In Metz, Pope Leo steps into Europe’s deepening divide over immigration – #Catholic – METZ, France — The hot-button issue of immigration has invited itself into Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey to France, otherwise marked by the defense of human life and the remarkable signs of Catholic revival currently emerging across the country. It could provide one of the most revealing indications yet of how the American pope intends to address a deeply divided Europe.As Leo prepares to reach Metz, at the crossroads of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, what message can he offer a continent increasingly torn between the Christian imperative to welcome the stranger and growing concerns over the social, cultural, and security consequences of mass immigration?The balance is particularly difficult to strike, not least for a pope whose experience has been largely shaped by Latin America, where migration raises different demographic and civilizational challenges than in Europe. So far, he has combined strong continuity with Pope Francis’ defense of migrants and a more explicit recognition of the rights of nations, the demands of integration, and the concerns of receiving societies.It is against this backdrop that Leo is traveling to Metz on Sept. 28 for an interreligious meeting, followed by an address on the “Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Centre. He already sent a strong international signal by visiting Maison Bakhita, a Paris center for migrants, on Sept. 26, just one day before the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.At Europe’s crossroadsMore than a decade after the 2015 migration crisis, immigration has become one of the defining fault lines of European politics — and increasingly of European Catholicism itself.That year alone, more than 1.2 million people applied for asylum in the European Union, and migration pressures have remained a major continental issue ever since, with political repercussions still unfolding. In the weeks preceding Leo’s arrival in Metz, the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored two historic victories in regional elections, while in France, Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National is already well ahead of its rivals in polls for the 2027 presidential election.The term “remigration” itself, once largely confined to fringe circles, has entered the European political vocabulary, as illustrated by the large-scale “Save Europe Act” campaign, which advocates an end to mass immigration and a policy of remigration. It has already gathered some 750,000 signatures and sparked a confrontation with the European Commission over its attempted registration as a European Citizens’ Initiative.These mounting tensions are increasingly reflected within the Church itself. While identitarian Catholic voices and platforms have gained visibility on social media, much of the Catholic hierarchy has continued to place strong emphasis on the duty to welcome migrants.In Germany, Catholic bishops have also repeatedly warned against the AfD and the growing appeal of “remigration,” while Cardinal Gerhard Müller, following the party’s historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt this month, accused bishops of misusing their spiritual authority by intervening in partisan politics and thereby alienating Catholic AfD voters. In Italy, meanwhile, Archbishop Giancarlo Perego, head of the bishops’ migration commission, recently accused Giorgia Meloni’s government of placing “borders before people.”France has been marked by equally heated Catholic debates on the issue over the past decade. In “Église et immigration: le grand malaise,” published in 2017, conservative writer Laurent Dandrieu accused Church leaders of reducing Catholic teaching to an almost exclusive imperative of welcome while neglecting the major upheavals experienced by local communities. More recently, Father Benoist de Sinety, in “La Cause du Christ,” attacked the opposite temptation of instrumentalizing Christianity in the service of identitarian politics. A column published this month in La Nef magazine challenged what it regarded as a false choice between Christian hospitality and attachment to one’s cultural inheritance.A ‘rupture’ with the previous pontificate?Pope Leo, however, seems sensitive to the nuances demanded by this growing polarization. While maintaining the firm defense of migrants that characterized Francis’ pontificate, he has also given unusual prominence to the responsibilities of migrants and the legitimate concerns of the societies that receive them. Barely a month after his election, Leo prayed at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit might “open borders, break down walls,” and overcome the “logic of exclusion” of political nationalisms. Yet, while supporting the U.S. bishops’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies last November, he stated unequivocally that “every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” rejecting the idea that states should have open borders.This drive for balance was reaffirmed during his visit to the Canary Islands in June, when he invoked the “right not to have to migrate,” warned against the creation of “parallel worlds,” and asserted that host societies must be able to welcome newcomers without “diluting their identity.”This language has led some Catholic observers, including French Vatican analyst Jean-Marie Guénois, to speak of a “rupture” with his predecessor on immigration. But his approach appears less a break than an attempt to better articulate a tension already present in Catholic doctrine.A delicate balanceIndeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church itself holds together principles that are often separated in today’s debate. It asks wealthier nations to welcome foreigners seeking security and vital resources “to the extent they are able,” while affirming that political authorities may regulate immigration for the sake of the common good. Migrants, in turn, are called to respect the laws as well as the “material and spiritual heritage” of their host country (No. 2241).The Catholic Church therefore establishes moral obligations without prescribing minimum or maximum thresholds. Such teaching inevitably requires prudential judgments concerning integration, security, social cohesion, and the common good — precisely the areas over which Catholics today are most deeply divided.At a time when Europe’s migration debate is hardening and divisions are deepening to the point of threatening the unity of the Church, the question is no longer simply whether Catholics should welcome the stranger or defend the continuity of nations and cultures. It is whether the Church can speak credibly both to Europeans who feel dispossessed of their future and to the migrant who, more often than not, does not know Christ. Leo’s address at the “Roots of Europe” conference may offer a first indication of how he intends to navigate between these two realities in an increasingly tense European context.
