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The Raising of Lazarus at the St. Wolfgang Altarpiece of the Catholic parish- and pilgrimage church St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, Upper Austria. Michael Pacher, 1471–79, set up in 1481. Today is the feast day of St. Lazarus in Western Christianity.
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The site was subsequently retaken by Nationalist forces on November 6, 1936. Troops under the command of General José Enrique Varela attended a Mass of reparation officiated by a military chaplain.
Deputies arrested Deacon Kenneth Goedeke after he reportedly arranged a meeting with what he believed was a 15-year-old boy.
No date has been set, but the Polish government and bishops’ conference are jointly preparing for what would be Leo XIV’s first visit to the country as pope.
On August 12, the New Moon’s shadow will fall over a portion of Earth’s surface. When that happens, the Sun will temporarily disappear from the sky in a total solar eclipse. These breathtaking events are spectacular and ethereal, as the sky falls dark during the day, leaving only the soft glow of our star’s outerContinue reading “How to see the August 12 total solar eclipse”
The post How to see the August 12 total solar eclipse appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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CHICAGO, IL — One local customer was caught off guard by a new policy at his favorite restaurant chain, as the Chipotle cashier told the man that there would be an extra charge for no Salmonella.
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Burritos are really, really expensive these days, apparently. But fear not — there are still ways to get them without having to shell out $20 a pop. You just have to know the right tricks.
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NASA astronaut candidate Adam Fuhrmann prepares for a training flight aboard NASA’s WB-57 aircraft.
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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is pulling a film that presents the harrowing journey of an Afghan teenager to Europe after the man featured in it was accused of the killing of a Scottish aid worker whose body was found inside a suitcase.
The post SICK! Red Cross DELETES Documentary Pushing Afghan Migrant “Success Story” After He is Arrested for STUFFING British Aid Worker in a Suitcase appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A court on Thursday ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund over child harm.
The post JUST IN: Court Orders Meta to Pay $567 Million Over Child Harm appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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President Trump vowed “big crackdowns” on birth tourism on Thursday after he signed two executive orders placing new restrictions on birthright citizenship and banning birth tourism. This comes after the Supreme Court ruled last month to strike down President Trump’s January 2025 executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of temporary tourists and people who are in the country illegally.
The post (VIDEO) Trump Says “Very big Crackdowns” on Birth Tourism “in a Much More Forceful Manner” Incoming After Executive Orders on Birthright Citizenship appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Nahum
2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
See, upon the mountains there advances
the bearer of good news,
announcing peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah,
fulfill your vows!
For nevermore shall you be invaded
by the scoundrel; he is completely destroyed.
The LORD will restore the vine of Jacob,
the pride of Israel,
Though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined the tendrils.Woe to the bloody city, all lies,
full of plunder, whose looting never stops!
The crack of the whip, the rumbling sounds of wheels;
horses a-gallop, chariots bounding,
Cavalry charging, the flame of the sword, the flash of the spear,
the many slain, the heaping corpses,
the endless bodies to stumble upon!
I will cast filth upon you,
disgrace you and put you to shame;
Till everyone who sees you runs from you, saying,
?Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity her?
Where can one find any to console her??
From the Gospel according to Matthew
16:24-28
Jesus said to his disciples,
?Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father?s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.?
If we think that success, power, or material things suffice to satisfy the thirst in our lives, then we are thinking as the world does. That kind of worldliness leads nowhere; indeed, it leaves us thirstier than before. Jesus instead shows us the way: ?If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it? (Mt 16:24-25).
This, dear brothers and sisters, is surely the best way: to embrace the cross of Christ. At the heart of Christianity is an amazing and extraordinary message. If you lose your life, if you make it a generous offering in service, if you risk it by choosing to love, if you make it a free gift for others, then it will return to you in abundance, and you will be overwhelmed by endless joy, peace of heart, and inner strength and support; and we need inner peace.
This is the truth that Jesus wants us to discover, the truth he wants to reveal to all of you (?). You need not be famous, rich or powerful to be happy. No! Only love satisfies our hearts? thirst, only love heals our wounds, only love brings us true joy. This is the way that Jesus taught us; this is the path that he opened up before us. (Pope Francis, Homily, ?Steppe Arena, Ulaanbaatar, 3 September 2023)
Read More![Federal court hears arguments on Oklahoma’s ban for religious charter schools #Catholic A federal court heard oral arguments on Aug. 5 about whether an Oklahoma law banning religious charter schools violates the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion.Oklahoma established a charter school system in 1999, which provides public funds for privately run K–12 schools to which parents can send their children instead of a public school operated by a school district. The law only allows “nonsectarian” applicants, which prevents any participation from schools that have a religious identity.In 2023, the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board (SCSB) approved an application from a proposed Catholic charter school — St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School — which led to a legal challenge from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who opposed religious charter schools.The Oklahoma Supreme Court sided against the school, finding that charter schools are public schools and that public schools must be secular. St. Isidore appealed this to the U.S. Supreme Court, but that resulted in a 4-4 deadlock with no majority opinion because Justice Amy Coney Barrett had a conflict of interest and recused herself.Amid no clear guidance from the federal courts, a Jewish organization — National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation — filed an application to set up a charter school, which was denied. The group, represented by lawyers at the Becket Fund, filed a new lawsuit and asked a federal district court to require the SCSB to consider religious applicants.“Oklahoma makes room in its charter program for schools of all shapes and sizes, from those focused on science and fine arts to language immersion and classical education,” Daniel Chen, a Becket attorney representing the Jewish foundation, said in a statement.“The one it refuses to make room for is a faith-based school,” Chen added. “That is religious discrimination, plain and simple, and the state deserves a failing grade for it.”Chen told EWTN News that Becket is asking the federal court to immediately allow National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation to set up a charter school, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent that requires government programs to allow religious institutions the same access as secular institutions.“They’re private actors,” he said. “And because they’re private actors, they cannot be excluded from participating in a public benefits program.”Chen said the federal district court is not bound by the precedent of the Oklahoma Supreme Court because that is a state court, so it could rule in favor of the school. He also said if the case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, he hopes Barrett can weigh in to break the 4-4 deadlock.“We’re hoping that [for] our case, there wouldn’t have to be any recusals,” he said.School board’s hands are tiedAlthough the charter school board denied the application from the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, one of its lawyers at First Liberty Institute explained to EWTN News that its hands are tied by the statute and the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision.“They’re following that order,” said Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty and the lawyer representing SCSB. “But [they] would be happy if the federal court didn’t [require the school board] to engage in that kind of discrimination.”Sasser said the SCSB does not want to exclude an applicant “simply because it’s religious” and would rather evaluate applicants “just based on the merits.” But he said the order “makes them exclude religious schools just because they’re religious.”“They want to maximize all of the various choices and opportunities for parents,” he added.Sasser said he hopes the question goes to the U.S. Supreme Court again so “we’ll get an answer — a real answer.” He said it would provide more clarity for the school board, which “needs an answer.”John Meiser, director of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic at the University of Notre Dame and the lawyer who represented St. Isidore at the Supreme Court, told EWTN News that the question ultimately comes down to whether charter schools are private or public institutions.In Oklahoma, he said charter schools “are called public schools” and that label “introduces a confusion that I don’t think would be present if they chose any other word.”He said Supreme Court precedent is clear that religious institutions must have equal access to government programs available to private institutions, but if a charter school is a “government school,” that “doesn’t apply” because the government “doesn’t and can’t run religious schools.”In spite of the label, Meiser said charter schools in Oklahoma are “formed and designed and run by private groups” and people who work there “are private employees.” He said the structure “looks just like a government contract” and funding from the government “doesn’t turn all those private contractors into the government itself.”“The dispute is really just about, ‘Well is a charter school in some way different?’” he said.Although Meiser said he is not aware of any ongoing Catholic efforts to recreate a charter school, he said that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s constitutional arguments for equal access “would presumably apply to all religious operators of schools, and so it would open the door to a Catholic charter school or other religiously based charter school.”Attorney general stands firmDrummond, who remains Oklahoma’s attorney general, is standing firm in opposing the creation of religious charter schools and is fighting against National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s efforts."This matter was resolved when the state Supreme Courtʼs ruling to prevent taxpayer funded religious charter schools was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year,” Leslie Berger, press secretary for the attorney general’s office, told EWTN News.Drummond has also criticized the charter school board in public statements surrounding this legal battle in March, accusing the SCSB of “playing politics with the taxpayers' money” and alleged it “manipulated the record [about why National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s application was rejected] to make that lawsuit easier to lose — not win.”"A state agency that deliberately hobbles its own legal position is not doing its job — it is betraying Oklahoma taxpayers,” he said. “I will not allow that.”Drummond has garnered support from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) for opposing the creation of religious charter schools.Attorneys for FFRF are representing seven Oklahomans who oppose their tax money being used to support religious charter schools.