over mass detentions and deportations of migrants in their respective communities.
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Indianapolis becomes seventh U.S. diocese to grant Mass dispensation to migrants fearing deportation – #Catholic – The archbishop of Indianapolis has granted a dispensation from Mass for parishioners who fear deportation, making Indianapolis the seventh U.S. diocese to issue such a decree amid rising federal immigration-enforcement activity nationwide.Catholic parishioners, regardless of documentation, are permitted to miss Sunday Mass if they “reasonably fear being detained, separated from their families, or experience intimidation due to the increased immigration enforcement,” according to the decree, showing how the archdiocese is accompanying migrants.The dispensation took effect Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 30 unless extended. With Indianapolis added, dioceses that have issued similar decrees encompass about 3.5 million Catholics, according to the Official Catholic Directory 2025.During the pandemic in 2020, all Catholic dioceses and archdioceses issued Mass dispensations. Canon 1245 allows a diocesan bishop or pastor to grant a dispensation from Mass obligation “for a just cause.” “The decision to grant the dispensation at this time came as a response to requests from our pastors who work closely with our immigrant communities,” Sally Krause, the archdiocese’s director of communications, told EWTN. “They are experiencing fear and uncertainty due to an increase in immigration enforcement in Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. By granting the dispensation, we wished to express the Churchʼs solidarity and care for those who are afraid to leave their homes.”Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis said the dispensation and his statement came after what he described as a “recent surge in immigration enforcement activity in Indiana,” which he said “has caused fear and uncertainty for many families, particularly when detention results in the sudden separation of parents and children.” Archbishop Charles Thompson. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Archdiocese of Indianapolis Thompson encouraged the faithful who use the dispensation to supplement with prayer, reading the Sunday readings, praying the rosary, and watching livestreamed Mass.“Pastors and all those who minister to the faithful within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are encouraged to attend to the spiritual care of those who must make use of this dispensation to the best of their ability, especially regarding the Sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the Sick, or the distribution of Holy Communion to the homebound,” he said.Thompson said the dispensation applies to immigrant parishioners fearing detention, adding: “This applies even to those with proper legal documentation.”“While recognizing the need for law enforcement to protect and defend, it is gravely concerning to witness families being torn apart,” Thompson said in the statement. “The family, the fabric of stability in our society, must be cherished and defended. The inherent dignity of being created in the image of God demands that every person be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.”Krause said: “It is our practice that dispensations have a specific time frame delineated for which they have legal force. One month is a measured amount of time for such a decree, and we knew that we would discern the situation again in a monthʼs time.”Dispensations across the U.S.The dispensation in Indianapolis marks the seventh such dispensation granted in the U.S. for migrants fearing deportation by immigration enforcement officers since the start of the Trump administration.The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the dioceses of Columbus, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, San Bernardino, and Nashville have granted dispensations.Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee has said he would consider granting dispensation from Mass obligations to migrants fearing deportation, should the situation in his archdiocese require it. No dispensation has been announced in Milwaukee to date.Bishops in other dioceses along the border, including the Diocese of El Paso, the Diocese of Brownsville, and the Diocese of Tucson, have not granted dispensations but issued strong statements of condemnation over mass detentions and deportations of migrants in their respective communities.

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Dioceses issuing dispensation decrees cover a combined Catholic population of about 3.5 million people.

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Faith on the Hill: Catholic members of Congress share how faith shapes their lives and work #Catholic For many of the 150 Catholics serving in the 119th Congress, faith plays an important role in their lives and work.The current number of Catholic lawmakers on Capitol Hill is slightly higher than the previous Congress, with Catholics accounting for more than 28% of the members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Of the Catholic members, 126 serve in the House and 24 in the Senate, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.In this special report, EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales spoke with various Catholic members of Congress about their faith and how they live it in their work.Sen. Eric SchmittSen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, grew up a cradle Catholic and said his parents instilled in him the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ at a young age.“I grew up in St. Louis, which is a very Catholic town and has been referred to as the Rome of the West because per capita, very Catholic,” Schmitt told Rosales.A “conversation back home, it might very easily start … ‘What parish are you at? or ‘What parish did you grow up in?’” Schmitt said.At 17, Schmitt went to a Jesuit retreat house that had a profound impact on him. Later, when his son was born with a rare genetic condition, Schmitt would often return to the Jesuits for prayer.It “was a seed that was planted … when I was confronted with this really kind of difficult situation. I went back there, and it was a profound experience,” he said. “I go back every year. Itʼs a … weekend silent retreat. And that keeps me very rooted.”When working busy days on the Hill, Schmitt said he looks to prayer.“Iʼll listen to a podcast by Bishop [Robert] Barron or Father Michael Schmitz,” he said. “I think technology now too has allowed a different avenue for people to … maintain their faith and grow their faith.”Even “if itʼs five or 10 minutes, it really does help me kind of start the day right,” Schmitt said.Rep. John RutherfordRep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, also spoke about leaning on his faith when working in a hectic position, often by attending Mass and saying the rosary.“In Ephesians 2:10, it says, ‘for we are all Godʼs workmanship, created in the image of Christ Jesus to do good work,’ which he prepared … in advance for us to do,’” Rutherford said. “So heʼs got work out there that heʼs prepared for me to do,” he continued.While Rutherford’s Catholic faith is incorporated into his day-to-day life, he shared that was not always the case. He grew up in the United Methodist Church, but at about 14 years old, “fell away from the church,” he said.After becoming a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, Rutherford’s perspective on faith changed. Witnessing crimes made him question his own mortality.“So I went back to the Bible, and I read the Bible literally cover to cover, not once but twice,” he said.Rutherford returned to the Methodist Church, while his wife and kids attended Catholic Mass. After reading about the Methodist Churchʼs seven principles, he realized he didnʼt agree with them.“It was a long process, but I finally read a book by Pope John Paul II, ‘Crossing the Threshold of Hope,’ and that explained where the authority of the Church is,” Rutherford said. “And how itʼs passed down through the papacy.”After his research, and inspired by the true Church and presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Rutherford entered the Catholic Church.Rep. Mark MessmerRep. Mark Messmer, R-Indiana, said he has spent his life putting God, family, and community first.It was during his time as a state legislator that a colleague invited Messmer and his wife to attend a Cursillo, a retreat focused on showing Christian laity how to become effective leaders and how to use the Gospel in daily life.“It ignited a passion and a love for Christ, and a love for the Eucharist that I always said I wanted. And then it gives you the tools [for] your prayer life, study life, and evangelization, how to live that out on a daily basis,” he said.Messmer said he stays grounded with daily Mass and his Friday morning prayer group. He and his family also all join together for a weekly group call to catch up and join for “spiritual reinforcement.”Rep. Stephanie BiceRep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, converted to Catholicism in college after she started going to Mass with her now husband.Bice served six years in the Oklahoma Senate and later ran for U.S. Congress. She joined a number of women who have been elected over the past two cycles.“Not every woman believes that … you should be able to terminate pregnancies up to birth,” Bice said. “So you had a groundswell of women consider running for congressional seats and Senate seats,” she said.While serving on Capitol Hill, Bice said she turns to prayer and the comfort of the Blessed Mother.“I stumbled across a group of staffers that actually pray the rosary on fly-in days in the morning,” she explained. “I said, ‘Hey, can a member come?’ And they were delighted that I would even ask.”One highlight of her congressional career was meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. The invitation came from Rep. James Langevin, a fellow Catholic and Democrat from Rhode Island.Pope Francis “looked at my husband and I after blessing us both, and he said: ‘Will you pray for me?’ And that was pretty profound,” Bice said.Rep. Robert Onder“Really, my Catholic faith has motivated me my whole life, my whole career, and really motivated in many ways the direction my life has taken,” Rep. Robert Onder, R-Missouri, said.Onder said his faith was present in his work trying to pass a religious liberty bill in the Missouri Senate and through his fight to protect the conscience rights of physicians who are forced to perform abortions.As a medical doctor, Onder detailed the present problem in some states and hospitals, which “want to force physicians to participate in abortions, participate in vitro fertilization or artificial contraception, and, of course, more recently, participate in euthanasia.”Onder said his political service has been motivated by love of God, family, and country. He said he stays rooted in faith by attending daily Mass. He said he also enjoys talking with other lawmakers about their love for Christ.“Speaker [Mike] Johnson is absolutely a brother in the Christian faith and a very, very strong believer,” Onder said. “It does give me a lot hope and a lot of encouragement to serve with other people who really take their faith seriously.”Rep. Riley MooreRep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, said his Catholic faith is “is the most important thing” in his life.“It forms me — every decision I make, everything that I do here on the Hill, it is central to my life. Iʼm always praying to be able to deepen my faith, be a strong family man, and then also my service.”“So itʼs my faith, my family, my service to my state, my country. But faith comes first.”“Canʼt always be easy to discern Godʼs will, particularly in a place that is more about individual will and not Godʼs will,” Moore said. “Iʼm trying to re-center myself towards that. Thatʼs that gravitational pull for me that Iʼm always trying to get back to.”Moore started as a Hill staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, working under the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois. One of his priorities is drawing attention to the persecution of Christians around the world, especially in Nigeria.While in Nigeria, “I met a woman who had had all five of her children murdered, murdered by Islamic terrorists,” Moore said. “I met another woman who had her two daughters and husband killed right in front of her, and then they killed her unborn child.”“As we know and weʼve heard many times, and itʼs so true that there is salvation through suffering. I think that … their suffering offers us salvation as well by doing something here,” he said.House Majority Whip Tom EmmerMajority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Emmer discussed how his faith was largely inspired by his family, including his father, who attended daily Mass.“The example that they set is, I believe, why I am who I am,” said Emmer, R-Minnesota.Emmer also detailed the trials of his faith, including the loss of his sister Bridget, who died of breast cancer at 38 years old.Emmer said he was angry at the Lord and had doubts about Godʼs will because of his sisterʼs suffering. A conversation with Bridget during her chemotherapy treatment was a pivotal moment for him and his faith.“She looked at me and she said, ‘Tom, would I love to live forever? Absolutely. But Iʼm not going to,’” he explained. His sister added: “I have lived a good life. If God comes and calls me today, so be it.”Emmer said her words brought him away from his own anger with the Lord. Now his message to others is to put God first while living each moment to the fullest.
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Faith on the Hill: Catholic members of Congress share how faith shapes their lives and work #Catholic For many of the 150 Catholics serving in the 119th Congress, faith plays an important role in their lives and work.The current number of Catholic lawmakers on Capitol Hill is slightly higher than the previous Congress, with Catholics accounting for more than 28% of the members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Of the Catholic members, 126 serve in the House and 24 in the Senate, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.In this special report, EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales spoke with various Catholic members of Congress about their faith and how they live it in their work.Sen. Eric SchmittSen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, grew up a cradle Catholic and said his parents instilled in him the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ at a young age.“I grew up in St. Louis, which is a very Catholic town and has been referred to as the Rome of the West because per capita, very Catholic,” Schmitt told Rosales.A “conversation back home, it might very easily start … ‘What parish are you at? or ‘What parish did you grow up in?’” Schmitt said.At 17, Schmitt went to a Jesuit retreat house that had a profound impact on him. Later, when his son was born with a rare genetic condition, Schmitt would often return to the Jesuits for prayer.It “was a seed that was planted … when I was confronted with this really kind of difficult situation. I went back there, and it was a profound experience,” he said. “I go back every year. Itʼs a … weekend silent retreat. And that keeps me very rooted.”When working busy days on the Hill, Schmitt said he looks to prayer.“Iʼll listen to a podcast by Bishop [Robert] Barron or Father Michael Schmitz,” he said. “I think technology now too has allowed a different avenue for people to … maintain their faith and grow their faith.”Even “if itʼs five or 10 minutes, it really does help me kind of start the day right,” Schmitt said.Rep. John RutherfordRep. John Rutherford, R-Florida, also spoke about leaning on his faith when working in a hectic position, often by attending Mass and saying the rosary.“In Ephesians 2:10, it says, ‘for we are all Godʼs workmanship, created in the image of Christ Jesus to do good work,’ which he prepared … in advance for us to do,’” Rutherford said. “So heʼs got work out there that heʼs prepared for me to do,” he continued.While Rutherford’s Catholic faith is incorporated into his day-to-day life, he shared that was not always the case. He grew up in the United Methodist Church, but at about 14 years old, “fell away from the church,” he said.After becoming a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, Rutherford’s perspective on faith changed. Witnessing crimes made him question his own mortality.“So I went back to the Bible, and I read the Bible literally cover to cover, not once but twice,” he said.Rutherford returned to the Methodist Church, while his wife and kids attended Catholic Mass. After reading about the Methodist Churchʼs seven principles, he realized he didnʼt agree with them.“It was a long process, but I finally read a book by Pope John Paul II, ‘Crossing the Threshold of Hope,’ and that explained where the authority of the Church is,” Rutherford said. “And how itʼs passed down through the papacy.”After his research, and inspired by the true Church and presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Rutherford entered the Catholic Church.Rep. Mark MessmerRep. Mark Messmer, R-Indiana, said he has spent his life putting God, family, and community first.It was during his time as a state legislator that a colleague invited Messmer and his wife to attend a Cursillo, a retreat focused on showing Christian laity how to become effective leaders and how to use the Gospel in daily life.“It ignited a passion and a love for Christ, and a love for the Eucharist that I always said I wanted. And then it gives you the tools [for] your prayer life, study life, and evangelization, how to live that out on a daily basis,” he said.Messmer said he stays grounded with daily Mass and his Friday morning prayer group. He and his family also all join together for a weekly group call to catch up and join for “spiritual reinforcement.”Rep. Stephanie BiceRep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma, converted to Catholicism in college after she started going to Mass with her now husband.Bice served six years in the Oklahoma Senate and later ran for U.S. Congress. She joined a number of women who have been elected over the past two cycles.“Not every woman believes that … you should be able to terminate pregnancies up to birth,” Bice said. “So you had a groundswell of women consider running for congressional seats and Senate seats,” she said.While serving on Capitol Hill, Bice said she turns to prayer and the comfort of the Blessed Mother.“I stumbled across a group of staffers that actually pray the rosary on fly-in days in the morning,” she explained. “I said, ‘Hey, can a member come?’ And they were delighted that I would even ask.”One highlight of her congressional career was meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. The invitation came from Rep. James Langevin, a fellow Catholic and Democrat from Rhode Island.Pope Francis “looked at my husband and I after blessing us both, and he said: ‘Will you pray for me?’ And that was pretty profound,” Bice said.Rep. Robert Onder“Really, my Catholic faith has motivated me my whole life, my whole career, and really motivated in many ways the direction my life has taken,” Rep. Robert Onder, R-Missouri, said.Onder said his faith was present in his work trying to pass a religious liberty bill in the Missouri Senate and through his fight to protect the conscience rights of physicians who are forced to perform abortions.As a medical doctor, Onder detailed the present problem in some states and hospitals, which “want to force physicians to participate in abortions, participate in vitro fertilization or artificial contraception, and, of course, more recently, participate in euthanasia.”Onder said his political service has been motivated by love of God, family, and country. He said he stays rooted in faith by attending daily Mass. He said he also enjoys talking with other lawmakers about their love for Christ.“Speaker [Mike] Johnson is absolutely a brother in the Christian faith and a very, very strong believer,” Onder said. “It does give me a lot hope and a lot of encouragement to serve with other people who really take their faith seriously.”Rep. Riley MooreRep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, said his Catholic faith is “is the most important thing” in his life.“It forms me — every decision I make, everything that I do here on the Hill, it is central to my life. Iʼm always praying to be able to deepen my faith, be a strong family man, and then also my service.”“So itʼs my faith, my family, my service to my state, my country. But faith comes first.”“Canʼt always be easy to discern Godʼs will, particularly in a place that is more about individual will and not Godʼs will,” Moore said. “Iʼm trying to re-center myself towards that. Thatʼs that gravitational pull for me that Iʼm always trying to get back to.”Moore started as a Hill staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, working under the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois. One of his priorities is drawing attention to the persecution of Christians around the world, especially in Nigeria.While in Nigeria, “I met a woman who had had all five of her children murdered, murdered by Islamic terrorists,” Moore said. “I met another woman who had her two daughters and husband killed right in front of her, and then they killed her unborn child.”“As we know and weʼve heard many times, and itʼs so true that there is salvation through suffering. I think that … their suffering offers us salvation as well by doing something here,” he said.House Majority Whip Tom EmmerMajority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Emmer discussed how his faith was largely inspired by his family, including his father, who attended daily Mass.“The example that they set is, I believe, why I am who I am,” said Emmer, R-Minnesota.Emmer also detailed the trials of his faith, including the loss of his sister Bridget, who died of breast cancer at 38 years old.Emmer said he was angry at the Lord and had doubts about Godʼs will because of his sisterʼs suffering. A conversation with Bridget during her chemotherapy treatment was a pivotal moment for him and his faith.“She looked at me and she said, ‘Tom, would I love to live forever? Absolutely. But Iʼm not going to,’” he explained. His sister added: “I have lived a good life. If God comes and calls me today, so be it.”Emmer said her words brought him away from his own anger with the Lord. Now his message to others is to put God first while living each moment to the fullest.

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EWTN News Capitol Hill correspondent Erik Rosales spoke with various Catholic lawmakers about how their faith intersects with their public service.

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Superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud – N44 is a complex nebula filled with glowing hydrogen gas, dark lanes of dust, massive stars, and many populations of stars of different ages. One of its most distinctive features, however, is the dark, starry gap called a “superbubble,” visible in this Hubble Space Telescope image in the upper central region.
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Superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud – N44 is a complex nebula filled with glowing hydrogen gas, dark lanes of dust, massive stars, and many populations of stars of different ages. One of its most distinctive features, however, is the dark, starry gap called a “superbubble,” visible in this Hubble Space Telescope image in the upper central region.

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N44 is a complex nebula filled with glowing hydrogen gas, dark lanes of dust, massive stars, and many populations of stars of different ages. One of its most distinctive features, however, is the dark, starry gap called a “superbubble,” visible in this Hubble Space Telescope image in the upper central region.

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Mary’s birthday: The Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary #Catholic The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anne.The circumstances of the Virgin Mary’s infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but other documents, legends, and traditions describing the circumstances of her birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.These accounts are not included in the canon of Scripture and thus lack authority, but they do reflect some of the Church’s traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.One such non-Scriptural source is the early second century “Protoevangelium of James,” an infancy gospel offering pious legends about Mary that nevertheless affirms some of the earliest teachings of the Church on the Blessed Mother.The Protoevangelium describes Mary’s father, Joachim, as a wealthy member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife, Anne, by their childlessness. “He called to mind Abraham,” the early Christian writing says, “that in the last day God gave him a son, Isaac.”Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God’s displeasure with them.As it turned out, however, the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”After Mary’s birth, according to the “Protoevangelium of James,” Anne “made a sanctuary” in the infant girl’s room and “allowed nothing common or unclean” on account of the special holiness of the child. The same writing records that when she was a year old, her father “made a great feast and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel.”“And Joachim brought the child to the priests,” the account continues, “and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations’ … And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.’”The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary’s parents, along with the Temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated virgin for the rest of her life and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.St. Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.The fourth-century bishop, whose theology profoundly shaped the Western Church’s understanding of sin and human nature, affirmed that “through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”This story was first published on Sept. 5, 2010, and has been updated.
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Mary’s birthday: The Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary #Catholic The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anne.The circumstances of the Virgin Mary’s infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but other documents, legends, and traditions describing the circumstances of her birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.These accounts are not included in the canon of Scripture and thus lack authority, but they do reflect some of the Church’s traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.One such non-Scriptural source is the early second century “Protoevangelium of James,” an infancy gospel offering pious legends about Mary that nevertheless affirms some of the earliest teachings of the Church on the Blessed Mother.The Protoevangelium describes Mary’s father, Joachim, as a wealthy member of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife, Anne, by their childlessness. “He called to mind Abraham,” the early Christian writing says, “that in the last day God gave him a son, Isaac.”Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God’s displeasure with them.As it turned out, however, the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”After Mary’s birth, according to the “Protoevangelium of James,” Anne “made a sanctuary” in the infant girl’s room and “allowed nothing common or unclean” on account of the special holiness of the child. The same writing records that when she was a year old, her father “made a great feast and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel.”“And Joachim brought the child to the priests,” the account continues, “and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations’ … And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.’”The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary’s parents, along with the Temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated virgin for the rest of her life and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.St. Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.The fourth-century bishop, whose theology profoundly shaped the Western Church’s understanding of sin and human nature, affirmed that “through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”This story was first published on Sept. 5, 2010, and has been updated.