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In Metz, Pope Leo steps into Europe’s deepening divide over immigration – #Catholic – METZ, France — The hot-button issue of immigration has invited itself into Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey to France, otherwise marked by the defense of human life and the remarkable signs of Catholic revival currently emerging across the country. It could provide one of the most revealing indications yet of how the American pope intends to address a deeply divided Europe.As Leo prepares to reach Metz, at the crossroads of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, what message can he offer a continent increasingly torn between the Christian imperative to welcome the stranger and growing concerns over the social, cultural, and security consequences of mass immigration?The balance is particularly difficult to strike, not least for a pope whose experience has been largely shaped by Latin America, where migration raises different demographic and civilizational challenges than in Europe. So far, he has combined strong continuity with Pope Francis’ defense of migrants and a more explicit recognition of the rights of nations, the demands of integration, and the concerns of receiving societies.It is against this backdrop that Leo is traveling to Metz on Sept. 28 for an interreligious meeting, followed by an address on the “Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Centre. He already sent a strong international signal by visiting Maison Bakhita, a Paris center for migrants, on Sept. 26, just one day before the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.At Europe’s crossroadsMore than a decade after the 2015 migration crisis, immigration has become one of the defining fault lines of European politics — and increasingly of European Catholicism itself.That year alone, more than 1.2 million people applied for asylum in the European Union, and migration pressures have remained a major continental issue ever since, with political repercussions still unfolding. In the weeks preceding Leo’s arrival in Metz, the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored two historic victories in regional elections, while in France, Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National is already well ahead of its rivals in polls for the 2027 presidential election.The term “remigration” itself, once largely confined to fringe circles, has entered the European political vocabulary, as illustrated by the large-scale “Save Europe Act” campaign, which advocates an end to mass immigration and a policy of remigration. It has already gathered some 750,000 signatures and sparked a confrontation with the European Commission over its attempted registration as a European Citizens’ Initiative.These mounting tensions are increasingly reflected within the Church itself. While identitarian Catholic voices and platforms have gained visibility on social media, much of the Catholic hierarchy has continued to place strong emphasis on the duty to welcome migrants.In Germany, Catholic bishops have also repeatedly warned against the AfD and the growing appeal of “remigration,” while Cardinal Gerhard Müller, following the party’s historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt this month, accused bishops of misusing their spiritual authority by intervening in partisan politics and thereby alienating Catholic AfD voters. In Italy, meanwhile, Archbishop Giancarlo Perego, head of the bishops’ migration commission, recently accused Giorgia Meloni’s government of placing “borders before people.”France has been marked by equally heated Catholic debates on the issue over the past decade. In “Église et immigration: le grand malaise,” published in 2017, conservative writer Laurent Dandrieu accused Church leaders of reducing Catholic teaching to an almost exclusive imperative of welcome while neglecting the major upheavals experienced by local communities. More recently, Father Benoist de Sinety, in “La Cause du Christ,” attacked the opposite temptation of instrumentalizing Christianity in the service of identitarian politics. A column published this month in La Nef magazine challenged what it regarded as a false choice between Christian hospitality and attachment to one’s cultural inheritance.A ‘rupture’ with the previous pontificate?Pope Leo, however, seems sensitive to the nuances demanded by this growing polarization. While maintaining the firm defense of migrants that characterized Francis’ pontificate, he has also given unusual prominence to the responsibilities of migrants and the legitimate concerns of the societies that receive them. Barely a month after his election, Leo prayed at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit might “open borders, break down walls,” and overcome the “logic of exclusion” of political nationalisms. Yet, while supporting the U.S. bishops’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies last November, he stated unequivocally that “every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” rejecting the idea that states should have open borders.This drive for balance was reaffirmed during his visit to the Canary Islands in June, when he invoked the “right not to have to migrate,” warned against the creation of “parallel worlds,” and asserted that host societies must be able to welcome newcomers without “diluting their identity.”This language has led some Catholic observers, including French Vatican analyst Jean-Marie Guénois, to speak of a “rupture” with his predecessor on immigration. But his approach appears less a break than an attempt to better articulate a tension already present in Catholic doctrine.A delicate balanceIndeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church itself holds together principles that are often separated in today’s debate. It asks wealthier nations to welcome foreigners seeking security and vital resources “to the extent they are able,” while affirming that political authorities may regulate immigration for the sake of the common good. Migrants, in turn, are called to respect the laws as well as the “material and spiritual heritage” of their host country (No. 2241).The Catholic Church therefore establishes moral obligations without prescribing minimum or maximum thresholds. Such teaching inevitably requires prudential judgments concerning integration, security, social cohesion, and the common good — precisely the areas over which Catholics today are most deeply divided.At a time when Europe’s migration debate is hardening and divisions are deepening to the point of threatening the unity of the Church, the question is no longer simply whether Catholics should welcome the stranger or defend the continuity of nations and cultures. It is whether the Church can speak credibly both to Europeans who feel dispossessed of their future and to the migrant who, more often than not, does not know Christ. Leo’s address at the “Roots of Europe” conference may offer a first indication of how he intends to navigate between these two realities in an increasingly tense European context.

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As Leo prepares to reach Metz, at the crossroads of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, what message will he offer about welcoming the stranger and the consequences of mass immigration?

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Killing the sick is ‘false compassion,’ pope says in Lourdes – #Catholic – LOURDES, France — Killing the sick is neither compassionate nor normal, and being legal does not make it moral, Pope Leo XIV said Sunday, in a clear reference to France’s recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.“I know that for some of you, because of particular illnesses and, at times, terrible pain, your horizon may appear dark, uncertain and without hope. But no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” the pope said during a meeting with about 5,000 sick people and caregivers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 27.“It is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion,” the pontiff added to loud applause. “It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.”The popeʼs remarks on end-of-life concerns were met with applause and shouts of “Bravo.”France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. In addition, Switzerland and Austria permit assisted suicide.Euthanasia is the intentional ending of a person’s life to relieve suffering. It differs from assisted dying, in which the patient takes life-ending drugs himself, under a physician’s guidance. Both practices are prohibited by Catholic teaching.Leo met Sept. 27 with staff and sick guests of the Accueil Notre-Dame (Notre Dame Home), a residential accommodation classified as a healthcare facility, which hosts sick, disabled, and frail pilgrims to Lourdes.The Catholic shrine is one of the most visited in the world, drawing more than 3 million people every year, many in search of miraculous physical healing.The 136-acre property includes the Grotto of Massabielle, where a young St. Bernadette Soubirous saw 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary starting on Feb. 11, 1858. Today, pilgrims to the sanctuary bathe themselves in the freshwater spring Mary revealed to Bernadette.Visitors have reported 7,000 healings since the apparitions; after lengthy investigations, the Church has declared that 72 of the recoveries were miraculous, meaning unexplainable by science.“Here in Lourdes, the city of the sick and of hope, I appeal to the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of your vocation, which is to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person,” Pope Leo said.He encouraged healthcare workers to be “passionate servants of life” and cited his speech to the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in June, in which he said, "no one ever has the right, “on the basis of laboratory algorithms, to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person! Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death!”Instagram postEarlier in the morning, the pope addressed the French bishops’ conference, praising the bishops’ courage in opposing the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.“I encourage you to persevere, together with all people of good will who uphold the same values,” he told the bishops.In his remarks to the sick and caregivers, Leo called for structures for palliative care and urged the healthcare field to accompany the sick with the same tenderness they receive in Lourdes. Pope Leo XIV greets medical staff and those assisted by the Accueil Notre-Dame on Sept. 26, 2027 in Lourdes, France. | Credit: Vatican Media “Doctors, nurses, stretcher-bearers, chaplains, pastoral teams serving the sick, and so many others live out their vocation in the service of the dignity of the human person, so that the world may have life,” he said.“Dear brothers and sisters who are sick,” he concluded, “I want to tell you that you are not a burden. You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church. I carry in my prayers the trials you are going through.”Instagram postImmediately after the meeting, the pope walked next door to greet the Discalced Carmelite nuns whose monastery faces the grotto of the apparitions from across the river Gave de Pau. The contemplative monastery was founded in 1876, just 18 years after Mary appeared to St. Bernadette.