“The federal court should rule according to constitutional principles,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. “A religious public charter school has no place in our secular public education system.”It’s unclear when the federal court will issue its ruling, but National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation has asked the judge to issue a preliminary injunction against the state so it can begin operating a school while the litigation plays out.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/federal-court-hears-arguments-on-oklahomas-ban-for-religious-charter-schools-catholic-a-federal-court-heard-oral-arguments-on-aug-5-about-whether-an-oklahoma-law-banning-religious-charter-s.jpg "Federal court hears arguments on Oklahoma’s ban for religious charter schools #Catholic A federal court heard oral arguments on Aug. 5 about whether an Oklahoma law banning religious charter schools violates the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion.Oklahoma established a charter school system in 1999, which provides public funds for privately run K–12 schools to which parents can send their children instead of a public school operated by a school district. The law only allows “nonsectarian” applicants, which prevents any participation from schools that have a religious identity.In 2023, the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board (SCSB) approved an application from a proposed Catholic charter school — St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School — which led to a legal challenge from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who opposed religious charter schools.The Oklahoma Supreme Court sided against the school, finding that charter schools are public schools and that public schools must be secular. St. Isidore appealed this to the U.S. Supreme Court, but that resulted in a 4-4 deadlock with no majority opinion because Justice Amy Coney Barrett had a conflict of interest and recused herself.Amid no clear guidance from the federal courts, a Jewish organization — National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation — filed an application to set up a charter school, which was denied. The group, represented by lawyers at the Becket Fund, filed a new lawsuit and asked a federal district court to require the SCSB to consider religious applicants.“Oklahoma makes room in its charter program for schools of all shapes and sizes, from those focused on science and fine arts to language immersion and classical education,” Daniel Chen, a Becket attorney representing the Jewish foundation, said in a statement.“The one it refuses to make room for is a faith-based school,” Chen added. “That is religious discrimination, plain and simple, and the state deserves a failing grade for it.”Chen told EWTN News that Becket is asking the federal court to immediately allow National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation to set up a charter school, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent that requires government programs to allow religious institutions the same access as secular institutions.“They’re private actors,” he said. “And because they’re private actors, they cannot be excluded from participating in a public benefits program.”Chen said the federal district court is not bound by the precedent of the Oklahoma Supreme Court because that is a state court, so it could rule in favor of the school. He also said if the case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, he hopes Barrett can weigh in to break the 4-4 deadlock.“We’re hoping that [for] our case, there wouldn’t have to be any recusals,” he said.School board’s hands are tiedAlthough the charter school board denied the application from the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation, one of its lawyers at First Liberty Institute explained to EWTN News that its hands are tied by the statute and the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision.“They’re following that order,” said Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty and the lawyer representing SCSB. “But [they] would be happy if the federal court didn’t [require the school board] to engage in that kind of discrimination.”Sasser said the SCSB does not want to exclude an applicant “simply because it’s religious” and would rather evaluate applicants “just based on the merits.” But he said the order “makes them exclude religious schools just because they’re religious.”“They want to maximize all of the various choices and opportunities for parents,” he added.Sasser said he hopes the question goes to the U.S. Supreme Court again so “we’ll get an answer — a real answer.” He said it would provide more clarity for the school board, which “needs an answer.”John Meiser, director of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic at the University of Notre Dame and the lawyer who represented St. Isidore at the Supreme Court, told EWTN News that the question ultimately comes down to whether charter schools are private or public institutions.In Oklahoma, he said charter schools “are called public schools” and that label “introduces a confusion that I don’t think would be present if they chose any other word.”He said Supreme Court precedent is clear that religious institutions must have equal access to government programs available to private institutions, but if a charter school is a “government school,” that “doesn’t apply” because the government “doesn’t and can’t run religious schools.”In spite of the label, Meiser said charter schools in Oklahoma are “formed and designed and run by private groups” and people who work there “are private employees.” He said the structure “looks just like a government contract” and funding from the government “doesn’t turn all those private contractors into the government itself.”“The dispute is really just about, ‘Well is a charter school in some way different?’” he said.Although Meiser said he is not aware of any ongoing Catholic efforts to recreate a charter school, he said that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s constitutional arguments for equal access “would presumably apply to all religious operators of schools, and so it would open the door to a Catholic charter school or other religiously based charter school.”Attorney general stands firmDrummond, who remains Oklahoma’s attorney general, is standing firm in opposing the creation of religious charter schools and is fighting against National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s efforts.\"This matter was resolved when the state Supreme Courtʼs ruling to prevent taxpayer funded religious charter schools was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last year,” Leslie Berger, press secretary for the attorney general’s office, told EWTN News.Drummond has also criticized the charter school board in public statements surrounding this legal battle in March, accusing the SCSB of “playing politics with the taxpayers' money” and alleged it “manipulated the record [about why National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation’s application was rejected] to make that lawsuit easier to lose — not win.”\"A state agency that deliberately hobbles its own legal position is not doing its job — it is betraying Oklahoma taxpayers,” he said. “I will not allow that.”Drummond has garnered support from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) for opposing the creation of religious charter schools.Attorneys for FFRF are representing seven Oklahomans who oppose their tax money being used to support religious charter schools.“The federal court should rule according to constitutional principles,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. “A religious public charter school has no place in our secular public education system.”It’s unclear when the federal court will issue its ruling, but National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation has asked the judge to issue a preliminary injunction against the state so it can begin operating a school while the litigation plays out.")
Oklahoma’s Statewide Charter School Board wants to approve religious charter schools, but a ruling from the Oklahoma Supreme Court and efforts by the state attorney general prevent it from doing so.
![Family learns hospice bed opened as father faced scheduled assisted suicide #Catholic As New Yorkʼs Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect amid legal challenges, one Canadian woman is sharing her familyʼs experience with physician-assisted suicide, saying it convinced her that vulnerable patients need greater access to hospice and palliative care — not assisted death.Speaking with “EWTN News Nightly” in an Aug. 5 interview with anchor Veronica Dudo, Colleen De Vos recounted the final months of her father’s life. He died through Canadaʼs medical assistance in dying (MAID) program in 2023 at age 85 after being diagnosed with terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).“My father wasnʼt very forthcoming with his intentions, unfortunately,” De Vos said. “We did see some very fragile moments during the course of his illness.”As his condition worsened, De Vos said her family worked to arrange hospice or in-home palliative care, believing those services would provide the compassionate support he needed.“We were advocating very strongly for hospice care or at-home palliative program,” she said. “He seemed to agree with that.”But the familyʼs efforts were unsuccessful.“He was turned down on two occasions, deeming that his diagnosis wasnʼt enough to warrant hospice care,” De Vos said. “That was a surprise to us because we could see he was deteriorating very quickly.”Instead, she said, a nurse practitioner overseeing his care at home spoke privately with her father about pursuing MAID as his symptoms worsened.De Vos said the contrast between accessing hospice and obtaining assisted suicide was striking.“The irony of the availability of MAID that could be arranged very quickly … sidelined us very much,” she said.She recalled receiving “literally the cardboard box in the mail” containing the drugs and supplies needed for the procedure.“Obtaining [hospice care] was very difficult,” she said. “And this was very simple.”On the day her father was scheduled to die, De Vos said the family finally learned that a hospice bed had become available.She called it “very heartbreaking” that he declined the hospice bed.“I think he proceeded because of his loss of hope,” she said. “We absolutely were prepared to provide him with round-the-clock care.”Religious freedom challenge in New YorkDe Vos' story comes as Catholic ministries in New York are challenging the stateʼs new assisted suicide law in federal court.Speaking on Aug. 5 with “EWTN News Nightly,” Adele Keim, senior counsel at Becket Fund, said New Yorkʼs law differs significantly from those in states such as Oregon and Washington.“New York has created an opt-out law,” Keim said. “The presumption is youʼre in unless you opt out.”While some providers may decline to prescribe or administer the lethal drugs, Keim argued that Catholic ministries are still required to participate in other aspects of the process.“You canʼt opt out of your obligations to counsel patients about assisted suicide and the ‘benefits’ it would provide,” she said. Nor can Catholic providers refuse to refer patients elsewhere if they object to assisted suicide on religious grounds, she said.Keim said those requirements prompted the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and other Catholic ministries to seek relief in federal court.Hope, dignity, and the court’s decisionShe also spoke with hope in a federal judgeʼs decision to temporarily block New York from enforcing the law against the Catholic plaintiffs while the case proceeds.“The right to assisted suicide is not a fundamental right,” Keim said, noting that both the U.S. Supreme Court and New Yorkʼs highest court have ruled there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide. “But… there is a fundamental right to religious freedom.”According to Keim, the injunction ensures the state cannot enforce the law against the Catholic ministries while their constitutional claims are considered.The Catholic Church teaches that assisted suicide and euthanasia are gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person while encouraging compassionate palliative and hospice care that accompanies patients through natural death.De Vos said she hopes lawmakers instead “think about the sacred gift of life that we are given by God,” adding: “I donʼt believe that itʼs up to the lawmakers… to give someone the autonomy to end their life.