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The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception.

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Leo XIV: Mary’s simple presence — and her Son within her — moves all of history – #Catholic – ROME — It was shortly after 5 p.m. local time when Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, awaited by thousands of people along the road and welcomed by his fellow Augustinians.Not everyone could fit inside the church, and the streets of Genazzano, about 30 miles east of Rome, were packed. The pope chose to celebrate the Nativity of Mary at this shrine so dear to his heart. He brought a Golden Rose to place at Mary’s feet, and the rector thanked him, saying, “Our affection for you is true and genuine,” because “we all love you immensely.”The maternal presence of Our Lady of Good Counsel, the pope said, had “accompanied me throughout my entire life, with her wisdom, and with the example of her love for her Son, the Son who is always at the center of my faith,” as he wrote in the shrine’s guest book on May 10, 2025.The pope quoted the Augustinian St. Thomas of Villanova, who asked the Evangelists: “Why, I wonder, were we not told about the manner of her conception, her birth, her upbringing, her habits, the virtues that adorned her, what human relationship she had with her Son, how she related to him, how she lived with the apostles after his ascension? All these things were important, and the faithful would have read them with singular devotion, and ordinary people would have delighted in them. O Evangelists, I appeal to you! Why have you deprived us of such great joy by your silence? Why have you left out details so joyful, so eagerly awaited, so pleasing?”From this open dialogue with Scripture, the pope reflected: “Mary’s presence creates something like a leap in the genealogy, an unexpected newness capable of changing not only expectations but also the predictable behavior of a man. What Joseph hears, what he decides and what he does, in fact, is a response to God and to Mary’s presence, to her absolute difference, which surpasses every possible discourse and narrative. In Mary, salvation finds a home: God with us!”Faced with this mystery, the pope explained, “we feel a kind of vertigo.”After all, “God’s way has been and remains simpler and quieter, yet no less powerful and transformative.” Those humble historical circumstances that lead to the birth of Jesus reveal “the originality of his Kingdom, in which arrogance has no place and omnipotence is creation, service and care for life.”Continuing to draw on the teaching of the Augustinian saint, the pope spoke about prayer, because it is in contemplative prayer that “what the world does not tell us, but already exists, takes shape; what is still invisible, but already possesses a new kind of strength. This is not fantasy, but prophecy. We need it, in times of destruction and uncertainty, to see God’s work and serve it.”May the feast of Mary’s birth, the pope concluded, increase peace within us: “Yes, dear friends, we want to imagine peace — to broaden the boundaries of our understanding and paint it in our souls — in order to recognize that it already exists, to welcome it and to serve it. It is the gift of God, the breath of the Risen One, the work of the Holy Spirit. Let us allow peace to grow within us. It will blossom in the world. And the Mother of Good Counsel will accompany us in this mission.”The pope also expressed appreciation for the fresco depicting him at prayer, commemorating his visit to the shrine on May 10, 2025, two days after his election.The final hymn to Our Lady of Good Counsel brought consolation to all:“Protect our people, who hopein your counsel and live in your love.Receive their fervent prayer,O daughter, O bride, O Mother of the Lord.Holy Virgin of Genazzano,turn your serene gaze upon us;stretch out your hand to your children,strengthen the just, save the sinner.”This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Leo XIV: Mary’s simple presence — and her Son within her — moves all of history – #Catholic – ROME — It was shortly after 5 p.m. local time when Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, awaited by thousands of people along the road and welcomed by his fellow Augustinians.Not everyone could fit inside the church, and the streets of Genazzano, about 30 miles east of Rome, were packed. The pope chose to celebrate the Nativity of Mary at this shrine so dear to his heart. He brought a Golden Rose to place at Mary’s feet, and the rector thanked him, saying, “Our affection for you is true and genuine,” because “we all love you immensely.”The maternal presence of Our Lady of Good Counsel, the pope said, had “accompanied me throughout my entire life, with her wisdom, and with the example of her love for her Son, the Son who is always at the center of my faith,” as he wrote in the shrine’s guest book on May 10, 2025.The pope quoted the Augustinian St. Thomas of Villanova, who asked the Evangelists: “Why, I wonder, were we not told about the manner of her conception, her birth, her upbringing, her habits, the virtues that adorned her, what human relationship she had with her Son, how she related to him, how she lived with the apostles after his ascension? All these things were important, and the faithful would have read them with singular devotion, and ordinary people would have delighted in them. O Evangelists, I appeal to you! Why have you deprived us of such great joy by your silence? Why have you left out details so joyful, so eagerly awaited, so pleasing?”From this open dialogue with Scripture, the pope reflected: “Mary’s presence creates something like a leap in the genealogy, an unexpected newness capable of changing not only expectations but also the predictable behavior of a man. What Joseph hears, what he decides and what he does, in fact, is a response to God and to Mary’s presence, to her absolute difference, which surpasses every possible discourse and narrative. In Mary, salvation finds a home: God with us!”Faced with this mystery, the pope explained, “we feel a kind of vertigo.”After all, “God’s way has been and remains simpler and quieter, yet no less powerful and transformative.” Those humble historical circumstances that lead to the birth of Jesus reveal “the originality of his Kingdom, in which arrogance has no place and omnipotence is creation, service and care for life.”Continuing to draw on the teaching of the Augustinian saint, the pope spoke about prayer, because it is in contemplative prayer that “what the world does not tell us, but already exists, takes shape; what is still invisible, but already possesses a new kind of strength. This is not fantasy, but prophecy. We need it, in times of destruction and uncertainty, to see God’s work and serve it.”May the feast of Mary’s birth, the pope concluded, increase peace within us: “Yes, dear friends, we want to imagine peace — to broaden the boundaries of our understanding and paint it in our souls — in order to recognize that it already exists, to welcome it and to serve it. It is the gift of God, the breath of the Risen One, the work of the Holy Spirit. Let us allow peace to grow within us. It will blossom in the world. And the Mother of Good Counsel will accompany us in this mission.”The pope also expressed appreciation for the fresco depicting him at prayer, commemorating his visit to the shrine on May 10, 2025, two days after his election.The final hymn to Our Lady of Good Counsel brought consolation to all:“Protect our people, who hopein your counsel and live in your love.Receive their fervent prayer,O daughter, O bride, O Mother of the Lord.Holy Virgin of Genazzano,turn your serene gaze upon us;stretch out your hand to your children,strengthen the just, save the sinner.”This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The pope celebrates Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano

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Mother Teresa documentary premieres in Kolkata on her feast day – #Catholic – An international documentary tracing the life, legacy, and “prophetic path of compassion” of St. Teresa of Kolkata premiered Saturday on her feast day in Kolkata, India, drawing more than 200 people, including dozens of Missionaries of Charity (MC) nuns and novices.“Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” produced by journalist and author Anto Akkara, was screened at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College, Park Street, with Archbishop Elias Frank of Kolkata presiding over the premiere.In his introductory remarks, the archbishop praised Akkara’s determination to bring lesser-known aspects of Mother Teresa’s life and work to a global audience.“We are here, dear friends, not just to see what he has done, but to be inspired by Mother’s work,” Frank said, commending the journalist’s “passion” for making Mother Teresa known through the documentary.“There are things that we may not even know yet,” Frank said, pointing to the film’s journalistic examination of events surrounding the Missionaries of Charity. Archbishop Elias Frank of Kolkata sits beside journalist and author Anto Akkara during the premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese Akkara, who is also a contributor to EWTN News, said his association with Mother Teresa began in 1995, when, at the age of 33, he was granted what he described as a “comprehensive” interview with her.“Since then, I pursued the Missionaries of Charity on crucial occasions, frequenting Kolkata often from the funeral of the Mother in 1997,” he said. Akkara has visited Kolkata more than two dozen times for international reporting.He said he proposed the documentary as the Missionaries of Charity approached their 75th anniversary, and the congregation agreed to the project. Atmadarshan TV, Indore, provided support for the production.The new 66-minute documentary builds on an earlier version produced for the congregation’s 75th Foundation Day in October 2025. Akkara subsequently reworked the film, adding more than a dozen new episodes and international accounts.The documentary traces Mother Teresa’s journey from her early work in India to the worldwide expansion of the Missionaries of Charity, highlighting episodes in Patna in 1948, Jharkhand in 1959, and New Delhi in 1961.It also examines the congregation’s work amid conflict, including the killings of MC sisters in Yemen in 1998 and 2016, the expulsion of the congregation from Nicaragua, and the decision of sisters to remain in Gaza and Ukraine amid bombardment. Journalist and author Anto Akkara speaks at the premiere of his new documentary, “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sept. 5, 2026., hosted by the Archdiocese of Kolkata. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese| Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese Among those featured in the film is legendary photographer Raghu Rai. The documentary also recalls appreciation expressed for Mother Teresa by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru when inaugurating a new Shishu Bhavan building in New Delhi.Akkara said the film challenges allegations that Mother Teresa’s charitable work was primarily a vehicle for religious conversion and highlights her service to people living in extreme poverty, children, orphans, people with disabilities and mental illness, and those affected by leprosy.Several lesser-known stories included in the film illustrate the breadth of her work. The documentary notes that the distinctive blue-striped white cotton saris worn by MC sisters are woven by people affected by leprosy at the congregation’s Titagarh centre, dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Archbishop Elias Frank speaks at the premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sept. 5, 2026, hosted by the Archdiocese of Kolkata. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese The film also recounts Mother Teresa’s efforts to persuade the Indian Air Force to plant trees at the MC leprosy home in Delhi and her decision to decline a papal invitation to the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver so that she could travel to Borduria in Arunachal Pradesh to intervene against the killing of infants born with deformities.Another story describes a raffle organized to raise funds for the leprosy hospital at Shanti Nagar by selling a popemobile reportedly donated to Mother Teresa following the 1964 World Eucharistic Congress in Mumbai.The documentary also recalls Mother Teresa’s request that the Nobel Committee cancel the customary banquet accompanying the Nobel Prize and use the money instead to help orphans in Kolkata.The film highlights the respect Mother Teresa received across religious and political lines, including appreciation from former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and former Prime Ministers Inder Kumar Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The film also recounts Mother Teresa’s relationship with Jyoti Basu, the longtime Marxist chief minister of West Bengal. Basu, a friend of Mother Teresa, reportedly once remarked: “This lady makes me a bad Marxist, making me believe in Godliness.” Over 200 people, including many Missionaries of Charity nuns and novices, attended the premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion” on Sept. 5, 2026, hosted by the Archdiocese of Kolkata. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese In another example of her outreach across religious boundaries, Mother Teresa named an MC centre near Ranchi “Radharani Convent” in honor of a Hindu woman who donated land for a leprosy home in 1973.Born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in present-day North Macedonia, Mother Teresa came to India in 1929 as a Loreto Sister and founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. The congregation has since expanded across the world, serving some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities. The new documentary presents that expansion as the story of a movement that seeks to “globalize compassion and care” while remaining rooted in the founder’s commitment to the destitute.
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Mother Teresa documentary premieres in Kolkata on her feast day – #Catholic – An international documentary tracing the life, legacy, and “prophetic path of compassion” of St. Teresa of Kolkata premiered Saturday on her feast day in Kolkata, India, drawing more than 200 people, including dozens of Missionaries of Charity (MC) nuns and novices.“Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” produced by journalist and author Anto Akkara, was screened at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College, Park Street, with Archbishop Elias Frank of Kolkata presiding over the premiere.In his introductory remarks, the archbishop praised Akkara’s determination to bring lesser-known aspects of Mother Teresa’s life and work to a global audience.“We are here, dear friends, not just to see what he has done, but to be inspired by Mother’s work,” Frank said, commending the journalist’s “passion” for making Mother Teresa known through the documentary.“There are things that we may not even know yet,” Frank said, pointing to the film’s journalistic examination of events surrounding the Missionaries of Charity. Archbishop Elias Frank of Kolkata sits beside journalist and author Anto Akkara during the premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese Akkara, who is also a contributor to EWTN News, said his association with Mother Teresa began in 1995, when, at the age of 33, he was granted what he described as a “comprehensive” interview with her.“Since then, I pursued the Missionaries of Charity on crucial occasions, frequenting Kolkata often from the funeral of the Mother in 1997,” he said. Akkara has visited Kolkata more than two dozen times for international reporting.He said he proposed the documentary as the Missionaries of Charity approached their 75th anniversary, and the congregation agreed to the project. Atmadarshan TV, Indore, provided support for the production.The new 66-minute documentary builds on an earlier version produced for the congregation’s 75th Foundation Day in October 2025. Akkara subsequently reworked the film, adding more than a dozen new episodes and international accounts.The documentary traces Mother Teresa’s journey from her early work in India to the worldwide expansion of the Missionaries of Charity, highlighting episodes in Patna in 1948, Jharkhand in 1959, and New Delhi in 1961.It also examines the congregation’s work amid conflict, including the killings of MC sisters in Yemen in 1998 and 2016, the expulsion of the congregation from Nicaragua, and the decision of sisters to remain in Gaza and Ukraine amid bombardment. Journalist and author Anto Akkara speaks at the premiere of his new documentary, “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sept. 5, 2026., hosted by the Archdiocese of Kolkata. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese| Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese Among those featured in the film is legendary photographer Raghu Rai. The documentary also recalls appreciation expressed for Mother Teresa by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru when inaugurating a new Shishu Bhavan building in New Delhi.Akkara said the film challenges allegations that Mother Teresa’s charitable work was primarily a vehicle for religious conversion and highlights her service to people living in extreme poverty, children, orphans, people with disabilities and mental illness, and those affected by leprosy.Several lesser-known stories included in the film illustrate the breadth of her work. The documentary notes that the distinctive blue-striped white cotton saris worn by MC sisters are woven by people affected by leprosy at the congregation’s Titagarh centre, dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Archbishop Elias Frank speaks at the premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion,” at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sept. 5, 2026, hosted by the Archdiocese of Kolkata. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese The film also recounts Mother Teresa’s efforts to persuade the Indian Air Force to plant trees at the MC leprosy home in Delhi and her decision to decline a papal invitation to the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver so that she could travel to Borduria in Arunachal Pradesh to intervene against the killing of infants born with deformities.Another story describes a raffle organized to raise funds for the leprosy hospital at Shanti Nagar by selling a popemobile reportedly donated to Mother Teresa following the 1964 World Eucharistic Congress in Mumbai.The documentary also recalls Mother Teresa’s request that the Nobel Committee cancel the customary banquet accompanying the Nobel Prize and use the money instead to help orphans in Kolkata.The film highlights the respect Mother Teresa received across religious and political lines, including appreciation from former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and former Prime Ministers Inder Kumar Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The film also recounts Mother Teresa’s relationship with Jyoti Basu, the longtime Marxist chief minister of West Bengal. Basu, a friend of Mother Teresa, reportedly once remarked: “This lady makes me a bad Marxist, making me believe in Godliness.” Over 200 people, including many Missionaries of Charity nuns and novices, attended the premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion” on Sept. 5, 2026, hosted by the Archdiocese of Kolkata. | Credit: Farrell Shah, Communications Director, Calcutta Archdiocese In another example of her outreach across religious boundaries, Mother Teresa named an MC centre near Ranchi “Radharani Convent” in honor of a Hindu woman who donated land for a leprosy home in 1973.Born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in present-day North Macedonia, Mother Teresa came to India in 1929 as a Loreto Sister and founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. The congregation has since expanded across the world, serving some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities. The new documentary presents that expansion as the story of a movement that seeks to “globalize compassion and care” while remaining rooted in the founder’s commitment to the destitute.

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“Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion” premiered Sept. 5 in Kolkata, India, drawing more than 200 people, including dozens of Missionaries of Charity (MC) nuns, and novices.

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Sept. 7, 1914: The birth of James Van Allen

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James Van Allen, who was born in Iowa on Sept. 7, 1914, showed talent and interest in science and math from an early age. A major in physics from Wesleyan College in 1935 was followed by a Ph.D. in nuclear physics in 1939. Before and after World War II – during which he developed antiaircraftContinue reading “Sept. 7, 1914: The birth of James Van Allen”