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Killing the sick is ‘false compassion,’ pope says in Lourdes – #Catholic – LOURDES, France — Killing the sick is neither compassionate nor normal, and being legal does not make it moral, Pope Leo XIV said Sunday, in a clear reference to France’s recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.“I know that for some of you, because of particular illnesses and, at times, terrible pain, your horizon may appear dark, uncertain and without hope. But no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” the pope said during a meeting with about 5,000 sick people and caregivers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 27.“It is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion,” the pontiff added to loud applause. “It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.”The popeʼs remarks on end-of-life concerns were met with applause and shouts of “Bravo.”France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. In addition, Switzerland and Austria permit assisted suicide.Euthanasia is the intentional ending of a person’s life to relieve suffering. It differs from assisted dying, in which the patient takes life-ending drugs himself, under a physician’s guidance. Both practices are prohibited by Catholic teaching.Leo met Sept. 27 with staff and sick guests of the Accueil Notre-Dame (Notre Dame Home), a residential accommodation classified as a healthcare facility, which hosts sick, disabled, and frail pilgrims to Lourdes.The Catholic shrine is one of the most visited in the world, drawing more than 3 million people every year, many in search of miraculous physical healing.The 136-acre property includes the Grotto of Massabielle, where a young St. Bernadette Soubirous saw 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary starting on Feb. 11, 1858. Today, pilgrims to the sanctuary bathe themselves in the freshwater spring Mary revealed to Bernadette.Visitors have reported 7,000 healings since the apparitions; after lengthy investigations, the Church has declared that 72 of the recoveries were miraculous, meaning unexplainable by science.“Here in Lourdes, the city of the sick and of hope, I appeal to the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of your vocation, which is to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person,” Pope Leo said.He encouraged healthcare workers to be “passionate servants of life” and cited his speech to the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in June, in which he said, "no one ever has the right, “on the basis of laboratory algorithms, to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person! Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death!”Instagram postEarlier in the morning, the pope addressed the French bishops’ conference, praising the bishops’ courage in opposing the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.“I encourage you to persevere, together with all people of good will who uphold the same values,” he told the bishops.In his remarks to the sick and caregivers, Leo called for structures for palliative care and urged the healthcare field to accompany the sick with the same tenderness they receive in Lourdes. Pope Leo XIV greets medical staff and those assisted by the Accueil Notre-Dame on Sept. 26, 2027 in Lourdes, France. | Credit: Vatican Media “Doctors, nurses, stretcher-bearers, chaplains, pastoral teams serving the sick, and so many others live out their vocation in the service of the dignity of the human person, so that the world may have life,” he said.“Dear brothers and sisters who are sick,” he concluded, “I want to tell you that you are not a burden. You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church. I carry in my prayers the trials you are going through.”Instagram postImmediately after the meeting, the pope walked next door to greet the Discalced Carmelite nuns whose monastery faces the grotto of the apparitions from across the river Gave de Pau. The contemplative monastery was founded in 1876, just 18 years after Mary appeared to St. Bernadette.