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/family-learns-hospice-bed-opened-as-father-faced-scheduled-assisted-suicide-catholic-as-new-yorkcabcs-medical-aid-in-dying-act-takes-effect-amid-legal-challenges-one-canadian-woman-is-sharing-her.png "Family learns hospice bed opened as father faced scheduled assisted suicide #Catholic As New Yorkʼs Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect amid legal challenges, one Canadian woman is sharing her familyʼs experience with physician-assisted suicide, saying it convinced her that vulnerable patients need greater access to hospice and palliative care — not assisted death.Speaking with “EWTN News Nightly” in an Aug. 5 interview with anchor Veronica Dudo, Colleen De Vos recounted the final months of her father’s life. He died through Canadaʼs medical assistance in dying (MAID) program in 2023 at age 85 after being diagnosed with terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).“My father wasnʼt very forthcoming with his intentions, unfortunately,” De Vos said. “We did see some very fragile moments during the course of his illness.”As his condition worsened, De Vos said her family worked to arrange hospice or in-home palliative care, believing those services would provide the compassionate support he needed.“We were advocating very strongly for hospice care or at-home palliative program,” she said. “He seemed to agree with that.”But the familyʼs efforts were unsuccessful.“He was turned down on two occasions, deeming that his diagnosis wasnʼt enough to warrant hospice care,” De Vos said. “That was a surprise to us because we could see he was deteriorating very quickly.”Instead, she said, a nurse practitioner overseeing his care at home spoke privately with her father about pursuing MAID as his symptoms worsened.De Vos said the contrast between accessing hospice and obtaining assisted suicide was striking.“The irony of the availability of MAID that could be arranged very quickly … sidelined us very much,” she said.She recalled receiving “literally the cardboard box in the mail” containing the drugs and supplies needed for the procedure.“Obtaining [hospice care] was very difficult,” she said. “And this was very simple.”On the day her father was scheduled to die, De Vos said the family finally learned that a hospice bed had become available.She called it “very heartbreaking” that he declined the hospice bed.“I think he proceeded because of his loss of hope,” she said. “We absolutely were prepared to provide him with round-the-clock care.”Religious freedom challenge in New YorkDe Vos' story comes as Catholic ministries in New York are challenging the stateʼs new assisted suicide law in federal court.Speaking on Aug. 5 with “EWTN News Nightly,” Adele Keim, senior counsel at Becket Fund, said New Yorkʼs law differs significantly from those in states such as Oregon and Washington.“New York has created an opt-out law,” Keim said. “The presumption is youʼre in unless you opt out.”While some providers may decline to prescribe or administer the lethal drugs, Keim argued that Catholic ministries are still required to participate in other aspects of the process.“You canʼt opt out of your obligations to counsel patients about assisted suicide and the ‘benefits’ it would provide,” she said. Nor can Catholic providers refuse to refer patients elsewhere if they object to assisted suicide on religious grounds, she said.Keim said those requirements prompted the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and other Catholic ministries to seek relief in federal court.Hope, dignity, and the court’s decisionShe also spoke with hope in a federal judgeʼs decision to temporarily block New York from enforcing the law against the Catholic plaintiffs while the case proceeds.“The right to assisted suicide is not a fundamental right,” Keim said, noting that both the U.S. Supreme Court and New Yorkʼs highest court have ruled there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide. “But… there is a fundamental right to religious freedom.”According to Keim, the injunction ensures the state cannot enforce the law against the Catholic ministries while their constitutional claims are considered.The Catholic Church teaches that assisted suicide and euthanasia are gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person while encouraging compassionate palliative and hospice care that accompanies patients through natural death.De Vos said she hopes lawmakers instead “think about the sacred gift of life that we are given by God,” adding: “I donʼt believe that itʼs up to the lawmakers… to give someone the autonomy to end their life.”")
A Canadian woman said her father’s assisted suicide came after failed efforts to secure hospice care, as Catholic ministries challenge New York’s assisted suicide law in court.
A trio of upcoming total solar eclipses pairs thrilling places with the longest period of totality until 2114.
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View of Buiba Valley in Ergaki Range. Metamorphic schists and granites of ancient glaciation in mountain tundra. Western Sayan Mountains, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.
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The Diocese of Chiclayo noted that Pope Leo XIV’s return to Peru will represent a moment of great significance for the people.
![OAS council may seek emergency foreign‑ministers session over Nicaragua crackdown - #Catholic - The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) may summon hemispheric foreign ministers for an emergency session on Nicaragua after President Daniel Ortega’s vow to end elections and deepening concerns over crackdowns against the Catholic Church.At a special meeting on Aug. 5, the formal U.S. representation at the OAS presented the draft resolution, titled “Convocation of a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to Consider the Situation in Nicaragua.” The Permanent Mission of the United States’ resolution was cosponsored by the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay.The Permanent Mission of the United States called for the meeting to take place before Sept. 1, when the Ortega regime is set to codify its latest policy reforms. The move would invoke one of the OAS’ highest‑level diplomatic tools, signaling that member states view Nicaragua’s political rupture as a regional concern with direct human rights implications. Ortega’s announcement, paired with constitutional changes aimed at blocking opposition figures from power, prompted the United States and Paraguay to request the extraordinary meeting.Commissioner Rosa María Payá, rapporteur for Nicaragua at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, expressed concern at the OAS Permanent Council meeting over ongoing human rights abuses against Nicaraguans, including arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances.She noted that about 838,363 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018 and that many face transnational repression. Representatives for several member states said during the meeting that the forced migration of Nicaraguans constitutes a migration crisis and a threat to national security.Payá, a Catholic of Cuban descent, also highlighted persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, citing the disappearance of Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara of Estelí, Nicaragua. Mata was detained by police on two occasions in late June after praying for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua during a Mass he celebrated on Sunday, June 28.
Bishop Abelardo Mata. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference
“We are very concerned about the situation of the persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua and the persecution of the faith in general, and the practice and the exercise of the faith,” Payá told EWTN News. “We have been very vocal about our concerns and alarm about the disappearance of Monsignor Abelardo Mata Guevara.”In October 2023, the Permanent Council unanimously approved the resolution “Rejection of the Repressive Measures of the Government of Nicaragua Against Educational Institutions and the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.” Nicaragua withdrew from the OAS in November 2023.“When we talk about the Nicaraguan regime, we actually see a systematic continued behavior in the direction of violating freedom of religion, from the situation that took place with Monsignor [Rolando] Alvarez years ago — heʼs now forced to live in exile — to the situation of Monsignor Mata and many other priests and members of the Catholic communities that are afraid to practice their faith,” she said.Payá said the Ortega regime’s suspension of elections has prompted a “collapse of democracy,” which she said “creates an environment of fear that impacts people of faith.”
Commissioner Rosa María Payá, rapporteur for Nicaragua at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, on Aug. 5, 2026, converses at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/EWTN News
“Iʼm Catholic myself and I also come from a society that has suffered the violation of human rights,” she said. “So I deeply understand what it is to to be afraid to speak your mind, what it is to be afraid of practicing and voicing your faith, which is a very primary human exercise.”Payá is the daughter of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, a Catholic dissident who founded the Christian Liberation Movement (CLM), a peaceful democratic movement inspired by Catholic social teaching in 1988. He was killed during the Cuban Spring in 2012.“All of my solidarity is with the Nicaraguan people,” Payá said. “And I believe that also all the solidarity of the commission is too, and we will keep following the issue and we will keep engaging in the political dialogue with the member states.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/oas-council-may-seek-emergency-foreign-ministers-session-over-nicaragua-crackdown-catholic-the-permanent-council-of-the-organization-of-american-states-oas-may-summon-hemispheric-foreig.jpg)
The move would invoke one of the highest‑level diplomatic tools by the hemisphere’s principal political body, a 35-nation consortium coordinating regional action on democracy and human rights.
![Young men embrace faith while serving others on retreat together #Catholic - Jean-Baptiste Mollet, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., struck up an engaging conversation on the streets of Paterson, N.J., with Mohamed, a homeless man, one day late last month. The man was drawn to a small cross around Mollet’s neck, part of an exchange that included prayer and a discussion of spirituality.
Mollet’s self-described “prayer encounter” with Mohamed and other homeless people that day was among many activities that occurred from July 27 to 30 during the second annual Service Retreat, held by the diocesan Vocations Office.
Rather than relaxing that summer week, nine seminarians and nine other young men discerning the priesthood united for a retreat that brought them deeper into Jesus’ call to every priest and Catholic. They engaged in worship, prayer, faith sharing, service to local people in need, and fellowship, while encouraging each other’s vocations. Their home base was Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, N.J.
Mollet and the rest of the retreatants, from their teens to their 30s, shared Christ’s presence with homeless people in the neighborhood around the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson during an outreach called Jesus Run. They also distributed sandwiches they made the night before to the homeless people.
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“The homeless seemed joyful even in the midst of poverty. The Lord even works in people who are suffering,” said Mollet, 27, a second-year philosophy student at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange. “Seeing people in need lets us see things differently — a simplicity in life —because we have so much,” he said.
During the week, these men traveled to various locations throughout the diocese to perform a variety of service projects.
At one location, they volunteered at the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, part of diocesan Catholic Charities. Alongside staff and volunteers, the men stocked shelves and sorted food at the pantry, reopening after a major renovation.
Then, the men set up for two lunch periods in the kitchen at Eva’s Village, also in Paterson, which serves about 1,000 meals to community members and residents of its shelters and halfway houses. Unlike the typical buffet style, they brought meals and drinks to the seated clients like a restaurant, showing them greater dignity.
On another day, the retreatants traveled to St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., to paint three religious education classrooms. Later, they cooked and served a barbecue. There, they spoke with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and other seminarians and priests in attendance. Bishop Sweeney joined the retreatants on other activities throughout the week.