The post Sept. 7, 1914: The birth of James Van Allen appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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The Catholic Church has a lot to say about Labor Day — why? #Catholic As the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, Catholics have a wealth of resources in biblical interpretation, Church teaching, and social thought that address the nature of work and the place of the worker in society and in God’s creation.But are Catholics, and others, aware of these resources?One Catholic leader considering such questions is Father Sinclair Oubre, a priest of the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. He is the spiritual moderator of the Catholic Labor Network, a Catholic association that promotes Catholic teaching about work and labor unions. It also supports labor organizing.“All work, no matter what the work is, is essential,” Oubre likes to say. In his view, if a woman in janitorial work at a major software company does not show up to clean the toilets and empty the trash, all production in the office will nosedive.Centuries of Catholic teaching about labor can be found compiled in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, published in 2004 by the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace. It dedicates its entire sixth chapter to human work and labor, its place in God’s plan, its role in society, and the rights and duties of workers.“The Compendium gathers together in one place those rights that are found in Catholic social teaching, whether it’s Rerum Novarum, or Quadragesimo Anno, or Centesimus Annus, and synthesizes them,” Oubre told EWTN News, referring to the respective encyclicals of popes Leo XIII, Pius XI, and John Paul II.“It’s a beautiful reflection on human work in the world and a very mature and in-depth discussion of the place of work, the place of labor, and the communal nature of it,” Oubre said.Labor, politics, and spiritualityOubre said Catholic teaching is a challenge regardless of people’s political views.“It’s a challenge to the right, but it’s also a challenge to the left,” he said. Catholicism encourages those on the political right not simply to pray novenas and commit themselves to spiritual actions. It is a challenge not to leave other questions about work and labor to the market.For the political left, Catholic social teaching “means you have to enter into a more intimate relationship with your Church and your relationship with Jesus and not just be as a social justice person by throwing a couple of little quotes around. It requires you to enter into that deeper spiritual relationship.”Oubre stressed the importance of starting from the view of Catholic spirituality, not only social justice, because if we don’t, our approach “becomes ideological and polemic.” The spiritual approach “brings us closer to Jesus Christ.”“No matter how dirty, how uncomfortable, how awful the job is, we are participating in God’s ongoing creation. It’s important that we do that job in a way that gives glory to God,” Oubre said.God and man at workThe Compendium’s reflection on work begins with its biblical aspects: There is a human duty to “cultivate and care for the earth” and other good things created by God, it says. Work existed before the fall of Adam and Eve, and it is not a punishment or curse until the break with God transforms it into “toil and pain.” However, God’s rest on the seventh day of creation is the sign of the “fuller freedom” of the “eternal Sabbath.”The life of Jesus Christ is a mission of work, from his early life helping St. Joseph in the work of a carpenter to his ministry of preaching and healing, and most of all in his redemptive labors on the cross.The Compendium presents human labor as a way of supporting oneself and one’s loved ones but also a way to serve those in need. Work is a way to make God’s creation more beautiful, since humankind shares in God’s art and wisdom.“Human work, directed to charity as its final goal, becomes an occasion for contemplation, it becomes devout prayer, vigilantly rising towards and in anxious hope of the day that will not end,” the Compendium says.The rights of laborGod’s rest on the seventh day of creation, the Compendium says, means men and women must enjoy “sufficient rest and free time that will allow them to tend to their family, cultural, social, and religious life.”The Compendium outlines and explains the many rights of workers: the right to rest from work; the right to a working environment that is not harmful to a worker’s health or moral integrity; the right to unemployment protections; the right to a pension and insurance for old age, disability, and work-related accidents; the right to social security for working mothers; and the right to assemble and form associations; the right to just wages and remuneration; and the right to strike.Labor unions play a “fundamental role” in serving the common good and promoting social order and solidarity, though they must not abuse their role in society or become simply arms of a political party.“The recognition of workers’ rights has always been a difficult problem to resolve because this recognition takes place within complex historical and institutional processes, and still today it remains incomplete,” the Compendium says. “This makes the practice of authentic solidarity among workers more fitting and necessary than ever.”A challenge for Catholics and institutionsCatholic teaching has a lengthy paper record. But as in other areas, there is a challenge to practice it.“What I find over and over again that the Church — our Church — gives us wonderful documents of guidance… and we never go back and read them,” Oubre told EWTN News.He cited the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 1996 pastoral letter “Economic Justice for All,” which says the Church should be a model for labor rights and treating workers justly.However, Oubre said that in his experience Catholic parishes often neglect to provide unemployment insurance to employees if the law allows them to opt out. Catholic institutions often act as “at-will” employers in which management can fire employees for any reason. They may show preferences for nonunion labor over unionized labor when planning and funding construction projects.“You’re going to undercut the guy who has actually followed the Church’s teachings in regards to work by hiring somebody who may be not offering medical insurance for his employees,” the priest lamented.For Labor Day, Oubre encouraged parishes, dioceses, and other institutions to make sure to adopt policies that put Catholic labor teaching into practice.This story was first published on Sept. 4, 2023, and has been updated.
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The Catholic Church has a lot to say about Labor Day — why? #Catholic As the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, Catholics have a wealth of resources in biblical interpretation, Church teaching, and social thought that address the nature of work and the place of the worker in society and in God’s creation.But are Catholics, and others, aware of these resources?One Catholic leader considering such questions is Father Sinclair Oubre, a priest of the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. He is the spiritual moderator of the Catholic Labor Network, a Catholic association that promotes Catholic teaching about work and labor unions. It also supports labor organizing.“All work, no matter what the work is, is essential,” Oubre likes to say. In his view, if a woman in janitorial work at a major software company does not show up to clean the toilets and empty the trash, all production in the office will nosedive.Centuries of Catholic teaching about labor can be found compiled in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, published in 2004 by the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace. It dedicates its entire sixth chapter to human work and labor, its place in God’s plan, its role in society, and the rights and duties of workers.“The Compendium gathers together in one place those rights that are found in Catholic social teaching, whether it’s Rerum Novarum, or Quadragesimo Anno, or Centesimus Annus, and synthesizes them,” Oubre told EWTN News, referring to the respective encyclicals of popes Leo XIII, Pius XI, and John Paul II.“It’s a beautiful reflection on human work in the world and a very mature and in-depth discussion of the place of work, the place of labor, and the communal nature of it,” Oubre said.Labor, politics, and spiritualityOubre said Catholic teaching is a challenge regardless of people’s political views.“It’s a challenge to the right, but it’s also a challenge to the left,” he said. Catholicism encourages those on the political right not simply to pray novenas and commit themselves to spiritual actions. It is a challenge not to leave other questions about work and labor to the market.For the political left, Catholic social teaching “means you have to enter into a more intimate relationship with your Church and your relationship with Jesus and not just be as a social justice person by throwing a couple of little quotes around. It requires you to enter into that deeper spiritual relationship.”Oubre stressed the importance of starting from the view of Catholic spirituality, not only social justice, because if we don’t, our approach “becomes ideological and polemic.” The spiritual approach “brings us closer to Jesus Christ.”“No matter how dirty, how uncomfortable, how awful the job is, we are participating in God’s ongoing creation. It’s important that we do that job in a way that gives glory to God,” Oubre said.God and man at workThe Compendium’s reflection on work begins with its biblical aspects: There is a human duty to “cultivate and care for the earth” and other good things created by God, it says. Work existed before the fall of Adam and Eve, and it is not a punishment or curse until the break with God transforms it into “toil and pain.” However, God’s rest on the seventh day of creation is the sign of the “fuller freedom” of the “eternal Sabbath.”The life of Jesus Christ is a mission of work, from his early life helping St. Joseph in the work of a carpenter to his ministry of preaching and healing, and most of all in his redemptive labors on the cross.The Compendium presents human labor as a way of supporting oneself and one’s loved ones but also a way to serve those in need. Work is a way to make God’s creation more beautiful, since humankind shares in God’s art and wisdom.“Human work, directed to charity as its final goal, becomes an occasion for contemplation, it becomes devout prayer, vigilantly rising towards and in anxious hope of the day that will not end,” the Compendium says.The rights of laborGod’s rest on the seventh day of creation, the Compendium says, means men and women must enjoy “sufficient rest and free time that will allow them to tend to their family, cultural, social, and religious life.”The Compendium outlines and explains the many rights of workers: the right to rest from work; the right to a working environment that is not harmful to a worker’s health or moral integrity; the right to unemployment protections; the right to a pension and insurance for old age, disability, and work-related accidents; the right to social security for working mothers; and the right to assemble and form associations; the right to just wages and remuneration; and the right to strike.Labor unions play a “fundamental role” in serving the common good and promoting social order and solidarity, though they must not abuse their role in society or become simply arms of a political party.“The recognition of workers’ rights has always been a difficult problem to resolve because this recognition takes place within complex historical and institutional processes, and still today it remains incomplete,” the Compendium says. “This makes the practice of authentic solidarity among workers more fitting and necessary than ever.”A challenge for Catholics and institutionsCatholic teaching has a lengthy paper record. But as in other areas, there is a challenge to practice it.“What I find over and over again that the Church — our Church — gives us wonderful documents of guidance… and we never go back and read them,” Oubre told EWTN News.He cited the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 1996 pastoral letter “Economic Justice for All,” which says the Church should be a model for labor rights and treating workers justly.However, Oubre said that in his experience Catholic parishes often neglect to provide unemployment insurance to employees if the law allows them to opt out. Catholic institutions often act as “at-will” employers in which management can fire employees for any reason. They may show preferences for nonunion labor over unionized labor when planning and funding construction projects.“You’re going to undercut the guy who has actually followed the Church’s teachings in regards to work by hiring somebody who may be not offering medical insurance for his employees,” the priest lamented.For Labor Day, Oubre encouraged parishes, dioceses, and other institutions to make sure to adopt policies that put Catholic labor teaching into practice.This story was first published on Sept. 4, 2023, and has been updated.

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“All work, no matter what the work is, is essential,” said Father Sinclair Oubre, spiritual moderator of the Catholic Labor Network.

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Prayer in Time of Suffering: Prayer of the Day for Monday, September 07, 2026 – #Prayer – Behold me, my beloved Jesus, weighed down under the burden of my trials and sufferings, I cast myself at Your feet, that You may renew my strength and my courage, while I rest here in Your Presence. Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart, for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me; only Your love can help me bear my cross; only Your powerful hand can lighten its weight. O Divine King, Jesus, whose heart is so compassionate to the afflicted, I wish to live …

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Behold me, my beloved Jesus,
weighed down under the burden of my trials and sufferings,
I cast myself at Your feet,
that You may renew my strength and my courage,
while I rest here in Your Presence.
Permit me to lay down my cross in Your Sacred Heart,
for only Your infinite goodness can sustain me;
only Your love can help me bear my cross;
only Your powerful hand can lighten its weight.
O Divine King, Jesus,
whose heart is so compassionate to the afflicted,
I wish to live …

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 07 September 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 5:1-8 Brothers and sisters: It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans– a man living with his father’s wife. And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not appropriate.  Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.From the Gospel according to Luke 6:6-11 On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.In the Gospels, many pages tell of Jesus’ encounters with the sick and of his commitment to healing them. He presents himself publicly as one who fights against illness and who has come to heal mankind of every evil: evils of the spirit and evils of the body. (…) When a father or mother, or even just friends brought a sick person for him to touch and heal, he never let time be an issue; healing came before the law, even one as sacred as resting on the Sabbath (cf. Mk 3:1-6). The doctors of the law reproached Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath, he did good on the Sabbath. But the love of Jesus was in giving health, doing good: this always takes priority! (…) This is the glory of God! This is the Church’s task! To help the sick, not to get lost in gossip, always help, comfort, relieve, be close to the sick; this is the task. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 10 June 2015)

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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
5:1-8

Brothers and sisters:
It is widely reported that there is immorality among you,
and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans–
a man living with his father’s wife.
And you are inflated with pride.
Should you not rather have been sorrowful?
The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.
I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit,
have already, as if present,
pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed,
in the name of our Lord Jesus:
when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit
with the power of the Lord Jesus,
you are to deliver this man to Satan
for the destruction of his flesh,
so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not appropriate. 
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

From the Gospel according to Luke
6:6-11

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up and stand before us."
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
"Stretch out your hand."
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

In the Gospels, many pages tell of Jesus’ encounters with the sick and of his commitment to healing them. He presents himself publicly as one who fights against illness and who has come to heal mankind of every evil: evils of the spirit and evils of the body. (…) When a father or mother, or even just friends brought a sick person for him to touch and heal, he never let time be an issue; healing came before the law, even one as sacred as resting on the Sabbath (cf. Mk 3:1-6). The doctors of the law reproached Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath, he did good on the Sabbath. But the love of Jesus was in giving health, doing good: this always takes priority! (…) This is the glory of God! This is the Church’s task! To help the sick, not to get lost in gossip, always help, comfort, relieve, be close to the sick; this is the task. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 10 June 2015)

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College Football Star Horrified He Might Be Drafted And Have To Take Huge Pay Cut #BabylonBee – TUSCALOOSA, AL — After putting on a superb performance in the season opener, young college football star Davis Mack began worrying that he could wind up in the NFL Draft and be forced to take a massive pay cut.
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College Football Star Horrified He Might Be Drafted And Have To Take Huge Pay Cut #BabylonBee – TUSCALOOSA, AL — After putting on a superb performance in the season opener, young college football star Davis Mack began worrying that he could wind up in the NFL Draft and be forced to take a massive pay cut.

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TUSCALOOSA, AL — After putting on a superb performance in the season opener, young college football star Davis Mack began worrying that he could wind up in the NFL Draft and be forced to take a massive pay cut.

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Breaking: Justice Still In The Hands Of God #BabylonBee – U.S. — As news broke that the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy would end in a mistrial, Heaven released a statement reminding everyone that justice is still ultimately in the hands of God.
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Breaking: Justice Still In The Hands Of God #BabylonBee – U.S. — As news broke that the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy would end in a mistrial, Heaven released a statement reminding everyone that justice is still ultimately in the hands of God.

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U.S. — As news broke that the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy would end in a mistrial, Heaven released a statement reminding everyone that justice is still ultimately in the hands of God.

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The dangerous journey home for Christian communities in southern Lebanon – #Catholic – Along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, three Christian villages have found themselves caught on the front line of a war they neither chose nor supported. Ain Ebel, Rmeich and Debl, known locally as the “Delta of Resilience”, are the last inhabited Christian towns in Lebanon’s border region. Since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated into a full-scale war in 2024, residents have endured deaths, destruction and growing isolation from the rest of the country.Today, even returning home has become a grueling journey. With the usual roads damaged or inaccessible, residents must travel in organized convoys through military checkpoints and Israeli-occupied territory, an ordeal some have come to call “road to Calvary.”Convoys travel to the villages almost daily, usually accompanied by Caritas and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Carrying humanitarian assistance, they usually include approximately 30 cars and trucks. Yet a journey that once took around two hours from Beirut can now last 12 hours or more.The day begins at approximately 5 a.m., and the convoy may not reach the villages until after 6 p.m. One of the first stops is a Lebanese Army checkpoint, where residents are required to remain inside their vehicles for hours. Meanwhile, the sound of airstrikes and the sight of their impact on the surrounding hills heighten the fear and tension.The convoy then enters roads running through Israeli-occupied territory, where Israeli flags line the route. At Naqoura, residents can see the Mediterranean Sea, which they are no longer permitted to access, before another period of waiting begins. This can last for hours, with passengers prohibited from leaving their vehicles, even in the summer heat. Vehicles making the journey back to the Christian villages of southern Lebanon. | Credit: Romy Haber/ACI MENA Just feet away, Israeli soldiers can be seen inside buildings they have taken over, while Israeli military vehicles pass alongside the convoy. Many residents describe the experience as humiliating: They are in their own country, yet must wait for permission from a foreign military to reach their homes. As the hours pass, one question remains: Will the convoy be permitted to proceed, or will they be forced to return to Beirut after an entire day of waiting?If permission is finally granted, the last stage of the journey begins. Residents travel along severely damaged roads, past destroyed houses and through routes that require vehicles capable of navigating the difficult terrain, before finally reaching their villages.Many of those making the journey are elderly or ill and had been forced to travel to Beirut for medical treatment. Some underwent surgery only days earlier yet must spend long hours inside a vehicle under the sun, sometimes without enough water or access to a bathroom.Others travel to the capital for life’s most basic necessities. Pregnant women go to Beirut to give birth and then make the difficult return journey with their newborn babies, while parents travel to enroll their children in universities. The convoys often transport livestock, including pigs and cattle, some of which have died after being kept for hours in the intense heat.Maroun Louka, a father who was waiting in a convoy with his wife and children after a medical emergency forced the family to travel to Beirut, told ACI MENA the hardship begins even before the journey itself, with the registration of names and the wait for approval.“We are suffering greatly,” he said. “Sometimes we wait an entire week to receive approval and be able to return to our village.”“My uncle and my cousin were killed. Our homes were damaged, as were my brothers’ homes,” Louka continued. “I cannot even reach my olive press or my house. Life is extremely harsh and difficult.”Asked why he was determined to return, Louka said his family had no alternative. “Our parents and grandparents are deeply rooted in this village. They spent their lives here, and some were killed and buried here. Can we, today, simply come and abandon it? No. Leaving it would be extremely difficult.”While the journey reveals the harsh realities of war and occupation, it also reflects the faith, strength and resilience of those who continue to live in these villages.Father Najib al-Amil, a priest in Rmeish, told ACI MENA that the Church has played a central role in helping residents remain on their land.“Through our homilies, we encouraged the people and led them in prayer,” he said. “Every day, we prayed the rosary and held Eucharistic adoration.”The priests also encouraged parish groups to remain active by visiting the sick, checking on families and assisting the poor and others in need.Asked how the Vatican has supported the community, Father al-Amil pointed to the presence of Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, whom he calls “the saintly nuncio.”“Despite the danger, the strikes and the shelling, he continued to come,” the priest said. “He insisted on reaching us here, sitting with the people, speaking with them and celebrating Mass with us.”The resilience of these communities is also sustained by Catholic organizations providing the material assistance families need to remain in their homes.Father Samir Ghaoui, president of Caritas Lebanon, said there had been a clear decision by the Maronite Church and the wider Catholic Church to stand beside these Christian villages, and ensure that their essential needs were met.“Since the beginning of the war, we have not abandoned them. Our decision was that we would stand beside every Christian household that chose to remain in its home and on its land. We will try to provide everything they need,” Father Ghaoui said. “They have the right to live with dignity in their own homes and with their families.”He expressed hope that residents would one day be able to support themselves once again through their own work.“But as long as there is war and as long as there is need, we at Caritas, in the name of the Church, will remain beside them,” he said. “Whatever the difficulties, we will continue finding a way to reach them.”This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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The dangerous journey home for Christian communities in southern Lebanon – #Catholic – Along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, three Christian villages have found themselves caught on the front line of a war they neither chose nor supported. Ain Ebel, Rmeich and Debl, known locally as the “Delta of Resilience”, are the last inhabited Christian towns in Lebanon’s border region. Since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated into a full-scale war in 2024, residents have endured deaths, destruction and growing isolation from the rest of the country.Today, even returning home has become a grueling journey. With the usual roads damaged or inaccessible, residents must travel in organized convoys through military checkpoints and Israeli-occupied territory, an ordeal some have come to call “road to Calvary.”Convoys travel to the villages almost daily, usually accompanied by Caritas and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Carrying humanitarian assistance, they usually include approximately 30 cars and trucks. Yet a journey that once took around two hours from Beirut can now last 12 hours or more.The day begins at approximately 5 a.m., and the convoy may not reach the villages until after 6 p.m. One of the first stops is a Lebanese Army checkpoint, where residents are required to remain inside their vehicles for hours. Meanwhile, the sound of airstrikes and the sight of their impact on the surrounding hills heighten the fear and tension.The convoy then enters roads running through Israeli-occupied territory, where Israeli flags line the route. At Naqoura, residents can see the Mediterranean Sea, which they are no longer permitted to access, before another period of waiting begins. This can last for hours, with passengers prohibited from leaving their vehicles, even in the summer heat. Vehicles making the journey back to the Christian villages of southern Lebanon. | Credit: Romy Haber/ACI MENA Just feet away, Israeli soldiers can be seen inside buildings they have taken over, while Israeli military vehicles pass alongside the convoy. Many residents describe the experience as humiliating: They are in their own country, yet must wait for permission from a foreign military to reach their homes. As the hours pass, one question remains: Will the convoy be permitted to proceed, or will they be forced to return to Beirut after an entire day of waiting?If permission is finally granted, the last stage of the journey begins. Residents travel along severely damaged roads, past destroyed houses and through routes that require vehicles capable of navigating the difficult terrain, before finally reaching their villages.Many of those making the journey are elderly or ill and had been forced to travel to Beirut for medical treatment. Some underwent surgery only days earlier yet must spend long hours inside a vehicle under the sun, sometimes without enough water or access to a bathroom.Others travel to the capital for life’s most basic necessities. Pregnant women go to Beirut to give birth and then make the difficult return journey with their newborn babies, while parents travel to enroll their children in universities. The convoys often transport livestock, including pigs and cattle, some of which have died after being kept for hours in the intense heat.Maroun Louka, a father who was waiting in a convoy with his wife and children after a medical emergency forced the family to travel to Beirut, told ACI MENA the hardship begins even before the journey itself, with the registration of names and the wait for approval.“We are suffering greatly,” he said. “Sometimes we wait an entire week to receive approval and be able to return to our village.”“My uncle and my cousin were killed. Our homes were damaged, as were my brothers’ homes,” Louka continued. “I cannot even reach my olive press or my house. Life is extremely harsh and difficult.”Asked why he was determined to return, Louka said his family had no alternative. “Our parents and grandparents are deeply rooted in this village. They spent their lives here, and some were killed and buried here. Can we, today, simply come and abandon it? No. Leaving it would be extremely difficult.”While the journey reveals the harsh realities of war and occupation, it also reflects the faith, strength and resilience of those who continue to live in these villages.Father Najib al-Amil, a priest in Rmeish, told ACI MENA that the Church has played a central role in helping residents remain on their land.“Through our homilies, we encouraged the people and led them in prayer,” he said. “Every day, we prayed the rosary and held Eucharistic adoration.”The priests also encouraged parish groups to remain active by visiting the sick, checking on families and assisting the poor and others in need.Asked how the Vatican has supported the community, Father al-Amil pointed to the presence of Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, whom he calls “the saintly nuncio.”“Despite the danger, the strikes and the shelling, he continued to come,” the priest said. “He insisted on reaching us here, sitting with the people, speaking with them and celebrating Mass with us.”The resilience of these communities is also sustained by Catholic organizations providing the material assistance families need to remain in their homes.Father Samir Ghaoui, president of Caritas Lebanon, said there had been a clear decision by the Maronite Church and the wider Catholic Church to stand beside these Christian villages, and ensure that their essential needs were met.“Since the beginning of the war, we have not abandoned them. Our decision was that we would stand beside every Christian household that chose to remain in its home and on its land. We will try to provide everything they need,” Father Ghaoui said. “They have the right to live with dignity in their own homes and with their families.”He expressed hope that residents would one day be able to support themselves once again through their own work.“But as long as there is war and as long as there is need, we at Caritas, in the name of the Church, will remain beside them,” he said. “Whatever the difficulties, we will continue finding a way to reach them.”This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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With the usual roads damaged or inaccessible, residents must travel in organized convoys through military checkpoints and Israeli-occupied territory, an ordeal some call “road to Calvary.”