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In a speech to sick people and caregivers, the pope denounced France’s recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

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Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle

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Born Sept. 27, 1918, and educated at Bradfield College and Oxford University in the U.K., Martin Ryle would go on to be the first astronomer royal (1972-1982) with a background in radio astronomy. During World War II, Ryle worked in radio systems and countermeasures for the RAF. He was strongly antiwar, though, and had noContinue reading “Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle”

The post Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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For Iraq’s Christians, Archbishop Warda says long-term stability requires jobs – #Catholic – For Christians in Iraq, remaining in their historic homeland increasingly depends not only on security but also on whether younger generations can find meaningful work and build stable lives, according to Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil.In an interview with ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Warda said education, professional formation, and sustainable employment have become essential to strengthening Christian communities at a time when economic pressures continue to weigh heavily on young Iraqis.The challenge is particularly significant for Christians because their numbers have declined considerably in recent decades, leaving smaller communities more vulnerable to economic pressures.Speaking at the Catholic University of Erbil, Warda pointed to the structure of Iraq’s economy as part of the problem. Government spending and public-sector employment continue to play an outsized role, while the private sector has yet to generate enough sustainable jobs to meet the needs of a young and growing workforce.A difficult transition from education to employmentWorld Bank data indicate that the country’s unemployment rate stands at 15.5%, while labor force participation is around 38%. Demographics add another layer to the challenge: Iraqis between the ages of 15 and 29 make up approximately 29% of the population, placing continued pressure on the labor market.The countryʼs heavy dependence on oil also affects its ability to generate employment. Oil accounted for approximately 88% of government revenue and 91% of merchandise exports in 2025, leaving the economy exposed to fluctuations in energy prices and revenues.Against that backdrop, Warda said preparing young people for employment requires more than helping them earn university degrees. Education, he said, must also provide the practical and professional skills needed in an increasingly competitive labor market, particularly as opportunities for government employment become more limited.He pointed to university students who take night jobs to finance their education as an example of both the pressures facing young Iraqis and their determination to pursue a future through work.For Warda, their experience also demonstrates that young people are prepared to take responsibility when meaningful opportunities are available.Moving beyond emergency assistanceWarda praised the support that Aid to the Church in Need provides through scholarships but said the challenge does not end when students graduate.Helping young Christians move from education into employment, he said, must become a greater priority for the Church and other institutions seeking to sustain Iraqʼs Christian presence.That requires a broader change in approach: from responding primarily to immediate needs to creating the conditions in which families and young people can become economically independent.Warda called for greater investment in people, professional formation, employment, and projects capable of strengthening the private sector and providing young Iraqis with viable alternatives to dependence on government jobs.The Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil has sought to follow that model through a network of educational, academic, healthcare, media, and humanitarian institutions. Creating opportunities through Church institutionsWarda said institutions connected to the archdiocese currently employ approximately 950 people from different communities and backgrounds without discrimination. Yet he raised the question of whether even that number is enough when measured against the scale of the economic challenges facing Iraqi society and, in particular, its Christian communities.For Warda, expanding sustainable employment will require partnerships and investment beyond what Church institutions can accomplish on their own.He argued that the Churchʼs response should therefore be rooted not simply in charitable assistance but in justice, human dignity, and empowerment.The ultimate purpose of assistance, he said, should be to give people the skills and opportunities they need to support themselves and their families rather than allowing short-term assistance to become a source of permanent dependence.For Iraqʼs Christians, that approach places economic opportunity alongside education as an important part of the effort to preserve a living Christian presence in the country, one in which young people can see a future for themselves and their families in their homeland.