Mollet said the Service Retreat fostered an “attitude of prayer.”
“This week, I’m in good company with people who are hearing God calling them to the priesthood. They are on fire for the Lord. We shared our faith journeys, made friends and played together,” Mollet said.
Perhaps the men had the most fun volunteering at a Mary Help of Christians summer day camp for children 4 to 13 years old in North Haledon, N.J. Operated by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, the camp offers an array of activities such as boating, fishing, swimming and playing sports such as soccer.
Andrian Murrugarra, 18, a discerning parishioner of St. Therese in Paterson, said, “The kids lit up when talking about Jesus. It reminded me of Christ’s teaching that we need a childlike faith.”
Murrugarra called the retreat “a blessing of fraternity and friends.”
“The retreat is a week to give back to the community — putting others first and not worrying about ourselves. This has strengthened my call for the priesthood,” Murrugarra said.
At Loyola, the men prayed like priests, uniting for daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharistic adoration. After dinner, they shared their experiences of Christian service that day and socialized. One retreatant was Carlos Vargas, a seminarian, whom Bishop Sweeney ordained as transitional deacon on Aug. 1 — his last step before being ordained a priest next year.
Bishop Sweeney celebrated a closing Mass on July 30.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney told the participating young men, “Thank you for serving those in need in parishes and our communities.” He also urged them to continue discerning.
“When one person opens his heart to the Lord — saying, ‘Here I am; take it all’— what God can do!” Bishop Sweeney said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/young-men-embrace-faith-while-serving-others-on-retreat-together-catholic-jean-baptiste-mollet-a-seminarian-of-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-struck-up-an-engaging-conversation-on-the-streets-of-pate.jpg)
Young men embrace faith while serving others on retreat together #Catholic – 
Jean-Baptiste Mollet, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., struck up an engaging conversation on the streets of Paterson, N.J., with Mohamed, a homeless man, one day late last month. The man was drawn to a small cross around Mollet’s neck, part of an exchange that included prayer and a discussion of spirituality.
Mollet’s self-described “prayer encounter” with Mohamed and other homeless people that day was among many activities that occurred from July 27 to 30 during the second annual Service Retreat, held by the diocesan Vocations Office.
Rather than relaxing that summer week, nine seminarians and nine other young men discerning the priesthood united for a retreat that brought them deeper into Jesus’ call to every priest and Catholic. They engaged in worship, prayer, faith sharing, service to local people in need, and fellowship, while encouraging each other’s vocations. Their home base was Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, N.J.
Mollet and the rest of the retreatants, from their teens to their 30s, shared Christ’s presence with homeless people in the neighborhood around the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson during an outreach called Jesus Run. They also distributed sandwiches they made the night before to the homeless people.
“The homeless seemed joyful even in the midst of poverty. The Lord even works in people who are suffering,” said Mollet, 27, a second-year philosophy student at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange. “Seeing people in need lets us see things differently — a simplicity in life —because we have so much,” he said.
During the week, these men traveled to various locations throughout the diocese to perform a variety of service projects.
At one location, they volunteered at the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, part of diocesan Catholic Charities. Alongside staff and volunteers, the men stocked shelves and sorted food at the pantry, reopening after a major renovation.
Then, the men set up for two lunch periods in the kitchen at Eva’s Village, also in Paterson, which serves about 1,000 meals to community members and residents of its shelters and halfway houses. Unlike the typical buffet style, they brought meals and drinks to the seated clients like a restaurant, showing them greater dignity.
On another day, the retreatants traveled to St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., to paint three religious education classrooms. Later, they cooked and served a barbecue. There, they spoke with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and other seminarians and priests in attendance. Bishop Sweeney joined the retreatants on other activities throughout the week.
Mollet said the Service Retreat fostered an “attitude of prayer.”
“This week, I’m in good company with people who are hearing God calling them to the priesthood. They are on fire for the Lord. We shared our faith journeys, made friends and played together,” Mollet said.
Perhaps the men had the most fun volunteering at a Mary Help of Christians summer day camp for children 4 to 13 years old in North Haledon, N.J. Operated by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, the camp offers an array of activities such as boating, fishing, swimming and playing sports such as soccer.
Andrian Murrugarra, 18, a discerning parishioner of St. Therese in Paterson, said, “The kids lit up when talking about Jesus. It reminded me of Christ’s teaching that we need a childlike faith.”
Murrugarra called the retreat “a blessing of fraternity and friends.”
“The retreat is a week to give back to the community — putting others first and not worrying about ourselves. This has strengthened my call for the priesthood,” Murrugarra said.
At Loyola, the men prayed like priests, uniting for daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharistic adoration. After dinner, they shared their experiences of Christian service that day and socialized. One retreatant was Carlos Vargas, a seminarian, whom Bishop Sweeney ordained as transitional deacon on Aug. 1 — his last step before being ordained a priest next year.
Bishop Sweeney celebrated a closing Mass on July 30.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney told the participating young men, “Thank you for serving those in need in parishes and our communities.” He also urged them to continue discerning.
“When one person opens his heart to the Lord — saying, ‘Here I am; take it all’— what God can do!” Bishop Sweeney said.
– Jean-Baptiste Mollet, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., struck up an engaging conversation on the streets of Paterson, N.J., with Mohamed, a homeless man, one day late last month. The man was drawn to a small cross around Mollet’s neck, part of an exchange that included prayer and a discussion of spirituality. Mollet’s self-described “prayer encounter” with Mohamed and other homeless people that day was among many activities that occurred from July 27 to 30 during the second annual Service Retreat, held by the diocesan Vocations Office. Rather than relaxing that summer week, nine seminarians and nine other young
![Nazareth Village priests honored during St. John Vianney Mass #Catholic - Priests living in Nazareth Village, the Paterson Diocesan priest retirement residence in Chester, N.J., on Aug. 4 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated a Mass for the Feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests, in Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel.
Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brian Quinn, Nazareth Village director and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph; Father Nico Quintos, diocesan minister to senior priests and pastor of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J.; the following priest residents: Father Brendan Murray, Father Lancelot Reis, Father Joseph Anginoli, Father John Andrew Connell, and Father Stanley Barron; and Father Stephen Sniscak, a retired priest who will move in soon.
Nazareth Village recently welcomed three new residents: Father Anginoli, Father Barron, and Father Zig Peplowski, who was unable to attend the Mass.
“Bishop Sweeney celebrates an annual St. John Vianney Mass with the Nazareth Village residents to thank the retired priests for their years of service and for continuing to edify us with their ministry and presence,” Father Quintos said.
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Following the Mass, Bishop Sweeney and participating priests enjoyed a brunch prepared by the staff at Nazareth Village.
Saint John Vianney (St. Jean Vianney), also known as the Curé d’Ars, is considered the patron saint of parish priests. This French saint is known for his deep devotion to the Church and his dedication to the sacrament of confession. His life inspires all priests, as he exemplified a genuinely holy priest through his humility, selflessness, and unwavering faith, according to Franciscan Media.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/nazareth-village-priests-honored-during-st-john-vianney-mass-catholic-priests-living-in-nazareth-village-the-paterson-diocesan-priest-retirement-residence-in-chester-n-j-on-aug-4-welcomed-bis.jpg)
Nazareth Village priests honored during St. John Vianney Mass #Catholic – 
Priests living in Nazareth Village, the Paterson Diocesan priest retirement residence in Chester, N.J., on Aug. 4 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated a Mass for the Feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests, in Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel.
Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brian Quinn, Nazareth Village director and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph; Father Nico Quintos, diocesan minister to senior priests and pastor of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J.; the following priest residents: Father Brendan Murray, Father Lancelot Reis, Father Joseph Anginoli, Father John Andrew Connell, and Father Stanley Barron; and Father Stephen Sniscak, a retired priest who will move in soon.
Nazareth Village recently welcomed three new residents: Father Anginoli, Father Barron, and Father Zig Peplowski, who was unable to attend the Mass.
“Bishop Sweeney celebrates an annual St. John Vianney Mass with the Nazareth Village residents to thank the retired priests for their years of service and for continuing to edify us with their ministry and presence,” Father Quintos said.
Following the Mass, Bishop Sweeney and participating priests enjoyed a brunch prepared by the staff at Nazareth Village.
Saint John Vianney (St. Jean Vianney), also known as the Curé d’Ars, is considered the patron saint of parish priests. This French saint is known for his deep devotion to the Church and his dedication to the sacrament of confession. His life inspires all priests, as he exemplified a genuinely holy priest through his humility, selflessness, and unwavering faith, according to Franciscan Media.
– Priests living in Nazareth Village, the Paterson Diocesan priest retirement residence in Chester, N.J., on Aug. 4 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated a Mass for the Feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests, in Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel. Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brian Quinn, Nazareth Village director and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph; Father Nico Quintos, diocesan minister to senior priests and pastor of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J.; the following priest residents: Father Brendan Murray, Father Lancelot Reis, Father Joseph Anginoli, Father John Andrew Connell, and
NASA launched its Mars rover Curiosity inside the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) on Nov. 26, 2011. Complete with 10 science instruments and 17 cameras, the robot can analyze mineral types, search for signs of microbial life, and take color panoramas of the Red Planet’s surface. Curiosity’s landing on Mars was a new process, nicknamed theContinue reading “Aug. 6, 2012: Curiosity lands on Mars”
The post Aug. 6, 2012: Curiosity lands on Mars appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Engineers connect the Orion crew and service modules for the Artemis III mission inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Daniel
7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw:
One like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
A reading from the Second Letter of St. Peter
1:16-19
Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
?This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.?