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Sept. 6, 1618: The first comet seen through a telescope

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The fall of 1618 was a standout when it came to notable comets, boasting three visible to the naked eye. In late August, C/1618 Q1 appeared, first spotted in the skies over Hungary. Johannes Kepler observed the comet throughout the month of September, spotting it from Linz, Austria, through a small telescope on Sept. 6.Continue reading “Sept. 6, 1618: The first comet seen through a telescope”

The post Sept. 6, 1618: The first comet seen through a telescope appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine after Russian attacks – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Sunday deplored the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and voiced hopes for peace amid U.S.-led efforts to end the war.“With a sorrowful heart, I have followed the news of the latest violent attacks that have recently struck several cities and civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, causing the deaths of innocent people,” the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, following the recitation of the Angelus.Russia has intensified its missile and drone campaign against Ukraine in recent days, with attacks killing dozens in Kyiv and nearby areas and disrupting electricity for hundreds of thousands of people in the Odesa region.Leo said he hoped that “the efforts undertaken in these days to resume negotiations will bear concrete fruit and open space for diplomacy.”The pope spoke on the same day that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv, having met in Moscow with Vladimir Putin on Saturday, Sept. 5.Earlier, in his catechesis before leading pilgrims in the Marian prayer, Pope Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Matthew 18:15-20), in which Jesus instructs his disciples in fraternal correction.“This is a delicate art, too often forgotten, that calls for frankness and a gradual approach. Speaking honestly with one another — first face to face, then, if necessary, with two or three others, and finally, when required, with the whole community — means facing reality and transforming problems and conflicts into opportunities for growth. Complaining and speaking ill of others are easier, but they accomplish nothing and leave many situations paralyzed,” the pope said.The pope also said that praying together, as Jesus encourages in the Gospel passage, builds unity among Christians.“Without faith, each person might feel alone and become suspicious of others, seeing them as strangers and enemies. By grace, however, we are brothers and sisters who can live in harmony: meeting one another, forgiving one another and listening to one another in the Lord,” Leo said.
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Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine after Russian attacks – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV on Sunday deplored the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and voiced hopes for peace amid U.S.-led efforts to end the war.“With a sorrowful heart, I have followed the news of the latest violent attacks that have recently struck several cities and civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, causing the deaths of innocent people,” the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, following the recitation of the Angelus.Russia has intensified its missile and drone campaign against Ukraine in recent days, with attacks killing dozens in Kyiv and nearby areas and disrupting electricity for hundreds of thousands of people in the Odesa region.Leo said he hoped that “the efforts undertaken in these days to resume negotiations will bear concrete fruit and open space for diplomacy.”The pope spoke on the same day that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv, having met in Moscow with Vladimir Putin on Saturday, Sept. 5.Earlier, in his catechesis before leading pilgrims in the Marian prayer, Pope Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Matthew 18:15-20), in which Jesus instructs his disciples in fraternal correction.“This is a delicate art, too often forgotten, that calls for frankness and a gradual approach. Speaking honestly with one another — first face to face, then, if necessary, with two or three others, and finally, when required, with the whole community — means facing reality and transforming problems and conflicts into opportunities for growth. Complaining and speaking ill of others are easier, but they accomplish nothing and leave many situations paralyzed,” the pope said.The pope also said that praying together, as Jesus encourages in the Gospel passage, builds unity among Christians.“Without faith, each person might feel alone and become suspicious of others, seeing them as strangers and enemies. By grace, however, we are brothers and sisters who can live in harmony: meeting one another, forgiving one another and listening to one another in the Lord,” Leo said.

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The pontiff also reflected on the importance of fraternal correction among members of the Church.

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The Priests: The Irish trio bringing sacred music to the world – #Catholic – Nearly two decades after becoming an international musical phenomenon, the Irish group The Priests continues to bring sacred music to stages around the world as a form of evangelization.For Father David Delargy, one of the three Irish priests who make up the group, singing does not mean setting aside his ministry, but rather living it out in a different way.“For me, I don’t leave my priesthood behind me or to the side when I’m performing or singing on the stage. My priesthood is there, and I am ministering through the means of sacred music for those who, if you like, are the congregation rather than the audience,” he explained to EWTN News.The Priests consists of priests Father Martin OʼHagan, Father Eugene OʼHagan, and Delargy, who began singing together as students at a boarding school in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and later continued to do so while studying in Rome.Their story took an unexpected turn in 2008, when a Sony representative heard them singing together and proposed that they record an album.“One of the Sony record labels, one of the leaders there, had an idea for recording an album that might involve some priests. So, they sent out a scout. When they heard the three of us singing together, they realized we had been singing together since our boyhood days. And they thought, ‘These guys, they can sound quite nice together. Let’s make an album with them,’” Delargy recounted.“So, we signed a contract with them on the steps of Westminster Cathedral and went on to make four albums together, beginning in 2008 with ‘The Priests,’” he added.The first album exceeded expectations, selling nearly two million copies worldwide.The Priests have also released the albums “Harmony” (2009), “Noël” (2010), and “Alleluia” (2016), as well as the compilation “Then Sings My Soul: The Best of The Priests” (2012).For Delargy, music has never been separate from his priesthood.“In some profound ways, music moves people, evokes emotions, feelings and thoughts that otherwise might not have been there. So, I think God will use …our poor little voices and instruments, he will use all that to his own kind purposes and ends,” he stated.A musical pilgrimage to RomeAlmost 20 years after that unexpected success, The Priests returned to Rome to mark the centenary of the Pontifical Irish College, the institution where the three men studied.“We are all former students of the Irish College and we’ve been in our diocese of Down and Connor for 35 years, each of us, and we’ve all got great love for the college and I think given the fact that the college is celebrating 100 years this year, it’s a momentous occasion for the college,” Delargy related.The celebration included a musical pilgrimage to some of Romeʼs historic churches accompanied by other priests and the faithful who had traveled from Ireland.‘Sacred music in its essence is prayer’Delargy believes music allows for the expression of things that words do not always manage to convey.“Music can express praise, it can express peace, it can express prayer for those who are full of joy, but it can also journey with those who are experiencing difficulty,” he noted.“So, sacred music in its essence is prayer. I have to go back to St. Augustine, who said when you sing, you pray twice,” he observed.The priest also believes that music can serve as a gateway to Catholicism.“Sometimes the music, sacred music I’m talking about in particular, will be for many people their only point of contact specifically with the Christian faith. And so the Lord will use all these various means to draw us to himself,” he said.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 Priests: The Irish trio bringing sacred music to the world – #Catholic – Nearly two decades after becoming an international musical phenomenon, the Irish group The Priests continues to bring sacred music to stages around the world as a form of evangelization.For Father David Delargy, one of the three Irish priests who make up the group, singing does not mean setting aside his ministry, but rather living it out in a different way.“For me, I don’t leave my priesthood behind me or to the side when I’m performing or singing on the stage. My priesthood is there, and I am ministering through the means of sacred music for those who, if you like, are the congregation rather than the audience,” he explained to EWTN News.The Priests consists of priests Father Martin OʼHagan, Father Eugene OʼHagan, and Delargy, who began singing together as students at a boarding school in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and later continued to do so while studying in Rome.Their story took an unexpected turn in 2008, when a Sony representative heard them singing together and proposed that they record an album.“One of the Sony record labels, one of the leaders there, had an idea for recording an album that might involve some priests. So, they sent out a scout. When they heard the three of us singing together, they realized we had been singing together since our boyhood days. And they thought, ‘These guys, they can sound quite nice together. Let’s make an album with them,’” Delargy recounted.“So, we signed a contract with them on the steps of Westminster Cathedral and went on to make four albums together, beginning in 2008 with ‘The Priests,’” he added.The first album exceeded expectations, selling nearly two million copies worldwide.The Priests have also released the albums “Harmony” (2009), “Noël” (2010), and “Alleluia” (2016), as well as the compilation “Then Sings My Soul: The Best of The Priests” (2012).For Delargy, music has never been separate from his priesthood.“In some profound ways, music moves people, evokes emotions, feelings and thoughts that otherwise might not have been there. So, I think God will use …our poor little voices and instruments, he will use all that to his own kind purposes and ends,” he stated.A musical pilgrimage to RomeAlmost 20 years after that unexpected success, The Priests returned to Rome to mark the centenary of the Pontifical Irish College, the institution where the three men studied.“We are all former students of the Irish College and we’ve been in our diocese of Down and Connor for 35 years, each of us, and we’ve all got great love for the college and I think given the fact that the college is celebrating 100 years this year, it’s a momentous occasion for the college,” Delargy related.The celebration included a musical pilgrimage to some of Romeʼs historic churches accompanied by other priests and the faithful who had traveled from Ireland.‘Sacred music in its essence is prayer’Delargy believes music allows for the expression of things that words do not always manage to convey.“Music can express praise, it can express peace, it can express prayer for those who are full of joy, but it can also journey with those who are experiencing difficulty,” he noted.“So, sacred music in its essence is prayer. I have to go back to St. Augustine, who said when you sing, you pray twice,” he observed.The priest also believes that music can serve as a gateway to Catholicism.“Sometimes the music, sacred music I’m talking about in particular, will be for many people their only point of contact specifically with the Christian faith. And so the Lord will use all these various means to draw us to himself,” he said.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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From singing together as students at a boarding school in the 1970s to being discovered by Sony in 2008 and making four albums, the priests have always sought to evangelize through sacred music.

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3 young Lebanese men turn small Bible study into largest in the Middle East #Catholic A year ago, three young Lebanese men started a small Bible study group in their parish hall. Today, it has grown into what organizers describe as the largest Bible study initiative in the Middle East, with more than 3,000 people taking part in the gatherings.Each session follows a simple but carefully structured program. It begins with approximately 40 minutes devoted to explaining and exploring a passage from the Bible, followed by approximately 15 minutes of spiritual reflection. Participants then move on to an interactive segment featuring games and questions about the Bible or other topics related to the Christian faith, such as Marian apparitions. The gatherings are free and held under the supervision of Catholic priests.Behind each session, however, lies an extensive preparation process. Jimmy Chaaya, one of the initiative’s founders, explained that he seeks to vary the topics from week to week and studies the selected passage with a hermit.His research includes examining the original Greek words in Scripture, their meanings, and the cultural context in which they were used alongside the Church Fathers’ interpretations of the text. He also consults Jewish writings, geography books, papal homilies, and other sources. Once his research is complete, Chaaya submits the material to several priests for review and approval before presenting it to participants. More than 3,000 people now attend a Bible study in Lebanon, believed to be the largest in the Middle East, which was started by three young adults. | Credit: Charbel El Hajj Initially, the Bible study gatherings took place on Mondays. As attendance grew, the team added a second session on Tuesdays and is now preparing to introduce a Wednesday gathering as well. Chaaya said the team hopes to expand beyond its current location in the town of Antelias.To that end, the organizers are training people to lead similar gatherings in other parts of Lebanon while their long-term vision extends beyond the country’s borders. Charbel El Hage, another founder, said the team hopes to bring the initiative to other countries, particularly in the Middle East, where he sees considerable potential for such efforts to grow.El Hage noted that the initiative has benefited from the support of the Maronite Archdiocese of Antelias from the outset as well as broad support within the Church. This backing, he said, has helped the project develop smoothly.Attendance is not limited to Catholics. According to Chaaya, Christians from various churches and denominations — including Orthodox Christians and Protestants — have joined the gatherings, alongside people from other religious backgrounds, including Muslims. He added that a number of participants are currently preparing to receive the sacrament of baptism. More than 3,000 people now attend a Bible study in Lebanon, believed to be the largest in the Middle East, which was started by three young adults. | Credit: Charbel El Hajj Although the initiative is aimed primarily at young people, team member Majd Samia stressed that there are no strict age limits. “Everyone needs Jesus,” he said, which is why the gatherings are open to all. For Samia, the strong turnout reflects young people’s thirst to hear the word of God and explore it more deeply. This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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3 young Lebanese men turn small Bible study into largest in the Middle East #Catholic A year ago, three young Lebanese men started a small Bible study group in their parish hall. Today, it has grown into what organizers describe as the largest Bible study initiative in the Middle East, with more than 3,000 people taking part in the gatherings.Each session follows a simple but carefully structured program. It begins with approximately 40 minutes devoted to explaining and exploring a passage from the Bible, followed by approximately 15 minutes of spiritual reflection. Participants then move on to an interactive segment featuring games and questions about the Bible or other topics related to the Christian faith, such as Marian apparitions. The gatherings are free and held under the supervision of Catholic priests.Behind each session, however, lies an extensive preparation process. Jimmy Chaaya, one of the initiative’s founders, explained that he seeks to vary the topics from week to week and studies the selected passage with a hermit.His research includes examining the original Greek words in Scripture, their meanings, and the cultural context in which they were used alongside the Church Fathers’ interpretations of the text. He also consults Jewish writings, geography books, papal homilies, and other sources. Once his research is complete, Chaaya submits the material to several priests for review and approval before presenting it to participants. More than 3,000 people now attend a Bible study in Lebanon, believed to be the largest in the Middle East, which was started by three young adults. | Credit: Charbel El Hajj Initially, the Bible study gatherings took place on Mondays. As attendance grew, the team added a second session on Tuesdays and is now preparing to introduce a Wednesday gathering as well. Chaaya said the team hopes to expand beyond its current location in the town of Antelias.To that end, the organizers are training people to lead similar gatherings in other parts of Lebanon while their long-term vision extends beyond the country’s borders. Charbel El Hage, another founder, said the team hopes to bring the initiative to other countries, particularly in the Middle East, where he sees considerable potential for such efforts to grow.El Hage noted that the initiative has benefited from the support of the Maronite Archdiocese of Antelias from the outset as well as broad support within the Church. This backing, he said, has helped the project develop smoothly.Attendance is not limited to Catholics. According to Chaaya, Christians from various churches and denominations — including Orthodox Christians and Protestants — have joined the gatherings, alongside people from other religious backgrounds, including Muslims. He added that a number of participants are currently preparing to receive the sacrament of baptism. More than 3,000 people now attend a Bible study in Lebanon, believed to be the largest in the Middle East, which was started by three young adults. | Credit: Charbel El Hajj Although the initiative is aimed primarily at young people, team member Majd Samia stressed that there are no strict age limits. “Everyone needs Jesus,” he said, which is why the gatherings are open to all. For Samia, the strong turnout reflects young people’s thirst to hear the word of God and explore it more deeply. This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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More than 3,000 people have joined a growing Catholic Bible study initiative in Lebanon as organizers launch more days and times throughout the country and beyond.

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7 lesser-known apostles and where Catholics can encounter them today – #Catholic – When Christians think of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles, they might immediately think of Peter, John, and Matthew. But what about some of the lesser-known followers he chose?While Scripture gives us a significant amount of information about the lives of some apostles, not many details are known about others. Despite this, the Church has continued to remember and honor these apostles through the centuries, with churches, shrines, relics, and pilgrimage sites dedicated to them around the world.Here are seven lesser-known apostles — and places where Catholics can still encounter their lives and legacy today.St. James the GreaterJames the Greater was the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. He worked as a fisherman in the Sea of Galilee alongside his brother and father.James and John were among the first disciples Jesus called. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4, the brothers were mending their fishing nets when Jesus called them, and they immediately left their father and their fishing boat to follow him.In Mark Chapter 3, Jesus gave the brothers the name “Boanerges,” an Aramaic nickname meaning “sons of thunder.”James was one of the three apostles — along with Peter and John — who witnessed several particularly important moments in Jesus' ministry. He was present at the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, and Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, James became the first of the Twelve Apostles to be martyred. In Chapter 12 of the Acts of the Apostles, it states that King Herod Agrippa I had him put to death “with the sword,” which is understood to mean that he was beheaded.Today, St. James the Greater is honored through the famous Camino de Santiago — or Way of St. James — which is a network of walking trails that pass through several European countries and ends in Spain at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral is a major pilgrimage site and is home to St. James’ relics.St. James the LesserJames the Lesser was the son of Alphaeus and appears in the lists of the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels and Acts, but Scripture provides almost no information about his life or ministry.In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI did a catechesis series on some of the lesser-known apostles, including James the Lesser. In his catechesis on James the Lesser, he explained that his title, “the Lesser,” was used to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater. It does not mean that he was less important.The Holy Father also discussed the fact that James the son of Alphaeus has traditionally been identified by some with another prominent James in the early Church, but the identification remains disputed.Today, the remains of James the Lesser — alongside those of the apostle Philip — are housed in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome.St. PhilipPhilip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Peter and Andrew, and appears the most in the Gospel of John.After Jesus called Philip, he went to Nathanael and told him that he had found the one about whom Moses and the prophets had written. When Nathanael questioned whether anything good could come from Nazareth, Philip gave him a simple invitation: “Come and see.”Philip also appears in the account of the multiplication of the loaves. Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread for the large crowd, to which Philip replied that not even 200 denarii would be enough to buy bread for all those gathered.Later, at the Last Supper, Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father. Jesus responded by teaching Philip about his relationship with the Father.In Pope Benedict XVI’s catechesis on Philip, he said: “According to certain later accounts (Acts of Philip and others), our Apostle is said to have evangelized first Greece and then Frisia, where he is supposed to have died, in Hierapolis, by a torture described variously as crucifixion or stoning.”Today, Philip’s remains are housed — alongside those of the apostle James the Lesser — in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome.St. BartholomewBartholomew appears in the New Testament lists of the Twelve, but the Gospel narratives never tell a story about someone named “Bartholomew.”Catholic tradition has long identified him with Nathanael, whom Philip brings to Jesus in the Gospel of John. Pope Benedict XVI described this as a traditional identification, while acknowledging that the New Testament itself does not explicitly make the connection.After initially questioning whether anything good could come from Nazareth, he professed his faith in Jesus after meeting him, calling him “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel.”In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Nathanael: "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” While we don’t know what happened under the fig tree, it can be assumed that it was a “decisive moment in Nathanael’s life,” Benedict XVI explained.The Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island in Rome is dedicated to this apostle, as well as the Basilica of St. Bartholomew the Apostle in Benevento, Italy, which houses the saint’s relics.St. Jude ThaddeusSt. Jude is sometimes confusing because he appears under different names in the New Testament.Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus, while Luke identifies him as Judas, son of James. Catholic tradition identifies these names with the same apostle and distinguishes him from Judas Iscariot by calling him Jude or Jude Thaddeus.During the Last Supper, he asks Jesus why he will reveal himself to the disciples and not to the world. Jesus responds by speaking about those who love him and keep his word.A Letter of Jude is also included in the New Testament. It traditionally bears the name of Jude Thaddeus, although questions about its authorship have been discussed by scholars. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that the letter calls Christians to preserve their faith while remaining rooted in Godʼs mercy.Jude is thought to have been martyred in Beirut around 65 A.D.Despite very little being known about him, St. Jude is an important intercessor for Catholics around the world as the patron saint of impossible causes.An experience Jude had while in the city of Edessa is said to be the reason why he is associated with impossible situations. According to the ancient Church historian Eusebius, while Jesus was still alive, the ruler Abgar V of Edessa was afflicted with an incurable and painful disease. He heard of the miracles of Jesus and wrote him a letter requesting a visit. Jesus responded that he would send one of his disciples.After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, Jude went to evangelize near the city of Edessa and went to visit Abgar. Jude laid his hands on the sick ruler, and he was reportedly instantly healed.Many people choose to carry or wear the image of St. Jude on a medal for comfort and as a reminder to call on him in times of need.A major relic of St. Jude the Apostle has also traveled beyond its usual home in Rome. In 2023, a piece of the apostleʼs forearm bone began a nine-month tour across the United States, visiting churches, schools, and other locations so Catholics could venerate the relic and ask for the apostleʼs intercession. The relic had never before left Italy for such a tour. It is typically kept at the Church of San Salvatore in Lauro in Rome.St. Simon the ZealotSimon is one of the least-known members of the Twelve. The Gospels identify him as “the Zealot.” Matthew and Mark use the term “Cananaean,” while Luke uses “Zealot.” Pope Benedict XVI explained that the two descriptions convey the idea of zeal or ardor.It is sometimes assumed that Simon belonged to the political movement known as the Zealots. However, Scripture does not establish this. His title could simply indicate that he was zealous in his religious devotion.According to tradition, Simon the Zealot — alongside St. Jude — preached in Persia or Syria and was martyred.While no major basilica is named after him, his relics can be found in St. Peter’s Basilica beneath the Altar of St. Joseph alongside St. Jude Thaddeus.St. MatthiasMatthias was not one of the original Twelve chosen during Jesus' earthly ministry. Instead, he was selected by the early Church after Judas Iscariotʼs death.According to Acts 1, Peter explained that Judas' replacement needed to be someone who had accompanied Jesus and the Apostles throughout Christʼs earthly ministry and could therefore serve as a witness to the Resurrection.Two men were proposed: Joseph Barsabbas, also called Justus, and Matthias. After the community prayed, they cast lots, and Matthias was chosen.That is essentially all Scripture tells us about Matthias. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that he was among Jesus' disciples from the beginning and was therefore able to serve as a witness to the Resurrection.St. Matthias’ Abbey in Trier, Germany, holds the tomb of St. Matthias, making it the only burial place of an apostle in Germany and north of the Alps.
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7 lesser-known apostles and where Catholics can encounter them today – #Catholic – When Christians think of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles, they might immediately think of Peter, John, and Matthew. But what about some of the lesser-known followers he chose?While Scripture gives us a significant amount of information about the lives of some apostles, not many details are known about others. Despite this, the Church has continued to remember and honor these apostles through the centuries, with churches, shrines, relics, and pilgrimage sites dedicated to them around the world.Here are seven lesser-known apostles — and places where Catholics can still encounter their lives and legacy today.St. James the GreaterJames the Greater was the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. He worked as a fisherman in the Sea of Galilee alongside his brother and father.James and John were among the first disciples Jesus called. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4, the brothers were mending their fishing nets when Jesus called them, and they immediately left their father and their fishing boat to follow him.In Mark Chapter 3, Jesus gave the brothers the name “Boanerges,” an Aramaic nickname meaning “sons of thunder.”James was one of the three apostles — along with Peter and John — who witnessed several particularly important moments in Jesus' ministry. He was present at the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, and Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, James became the first of the Twelve Apostles to be martyred. In Chapter 12 of the Acts of the Apostles, it states that King Herod Agrippa I had him put to death “with the sword,” which is understood to mean that he was beheaded.Today, St. James the Greater is honored through the famous Camino de Santiago — or Way of St. James — which is a network of walking trails that pass through several European countries and ends in Spain at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral is a major pilgrimage site and is home to St. James’ relics.St. James the LesserJames the Lesser was the son of Alphaeus and appears in the lists of the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels and Acts, but Scripture provides almost no information about his life or ministry.In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI did a catechesis series on some of the lesser-known apostles, including James the Lesser. In his catechesis on James the Lesser, he explained that his title, “the Lesser,” was used to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater. It does not mean that he was less important.The Holy Father also discussed the fact that James the son of Alphaeus has traditionally been identified by some with another prominent James in the early Church, but the identification remains disputed.Today, the remains of James the Lesser — alongside those of the apostle Philip — are housed in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome.St. PhilipPhilip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Peter and Andrew, and appears the most in the Gospel of John.After Jesus called Philip, he went to Nathanael and told him that he had found the one about whom Moses and the prophets had written. When Nathanael questioned whether anything good could come from Nazareth, Philip gave him a simple invitation: “Come and see.”Philip also appears in the account of the multiplication of the loaves. Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread for the large crowd, to which Philip replied that not even 200 denarii would be enough to buy bread for all those gathered.Later, at the Last Supper, Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father. Jesus responded by teaching Philip about his relationship with the Father.In Pope Benedict XVI’s catechesis on Philip, he said: “According to certain later accounts (Acts of Philip and others), our Apostle is said to have evangelized first Greece and then Frisia, where he is supposed to have died, in Hierapolis, by a torture described variously as crucifixion or stoning.”Today, Philip’s remains are housed — alongside those of the apostle James the Lesser — in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome.St. BartholomewBartholomew appears in the New Testament lists of the Twelve, but the Gospel narratives never tell a story about someone named “Bartholomew.”Catholic tradition has long identified him with Nathanael, whom Philip brings to Jesus in the Gospel of John. Pope Benedict XVI described this as a traditional identification, while acknowledging that the New Testament itself does not explicitly make the connection.After initially questioning whether anything good could come from Nazareth, he professed his faith in Jesus after meeting him, calling him “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel.”In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Nathanael: "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” While we don’t know what happened under the fig tree, it can be assumed that it was a “decisive moment in Nathanael’s life,” Benedict XVI explained.The Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island in Rome is dedicated to this apostle, as well as the Basilica of St. Bartholomew the Apostle in Benevento, Italy, which houses the saint’s relics.St. Jude ThaddeusSt. Jude is sometimes confusing because he appears under different names in the New Testament.Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus, while Luke identifies him as Judas, son of James. Catholic tradition identifies these names with the same apostle and distinguishes him from Judas Iscariot by calling him Jude or Jude Thaddeus.During the Last Supper, he asks Jesus why he will reveal himself to the disciples and not to the world. Jesus responds by speaking about those who love him and keep his word.A Letter of Jude is also included in the New Testament. It traditionally bears the name of Jude Thaddeus, although questions about its authorship have been discussed by scholars. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that the letter calls Christians to preserve their faith while remaining rooted in Godʼs mercy.Jude is thought to have been martyred in Beirut around 65 A.D.Despite very little being known about him, St. Jude is an important intercessor for Catholics around the world as the patron saint of impossible causes.An experience Jude had while in the city of Edessa is said to be the reason why he is associated with impossible situations. According to the ancient Church historian Eusebius, while Jesus was still alive, the ruler Abgar V of Edessa was afflicted with an incurable and painful disease. He heard of the miracles of Jesus and wrote him a letter requesting a visit. Jesus responded that he would send one of his disciples.After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, Jude went to evangelize near the city of Edessa and went to visit Abgar. Jude laid his hands on the sick ruler, and he was reportedly instantly healed.Many people choose to carry or wear the image of St. Jude on a medal for comfort and as a reminder to call on him in times of need.A major relic of St. Jude the Apostle has also traveled beyond its usual home in Rome. In 2023, a piece of the apostleʼs forearm bone began a nine-month tour across the United States, visiting churches, schools, and other locations so Catholics could venerate the relic and ask for the apostleʼs intercession. The relic had never before left Italy for such a tour. It is typically kept at the Church of San Salvatore in Lauro in Rome.St. Simon the ZealotSimon is one of the least-known members of the Twelve. The Gospels identify him as “the Zealot.” Matthew and Mark use the term “Cananaean,” while Luke uses “Zealot.” Pope Benedict XVI explained that the two descriptions convey the idea of zeal or ardor.It is sometimes assumed that Simon belonged to the political movement known as the Zealots. However, Scripture does not establish this. His title could simply indicate that he was zealous in his religious devotion.According to tradition, Simon the Zealot — alongside St. Jude — preached in Persia or Syria and was martyred.While no major basilica is named after him, his relics can be found in St. Peter’s Basilica beneath the Altar of St. Joseph alongside St. Jude Thaddeus.St. MatthiasMatthias was not one of the original Twelve chosen during Jesus' earthly ministry. Instead, he was selected by the early Church after Judas Iscariotʼs death.According to Acts 1, Peter explained that Judas' replacement needed to be someone who had accompanied Jesus and the Apostles throughout Christʼs earthly ministry and could therefore serve as a witness to the Resurrection.Two men were proposed: Joseph Barsabbas, also called Justus, and Matthias. After the community prayed, they cast lots, and Matthias was chosen.That is essentially all Scripture tells us about Matthias. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that he was among Jesus' disciples from the beginning and was therefore able to serve as a witness to the Resurrection.St. Matthias’ Abbey in Trier, Germany, holds the tomb of St. Matthias, making it the only burial place of an apostle in Germany and north of the Alps.