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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For Iraq’s Christians, Archbishop Warda says long-term stability requires jobs – #Catholic – For Christians in Iraq, remaining in their historic homeland increasingly depends not only on security but also on whether younger generations can find meaningful work and build stable lives, according to Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil.In an interview with ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Warda said education, professional formation, and sustainable employment have become essential to strengthening Christian communities at a time when economic pressures continue to weigh heavily on young Iraqis.The challenge is particularly significant for Christians because their numbers have declined considerably in recent decades, leaving smaller communities more vulnerable to economic pressures.Speaking at the Catholic University of Erbil, Warda pointed to the structure of Iraq’s economy as part of the problem. Government spending and public-sector employment continue to play an outsized role, while the private sector has yet to generate enough sustainable jobs to meet the needs of a young and growing workforce.A difficult transition from education to employmentWorld Bank data indicate that the country’s unemployment rate stands at 15.5%, while labor force participation is around 38%. Demographics add another layer to the challenge: Iraqis between the ages of 15 and 29 make up approximately 29% of the population, placing continued pressure on the labor market.The countryʼs heavy dependence on oil also affects its ability to generate employment. Oil accounted for approximately 88% of government revenue and 91% of merchandise exports in 2025, leaving the economy exposed to fluctuations in energy prices and revenues.Against that backdrop, Warda said preparing young people for employment requires more than helping them earn university degrees. Education, he said, must also provide the practical and professional skills needed in an increasingly competitive labor market, particularly as opportunities for government employment become more limited.He pointed to university students who take night jobs to finance their education as an example of both the pressures facing young Iraqis and their determination to pursue a future through work.For Warda, their experience also demonstrates that young people are prepared to take responsibility when meaningful opportunities are available.Moving beyond emergency assistanceWarda praised the support that Aid to the Church in Need provides through scholarships but said the challenge does not end when students graduate.Helping young Christians move from education into employment, he said, must become a greater priority for the Church and other institutions seeking to sustain Iraqʼs Christian presence.That requires a broader change in approach: from responding primarily to immediate needs to creating the conditions in which families and young people can become economically independent.Warda called for greater investment in people, professional formation, employment, and projects capable of strengthening the private sector and providing young Iraqis with viable alternatives to dependence on government jobs.The Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil has sought to follow that model through a network of educational, academic, healthcare, media, and humanitarian institutions. Creating opportunities through Church institutionsWarda said institutions connected to the archdiocese currently employ approximately 950 people from different communities and backgrounds without discrimination. Yet he raised the question of whether even that number is enough when measured against the scale of the economic challenges facing Iraqi society and, in particular, its Christian communities.For Warda, expanding sustainable employment will require partnerships and investment beyond what Church institutions can accomplish on their own.He argued that the Churchʼs response should therefore be rooted not simply in charitable assistance but in justice, human dignity, and empowerment.The ultimate purpose of assistance, he said, should be to give people the skills and opportunities they need to support themselves and their families rather than allowing short-term assistance to become a source of permanent dependence.For Iraqʼs Christians, that approach places economic opportunity alongside education as an important part of the effort to preserve a living Christian presence in the country, one in which young people can see a future for themselves and their families in their homeland.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil called for investment in the future of young Christians in Iraq, pointing to the structure of the country’s economy as part of the problem.

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NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman Attends Ravens vs. Saints Game – NASA astronaut and commander of the agency’s Artemis II mission, Reid Wiseman, a Baltimore native, takes a selfie with fans at an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore.
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NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman Attends Ravens vs. Saints Game – NASA astronaut and commander of the agency’s Artemis II mission, Reid Wiseman, a Baltimore native, takes a selfie with fans at an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore.

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NASA astronaut and commander of the agency’s Artemis II mission, Reid Wiseman, a Baltimore native, takes a selfie with fans at an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore.