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
?Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.?
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
?This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.?
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
?Rise, and do not be afraid.?
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
?Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.?
Just as on the day of his baptism in the Jordan, so too today on the mountain we hear the voice of the Father proclaiming, ?This is my beloved Son,? while the Holy Spirit envelops Jesus in a ?bright cloud? (Mt 17:5). The Gospel uses this unique expression to describe how God reveals himself. When he manifests himself, the Lord makes his abundance visible to our gaze: standing before Jesus, whose face shines ?like the sun? and whose clothes become ?as white as light? (cf. v. 2), the disciples behold the human splendor of God. Peter, James and John contemplate a humble glory, which is not displayed as a spectacle for the crowds to see, but in solemn intimacy. (?)
The Father?s reply to the despair of atheism is the gift of his Son, the Savior; the Holy Spirit redeems us from the loneliness of agnosticism by offering us an everlasting communion of life and grace; and in response to our weak faith, the promise of the future resurrection is announced. This is what the disciples saw in Christ?s splendor, but it took time for them to understand (cf. Mt 17:9), time in silence to listen to the word, time for conversion in order to enjoy the Lord?s company. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 1st March 2026)
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Bishop Daniel E. Garcia said the Voting Rights Act was born from the sacrifice of those who fought to secure equal access to the ballot, especially for communities of color long denied that right.
Faithful around US craft World Mission Rosaries for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification #Catholic – 
JEFFERSONTOWN, Ky. (OSV News) — A parish-based rosary-making ministry in Kentucky is on a mission to create 1,000 World Mission Rosaries for the beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.
The apostolate, called the Brothers and Sisters of St. Edward, is among many U.S. groups whose rosaries will be donated to people attending the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Sheen in St. Louis.
The Pontifical Mission Societies issued a call for rosaries on May 1, asking individuals and groups to donate 1,000 or more rosaries to the cause as a collective effort. The society’s goal is to have more than 70,000 rosaries by Sept. 15 so they can be distributed to all those present on the day of the beatification.
“The challenge is real. More than 75,000 rosaries are needed. There is no supply at that scale, and even limited inventory quickly becomes cost prohibitive,” according to the society’s website. “Whether you make 100 or 1,000, every rosary becomes part of something larger. Each one will be blessed before the Beatification. Each one will continue to be prayed long after that day is over.”
The World Mission Rosary was designed by Archbishop Sheen, who served as national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The renowned communicator announced during his “Catholic Hour” radio broadcast on Feb. 11, 1951, “Peace will come only when the hearts of the world have changed. To do this, we must pray, and not for ourselves, but for the world!” according to materials provided in the World Mission Rosary kits.
The idea to put a call out for tens of thousands of rosaries began with Sister Jude Andrew Link, a member of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist who lives in Peoria, Illinois — the city where Archbishop Sheen was ordained a priest and where a chapel in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception houses his tomb. Sister Jude Andrew proposed the idea to Msgr. Roger Landry, Pontifical Mission Societies’ national director since January 2025, who brought the idea to fruition.
In response, rosary-making groups across the United States — from members of Divine Mercy Parish in Kenner, Louisiana, to the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen in Hankinson, North Dakota — have invited local Catholics to make rosaries for the beatification. In Royal Oak, Michigan, the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica will offer its second two-hour rosary-making workshop Aug. 13 to help the Pontifical Mission Societies meet its goal. In Lufkin, Texas, the the Cloistered Dominican Nuns Monastery of the Infant Jesus completed 1,000 rosaries.
In the Louisville suburb of Jeffersontown, 14 St. Edward rosary makers gathered for a crafting session the morning of July 6 at St. Edward Church to work toward their 1,000-rosary goal.
As they gathered, Debbie Grisanti, a member of St. Edward Church, explained the significance of the World Mission Rosary. Archbishop Sheen asked his radio listeners to “make a tour of the world on your World Mission Rosary.”
“Each of the decades is a different color,” she said, noting that each color represents a different continent. The first decade is green, which represents the grasslands of Africa. Blue represents the oceans of the Pacific Islands. The third decade is white and represents Europe and the seat of the Holy Father. Red recalls the fire of faith that brought missionaries to the Americas. Finally, yellow represents Asia’s morning light of the East.
Dotty Pate brought the idea to a group of fellow parishioners who were already crafting rosaries through Our Lady of the Rosary Makers, a nonprofit organization in Louisville.
During the July session, Rita McCubbin sat beside Pate, who taught her — and other first-timers — the proper way to make corded rosaries. McCubbin plans to attend the beatification this fall.
A similar gathering of rosary makers is taking place 750 miles northwest of Jeffersontown in Watertown, Minnesota, where volunteers meet every Thursday in the basement of the local parish church, Immaculate Conception, to progress in their goal of producing 10,000 World Mission rosaries by September.
They are organized under Spike Ministries, an industrious and committed nonprofit organization that hopes to share its enthusiasm for the rosary with an ambitious goal of involving as many people and parish groups as possible in making and distributing rosaries to missions around the globe.
Since the group began making five rosaries a week in a member’s basement about 12 years ago, the Watertown group has reached an ongoing tally of over 225,000 rosaries, according to organizer and Spike Ministries founder Mike Miller.
Across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the St. Mary of the Lake Rosary Makers group has also been meeting regularly to create rosaries and share in the social and spiritual camaraderie of friends united in a cause. Their cause now is creating 2,000 World Mission rosaries by September.
In Clyde, Missouri, the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have committed to contributing 500 rosaries to the cause.
“Having learned of the project only in May, time has been tight,” said Benedictine Sister Lynn Marie D’Souza, according to a story posted July 24 on the community’s website,” but several of us have been steadily working on the effort ever since.”
Mary-Catherine Kinslow is a staff reporter for The Record, news outlet of the Archdiocese of Louisville. This story also drew from a report by Tim Montgomery for The Catholic Spirit, news outlet for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. OSV News contributed to this story. Reporting included in this article was separately published by The Record and The Catholic Spirit and distributed in partnership with OSV News.
– JEFFERSONTOWN, Ky. (OSV News) — A parish-based rosary-making ministry in Kentucky is on a mission to create 1,000 World Mission Rosaries for the beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. The apostolate, called the Brothers and Sisters of St. Edward, is among many U.S. groups whose rosaries will be donated to people attending the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Sheen in St. Louis. The Pontifical Mission Societies issued a call for rosaries on May 1, asking individuals and groups to donate 1,000 or more rosaries to the cause as a collective effort. The society’s goal is to have more than 70,000
Florida AG’s threat to Catholic schools ‘clear violation’ of the First Amendment, law scholar says #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to the Catholic bishops of Florida demanding that Catholic schools in the Sunshine State adopt religious exemptions to vaccine requirements or risk their ability to participate in the state’s school voucher program.
But Rick Garnett, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, told OSV News that the letter “reflects a misunderstanding of Americans’ fundamental right to religious freedom and is a glaring and dangerous government overreach.”
In the letter, dated July 31, Uthmeier argued that Florida law “requires public and private schools to exempt students from the vaccination requirements” if “a parent has a religious objection,” demanding that Catholic schools “comply with Florida law and grant religious exemptions to school vaccine policies.”
Identifying himself as a Catholic, Uthmeier argued that while Florida law permits a religious school “to claim an exemption from the requirement to grant religious exemptions if granting such an exemption would violate the religious tenets of the school,” Catholic schools have no “legitimate religious reason to refuse.”
“Failure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for state educational scholarship programs,” he wrote. “If the Conference nevertheless refuses to comply with Florida law, then please state clearly the religious grounds on which Catholic schools may force persons to take vaccines derived from abortions against their deeply held moral and religious objections.”
But Garnett said, “the attorney general presumes, ‘as a Catholic,’ to second-guess the orthodoxy of the Catholic bishops’ determination regarding policies for Catholic schools and the morality of certain childhood vaccines.”
“However, it is not remotely the role of a government official, even a Catholic one, to tell the bishops what to teach or how to run the Church’s apostolates,” Garnett said. “It is certainly not up to him to decide whether the Catholic bishops’ reasons are ‘legitimate.’”
Garnett said Uthmeier “should withdraw the letter and apologize publicly for creating confusion on such important matters.”
“For a government official to threaten official punishments — and to jeopardize the ability of parents in Florida to choose Catholic schools for their children — on the basis of his own — in this case, mistaken — interpretation of Catholic teaching is a clear violation of the First Amendment and other legal religious-freedom protections,” Garnett said.
“If a parent objects to these vaccines, which the Church teaches are morally permissible and which clearly serve the common good of the community, they may move their children to state-run schools,” Garnett continued. “No one has a ‘right,’ however, to require a Catholic school to conform with his or her own private judgments.”
Uthmeier’s letter to the bishops was addressed to Michael Sheedy, executive director of The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. A spokesperson for FCCB told OSV News that the conference was reviewing Uthmeier’s letter and planned to respond by Aug. 7, the date he requested.