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Not many details are known about some of Jesus’ closest followers — here are some of their names and where their relics and tombs can be found today.

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Radical DSA Candidate Explains That She is ‘Very Excited’ to Bring ‘Black Socialism’ to Congress (VIDEO) – Darializa Chevalier is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who is running for office in New York’s 13th congressional district. The post Radical DSA Candidate Explains That She is ‘Very Excited’ to Bring ‘Black Socialism’ to Congress (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Radical DSA Candidate Explains That She is ‘Very Excited’ to Bring ‘Black Socialism’ to Congress (VIDEO) – Darializa Chevalier is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who is running for office in New York’s 13th congressional district. The post Radical DSA Candidate Explains That She is ‘Very Excited’ to Bring ‘Black Socialism’ to Congress (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Darializa Chevalier is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who is running for office in New York’s 13th congressional district.

The post Radical DSA Candidate Explains That She is ‘Very Excited’ to Bring ‘Black Socialism’ to Congress (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WHAT A SHAME: City of Dallas Revokes Permits for Leftists Groups Planning to Disrupt the Republican Midterm Convention – A whole bunch of far left groups are planning to ‘protest’ (disrupt) the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas on September 10th. The post WHAT A SHAME: City of Dallas Revokes Permits for Leftists Groups Planning to Disrupt the Republican Midterm Convention appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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WHAT A SHAME: City of Dallas Revokes Permits for Leftists Groups Planning to Disrupt the Republican Midterm Convention – A whole bunch of far left groups are planning to ‘protest’ (disrupt) the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas on September 10th. The post WHAT A SHAME: City of Dallas Revokes Permits for Leftists Groups Planning to Disrupt the Republican Midterm Convention appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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A whole bunch of far left groups are planning to ‘protest’ (disrupt) the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas on September 10th.

The post WHAT A SHAME: City of Dallas Revokes Permits for Leftists Groups Planning to Disrupt the Republican Midterm Convention appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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CRAZY TOWN: Masked Woman at ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago Explains Why Fitness is Fascist (VIDEO) – Socialists are currently attending the ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago and there are dozens of insane videos from the event that are already going viral on social media. The post CRAZY TOWN: Masked Woman at ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago Explains Why Fitness is Fascist (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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CRAZY TOWN: Masked Woman at ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago Explains Why Fitness is Fascist (VIDEO) – Socialists are currently attending the ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago and there are dozens of insane videos from the event that are already going viral on social media. The post CRAZY TOWN: Masked Woman at ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago Explains Why Fitness is Fascist (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam

Socialists are currently attending the ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago and there are dozens of insane videos from the event that are already going viral on social media.

The post CRAZY TOWN: Masked Woman at ‘Socialism 2026 Conference’ in Chicago Explains Why Fitness is Fascist (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 06 September 2026 – A reading from the Book of Ezekiel 33:7-9 Thus says the LORD: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, " and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.   A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 13:8-10 Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, " and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.From the Gospel according to Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.  If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."If my brother commits a sin against me I must treat him charitably and first of all, speak to him privately, pointing out that what he has said or done is wrong. This approach is known as ?fraternal correction?: it is not a reaction to the offence suffered but is motivated by love for one’s brethren. (?) And what if my brother does not listen to me? In today?s Gospel Jesus points to a gradual approach: first, speak to him again with two or three others, the better to help him realize what he has done; if, in spite of this, he still refuses to listen, it is necessary to tell the community; and if he refuses to listen even to the community, he must be made to perceive that he has cut himself off (?). Each person, aware of his own limitations and shortcomings, is called to accept fraternal correction and to help others with this specific service. Another fruit of love in the community is unanimous prayer. Jesus said: (?) where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them? (Mt 18:19-20). Personal prayer is of course important, indeed indispensable, but the Lord guarantees his presence to the community ? even if it is very small ? which is united and in agreement, because this reflects the very reality of the Triune God, perfect communion of love. (?) We should practise both fraternal correction ? which demands deep humility and simplicity of heart ? and prayer so that it may rise to God from a community truly united in Christ. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 4 September 2011)    

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A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
33:7-9

Thus says the LORD:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, "O wicked one, you shall surely die, "
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.

 

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
13:8-10

Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, "
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. 
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that ‘every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. 
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. 
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."

If my brother commits a sin against me I must treat him charitably and first of all, speak to him privately, pointing out that what he has said or done is wrong. This approach is known as ?fraternal correction?: it is not a reaction to the offence suffered but is motivated by love for one’s brethren. (?) And what if my brother does not listen to me? In today?s Gospel Jesus points to a gradual approach: first, speak to him again with two or three others, the better to help him realize what he has done; if, in spite of this, he still refuses to listen, it is necessary to tell the community; and if he refuses to listen even to the community, he must be made to perceive that he has cut himself off (?). Each person, aware of his own limitations and shortcomings, is called to accept fraternal correction and to help others with this specific service. Another fruit of love in the community is unanimous prayer. Jesus said: (?) where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them? (Mt 18:19-20). Personal prayer is of course important, indeed indispensable, but the Lord guarantees his presence to the community ? even if it is very small ? which is united and in agreement, because this reflects the very reality of the Triune God, perfect communion of love. (?) We should practise both fraternal correction ? which demands deep humility and simplicity of heart ? and prayer so that it may rise to God from a community truly united in Christ. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 4 September 2011)

 

 

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Thousands attend annual pro-life March For Life UK event in London – #Catholic – LONDON — On Saturday, thousands of activists marched from the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster to Parliament Square as part of an annual demonstration organized by the pro-life group March For Life UK.The march comes amid an ongoing debate over abortion law in England, Scotland and Wales, with pro-life campaigners calling for greater restrictions on abortion and opposing legislation establishing buffer zones around abortion clinics and hospitals. Pro-life advocates march in London near Big Ben during the cityʼs March for Life, Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley March For Life organizer Ben Thatcher told EWTN News: “Every single human life is made in the image and likeness of God. Abortion ends that life, and when abortion does end that life, we are looking at a great, great tragedy — something that affects not just that person, but that family and the society and culture we live in.”Under current law, abortions can generally be carried out up to 24 weeks’ gestation, subject to certain legal conditions. Buffer zones around abortion clinics and hospitals, meanwhile, restrict certain activities intended to influence, obstruct or harass people accessing abortion services.“I feel thereʼs an absolute travesty that a human life thatʼs made in the image of God can be ended and can be dressed up in this slogan of ‘abortion is healthcare’,” Thatcher said.The march was attended by 15 Catholic bishops, who also celebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral in the morning before joining the main group.Southwark Auxiliary Bishop Paul Hendricks told EWTN News: “I support life in all its stages. We have to stand up for our values. We have our principles and we follow Jesus.” Thousands of pro-life advocates march in London near Big Ben during the cityʼs March for Life, Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley Southwark Archbishop John Wilson told EWTN News: “Iʼm here because I believe in the beauty and the dignity of human life. … Weʼre united together in a beautiful, peaceful, joyful spirit, to say that human life matters, that every life matters, from conception to natural death.” “And in a challenging culture, when so many people, in a sense, see life as something more disposable, you just want to stand up and be a voice for the voiceless,” he said.Attendees sang Christian hymns including “He’s got the whole world in his hands” and the Salve Regina while marching through the sunny streets of London, carrying banners reading: “Abortion hurts the family,” “Abortion Bans Save Lives” and “I’ve joined the fightback.” Thousands of pro-life advocates march in London during the cityʼs March for Life, Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley “Iʼve come here today to support life from conception to natural death, within a culture where that seems not to be valued now… I think itʼs important to stand up and say that the human dignity of every person is that theyʼre made in the image of God, no matter how small,” Military Bishop Paul Mason told EWTN News.Father Paul Grogan told EWTN News that abortion is “the most fundamental human rights issue of our time.” “And I think itʼs an important part of living out our Catholic faith that we should witness to our belief in the beauty of human life, from the moment of conception to the moments of its natural ending,” he said.Hundreds also attended a pro-choice counter-protest, chanting slogans including “abortion is a human right,” “not the church, not the state, we decide our own fate,” “Christian fascists go away,” and “keep your rosaries off our ovaries.”Tilly Middlehurst, a pro-choice activist and a Cambridge student who became widely known online after a confrontation with the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, told EWTN News that she had “come to safeguard our rights as women.” “I want to bring as many people here as possible to demonstrate that [pro-life activists] are a minority, and they donʼt belong here,” she said, referring to the thousands of activists marching in the streets.Before the march, pro-life activist Ruth Price was met with anger from counter-protesters outside the Emmanuel Centre after trying to hand out pro-life leaflets to the pro-choice advocates.Price told EWTN News: “I wanted to speak to people who are murdering young children. … I certainly meant no harm to them. I work with adults with very profound learning difficulties and they have lives that are worthwhile. They are precious in the sight of God, and I want people to know that we respect the life of the mother.”Last year the London March For Life was attended by approximately 10,000 people, according to organizers who on Friday evening were waiting to confirm expected numbers for this year.
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Thousands attend annual pro-life March For Life UK event in London – #Catholic – LONDON — On Saturday, thousands of activists marched from the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster to Parliament Square as part of an annual demonstration organized by the pro-life group March For Life UK.The march comes amid an ongoing debate over abortion law in England, Scotland and Wales, with pro-life campaigners calling for greater restrictions on abortion and opposing legislation establishing buffer zones around abortion clinics and hospitals. Pro-life advocates march in London near Big Ben during the cityʼs March for Life, Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley March For Life organizer Ben Thatcher told EWTN News: “Every single human life is made in the image and likeness of God. Abortion ends that life, and when abortion does end that life, we are looking at a great, great tragedy — something that affects not just that person, but that family and the society and culture we live in.”Under current law, abortions can generally be carried out up to 24 weeks’ gestation, subject to certain legal conditions. Buffer zones around abortion clinics and hospitals, meanwhile, restrict certain activities intended to influence, obstruct or harass people accessing abortion services.“I feel thereʼs an absolute travesty that a human life thatʼs made in the image of God can be ended and can be dressed up in this slogan of ‘abortion is healthcare’,” Thatcher said.The march was attended by 15 Catholic bishops, who also celebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral in the morning before joining the main group.Southwark Auxiliary Bishop Paul Hendricks told EWTN News: “I support life in all its stages. We have to stand up for our values. We have our principles and we follow Jesus.” Thousands of pro-life advocates march in London near Big Ben during the cityʼs March for Life, Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley Southwark Archbishop John Wilson told EWTN News: “Iʼm here because I believe in the beauty and the dignity of human life. … Weʼre united together in a beautiful, peaceful, joyful spirit, to say that human life matters, that every life matters, from conception to natural death.” “And in a challenging culture, when so many people, in a sense, see life as something more disposable, you just want to stand up and be a voice for the voiceless,” he said.Attendees sang Christian hymns including “He’s got the whole world in his hands” and the Salve Regina while marching through the sunny streets of London, carrying banners reading: “Abortion hurts the family,” “Abortion Bans Save Lives” and “I’ve joined the fightback.” Thousands of pro-life advocates march in London during the cityʼs March for Life, Sept. 5, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley “Iʼve come here today to support life from conception to natural death, within a culture where that seems not to be valued now… I think itʼs important to stand up and say that the human dignity of every person is that theyʼre made in the image of God, no matter how small,” Military Bishop Paul Mason told EWTN News.Father Paul Grogan told EWTN News that abortion is “the most fundamental human rights issue of our time.” “And I think itʼs an important part of living out our Catholic faith that we should witness to our belief in the beauty of human life, from the moment of conception to the moments of its natural ending,” he said.Hundreds also attended a pro-choice counter-protest, chanting slogans including “abortion is a human right,” “not the church, not the state, we decide our own fate,” “Christian fascists go away,” and “keep your rosaries off our ovaries.”Tilly Middlehurst, a pro-choice activist and a Cambridge student who became widely known online after a confrontation with the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, told EWTN News that she had “come to safeguard our rights as women.” “I want to bring as many people here as possible to demonstrate that [pro-life activists] are a minority, and they donʼt belong here,” she said, referring to the thousands of activists marching in the streets.Before the march, pro-life activist Ruth Price was met with anger from counter-protesters outside the Emmanuel Centre after trying to hand out pro-life leaflets to the pro-choice advocates.Price told EWTN News: “I wanted to speak to people who are murdering young children. … I certainly meant no harm to them. I work with adults with very profound learning difficulties and they have lives that are worthwhile. They are precious in the sight of God, and I want people to know that we respect the life of the mother.”Last year the London March For Life was attended by approximately 10,000 people, according to organizers who on Friday evening were waiting to confirm expected numbers for this year.

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The march comes amid an ongoing debate over abortion law in England, Scotland and Wales, with pro-life campaigners calling for greater restrictions on abortion.