Uthmeier referenced a diocesan document on National Catholic Bioethics Center letterhead stating that Catholic schools cannot grant a religious exception since the Church does not view these vaccines as intrinsically evil.
However, that 2011 document also suggested that parents who objected to a vaccine requirement could consider seeking to “obtain a conscience exemption rather than a religious one.”
That document states that “school superintendents and other officials must also act in accord with their consciences.”
“If they rely on the judgment of local public health authorities that non-immunized children pose a threat in the schools to other children or to teachers and parents, then the school officials must follow their consciences and insist that the children be immunized. And parents would have to respect their consciences!” it said.
NCBC states on its own website the Church’s position that Catholics may undergo vaccination despite a remote connection to those cell lines originating in fetal tissue obtained decades ago via abortion, where no alternatives exist. However, they argue Catholics should do so “under protest,” and encourage the development of ethical cell lines.
OSV News asked a spokesperson for the National Catholic Bioethics Center for comment, but had not yet received comment as of publication.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, shortly before vaccines first became available to the general American public, the Holy See’s Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith, Catholic bishops and theologians including NCBC all released statements that the COVID-19 vaccines were morally permissible for Catholics to receive.
Those statements varied only slightly, as the U.S. bishops encouraged Catholics, where they had such a choice, to seek some brands of vaccines over others due to the varying degrees of remote connection to such cell lines.
Neither the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines used those cell lines for producing their mRNA vaccines; however, they did involve testing using the HEK-293 cell line, which is believed to have been derived from aborted fetal cells in the 1970s. However, that line has been commonly used in testing a vast array of modern drugs, such as Advil and Tums. Novavax did not use fetal cell lines in either the production or testing of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
– (OSV News) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to the Catholic bishops of Florida demanding that Catholic schools in the Sunshine State adopt religious exemptions to vaccine requirements or risk their ability to participate in the state’s school voucher program. But Rick Garnett, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, told OSV News that the letter “reflects a misunderstanding of Americans’ fundamental right to religious freedom and is a glaring and dangerous government overreach.” In the letter, dated July 31, Uthmeier argued that Florida law “requires public and private schools to exempt
The pope’s message was delivered by the apostolic nuncio in Rwanda during the opening ceremony of the first-ever SIGNIS World Congress to be held in Africa, taking place in Rwanda this week.
| Picture of the day |
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Haigerloch, Germany: view of Haigerloch Castle and the castle church with the surrounding valley.
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“While it is true that, thank God, there were no serious injuries, let alone any loss of life, the lack of security on the highways of our country is deeply concerning,” Bishop Luis Lerma lamented.
A wealthy Catholic investor near Munich is paying 500 euros for every baptism, and the Diocese of Augsburg is not entirely comfortable with it.
More than 4 in 10 respondents agreed with the statement “I am inclined to think that I am a failure,” according to the Institute for Family Studies.
Neil Alden Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930, in Ohio. A naval pilot from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong flew 78 missions in Korea. After leaving active duty, he enrolled at Purdue University and earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955, and then joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). During hisContinue reading “Aug 5, 1930: The birth of Neil Armstrong”
The post Aug 5, 1930: The birth of Neil Armstrong appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Technicians inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center complete installation of a commemorative plaque on the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, as photographed on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Read MoreO almighty and most merciful God, I give You thanks with all the powers of my soul for this and all other mercies, graces, and blessings bestowed on me, and prostrating myself at Your sacred feet, I offer myself to be henceforth forever Yours. Let nothing in life or death ever separate me from You! I renounce with my whole soul all my treasons against You, and all the abominations and sins of my past life. I renew my promises made in Baptism, and from this moment I dedicate myself eternally to …
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Jeremiah
31:1-7
At that time, says the LORD,
I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,
and they shall be my people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people that escaped the sword
have found favor in the desert.
As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,
the LORD appears to him from afar:
With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.
Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will call out on Mount Ephraim:
“Rise up, let us go to Zion,
to the LORD, our God.”
For thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
15:21-28
At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Now let us look at the woman’s faith, which the Lord praises, saying that it is “great” (v. 28). According to the disciples, the only thing that seemed “great” was her insistence; but Jesus sees her faith. If we think about it, that foreign woman had probably little or no awareness of the laws and religious precepts of Israel. What does her faith consist of then? She does not have a wealth of concepts but of deeds — the Canaanite woman draws near, prostrates herself, insists, takes part in a close dialogue with Jesus, overcomes every obstacle just to speak with him. This is the concreteness of faith, which is not a religious label but is a personal relationship with the Lord. How many times we fall into the temptation to confuse faith with a label! This woman’s faith is not fraught with theological gallantry, but with insistence — she knocks at the door, knocks, knocks. Her faith is not made up of words, but of prayer. And God does not resist when he is prayed to. This is why he said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 20 August 2023)
Read More![Faithful pray rosary for end to abortion in Morristown #Catholic - On Aug. 1, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney led a group of faithful from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond in publicly proclaiming the sanctity of human life at all its stages during his Monthly Mass and Procession for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J.
Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Mass, which was concelebrated by Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret’s and diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs.
After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney led a rosary procession with the faithful down Speedwell Avenue to Planned Parenthood. They prayed in front of the facility for an end to abortion. The marchers then returned to St. Margaret’s to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
Everyone is welcome to join the Mass and Procession for Life with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s.
BEACON PHOTOS | MATTHEW GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Faithful pray rosary for end to abortion in Morristown #Catholic – 
On Aug. 1, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney led a group of faithful from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond in publicly proclaiming the sanctity of human life at all its stages during his Monthly Mass and Procession for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J.
Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Mass, which was concelebrated by Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret’s and diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs.
After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney led a rosary procession with the faithful down Speedwell Avenue to Planned Parenthood. They prayed in front of the facility for an end to abortion. The marchers then returned to St. Margaret’s to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
Everyone is welcome to join the Mass and Procession for Life with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, which takes place on the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s.
– On Aug. 1, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney led a group of faithful from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond in publicly proclaiming the sanctity of human life at all its stages during his Monthly Mass and Procession for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J. Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Mass, which was concelebrated by Father Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret’s and diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney led a rosary procession with the faithful down Speedwell Avenue to Planned Parenthood. They prayed in front of the facility for an end to abortion.
“I write to comfort the afflicted, to ignite the comfortable, and to confront injustice with the full conviction of the Gospel,” San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller wrote.
![Paterson ministry event inspires Spanish faith servants, leaders #Catholic - On Aug. 1, the Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., concluded its First Annual Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Servants Encounter (ECCADS) with a Spanish Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. The event was held in the gym of St. Gerrard Majella School in Paterson, N.J.
Organized by diocesan Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal, ECCADS was designed for ministry servants and leaders, offering a day of formation, prayer, and spiritual renewal. The theme was “Servants Healed by Love, Formed to Serve, and Sent to Lead.”
The program included a series of talks focused on inner healing, the spirituality of Christian service, and developing the qualities needed to become effective leaders within their parish communities. Participants also took part in praise and worship, teaching, and Mass.
Bishop Sweeney served as the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Father Duberney Villamizar, diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs and pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J., concelebrated the Mass.
Among the participants of ECCADS were Teresa Amparo, general coordinator of Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and Marvin Nuñez, a singer-songwriter of faith-based music from the Dominican Republic.
Yessenia Castillo is the executive assistant to Father Duberney Villamizar, diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs and pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/paterson-ministry-event-inspires-spanish-faith-servants-leaders-catholic-on-aug-1-the-spanish-catholic-charismatic-renewal-of-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-concluded-its-first-annual-diocesan-cath.jpg)
Paterson ministry event inspires Spanish faith servants, leaders #Catholic – 
On Aug. 1, the Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., concluded its First Annual Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Servants Encounter (ECCADS) with a Spanish Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. The event was held in the gym of St. Gerrard Majella School in Paterson, N.J.
Organized by diocesan Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal, ECCADS was designed for ministry servants and leaders, offering a day of formation, prayer, and spiritual renewal. The theme was “Servants Healed by Love, Formed to Serve, and Sent to Lead.”
The program included a series of talks focused on inner healing, the spirituality of Christian service, and developing the qualities needed to become effective leaders within their parish communities. Participants also took part in praise and worship, teaching, and Mass.
Bishop Sweeney served as the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Father Duberney Villamizar, diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs and pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J., concelebrated the Mass.
Among the participants of ECCADS were Teresa Amparo, general coordinator of Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and Marvin Nuñez, a singer-songwriter of faith-based music from the Dominican Republic.
Yessenia Castillo is the executive assistant to Father Duberney Villamizar, diocesan vicar for Hispanic Affairs and pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown, N.J.