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European bishops warn against allowing erasure of ‘theological reality’ of baptismal records – #Catholic – The European bishops’ conference is warning authorities of the dangers of allowing baptized individuals to erase the records of their baptisms from Church archives, with the bishops arguing that to do so would negatively affect Church freedom and internal governance. The Court of Justice of the European Union is currently hearing a case brought by the Brussels Court of Appeal regarding whether the Catholic Church is violating Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation by refusing to erase names from baptismal records when requested.In a Sept. 2 position paper opposing the deletion policy, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union disputed claims that a baptismal register functions as a “list of members” of the Catholic Church. A register, the bishops said, serves instead as a “record of historical events.” “The purpose of a baptismal register is not to bear witness to the faith of individual persons, to the fact that someone is affiliated to the Church or to his/her involvement in Church life,” the bishops said. Rather, such registers function as a “fundamental evidentiary instrument” for “numerous matters relating to the internal life of the Church,” including whether or not a person has married, made a profession in a religious institute or been confirmed. It would be “impossible” to verify vital records if they are removed from the register, the bishops said. Requiring the baptismal deletions, the prelates argued, would mandate that the Church “adapt to [a person’s] feelings or opinions” in how the Church itself views baptismal records. This would require a shift in “theological reflection,” they said, which is “protected by Church autonomy.” The erasures could further “mislead” both Catholics and non-believers into being convinced that the sacrament of baptism is “repeatable and optional.” Such a policy would “constitute an infringement on the substance of the sacrament and not merely of the manner in which it is administered or carried out,” the paper said, and it would “seriously impede the proper functioning of the Church.” Alessandro Calcagno, a lawyer and assistant general secretary for the European bishops, said last year that the proceedings were “not an initiative against the Church by the European Union” but rather “a response to clarifications requested at the national level.”The issue arose in 2023 after an individual in the Diocese of Ghent in Belgium asked for all of their data to be completely removed from the local Church register. The Ghent Diocese opposed that request. The European court’s ruling is expected by the end of 2026 or sometime in 2027.
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European bishops warn against allowing erasure of ‘theological reality’ of baptismal records – #Catholic – The European bishops’ conference is warning authorities of the dangers of allowing baptized individuals to erase the records of their baptisms from Church archives, with the bishops arguing that to do so would negatively affect Church freedom and internal governance. The Court of Justice of the European Union is currently hearing a case brought by the Brussels Court of Appeal regarding whether the Catholic Church is violating Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation by refusing to erase names from baptismal records when requested.In a Sept. 2 position paper opposing the deletion policy, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union disputed claims that a baptismal register functions as a “list of members” of the Catholic Church. A register, the bishops said, serves instead as a “record of historical events.” “The purpose of a baptismal register is not to bear witness to the faith of individual persons, to the fact that someone is affiliated to the Church or to his/her involvement in Church life,” the bishops said. Rather, such registers function as a “fundamental evidentiary instrument” for “numerous matters relating to the internal life of the Church,” including whether or not a person has married, made a profession in a religious institute or been confirmed. It would be “impossible” to verify vital records if they are removed from the register, the bishops said. Requiring the baptismal deletions, the prelates argued, would mandate that the Church “adapt to [a person’s] feelings or opinions” in how the Church itself views baptismal records. This would require a shift in “theological reflection,” they said, which is “protected by Church autonomy.” The erasures could further “mislead” both Catholics and non-believers into being convinced that the sacrament of baptism is “repeatable and optional.” Such a policy would “constitute an infringement on the substance of the sacrament and not merely of the manner in which it is administered or carried out,” the paper said, and it would “seriously impede the proper functioning of the Church.” Alessandro Calcagno, a lawyer and assistant general secretary for the European bishops, said last year that the proceedings were “not an initiative against the Church by the European Union” but rather “a response to clarifications requested at the national level.”The issue arose in 2023 after an individual in the Diocese of Ghent in Belgium asked for all of their data to be completely removed from the local Church register. The Ghent Diocese opposed that request. The European court’s ruling is expected by the end of 2026 or sometime in 2027.

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The bishops argued that allowing the baptized to erase their records would encroach on religious liberty and negatively affect internal Church matters.

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Accused killer of Kansas priest declared not competent at murder trial – #Catholic – A man accused of murdering a priest in Kansas was declared not competent at a court hearing this week, authorities said. Gary Hermesch was declared incompetent to stand trial in Nemaha County Court on Sept. 3. Hermesch had been charged with first-degree murder in the April 3, 2025 shooting death of Father Arul Carasala in the small city of Seneca. A spokesman with the state attorney general’s office confirmed the court ruling to EWTN News. The spokesman added that the court “ordered involuntary commitment proceedings [to] be initiated.”The suspect was arrested the day after the shooting. He reportedly turned himself in to authorities and confessed to the crime. TKansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann said in a Facebook post after the shooting that Carasala “was a devoted and zealous pastor” who “faithfully served our archdiocese for over 20 years.”“His love for Christ and his Church was evident in how he ministered to his people with great generosity and care,” the archbishop said. Carasala’s obituary described him as a “beloved priest” who was “grounded, compassionate, and deeply community-oriented.” He was born in Kilacheri, Tamil Nadu, India, and attended seminary in Cuddapah, Vizag and Eluru; he was ordained to the priesthood on March 4, 1994. He came to the Kansas City Archdiocese in 2004, becoming “a cornerstone of the local Catholic community.” He eventually became a U.S. citizen in 2011. He is survived by a sister and brother-in-law as well as a niece and nephew.
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Accused killer of Kansas priest declared not competent at murder trial – #Catholic – A man accused of murdering a priest in Kansas was declared not competent at a court hearing this week, authorities said. Gary Hermesch was declared incompetent to stand trial in Nemaha County Court on Sept. 3. Hermesch had been charged with first-degree murder in the April 3, 2025 shooting death of Father Arul Carasala in the small city of Seneca. A spokesman with the state attorney general’s office confirmed the court ruling to EWTN News. The spokesman added that the court “ordered involuntary commitment proceedings [to] be initiated.”The suspect was arrested the day after the shooting. He reportedly turned himself in to authorities and confessed to the crime. TKansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann said in a Facebook post after the shooting that Carasala “was a devoted and zealous pastor” who “faithfully served our archdiocese for over 20 years.”“His love for Christ and his Church was evident in how he ministered to his people with great generosity and care,” the archbishop said. Carasala’s obituary described him as a “beloved priest” who was “grounded, compassionate, and deeply community-oriented.” He was born in Kilacheri, Tamil Nadu, India, and attended seminary in Cuddapah, Vizag and Eluru; he was ordained to the priesthood on March 4, 1994. He came to the Kansas City Archdiocese in 2004, becoming “a cornerstone of the local Catholic community.” He eventually became a U.S. citizen in 2011. He is survived by a sister and brother-in-law as well as a niece and nephew.

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Gary Hermesch was arrested in April 2025 for allegedly murdering Father Arul Carasala in Seneca, Kansas.

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10 lesser-known facts about St. Teresa of Calcutta, 10 years after canonization #Catholic On Sept. 5, Catholics around the world celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta, popularly known as Mother Teresa, and this year marks 10 years since she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church. The beloved religious sister was known globally for her work among the poorest of poor in India and for founding the Missionaries of Charity.Yet behind the familiar image of the saint there are aspects of her life that may not be as well-known — from her childhood in the Balkans and years as a teacher to her surprising friendships and spiritual struggles.Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the life of St. Teresa of Calcutta as we celebrate her 10 years as a canonized saint:1. She wasn’t born in IndiaMother Teresa was born Anjezë (Agnes) Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire and is now the capital of North Macedonia. She came from an ethnic Albanian family and was the youngest of five children — two of whom died in infancy.2. She entered religious life at 18At age 12, she felt called to serve the poor and at 18, left home to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish order of nuns, with the intention to serve in India. She would never again live with her immediate family.3. She chose the name Teresa after St. Thérèse of LisieuxUpon her arrival at Rathfarnham Abbey in Ireland, she took the name Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a 19th-century French nun known as the “Little Flower” who was known for her simplicity and doing things in her “Little Way.”4. She was a teacher before she served the poorBefore beginning her work among the poor, Mother Teresa taught in India for nearly two decades. She arrived in Calcutta, India. on Jan. 6, 1929, and after making her first vows in 1931, she was assigned to the Loretto Entally community and taught at St. Mary’s Bengali Medium School for girls. In 1937, Teresa made her final vows as a Loreto nun and then reassumed her duties at the school. In 1944 she became principal of the school.5. She experienced a ‘call within a call’On Sept. 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced what she would refer to as the “call within a call.” Over the following weeks and months, she would receive inspiration from God asking her to establish a religious community that would serve the poorest of the poor.6. She didn’t immediately start the religious orderIn August of 1948, Teresa left the Loreto convent and went to a short medical training with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna. In December of the same year, she returned to Calcutta and stayed temporarily with the Little Sisters of the Poor. During this time, she worked in the slums tending to the sick and dying. On Oct. 7, 1950, the congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established.7. She founded branches for men and priests, tooIn order to serve the various physical and spiritual needs of the sick, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963 and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. She also created groups for lay people including Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, which were groups of people who shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, and love for those most in need.8. She received the Nobel Peace Prize — and rejected the traditional banquetWhen Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she asked that the money that would have been spent on the customary banquet instead be given to the poor. She also used her Nobel platform to speak about the dignity of human life and the need for the protection of the unborn.9. She experienced profound spiritual darknessOne of the most surprising aspects of Mother Teresa’s life is that she endured decades of what she described as profound interior darkness. Despite being a woman of deep prayer, her private letters revealed that she sometimes felt distant from God even as she continued serving him.10. Her congregation spread around the worldToday the Missionaries of Charity have 754 homes in 138 countries around the world and a little over 5,000 nuns serving the poorest of the poor.
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10 lesser-known facts about St. Teresa of Calcutta, 10 years after canonization #Catholic On Sept. 5, Catholics around the world celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta, popularly known as Mother Teresa, and this year marks 10 years since she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church. The beloved religious sister was known globally for her work among the poorest of poor in India and for founding the Missionaries of Charity.Yet behind the familiar image of the saint there are aspects of her life that may not be as well-known — from her childhood in the Balkans and years as a teacher to her surprising friendships and spiritual struggles.Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the life of St. Teresa of Calcutta as we celebrate her 10 years as a canonized saint:1. She wasn’t born in IndiaMother Teresa was born Anjezë (Agnes) Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire and is now the capital of North Macedonia. She came from an ethnic Albanian family and was the youngest of five children — two of whom died in infancy.2. She entered religious life at 18At age 12, she felt called to serve the poor and at 18, left home to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish order of nuns, with the intention to serve in India. She would never again live with her immediate family.3. She chose the name Teresa after St. Thérèse of LisieuxUpon her arrival at Rathfarnham Abbey in Ireland, she took the name Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a 19th-century French nun known as the “Little Flower” who was known for her simplicity and doing things in her “Little Way.”4. She was a teacher before she served the poorBefore beginning her work among the poor, Mother Teresa taught in India for nearly two decades. She arrived in Calcutta, India. on Jan. 6, 1929, and after making her first vows in 1931, she was assigned to the Loretto Entally community and taught at St. Mary’s Bengali Medium School for girls. In 1937, Teresa made her final vows as a Loreto nun and then reassumed her duties at the school. In 1944 she became principal of the school.5. She experienced a ‘call within a call’On Sept. 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced what she would refer to as the “call within a call.” Over the following weeks and months, she would receive inspiration from God asking her to establish a religious community that would serve the poorest of the poor.6. She didn’t immediately start the religious orderIn August of 1948, Teresa left the Loreto convent and went to a short medical training with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna. In December of the same year, she returned to Calcutta and stayed temporarily with the Little Sisters of the Poor. During this time, she worked in the slums tending to the sick and dying. On Oct. 7, 1950, the congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established.7. She founded branches for men and priests, tooIn order to serve the various physical and spiritual needs of the sick, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963 and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. She also created groups for lay people including Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, which were groups of people who shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, and love for those most in need.8. She received the Nobel Peace Prize — and rejected the traditional banquetWhen Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she asked that the money that would have been spent on the customary banquet instead be given to the poor. She also used her Nobel platform to speak about the dignity of human life and the need for the protection of the unborn.9. She experienced profound spiritual darknessOne of the most surprising aspects of Mother Teresa’s life is that she endured decades of what she described as profound interior darkness. Despite being a woman of deep prayer, her private letters revealed that she sometimes felt distant from God even as she continued serving him.10. Her congregation spread around the worldToday the Missionaries of Charity have 754 homes in 138 countries around the world and a little over 5,000 nuns serving the poorest of the poor.

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Sept. 5 marks the feast of Mother Teresa and the 10th anniversary of her canonization.

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Sept. 5, 2001: The Milky Way has a black hole

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NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory is the agency’s flagship mission for X-ray astronomy. On Sept. 5, 2001, NASA announced that astronomers using Chandra in October of the previous year had witnessed a fast, strong X-ray flare coming from the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. This black hole, named Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)Continue reading “Sept. 5, 2001: The Milky Way has a black hole”

The post Sept. 5, 2001: The Milky Way has a black hole appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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With great sorrow, diocese to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks #Catholic – With heavy hearts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will join all Americans next Friday to solemnly and prayerfully commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — a day of horror and loss that devastated the United States and forever changed the country and the world. On that sad anniversary, several parishes, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., and other faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world. The 25th anniversary hits especially hard for residents in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones —or knew people —who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it. Close to home, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Father Daniel Murphy, now a retired diocesan priest, lost his younger brother, Edward Murphy, in the attack on the North Tower. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On the 25th anniversary, St. John’s Cathedral, the diocese’s mother church, will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Personnel from local police and fire departments and the FBI have been invited. The liturgy will include ringing a bell and playing bagpipes to honor the victims. Information: call 973-345-4070. “We will pray for those who have died in the attacks, those who are keeping us safe, and for an end to terrorism,” said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects. He ministered at the Ground Zero morgue the day after 9/11 and on site thereafter. Next Friday, Bishop Sweeney will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance specifically for the diocesan pastoral staff of the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. It will be “an opportunity to pray for the fallen and to share some time as a diocesan family, remembering our common mission to be instruments of peace,” according to the diocese. St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany, N.J., will hold a Memorial Mass at 8:45 a.m. in the church. Parishioners, families, neighbors, and friends are invited. Information: call 973-539-7050. “As people of faith, we will gather not only to remember but also to pray for eternal rest for those who perished, for comfort for those who still carry the pain of loss, for the men and women who continue to serve our communities and country, and for God’s gift of peace throughout our nations and the world,” St. Christopher’s states in its bulletin announcement. “May we never forget the lives entrusted to God’s mercy on that September morning and may we honor their memory by building a future rooted in compassion, unity and hope, trusting in God’s enduring love,” the parish states. The Shrine of St. Joseph, operated by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., will hold an ecumenical prayer service at 7 p.m. in the chapel. Participants will gather “to remember and pray for peace,” according to the shrine. Local clergy members who attend St. Joseph’s service will share in the prayers and reflections on peace. The shrine will also honor local first responders for their continued support of the community. After St. Joseph’s service, participants will process outside to the Tower of Remembrance, which incorporates vertical rusted steel girders from the World Trade Center’s North Tower that set between an ascending column of bells. It is a spiritual site for grieving families and annual ecumenical vigils. Information: call 908-647-0208. At 7 p.m. on the anniversary, Annunciation Parish in Wayne, N.J., will hold a Commemoration Mass, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz of the Newark Archdiocese, N.J. Information: call 973-694-5700. St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Earlier that day, the parish will also hold a holy hour for peace after the 9 a.m. Mass. Information: call 973-779-6200. For the anniversary, St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston, N.J., will hold a recitation of the Patriotic Rosary at 6 p.m., a Memorial Mass at 6:30 p.m. and holy hour after the Mass until 8 p.m. Information: call 973-827-8030. “We will pray for those who were lost, including the many who died of 9/11-related illnesses, many long after the attack; for the victims who are still suffering from mental illness; for the families; for our country; and for peace,” said Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude’s and diocesan pilgrimage director. He expressed hope that the 9/11 events will educate young people, many of whom were not yet born at the time of the attacks. For an BeaconNJ.org archive story about the various memorials for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., that can be visited, click here.  
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With great sorrow, diocese to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks #Catholic – With heavy hearts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will join all Americans next Friday to solemnly and prayerfully commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — a day of horror and loss that devastated the United States and forever changed the country and the world. On that sad anniversary, several parishes, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., and other faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world. The 25th anniversary hits especially hard for residents in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones —or knew people —who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it. Close to home, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Father Daniel Murphy, now a retired diocesan priest, lost his younger brother, Edward Murphy, in the attack on the North Tower. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. On the 25th anniversary, St. John’s Cathedral, the diocese’s mother church, will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Personnel from local police and fire departments and the FBI have been invited. The liturgy will include ringing a bell and playing bagpipes to honor the victims. Information: call 973-345-4070. “We will pray for those who have died in the attacks, those who are keeping us safe, and for an end to terrorism,” said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects. He ministered at the Ground Zero morgue the day after 9/11 and on site thereafter. Next Friday, Bishop Sweeney will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance specifically for the diocesan pastoral staff of the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. It will be “an opportunity to pray for the fallen and to share some time as a diocesan family, remembering our common mission to be instruments of peace,” according to the diocese. St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany, N.J., will hold a Memorial Mass at 8:45 a.m. in the church. Parishioners, families, neighbors, and friends are invited. Information: call 973-539-7050. “As people of faith, we will gather not only to remember but also to pray for eternal rest for those who perished, for comfort for those who still carry the pain of loss, for the men and women who continue to serve our communities and country, and for God’s gift of peace throughout our nations and the world,” St. Christopher’s states in its bulletin announcement. “May we never forget the lives entrusted to God’s mercy on that September morning and may we honor their memory by building a future rooted in compassion, unity and hope, trusting in God’s enduring love,” the parish states. The Shrine of St. Joseph, operated by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., will hold an ecumenical prayer service at 7 p.m. in the chapel. Participants will gather “to remember and pray for peace,” according to the shrine. Local clergy members who attend St. Joseph’s service will share in the prayers and reflections on peace. The shrine will also honor local first responders for their continued support of the community. After St. Joseph’s service, participants will process outside to the Tower of Remembrance, which incorporates vertical rusted steel girders from the World Trade Center’s North Tower that set between an ascending column of bells. It is a spiritual site for grieving families and annual ecumenical vigils. Information: call 908-647-0208. At 7 p.m. on the anniversary, Annunciation Parish in Wayne, N.J., will hold a Commemoration Mass, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz of the Newark Archdiocese, N.J. Information: call 973-694-5700. St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Earlier that day, the parish will also hold a holy hour for peace after the 9 a.m. Mass. Information: call 973-779-6200. For the anniversary, St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston, N.J., will hold a recitation of the Patriotic Rosary at 6 p.m., a Memorial Mass at 6:30 p.m. and holy hour after the Mass until 8 p.m. Information: call 973-827-8030. “We will pray for those who were lost, including the many who died of 9/11-related illnesses, many long after the attack; for the victims who are still suffering from mental illness; for the families; for our country; and for peace,” said Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude’s and diocesan pilgrimage director. He expressed hope that the 9/11 events will educate young people, many of whom were not yet born at the time of the attacks. For an BeaconNJ.org archive story about the various memorials for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., that can be visited, click here.  

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With great sorrow, diocese to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks #Catholic –

With heavy hearts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will join all Americans next Friday to solemnly and prayerfully commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — a day of horror and loss that devastated the United States and forever changed the country and the world.

On that sad anniversary, several parishes, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., and other faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.

The 25th anniversary hits especially hard for residents in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones —or knew people —who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.

Close to home, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Father Daniel Murphy, now a retired diocesan priest, lost his younger brother, Edward Murphy, in the attack on the North Tower. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

On the 25th anniversary, St. John’s Cathedral, the diocese’s mother church, will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Personnel from local police and fire departments and the FBI have been invited. The liturgy will include ringing a bell and playing bagpipes to honor the victims. Information: call 973-345-4070.

“We will pray for those who have died in the attacks, those who are keeping us safe, and for an end to terrorism,” said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects. He ministered at the Ground Zero morgue the day after 9/11 and on site thereafter.

Next Friday, Bishop Sweeney will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance specifically for the diocesan pastoral staff of the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. It will be “an opportunity to pray for the fallen and to share some time as a diocesan family, remembering our common mission to be instruments of peace,” according to the diocese.

St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany, N.J., will hold a Memorial Mass at 8:45 a.m. in the church. Parishioners, families, neighbors, and friends are invited. Information: call 973-539-7050.

“As people of faith, we will gather not only to remember but also to pray for eternal rest for those who perished, for comfort for those who still carry the pain of loss, for the men and women who continue to serve our communities and country, and for God’s gift of peace throughout our nations and the world,” St. Christopher’s states in its bulletin announcement. “May we never forget the lives entrusted to God’s mercy on that September morning and may we honor their memory by building a future rooted in compassion, unity and hope, trusting in God’s enduring love,” the parish states.

The Shrine of St. Joseph, operated by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., will hold an ecumenical prayer service at 7 p.m. in the chapel. Participants will gather “to remember and pray for peace,” according to the shrine.

Local clergy members who attend St. Joseph’s service will share in the prayers and reflections on peace. The shrine will also honor local first responders for their continued support of the community.

After St. Joseph’s service, participants will process outside to the Tower of Remembrance, which incorporates vertical rusted steel girders from the World Trade Center’s North Tower that set between an ascending column of bells. It is a spiritual site for grieving families and annual ecumenical vigils. Information: call 908-647-0208.

At 7 p.m. on the anniversary, Annunciation Parish in Wayne, N.J., will hold a Commemoration Mass, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz of the Newark Archdiocese, N.J. Information: call 973-694-5700.

St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Earlier that day, the parish will also hold a holy hour for peace after the 9 a.m. Mass. Information: call 973-779-6200.

For the anniversary, St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston, N.J., will hold a recitation of the Patriotic Rosary at 6 p.m., a Memorial Mass at 6:30 p.m. and holy hour after the Mass until 8 p.m. Information: call 973-827-8030.

“We will pray for those who were lost, including the many who died of 9/11-related illnesses, many long after the attack; for the victims who are still suffering from mental illness; for the families; for our country; and for peace,” said Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude’s and diocesan pilgrimage director. He expressed hope that the 9/11 events will educate young people, many of whom were not yet born at the time of the attacks.

For an BeaconNJ.org archive story about the various memorials for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., that can be visited, click here.

 

– With heavy hearts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will join all Americans next Friday to solemnly and prayerfully commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — a day of horror and loss that devastated the United States and forever changed the country and the world. On that sad anniversary, several parishes, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., and other faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends,

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Lunar Occultation of Venus – On Wednesday, June 17, skywatchers across the United States—and parts of Canada—enjoyed a rare event: a daytime lunar occultation of Venus. A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon moves directly in front of another celestial object from our viewpoint on Earth, briefly hiding it from sight.
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Lunar Occultation of Venus – On Wednesday, June 17, skywatchers across the United States—and parts of Canada—enjoyed a rare event: a daytime lunar occultation of Venus. A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon moves directly in front of another celestial object from our viewpoint on Earth, briefly hiding it from sight.

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On Wednesday, June 17, skywatchers across the United States—and parts of Canada—enjoyed a rare event: a daytime lunar occultation of Venus. A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon moves directly in front of another celestial object from our viewpoint on Earth, briefly hiding it from sight.

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Guinean youth heading to West African Youth Day encouraged to be missionaries #Catholic CONAKRY, Guinea — The leader of Guinea’s Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry has urged 155 young Catholics from the country sent to represent their peers at the first West African Youth Day in Ghana to embrace the gathering as a missionary experience rather than a tourist trip.The Republic of Guinea is a French-speaking West African nation bordering the Atlantic with a population of about 13.5 million. The Guinean delegation was commissioned at Mass on Sept. 2 at St. Rita Sangoyah Parish of Conakry Archdiocese, ahead of the Sept. 7–11 youth gathering organized by the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa.In his homily, Archbishop François Sylla challenged the young Catholics to recognize their active role in the life and mission of the Church.“You are not merely beneficiaries of pastoral ministry; you are also actors in the mission of the Church,” Sylla said.The archbishop urged the delegates from the five dioceses of Guinea—Conakry, Boké, Kankan, Guéckédou and NʼZérékoré — to return from Accra transformed by their encounter with other young Catholics and ready to become witnesses of peace and hope in their communities.“You will go to Accra as ambassadors of our local Church,” Sylla said, noting that Guinea is currently marking the final phase of the 150th anniversary of evangelization in the country.He encouraged the youth to share with others what they will “see, hear and touch” during the gathering and to translate the experience into concrete service to the Church and society.“Your participation in this ecclesiastical event should not be a tourist journey,” the archbishop said.Instead, he described the encounter as an opportunity for the young people to deepen their faith, grow in conviction, and be educated in values that can foster greater commitment to the Church and society.The first West African Youth Day is being held under the theme “Take courage, young Catholics, actors of peace and hope in West Africa.”The gathering is expected to bring together youth from across the region in what has been described as a historic first for the continent.Sylla urged the delegates to return home sufficiently transformed to become “a stimulant of ecclesiastical and social engagement” for other young people searching for peace.He also challenged the youth. “The Church needs a youth who does not only say, ‘What can the Church do for me?’ But it needs a youth who also asks itself: ‘What can I do for the Church in the next few years? What is my role in the Church?’” he said.According to the archbishop, young people have a particular responsibility in a world increasingly shaped by social media, artificial intelligence, globalization, and rapid social change.He recalled Pope Francis’ appeal to young people in Venice, where the late pontiff emphasized the need for their energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and ability to dream.“The Church must not only speak to the youth today, but must learn to walk with them and to show them responsibility,” Sylla said, adding that “a youth who is responsible becomes a missionary force.”The archbishop described the young delegates as missionaries and encouraged them to see their participation in the youth day as an opportunity to become part of a wider movement of West African youth committed to peace, justice, security and hope.“You are therefore missionaries. The youth is the light of those in a West African country in search of peace, justice, security and hope,” the Catholic archbishop said.He called on the delegates to be witnesses of Christ’s hope and love in their families, communities and nation, while reminding them that they are already missionaries in the present, rather than simply future leaders.“Remind the West African youth that they are not only the leaders of your communities, but already the missionaries of today, in charge of bringing the light of Christ in all sectors of society,” Sylla said.He assured the young pilgrims of his prayers and invoked the protection of the saints as they embarked on their journey to Ghana.“We pray that peace will come and all the saints will accompany you in this pilgrimage,” he said, expressing hope that “the light of Christ will shine on you wherever you are.”This article was first published by ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.
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Guinean youth heading to West African Youth Day encouraged to be missionaries #Catholic CONAKRY, Guinea — The leader of Guinea’s Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry has urged 155 young Catholics from the country sent to represent their peers at the first West African Youth Day in Ghana to embrace the gathering as a missionary experience rather than a tourist trip.The Republic of Guinea is a French-speaking West African nation bordering the Atlantic with a population of about 13.5 million. The Guinean delegation was commissioned at Mass on Sept. 2 at St. Rita Sangoyah Parish of Conakry Archdiocese, ahead of the Sept. 7–11 youth gathering organized by the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa.In his homily, Archbishop François Sylla challenged the young Catholics to recognize their active role in the life and mission of the Church.“You are not merely beneficiaries of pastoral ministry; you are also actors in the mission of the Church,” Sylla said.The archbishop urged the delegates from the five dioceses of Guinea—Conakry, Boké, Kankan, Guéckédou and NʼZérékoré — to return from Accra transformed by their encounter with other young Catholics and ready to become witnesses of peace and hope in their communities.“You will go to Accra as ambassadors of our local Church,” Sylla said, noting that Guinea is currently marking the final phase of the 150th anniversary of evangelization in the country.He encouraged the youth to share with others what they will “see, hear and touch” during the gathering and to translate the experience into concrete service to the Church and society.“Your participation in this ecclesiastical event should not be a tourist journey,” the archbishop said.Instead, he described the encounter as an opportunity for the young people to deepen their faith, grow in conviction, and be educated in values that can foster greater commitment to the Church and society.The first West African Youth Day is being held under the theme “Take courage, young Catholics, actors of peace and hope in West Africa.”The gathering is expected to bring together youth from across the region in what has been described as a historic first for the continent.Sylla urged the delegates to return home sufficiently transformed to become “a stimulant of ecclesiastical and social engagement” for other young people searching for peace.He also challenged the youth. “The Church needs a youth who does not only say, ‘What can the Church do for me?’ But it needs a youth who also asks itself: ‘What can I do for the Church in the next few years? What is my role in the Church?’” he said.According to the archbishop, young people have a particular responsibility in a world increasingly shaped by social media, artificial intelligence, globalization, and rapid social change.He recalled Pope Francis’ appeal to young people in Venice, where the late pontiff emphasized the need for their energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and ability to dream.“The Church must not only speak to the youth today, but must learn to walk with them and to show them responsibility,” Sylla said, adding that “a youth who is responsible becomes a missionary force.”The archbishop described the young delegates as missionaries and encouraged them to see their participation in the youth day as an opportunity to become part of a wider movement of West African youth committed to peace, justice, security and hope.“You are therefore missionaries. The youth is the light of those in a West African country in search of peace, justice, security and hope,” the Catholic archbishop said.He called on the delegates to be witnesses of Christ’s hope and love in their families, communities and nation, while reminding them that they are already missionaries in the present, rather than simply future leaders.“Remind the West African youth that they are not only the leaders of your communities, but already the missionaries of today, in charge of bringing the light of Christ in all sectors of society,” Sylla said.He assured the young pilgrims of his prayers and invoked the protection of the saints as they embarked on their journey to Ghana.“We pray that peace will come and all the saints will accompany you in this pilgrimage,” he said, expressing hope that “the light of Christ will shine on you wherever you are.”This article was first published by ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.

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Archbishop François Sylla challenged the youth delegation to see themselves as active members of the Church as they head to the youth celebration in Ghana.

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Cardinal Burke to lead international Rosary Rally in Amsterdam #Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke will preside over Radio Maria’s annual Rosary Rally of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sept. 5.“Cardinal Burke will be the principal celebrant at Holy Mass in the Church of Our Lady, Keizersgracht 218, Amsterdam. Later that afternoon, he will lead a prayer service and give an inspiring talk at the Vondelpark,” Radio Maria’s website states. The event takes place every year as a fulfillment of the request of Our Lady of Fatima to pray for a spirit of conversion in society. Centenary of first Catholic Mass in Norway celebratedIn celebration of 100 years since the first Catholic Mass in Norway, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim presided over a solemn Mass in Longyearbyen.The Mass took place at Svalbard Church on Aug. 30, and was widely attended by members of the Catholic community, as well as nonprofit organizations and representatives of the Lutheran Church of Norway, according to a Vatican News report on Aug. 31. “For the sake of bringing Jesus’ sacrifice concretely to Svalbard, Bishop Smit came here in 1926 and celebrated the first Catholic Mass on the archipelago,” Varden said during his homily. “In gratitude for the grace God has poured out on Svalbard through a hundred years, we will faithfully take responsibility for that grace.”Scottish sisters to stand trial over historic child abuse chargesIn Scotland, five Sisters of Nazareth nuns aged between 67 and 84 have been indicted to stand trial. They are accused of multiple abuse charges against several children following a preliminary hearing that took place at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday.Marie Docherty, 84, Mary Broderick, 83, Margaret McLafferty, 67, Kathleen McLean, 76, and Mary Doyle, 80, were named on an indictment, which contains 108 charges. The indictment includes allegations that children were punched, struck, kicked, force-fed, forced to stand while wearing soiled bedding or clothing. The alleged crimes are said to have taken place mainly at Nazareth House locations in Aberdeen and Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, between 1965 and 1982.The accused have previously entered pleas of not guilty.A further preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2027, and the court has provisionally set aside eight weeks for a trial starting on March 30, 2027, in Glasgow. ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ in Australia to operate under theme ‘Love Protects’Catholics across Australia will observe “Safeguarding Sunday” on Sept. 13 under the theme, “Love Protects” in honor of victims of abuse within the Church.“‘Love Protects’ reminds us that genuine love is demonstrated through action,” Bishop Greg Bennet, chair of the Bishops Commission for Professional Standards and Safeguarding in Australia, said in a Sept. 4 press release. “Safeguarding is an essential part of our mission and ministry. It calls each of us to be attentive, accountable, and committed to ensuring that every person can participate in the life of the Church safely and with confidence.”New leader for Melkite Catholics in Argentina Lebanese priest Jean Abou Charouche has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to lead the Melkite Greek Catholic community in Argentina as apostolic exarch and has been raised to the rank of bishop, ACI MENA, EWTN News’ Arabic-language sister service, reported on Aug. 31.The Melkite exarchate in Argentina serves about 345,000 faithful.Born near Beirut in 1972, Abou Charouche was ordained a priest in 1998 and has devoted much of his ministry to preparing future priests and religious. He later moved to Argentina, becoming pastor of St. George Cathedral in Córdoba in 2015. Since 2023, he has already been overseeing the countryʼs Melkite Catholic community as apostolic administrator. Pro-life groups protest ‘International Safe Abortion Day’ celebration in BelfastChristian and pro-life groups have called on the Belfast City Council to cancel plans to illuminate the city in observance of “International Safe Abortion Day.”“The strength of this open letter comes from the breadth of organizations standing together. Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, pro-life, pregnancy-support, and Christian community groups have united to send Belfast City Council a clear and respectful message: City Hall is not a billboard for abortion,” Bernadette Smyth, director of the Precious Life, the largest pro-life group in Northern Ireland, said in a press release Sept. 1. The letter came ahead of Belfast City Hall’s 11-3 vote to approve the measure on Sept. 2.Ivory Coast cardinal decries illegal gold mining Ignace Cardinal Bessi Dogbo of the Ivory Coast’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan has denounced the devastating environmental consequences of illegal gold mining, calling for stronger state action to protect the country’s natural resources and its people, ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, reported Sept. 3.In his homily during the Mass of the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the cardinal reflected on the ecological vision of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, warning against the destruction of land and waterways caused by the pursuit of gold.He also challenged what he described as the excessive attachment to money that fuels the exploitation of creation.“Gold that kills is not gold. Illegal gold mining that kills human beings is worse than idolatry. It is beyond words,” Dogbo said, condemning mining activities that “soil the water,” destroy the environment, and transform rivers into “polluted wastelands.”UK government warns against assisted suicide in latest assessmentAn updated assessment from the UK government has found that “poverty, poor care, and abuse” could lead to “disproportionate numbers of ethnic minority people” seeking to end their lives via assisted suicide.The latest assessment, released Aug. 29, comes as the government increased its central estimate of annual assisted deaths from 2,183 to 3,502, according to an Aug. 29 press release from Right To Life UK. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for extensive healthcare reforms to take place before the passage of legislation on assisted dying. “Personally, I think there’s something that needs to happen first, and that’s the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said on July 29. ”I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.”Patrick J. Passmore contributed to this report.
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Cardinal Burke to lead international Rosary Rally in Amsterdam #Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke will preside over Radio Maria’s annual Rosary Rally of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sept. 5.“Cardinal Burke will be the principal celebrant at Holy Mass in the Church of Our Lady, Keizersgracht 218, Amsterdam. Later that afternoon, he will lead a prayer service and give an inspiring talk at the Vondelpark,” Radio Maria’s website states. The event takes place every year as a fulfillment of the request of Our Lady of Fatima to pray for a spirit of conversion in society. Centenary of first Catholic Mass in Norway celebratedIn celebration of 100 years since the first Catholic Mass in Norway, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim presided over a solemn Mass in Longyearbyen.The Mass took place at Svalbard Church on Aug. 30, and was widely attended by members of the Catholic community, as well as nonprofit organizations and representatives of the Lutheran Church of Norway, according to a Vatican News report on Aug. 31. “For the sake of bringing Jesus’ sacrifice concretely to Svalbard, Bishop Smit came here in 1926 and celebrated the first Catholic Mass on the archipelago,” Varden said during his homily. “In gratitude for the grace God has poured out on Svalbard through a hundred years, we will faithfully take responsibility for that grace.”Scottish sisters to stand trial over historic child abuse chargesIn Scotland, five Sisters of Nazareth nuns aged between 67 and 84 have been indicted to stand trial. They are accused of multiple abuse charges against several children following a preliminary hearing that took place at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday.Marie Docherty, 84, Mary Broderick, 83, Margaret McLafferty, 67, Kathleen McLean, 76, and Mary Doyle, 80, were named on an indictment, which contains 108 charges. The indictment includes allegations that children were punched, struck, kicked, force-fed, forced to stand while wearing soiled bedding or clothing. The alleged crimes are said to have taken place mainly at Nazareth House locations in Aberdeen and Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, between 1965 and 1982.The accused have previously entered pleas of not guilty.A further preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2027, and the court has provisionally set aside eight weeks for a trial starting on March 30, 2027, in Glasgow. ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ in Australia to operate under theme ‘Love Protects’Catholics across Australia will observe “Safeguarding Sunday” on Sept. 13 under the theme, “Love Protects” in honor of victims of abuse within the Church.“‘Love Protects’ reminds us that genuine love is demonstrated through action,” Bishop Greg Bennet, chair of the Bishops Commission for Professional Standards and Safeguarding in Australia, said in a Sept. 4 press release. “Safeguarding is an essential part of our mission and ministry. It calls each of us to be attentive, accountable, and committed to ensuring that every person can participate in the life of the Church safely and with confidence.”New leader for Melkite Catholics in Argentina Lebanese priest Jean Abou Charouche has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to lead the Melkite Greek Catholic community in Argentina as apostolic exarch and has been raised to the rank of bishop, ACI MENA, EWTN News’ Arabic-language sister service, reported on Aug. 31.The Melkite exarchate in Argentina serves about 345,000 faithful.Born near Beirut in 1972, Abou Charouche was ordained a priest in 1998 and has devoted much of his ministry to preparing future priests and religious. He later moved to Argentina, becoming pastor of St. George Cathedral in Córdoba in 2015. Since 2023, he has already been overseeing the countryʼs Melkite Catholic community as apostolic administrator. Pro-life groups protest ‘International Safe Abortion Day’ celebration in BelfastChristian and pro-life groups have called on the Belfast City Council to cancel plans to illuminate the city in observance of “International Safe Abortion Day.”“The strength of this open letter comes from the breadth of organizations standing together. Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, pro-life, pregnancy-support, and Christian community groups have united to send Belfast City Council a clear and respectful message: City Hall is not a billboard for abortion,” Bernadette Smyth, director of the Precious Life, the largest pro-life group in Northern Ireland, said in a press release Sept. 1. The letter came ahead of Belfast City Hall’s 11-3 vote to approve the measure on Sept. 2.Ivory Coast cardinal decries illegal gold mining Ignace Cardinal Bessi Dogbo of the Ivory Coast’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan has denounced the devastating environmental consequences of illegal gold mining, calling for stronger state action to protect the country’s natural resources and its people, ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, reported Sept. 3.In his homily during the Mass of the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the cardinal reflected on the ecological vision of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, warning against the destruction of land and waterways caused by the pursuit of gold.He also challenged what he described as the excessive attachment to money that fuels the exploitation of creation.“Gold that kills is not gold. Illegal gold mining that kills human beings is worse than idolatry. It is beyond words,” Dogbo said, condemning mining activities that “soil the water,” destroy the environment, and transform rivers into “polluted wastelands.”UK government warns against assisted suicide in latest assessmentAn updated assessment from the UK government has found that “poverty, poor care, and abuse” could lead to “disproportionate numbers of ethnic minority people” seeking to end their lives via assisted suicide.The latest assessment, released Aug. 29, comes as the government increased its central estimate of annual assisted deaths from 2,183 to 3,502, according to an Aug. 29 press release from Right To Life UK. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for extensive healthcare reforms to take place before the passage of legislation on assisted dying. “Personally, I think there’s something that needs to happen first, and that’s the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said on July 29. ”I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.”Patrick J. Passmore contributed to this report.

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Catholic cardinal presides over Rosary Rally in Holland, Norway celebrates 100 years since first Mass, Scottish sisters to stand trial for abuse, and more in this week’s world news round up.

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Picture of the day Lake Coldai, an alpine lake beneath the Dolomites near village Alleghe, Italy. Today is World Lake Day, designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about the importance of lakes and to promote their sustainable management. #ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day
Lake Coldai, an alpine lake beneath the Dolomites near village Alleghe, Italy. Today is World Lake Day, designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about the importance of lakes and to promote their sustainable management.
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Gospel and Word of the Day – 05 September 2026 – A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians 4:6b-15 Brothers and sisters: Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written, so that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another. Who confers distinction upon you? What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it? You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich; you have become kings without us! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we also might become kings with you. For as I see it, God has exhibited us Apostles as the last of all, like people sentenced to death, since we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and men alike. We are fools on Christ?s account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands. When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the world?s rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment. I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.From the Gospel according to Luke 6:1-5 While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, ?Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?? Jesus said to them in reply, ?Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions?? Then he said to them, ?The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.?This way of life, clinging to the law, distanced them from love and justice. They upheld the law, neglecting justice. They upheld the law, neglecting love. They were narrow-minded men, so attached to the law ? to the letter of the law, not to the law itself, for the law is love ? but to the letter of the law, which always shut the doors to hope, love and salvation (?) This is the path that Jesus teaches us, totally opposed to that of the doctors of the law. And this path, from love to justice, leads to God. Instead, the other path, of clinging solely to the law, to the letter of the law, leads to narrow-mindedness, to selfishness. The path from love to knowledge and discernment, to complete fulfilment, leads to holiness, to salvation, to an encounter with Jesus. This path, on the other hand, leads to selfishness, to the pride of feeling righteous, to that so-called ?holiness? of appearances, doesn?t it? (?) Jesus draws near: this closeness is precisely the proof that we are on the right path. For it is precisely the path that God has chosen to save us: closeness. He drew near to us; He became man. God who became man like one of us, and we who must become like others, like those in need, like those who need our help. (Pope Francis, Homily of 31 October 2014)

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A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to Corinthians
4:6b-15

Brothers and sisters:
Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written,
so that none of you will be inflated with pride
in favor of one person over against another.
Who confers distinction upon you?
What do you possess that you have not received?
But if you have received it,
why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?
You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;
you have become kings without us!
Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,
so that we also might become kings with you.