– On Aug. 1, the Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., concluded its First Annual Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Servants Encounter (ECCADS) with a Spanish Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. The event was held in the gym of St. Gerrard Majella School in Paterson, N.J. Organized by diocesan Spanish Catholic Charismatic Renewal, ECCADS was designed for ministry servants and leaders, offering a day of formation, prayer, and spiritual renewal. The theme was “Servants Healed by Love, Formed to Serve, and Sent to Lead.” The program included a series of talks focused on inner healing, the spirituality of
![Father Wade Menezes teaches men to ‘stand firm, be strong’ in new EWTN daily podcast - #Catholic - A new podcast called “Stand Firm and Be Strong” with Father of Mercy Wade Menezes launched Aug. 3 on EWTN+. The new podcast is aimed at, and intended for, men. Menezes is especially inviting them to learn how to live and strengthen their Catholic faith, one day at a time. Menezes is already familiar to EWTN audiences from his many appearances on various shows across the network. The numerous televised and online series he has produced and hosted include “The Gospel of Life vs. the Culture of Death” and “The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life.”He is also familiar to EWTN audiences as a guest on various episodes of EWTN’s “Mother Angelica Live” and “Life on the Rock,” during which he discussed such topics as the sanctification of marriage and family life, vocations, and the sacred liturgy. He is the current host of EWTN Global Catholic Radio’s “Open Line Tuesday.”Menezes has also served as the chaplain-in-residence at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama.On the print side, he is the author of four books, including: “Stand Firm, Be Strong: A Men’s Catholic Daily Devotional of Scripture and Saints” — the inspiration for the new podcast.Prior to the launch, and while inviting listeners, Menezes spoke about the podcast with the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News.Register: Father Menezes, please tell us how your “Stand Firm, Be Strong” audio podcast came to be.Menezes: This 200-day audio-only podcast grew out of the popularity of my men’s daily devotional book of the same title that was published in 2024. The book is a six-month spiritual manual for men. Each day has a different spiritual or temporal (secular) topic that is followed by three components: a Scripture quote, a saint quote, and a short meditation written by me. Both the book and podcast titles are based on 1 Corinthians 16:13, wherein we read: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.”Will the podcast follow the same daily devotional format?The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” daily audio podcast is related closely to the book’s own format. For example, each of the 200 days’ prerecorded short audio podcasts correspond directly — and in proper order — with each of the book’s own 200 days’ topics. But whereas the book is designed to be a five- to 10-minute exercise each morning for men as they begin their day, each podcast episode is itself under five minutes in length and highlights the most pertinent points of the book’s topic for that same day.
What does it mean to be a man of God? | Credit: EWTN Studios
Why did you decide on a daily podcast?EWTN pitched the idea to me to do a “Stand Firm, Be Strong” daily audio podcast precisely because the book has done so well with male readers. The book has proven to hold men’s attention as a committed daily exercise to strengthen their spiritual and temporal lives. I hope that a podcast will likewise strike at the male heart and spark the male intellect to help men live their vocations more fully and committedly — whether single, married, widowed, or as a consecrated brother, deacon, priest, or bishop.Please share a highlight or two that listeners will hear about in opening episodes.The timely wisdom offered by the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast will help prepare men to put on the armor of God for their daily struggles and help them withstand trials at home and at work. It will also help them to kindle their prayer life, better utilize their talents, and order their priorities in daily life. It will also help guide men in imitating Christ in guarding their senses and responding to temptation — all important factors when navigating life in this third millennium.Please share or give a hint of what will be a few topics or themes you will be dealing with that are certainly relevant.During the course of the first 20 [days] … for example, episodes will cover the following topics [titled]: “The Committed Man of God,” “Strength and Fortitude,” “Having No Duplicity or Guile,” “Shunning Sin and Vice,” “Fraternity and Brotherhood,” “The Demands of Virtue and Aiming Toward Salvation,” “The Virtue of Diligence,” “The Truth,” “The Need for Humility Amid Trials and Successes,” “Accountability,” “Confidence,” and “The Athlete of God.” Other podcast episodes include such topics as the “Importance of Eucharistic Adoration,” “Sanctifying Grace,” “Filial Fear of God vs. Servile Fear of God,” and the “Importance of Fostering Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.”Why are these topics essential for today?Navigating third-millennium society and culture can be challenging. These various topics are essential today because we live in a day and age that tragically downplays authentic masculinity and what that means. Whether it’s the prevalence of television commercials that frequently make the husband or man look like a buffoon to the misguided direction being offered by various movements within the so-called “manosphere,” what it means to “be a man” in the authentic Christian sense is greatly attacked today.But as Dr. Tim Gray of the Augustine Institute reminds us: “The virtues give us a blueprint for being a man. Indeed, the very term ‘virtue’ comes from the Latin word for man, ‘vir.’ For the ancients, to be manly was to be virtuous. The term ‘virtue’ in Latin (‘virtus’) signifies power, strength, and ability. Thus, the virtues are habits that give us the power to act in a manly way, with strength sufficient to do what is right. Without virtues we will neither be godly nor real men. Virtues are the building blocks of character, and without them our moral lives will eventually collapse under the pressures of the world.”Will your podcast appeal to, and be relevant to, men of any age?Just like the book, the podcast is designed to appeal to any male that is 14 years of age and older. In other words, if a guy is a high school freshman or older and is serious about living his faith authentically and well in the midst of the modern world, he will benefit from hearing this podcast. This fact, in turn, will hopefully inspire him to “go deeper” with the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” book as a daily devotional that he commits himself to for a six-month period.Will men learn to live a balanced life through your podcast?Yes, listeners of the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast (as well as those readers of the book) will learn to live a balanced life — both spiritually and temporally. For example, a main theme peppered throughout the podcast and book is “faithfulness to daily duty” and what this means and why it is a main ingredient needed when a man strives for sanctification and advancement in the spiritual life according to his particular vocation and state in life. In short, a man is called to fulfill his duties with diligence and balance — all the while serving God and others.What is the ultimate goal and hope for this podcast?To help men of all vocations and states in life realize that they are called to become saints “right where they are.”Both the podcast and book are designed to help jump-start and strengthen a man’s spiritual life over the course of six months. The podcast’s daily topics and accompanying meditations are power-packed, offering achievable resolutions and prudent advice to help a man attain his spiritual and temporal goals in everyday living.Will it improve their families, too, in any way?Yes. Just as there is crisis in today’s culture regarding authentic masculinity and what that means, the same can be said regarding the sanctification of marriages and family life. The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast can help a married man become a better husband and father. For single men, it can help them to become a better brother, brother-in-law, co-worker, etc. This same goes for married men and those men in the consecrated religious state, of course. Themes in the podcast call upon all men to provide, protect, and lead — again, according to each one’s particular vocation and state in life.Based on the popularity of your book, do you think the podcast will have a similar appeal?I believe the podcast will appeal to listeners because it will help the individual man to grow in knowledge of his faith and gain strength for the spiritual battle. These, in turn, will help the individual male listener to become more fully the man he was created and meant to be in God’s plan for him.Is there anything else you would like to say or add about the podcast?The “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast launched Aug. 3 and is posting a new episode daily over the course of 200 days. It is available from EWTN+, a free, ad-free digital streaming platform by the Eternal Word Television Network that offers on-demand Catholic podcasts, movies, live TV and radio, and original series. Also, for those listeners of the “Stand Firm, Be Strong” podcast and/or readers of the book who are so interested, there are three additional “Stand Firm, Be Strong” merchandise items available from EWTN Religious Catalogue (EWTNRC.com). These include a “Stand Firm, Be Strong” T-shirt, travel mug, and 12-in-1 pocket knife. Along with the podcast and book, these items make great gifts for men who are striving to increase their faith and grow in holiness.I would encourage all women — such women could include, of course, a wife, mother, sister, sister-in-law, friend, or girlfriend — who may stumble across the podcast, book, or three items of merchandise to think about sharing these with the men in their lives so as to encourage them to “stand firm [and] be strong.”This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/father-wade-menezes-teaches-men-to-stand-firm-be-strong-in-new-ewtn-daily-podcast-catholic-a-new-podcast-called-stand-firm-and-be-strong-with-father-of-mercy.webp)
The new podcast “Stand Firm and Be Strong” with Father of Mercy Wade Menezes has launched on EWTN+.
![U.S. bishops ask for ‘intense prayers’ for Hamas-Israel peace amid Gaza’s ‘disastrous’ conditions – #Catholic – In response to President Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a deal between the U.S.-led Board of Peace, Israel, and Hamas, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for “intense prayers” for the deal’s success as Gaza faces a worsening humanitarian crisis.In an Aug. 3 statement, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, said he is “heartened by news of an agreement which aims at the disarmament of Hamas and Israel’s military withdrawal from the [Gaza] Strip,” calling for “intense prayers for the success of these negotiations.”“As I previously articulated, as ‘people of faith who deeply care for all our brothers and sisters who live in the land of Christ’s life, death, and glorious resurrection, we cannot lose this opportunity for peace,’” Zaidan continued, calling on the U.S., Israel, and the international community “to facilitate greater amounts of humanitarian and development assistance to the Strip.”U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 30 that his Board of Peace had reached a deal for Hamas to fully disarm after nearly three years of war. “The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump indicated. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”Though a Hamas official confirmed the disarmament pact the next day, according to the Associated Press, significant hurdles remain, leaving the deal’s implementation uncertain despite U.S. optimism. Israel has not publicly endorsed the agreement and has continued airstrikes, killing at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza Sunday night.‘People are living with nothing’“Alleviating the suffering of the Gazan people is not only a vital moral imperative but is also necessary for the consolidation of peace in the Holy Land and the entire region,” Zaidan declared. “This should include restoring educational opportunities for children and youths, jobs, and clean water.”In an interview last week with Vatican Media, Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza, begged for humanitarian aid for the region, emphasizing that “when people say the situation here is disastrous, believe me: It really is disastrous — if anything, it calls for an even stronger word.”“People are living with nothing,” Romanelli said. “Reconstruction is certainly essential, but so too are all the basic necessities of everyday life.”Former U.S. ambassador and EWTN contributor on Middle East issues Alberto Fernandez told EWTN News that while the deal is “extraordinarily shaky from both sides,” he is hopeful because “the situation of the civilian public in Gaza is so dire,” Fernandez said. “Gaza is destroyed, people are traumatized, there’s no economy.”‘Deeply conflicting agendas’ “The agreement on paper is a positive, concrete step in the right direction,” Fernández said, pointing out that the issue of which side will act first “is a small part of a bigger problem. There is no trust between the two sides, and deeply conflicting agendas.”In Zaidan’s statement, the bishop wrote that the “agreement’s successful implementation, as its principles statement says, has the potential of finally providing the Palestinian people with a ‘credible political path that achieves self-determination and Statehood.’ This would be a major milestone.”Hamas said Friday that it would give up its heavy weapons, including rockets, contingent on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state, the latter condition one Netanyahu’s government strongly rejects.“The two-state solution among the Israeli public is moribund,” the ambassador continued. “We’re not there at all in a situation where they will compromise. They’ve become more intransigent. That’s a reality.”“It’s not time for celebration, but time to recognize there is small progress being made, and huge obstacles remain,” Fernandez said.‘Serious security concerns’Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told the AP on Aug. 2 that Israel has “serious security concerns” surrounding the deal. Spielman said Israel believes Hamas is still committed to building up its military, not demilitarizing, and said Israel would not withdraw from the Gaza Strip, where it controls more than half the territory, before Hamas disarms.“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” he said.“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” Spielman told the AP.Zaidan concluded his statement acknowledging the “extreme challenges inherent in this ongoing peace process” but called on all to “entrust the hearts and minds of the negotiators to the maternal care of Our Lady of Wisdom, that she may illumine and enliven their efforts to finally achieve peace in those sacred lands.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/u-s-bishops-ask-for-intense-prayers-for-hamas-israel-peace-amid-gazas-disastrous-conditions-catholic-in-response-to-president-donald-trumps.jpg "U.S. bishops ask for ‘intense prayers’ for Hamas-Israel peace amid Gaza’s ‘disastrous’ conditions – #Catholic – In response to President Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a deal between the U.S.-led Board of Peace, Israel, and Hamas, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for “intense prayers” for the deal’s success as Gaza faces a worsening humanitarian crisis.In an Aug. 3 statement, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, said he is “heartened by news of an agreement which aims at the disarmament of Hamas and Israel’s military withdrawal from the [Gaza] Strip,” calling for “intense prayers for the success of these negotiations.”“As I previously articulated, as ‘people of faith who deeply care for all our brothers and sisters who live in the land of Christ’s life, death, and glorious resurrection, we cannot lose this opportunity for peace,’” Zaidan continued, calling on the U.S., Israel, and the international community “to facilitate greater amounts of humanitarian and development assistance to the Strip.”U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 30 that his Board of Peace had reached a deal for Hamas to fully disarm after nearly three years of war. “The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump indicated. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”Though a Hamas official confirmed the disarmament pact the next day, according to the Associated Press, significant hurdles remain, leaving the deal’s implementation uncertain despite U.S. optimism. Israel has not publicly endorsed the agreement and has continued airstrikes, killing at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza Sunday night.‘People are living with nothing’“Alleviating the suffering of the Gazan people is not only a vital moral imperative but is also necessary for the consolidation of peace in the Holy Land and the entire region,” Zaidan declared. “This should include restoring educational opportunities for children and youths, jobs, and clean water.”In an interview last week with Vatican Media, Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza, begged for humanitarian aid for the region, emphasizing that “when people say the situation here is disastrous, believe me: It really is disastrous — if anything, it calls for an even stronger word.”“People are living with nothing,” Romanelli said. “Reconstruction is certainly essential, but so too are all the basic necessities of everyday life.”Former U.S. ambassador and EWTN contributor on Middle East issues Alberto Fernandez told EWTN News that while the deal is “extraordinarily shaky from both sides,” he is hopeful because “the situation of the civilian public in Gaza is so dire,” Fernandez said. “Gaza is destroyed, people are traumatized, there’s no economy.”‘Deeply conflicting agendas’ “The agreement on paper is a positive, concrete step in the right direction,” Fernández said, pointing out that the issue of which side will act first “is a small part of a bigger problem. There is no trust between the two sides, and deeply conflicting agendas.”In Zaidan’s statement, the bishop wrote that the “agreement’s successful implementation, as its principles statement says, has the potential of finally providing the Palestinian people with a ‘credible political path that achieves self-determination and Statehood.’ This would be a major milestone.”Hamas said Friday that it would give up its heavy weapons, including rockets, contingent on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state, the latter condition one Netanyahu’s government strongly rejects.“The two-state solution among the Israeli public is moribund,” the ambassador continued. “We’re not there at all in a situation where they will compromise. They’ve become more intransigent. That’s a reality.”“It’s not time for celebration, but time to recognize there is small progress being made, and huge obstacles remain,” Fernandez said.‘Serious security concerns’Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told the AP on Aug. 2 that Israel has “serious security concerns” surrounding the deal. Spielman said Israel believes Hamas is still committed to building up its military, not demilitarizing, and said Israel would not withdraw from the Gaza Strip, where it controls more than half the territory, before Hamas disarms.“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” he said.“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” Spielman told the AP.Zaidan concluded his statement acknowledging the “extreme challenges inherent in this ongoing peace process” but called on all to “entrust the hearts and minds of the negotiators to the maternal care of Our Lady of Wisdom, that she may illumine and enliven their efforts to finally achieve peace in those sacred lands.”")
Israel has not publicly endorsed the agreement and has continued airstrikes, killing at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza Sunday night.
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Magnus Cort in the French Alps on Tour de France 2024. Tour de France will finish today on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
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Abelardo de la Espriella reaffirmed his conviction that “to build a great nation, one must place God at the center of every decision.”
Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. August 3: A solar system trio Rising around sunset and standing highest around midnight, asteroid 324 Bamberga is visible in a small scope this evening, moving against the background stars of Capricornus. Look for it in the south around local midnight, aboutContinue reading “The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 4: Asteroid Bamberga on the move”
The post The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 4: Asteroid Bamberga on the move appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Relatively low tidal waters expose sandflats and mudflats in the Bijagós Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau in this image acquired on November 28, 2025, with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8. These coastal landforms support an array of invertebrates, making the archipelago a popular stopover for migratory shorebirds.
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A Catholic Charities affiliate sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials after the governor signed into law a ban on “conversion therapy.”
![Pope Leo XIV’s face featured on new set of Vatican coins - #Catholic - Pope Leo XIV’s image features for the first time in a new set of commemorative euro coins for Vatican City.As announced by the Vatican City State Governorate on July 30, these coins are part of a new Vatican euro collector coin set honoring the new pontificate. This also marks the first time since 2014 that the papal image has appeared on the coins, following Pope Francis’ personal request that his face not be used.Except for the 5-euro coin, the Vatican coins can be used to buy things in the 21 European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency.A unique design in the history of Vatican coin-makingAlthough these new coins with Leo are not the first to feature the pope’s face, they are part of an entirely unique design.Leo’s coat of arms appears on the 1-cent, 2-cent, and 5-cent euro coins, while his face appears on the larger denominations.The pope’s image has appeared on minted coins since the Middle Ages, when pontiffs held temporal power over the Papal States. Shortly after the establishment of Vatican City in 1929, the sovereign state issued lira coins (the Italian currency before the euro) bearing the papal image. The Vatican stopped making lira coins after it adopted the euro in 2001.
A Vatican collector coin set to honor the new pontificate of Leo XIV. | Credit: Governatorato SCV
According to the European Central Bank, the first Vatican coins for the euro were issued in 2002 with the face of St. John Paul II. From 2006–2013, another set of coins was issued with the face of Pope Benedict XVI. The coins featuring Francis in 2014 were the last until Leo to feature the pope’s face.Francis’ refusal to be depicted on Vatican coinsFor the 2017 issue of Vatican coins, Francis personally requested that his face not be used. Instead, they featured his coat of arms.In a 2017 interview for Radio Vaticana, Mauro Olivieri, the then-director of the Philatelic and Numismatic Office for Vatican City State, explained the difficulties in accommodating his request.“[Francis] asked that he no longer appear on coins, medals in general — and especially on those issued by his state — and we did everything we could to accommodate him,” Olivieri said. “We succeeded, despite some difficulties with the EU authorities, which were later resolved, and so the 2017 coinage features the popeʼs coat of arms.”The newest Vatican coins can be purchased for 59 euros through the Vatican’s Philatelic and Numismatic Office, responsible for its coins and stamps.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pope-leo-xivs-face-featured-on-new-set-of-vatican-coins-catholic-pope-leo-xivs-image-features-for-the-first-time-in-a-new-set-of-commemorative-euro-coins-for-vatican-city-as-ann.jpg)
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