For as I see it, God has exhibited us Apostles as the last of all,
like people sentenced to death,
since we have become a spectacle to the world,
to angels and men alike.
We are fools on Christ?s account, but you are wise in Christ;
we are weak, but you are strong;
you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,
we are poorly clad and roughly treated,
we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands.
When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we respond gently.
We have become like the world?s rubbish, the scum of all,
to this very moment.

I am writing you this not to shame you,
but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Even if you should have countless guides to Christ,
yet you do not have many fathers,
for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

From the Gospel according to Luke
6:1-5

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
?Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath??
Jesus said to them in reply,
?Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions??
Then he said to them, ?The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.?

This way of life, clinging to the law, distanced them from love and justice. They upheld the law, neglecting justice. They upheld the law, neglecting love. They were narrow-minded men, so attached to the law ? to the letter of the law, not to the law itself, for the law is love ? but to the letter of the law, which always shut the doors to hope, love and salvation (?) This is the path that Jesus teaches us, totally opposed to that of the doctors of the law. And this path, from love to justice, leads to God. Instead, the other path, of clinging solely to the law, to the letter of the law, leads to narrow-mindedness, to selfishness. The path from love to knowledge and discernment, to complete fulfilment, leads to holiness, to salvation, to an encounter with Jesus. This path, on the other hand, leads to selfishness, to the pride of feeling righteous, to that so-called ?holiness? of appearances, doesn?t it? (?) Jesus draws near: this closeness is precisely the proof that we are on the right path. For it is precisely the path that God has chosen to save us: closeness. He drew near to us; He became man. God who became man like one of us, and we who must become like others, like those in need, like those who need our help. (Pope Francis, Homily of 31 October 2014)

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U.S. bishops offer pre-midterms guidance on faithful citizenship #Catholic The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a guide for dioceses that outlines how they can train priests to better assist members of their congregation to be “faithful citizens.”It comes about two months before the midterm elections, which will decide control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. It does not instruct people how to vote, but does note principles of Catholic teaching that should be considered when making that decision.Faithful citizenship, the guide explains, embraces “the fullness of the Church’s teachings and is a way of living the Gospel in attending to specific duties in the public square, which sit alongside a wide array of other duties.” It emphasizes that faith must come before politics.The guide, titled “Outlines for Clergy Formation on Faithful Citizenship,” offers sample outlines for clergy formation sessions, which includes the options of a a 3-5 hour session and a concise 1-hour session.It was developed following internal dialogue among bishops after some had requested a guide on the subject. It focuses on Catholic Social Teaching, how it applies to modern politics in the U.S. and how to help priests communicate those teachings to their congregations.“We are supposed to be agents of transformation of society according to the principles of the Gospel and the profound dignity and the life of every human person,” Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland said in a video message that the USCCB provided to dioceses to accompany the guide.“The church and the laity,” he said, “we need to have a seat at the table to help form a society where every individualʼs dignity is recognized and everybodyʼs right to life is recognized.”The document includes five guiding principles of Catholic Social Teaching, which derive from Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.First, it points to the common good, noting the obligation for every person “to act in a manner that serves the whole of society” and be “a neighbor to all.” It cites the Second Vatican Council’s definition of the term: “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.”Second, it points to the Universal Destination of Goods. It notes that God “created the world and entrusted it to the care of humanity.” It pointed to Pope Leo XIII’s teachings in Rerum Novarum, which defends the right to private property, but not one that is absolute. The right is “subordinate to the duty to ensure that all can live in dignity,” it explains.It points to subsidiarity, which is the principle that “issues should be addressed at as local a level as possible.” It notes “natural justice forbids a government from intruding on the dignity of the family.”The fourth principle is solidarity, which it explains “puts into practice our Lord’s vast definition of neighbor given in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.”Fifth, the guide states, is social justice. It states the term is often “incorrectly perceived as ‘woke,’” but stems from the cardinal virtues. It cites Pope Leo XIV, who explained it as “looking beyond one-on-one relationships … to the structural elements that lead to injustice in society.”Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, said in the video message that Catholics are “called to be faithful, faithful citizens, faithful people in the building up of a society and a community that is somehow reflective of the very things that God Himself has shown us in Christ.”“And the rest is in Godʼs hands,” he said. “I think as Catholics, our first role in political life and in social life is to give an authentic witness that we that we carry within ourselves, the person of Christ and all that that implies.”The guide refers to faithful citizenship as “a way of life, not merely something exercised when marking a ballot.”“Although it addresses specific moral issues — abortion, racial equality, economic inequities, criminal justice, euthanasia, family life, immigration, participation in the political process, war and peace, and many more — faithful citizenship fundamentally is a way of seeing the world in the light of the Gospel and allowing Gospel truth to point the way to prudential judgements and concrete decisions,” it explains.
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U.S. bishops offer pre-midterms guidance on faithful citizenship #Catholic The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a guide for dioceses that outlines how they can train priests to better assist members of their congregation to be “faithful citizens.”It comes about two months before the midterm elections, which will decide control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. It does not instruct people how to vote, but does note principles of Catholic teaching that should be considered when making that decision.Faithful citizenship, the guide explains, embraces “the fullness of the Church’s teachings and is a way of living the Gospel in attending to specific duties in the public square, which sit alongside a wide array of other duties.” It emphasizes that faith must come before politics.The guide, titled “Outlines for Clergy Formation on Faithful Citizenship,” offers sample outlines for clergy formation sessions, which includes the options of a a 3-5 hour session and a concise 1-hour session.It was developed following internal dialogue among bishops after some had requested a guide on the subject. It focuses on Catholic Social Teaching, how it applies to modern politics in the U.S. and how to help priests communicate those teachings to their congregations.“We are supposed to be agents of transformation of society according to the principles of the Gospel and the profound dignity and the life of every human person,” Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland said in a video message that the USCCB provided to dioceses to accompany the guide.“The church and the laity,” he said, “we need to have a seat at the table to help form a society where every individualʼs dignity is recognized and everybodyʼs right to life is recognized.”The document includes five guiding principles of Catholic Social Teaching, which derive from Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.First, it points to the common good, noting the obligation for every person “to act in a manner that serves the whole of society” and be “a neighbor to all.” It cites the Second Vatican Council’s definition of the term: “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.”Second, it points to the Universal Destination of Goods. It notes that God “created the world and entrusted it to the care of humanity.” It pointed to Pope Leo XIII’s teachings in Rerum Novarum, which defends the right to private property, but not one that is absolute. The right is “subordinate to the duty to ensure that all can live in dignity,” it explains.It points to subsidiarity, which is the principle that “issues should be addressed at as local a level as possible.” It notes “natural justice forbids a government from intruding on the dignity of the family.”The fourth principle is solidarity, which it explains “puts into practice our Lord’s vast definition of neighbor given in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.”Fifth, the guide states, is social justice. It states the term is often “incorrectly perceived as ‘woke,’” but stems from the cardinal virtues. It cites Pope Leo XIV, who explained it as “looking beyond one-on-one relationships … to the structural elements that lead to injustice in society.”Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, said in the video message that Catholics are “called to be faithful, faithful citizens, faithful people in the building up of a society and a community that is somehow reflective of the very things that God Himself has shown us in Christ.”“And the rest is in Godʼs hands,” he said. “I think as Catholics, our first role in political life and in social life is to give an authentic witness that we that we carry within ourselves, the person of Christ and all that that implies.”The guide refers to faithful citizenship as “a way of life, not merely something exercised when marking a ballot.”“Although it addresses specific moral issues — abortion, racial equality, economic inequities, criminal justice, euthanasia, family life, immigration, participation in the political process, war and peace, and many more — faithful citizenship fundamentally is a way of seeing the world in the light of the Gospel and allowing Gospel truth to point the way to prudential judgements and concrete decisions,” it explains.

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The guide is meant to assist in priestly formation on Catholic Social Teaching, so they can better communicate those teachings to their congregations.

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Cana launches wedding registry storefront, partnering with Catholic businesses #Catholic Cana has launched its own registry storefront, partnering with brands for traditional wedding gifts and also working with Catholic businesses to offer couples everything from Catholic jewelry to sacred home decor.The storefront launched on Sept. 4, putting “Catholic vendors front and center,” Cana founders told EWTN News.Cana is a faith-focused wedding-planning platform designed for Catholic and Christian couples to build their websites. The Cana site helps engaged couples manage registries, guest lists, RSVPs, and it connects users with a diverse range of vendors.It is intended to help couples plan a beautiful, reverent, and personalized wedding, the founders said. It is free of charge to the thousands of couples who use it.Bringing Christ and ‘intentionality’ to wedding registries “Up until this point, Cana essentially was just an affiliate partner for pretty much any online retailer. The most popular provider was Amazon, but also Target, Crate & Barrel, and Williams-Sonoma,” James Reichert, co-founder of Cana, told EWTN News.“Then couples could take an individual link from a Catholic retailer and add that item to their registry. But we were essentially an affiliate partner for the big retailers,” he said.Cana didnʼt want to be “a Catholic version” of the secular wedding websites, but rather “we wanted to be something truly, radically different,” Reichert said. “So we built our own registry storefront.”The storefront puts “our Catholic vendors front and center,” Gabe Gessler, co-founder of Cana, added.“We’ve partnered with big brands. Couples can add ultra high quality kitchenware and bedding items and they can create a full scale wedding registry through the service,” Reichert said.Reichert said they also partnered with “incredible Catholic retailers: West Coast Catholic, The Little Catholic, The Catholic Company…,House of Joppa, and Darling & Divine.”“For the first time, Catholic and Christian couples donʼt just have to register for their home goods, all the cookware, dinnerware, bedding things, that they would typically do on a regular wedding registry,” he said.Now, “they can also register for sacred arts, sacred jewelry, beautiful wall mounts, and icons from all of these incredible brands that have been trusted for decades,” Reichert said. Cana is hoping to be a “central point for all those different brands on one beautiful wedding registry experience,” he said.“So many of our brides, they desire intentionality,” Gessler said. “They desire an intentional experience that points them towards the person that matters the most, which is Jesus Christ.”To give couples a better experience, Cana is “placing forward, front and center, really high quality, what we truly believe are world-class companies, that are able to meet this intersection of commerce and the faith all in one,” Gessler said.“We believe itʼs going to bless our partners more,” he said.“Really what we want to do is help create this ecosystem where a Catholic bride doesnʼt need to go scour the internet for all these different partners, or these different registries. But actually she can just have it all in one place,” Gessler said.“Then also she can come and support these incredible Catholic businesses,” Gessler said.CanaLaunched in September 2025, “Cana really exists to help couples focus on Christ from their engagement to eternity,” Reichert said. “Our biggest desire is to just help create holy couples and holy marriages.”“Weʼve now been around for a year,” Gessler said. “Weʼve had more than 8,000 brides join Cana.”“Itʼs not just a registry experience. Itʼs a digital wedding planning experience that is totally holistic and centered around Christ and the sacrament of marriage rather than just …the excitement of the day,” Gessler said.“When you get married to your spouse … itʼs an opportunity to enter into this new stage of your life and to place Christ at the center of it,” he said.“We are praying for every single couple who uses us every day,” Reichert said. “To any couple who has the courage to use us to plan their wedding, we genuinely are so grateful for every single one.”
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Cana launches wedding registry storefront, partnering with Catholic businesses #Catholic Cana has launched its own registry storefront, partnering with brands for traditional wedding gifts and also working with Catholic businesses to offer couples everything from Catholic jewelry to sacred home decor.The storefront launched on Sept. 4, putting “Catholic vendors front and center,” Cana founders told EWTN News.Cana is a faith-focused wedding-planning platform designed for Catholic and Christian couples to build their websites. The Cana site helps engaged couples manage registries, guest lists, RSVPs, and it connects users with a diverse range of vendors.It is intended to help couples plan a beautiful, reverent, and personalized wedding, the founders said. It is free of charge to the thousands of couples who use it.Bringing Christ and ‘intentionality’ to wedding registries “Up until this point, Cana essentially was just an affiliate partner for pretty much any online retailer. The most popular provider was Amazon, but also Target, Crate & Barrel, and Williams-Sonoma,” James Reichert, co-founder of Cana, told EWTN News.“Then couples could take an individual link from a Catholic retailer and add that item to their registry. But we were essentially an affiliate partner for the big retailers,” he said.Cana didnʼt want to be “a Catholic version” of the secular wedding websites, but rather “we wanted to be something truly, radically different,” Reichert said. “So we built our own registry storefront.”The storefront puts “our Catholic vendors front and center,” Gabe Gessler, co-founder of Cana, added.“We’ve partnered with big brands. Couples can add ultra high quality kitchenware and bedding items and they can create a full scale wedding registry through the service,” Reichert said.Reichert said they also partnered with “incredible Catholic retailers: West Coast Catholic, The Little Catholic, The Catholic Company…,House of Joppa, and Darling & Divine.”“For the first time, Catholic and Christian couples donʼt just have to register for their home goods, all the cookware, dinnerware, bedding things, that they would typically do on a regular wedding registry,” he said.Now, “they can also register for sacred arts, sacred jewelry, beautiful wall mounts, and icons from all of these incredible brands that have been trusted for decades,” Reichert said. Cana is hoping to be a “central point for all those different brands on one beautiful wedding registry experience,” he said.“So many of our brides, they desire intentionality,” Gessler said. “They desire an intentional experience that points them towards the person that matters the most, which is Jesus Christ.”To give couples a better experience, Cana is “placing forward, front and center, really high quality, what we truly believe are world-class companies, that are able to meet this intersection of commerce and the faith all in one,” Gessler said.“We believe itʼs going to bless our partners more,” he said.“Really what we want to do is help create this ecosystem where a Catholic bride doesnʼt need to go scour the internet for all these different partners, or these different registries. But actually she can just have it all in one place,” Gessler said.“Then also she can come and support these incredible Catholic businesses,” Gessler said.CanaLaunched in September 2025, “Cana really exists to help couples focus on Christ from their engagement to eternity,” Reichert said. “Our biggest desire is to just help create holy couples and holy marriages.”“Weʼve now been around for a year,” Gessler said. “Weʼve had more than 8,000 brides join Cana.”“Itʼs not just a registry experience. Itʼs a digital wedding planning experience that is totally holistic and centered around Christ and the sacrament of marriage rather than just …the excitement of the day,” Gessler said.“When you get married to your spouse … itʼs an opportunity to enter into this new stage of your life and to place Christ at the center of it,” he said.“We are praying for every single couple who uses us every day,” Reichert said. “To any couple who has the courage to use us to plan their wedding, we genuinely are so grateful for every single one.”

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“Catholic and Christian couples don’t just have to register for their home goods,” but can “also register for sacred arts, sacred jewelry, beautiful wall mounts, and icons,” James Reichert said.

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Scottish Catholic bishop: Scotland ‘must stand with both mother and child’ – #Catholic – Scottish Catholic bishop: Scotland ‘must stand with both mother and child’President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland John Keenan is urging the Scottish government to reform the country’s expansive abortion law, calling on the government to reject efforts to expand the abortion regime there.While the government doesn’t plan to change abortion law from 2026-2027, it intends to follow through with recommendations made by a pro-abortion advisory group and to fund late-stage abortion.“Every unborn child is a unique human life deserving of protection, and every mother should be supported in ways that uphold her dignity and the dignity of her child,” Keenan said in a statement. “I therefore make a direct appeal to all elected representatives who recognize the inherent dignity of every human life, to reject any further liberalization of abortion provisions in Scotland and to oppose measures that would remove essential safeguards or further weaken protection for unborn children.”The advisory group “excluded prolife voices and … adopted a principle of ‘non-regression’ on abortion provision,” the bishop said, arguing that the group “lacks both legitimacy and credibility.”“It has made radical recommendations to the Scottish Government which, if implemented, would effectively permit abortion up to birth for any reason and remove the current requirement for two doctors to approve abortions up to 24 weeks.”“It is astonishing that the report also recommends that future legislation should make no reference to sex-selective abortion, paving the way for unborn babies to be aborted simply because they are deemed to be the wrong sex,” he said.“The establishment of later-stage abortion provision in Scotland, alongside proposals to weaken existing legal safeguards, raises grave moral and social questions,” he said.Canada doctors’ group voices support for infant euthanasiaThe Quebec College of Physicians recently voiced support for euthanasia of newborn babies in some circumstances.“The CMQ reiterates that medical assistance in dying may be an appropriate treatment for babies suffering from extreme pain that cannot be relieved and who have severe malformations or serious polysymptomatic syndromes that destroy any prospect of survival,” the group said in a statement to the Daily Mail.“The CMQ believes that parents should have the opportunity to obtain this care for their infant under these well-defined circumstances,” the group continued.Kentucky brings lawsuit against abortion nonprofitThe state of Kentucky has filed a civil lawsuit against an “activist organization” over its advertisements for abortion pills. Mayday Health, a pro-abortion nonprofit, recently advertised abortion-inducing drugs via a banner flown by plane over the Kentucky State Fair.Attorney General Russell Coleman in a post on X said: “It appears abortion activists are flying over Louisville advertising illegal drugs. They are breaking the law.”“Since January, our Office has been investigating mail order abortion pills,” Coleman said. “We will not tolerate this illegal danger.”Coleman’s office announced a civil suit against Mayday Health on Sept. 3, arguing that the “out of state activists” were breaking Kentucky law.
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Scottish Catholic bishop: Scotland ‘must stand with both mother and child’ – #Catholic – Scottish Catholic bishop: Scotland ‘must stand with both mother and child’President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland John Keenan is urging the Scottish government to reform the country’s expansive abortion law, calling on the government to reject efforts to expand the abortion regime there.While the government doesn’t plan to change abortion law from 2026-2027, it intends to follow through with recommendations made by a pro-abortion advisory group and to fund late-stage abortion.“Every unborn child is a unique human life deserving of protection, and every mother should be supported in ways that uphold her dignity and the dignity of her child,” Keenan said in a statement. “I therefore make a direct appeal to all elected representatives who recognize the inherent dignity of every human life, to reject any further liberalization of abortion provisions in Scotland and to oppose measures that would remove essential safeguards or further weaken protection for unborn children.”The advisory group “excluded prolife voices and … adopted a principle of ‘non-regression’ on abortion provision,” the bishop said, arguing that the group “lacks both legitimacy and credibility.”“It has made radical recommendations to the Scottish Government which, if implemented, would effectively permit abortion up to birth for any reason and remove the current requirement for two doctors to approve abortions up to 24 weeks.”“It is astonishing that the report also recommends that future legislation should make no reference to sex-selective abortion, paving the way for unborn babies to be aborted simply because they are deemed to be the wrong sex,” he said.“The establishment of later-stage abortion provision in Scotland, alongside proposals to weaken existing legal safeguards, raises grave moral and social questions,” he said.Canada doctors’ group voices support for infant euthanasiaThe Quebec College of Physicians recently voiced support for euthanasia of newborn babies in some circumstances.“The CMQ reiterates that medical assistance in dying may be an appropriate treatment for babies suffering from extreme pain that cannot be relieved and who have severe malformations or serious polysymptomatic syndromes that destroy any prospect of survival,” the group said in a statement to the Daily Mail.“The CMQ believes that parents should have the opportunity to obtain this care for their infant under these well-defined circumstances,” the group continued.Kentucky brings lawsuit against abortion nonprofitThe state of Kentucky has filed a civil lawsuit against an “activist organization” over its advertisements for abortion pills. Mayday Health, a pro-abortion nonprofit, recently advertised abortion-inducing drugs via a banner flown by plane over the Kentucky State Fair.Attorney General Russell Coleman in a post on X said: “It appears abortion activists are flying over Louisville advertising illegal drugs. They are breaking the law.”“Since January, our Office has been investigating mail order abortion pills,” Coleman said. “We will not tolerate this illegal danger.”Coleman’s office announced a civil suit against Mayday Health on Sept. 3, arguing that the “out of state activists” were breaking Kentucky law.

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Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

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