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New pastor unites Paterson parish during historic merger #Catholic – Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish. Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a tapestry of God’s presence among the faithful. Padre Pio has been providing three Masses at each of the parish’s two churches, while also helping connect each former parish into the shared ministries of the singular Padre Pio Parish. “We are one now,” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two or four, we are one.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The newly formed parish is officially named for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as “Padre Pio. With the merger streamlining the administration of St. Bonaventure’s and OLP parishes, each with its own histories and traditions, both churches have remained open with adjusted Mass schedules to ensure the parish continues to meet people’s spiritual and pastoral needs. During this merger, Father Cuellar has encountered people who often want to hold onto their traditions. Yet he sees the steps his parishioners have taken to embrace each other and unify. “People were attached to their own buildings. People were attached to their own cultures. They wanted the same Mass times at the beginning. Now, I think they understand it in a better way.” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two different communities, I see one now trying to be together, trying to celebrate together, trying to get to know each other,” he said. Father Cuellar’s installation Mass provided an impactful example of how two parishes with a combined 260 years of distinct traditions have become one. The installation Mass for Father Cuellar was held at the St. Bonaventure Church site and celebrated in English and Spanish. The liturgy utilized two different sets of lectors and music ministries working together to create one unified faith experience. “It was such a beautiful Mass. You really felt the love,” said Raysa Gonzalez, a parishioner who came from OLP and assists with Mass planning and the team of lectors. Gonzalez added, “We had goosebumps because the music is a combination of the Spanish and the English. I had people from the English Mass that do not speak any Spanish come up to me and tell me that even though they didn’t obviously understand the words in the readings that I was saying because it was in a different language that they don’t speak, they were able to feel the readings.” Father Cuellar says the installation Mass also connected people whose exposure to fellow parishioners usually comes only from attending the same liturgy every week, which doesn’t normally increase the chance of meeting other church members. “If they come to the 10 a.m. Mass, they know the people there, but they don’t know the other people from the 7.30 a.m. Mass, from the noon Mass or the 5.30 Mass on Sunday,” he said. “But now this event helped everybody to be together,” he said. A Colombian-born, bilingual priest, Father Cuellar has especially helped bridge the gap between the English- and Spanish-speaking members of the combined parish. As parochial vicar at OLP in 2024, he helped establish a Spanish-speaking Mass, which St. Bonaventure already had for about 10 years. Father Cuellar has also helped combine ministries across parishes and languages, often turning important Masses involving the sacraments of initiation into bilingual experiences that touch every parishioner’s faith journey. “We had a lot of kids do their first Holy Communion. Some of them even got baptized, and it was a mix because it was in Spanish and English,” Gonzalez said. Father Cuellar has also encouraged members of both parishes, representing both languages, to come together in ministries like the lectoring. Gonzalez has joined a bilingual Liturgy Committee from both former church communities that is helping shape people’s experiences of faith in both languages. “A parish becomes truly alive when its members recognize that each of us has a unique role to play in the mission of the Church,” Father Cuellar wrote in a bulletin announcement about forming the Liturgy Committee. He has also used a pilgrimage and mission to help earthquake victims in his native Colombia as a chance to unite the parish. They raised more than ,600, which helped empower those in need during the trip he and 22 others took in early September. While Father Cuellar credits the countless parishioners who have embraced two parishes becoming one, those parishioners feel the newly installed pastor has been the main force that God has used to connect these parishes as one body of Christ. “Father Manuel has such a blessing to guide us through the change, through the combination, through the different languages of the different communities and putting it together,” Gonzalez said. “Father Manuel has a good balance in respecting everyone’s ways in a way that no one feels excluded. It makes you really want to be part of this parish, this community,” she said. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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New pastor unites Paterson parish during historic merger #Catholic – Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish. Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a tapestry of God’s presence among the faithful. Padre Pio has been providing three Masses at each of the parish’s two churches, while also helping connect each former parish into the shared ministries of the singular Padre Pio Parish. “We are one now,” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two or four, we are one.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. The newly formed parish is officially named for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as “Padre Pio. With the merger streamlining the administration of St. Bonaventure’s and OLP parishes, each with its own histories and traditions, both churches have remained open with adjusted Mass schedules to ensure the parish continues to meet people’s spiritual and pastoral needs. During this merger, Father Cuellar has encountered people who often want to hold onto their traditions. Yet he sees the steps his parishioners have taken to embrace each other and unify. “People were attached to their own buildings. People were attached to their own cultures. They wanted the same Mass times at the beginning. Now, I think they understand it in a better way.” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two different communities, I see one now trying to be together, trying to celebrate together, trying to get to know each other,” he said. Father Cuellar’s installation Mass provided an impactful example of how two parishes with a combined 260 years of distinct traditions have become one. The installation Mass for Father Cuellar was held at the St. Bonaventure Church site and celebrated in English and Spanish. The liturgy utilized two different sets of lectors and music ministries working together to create one unified faith experience. “It was such a beautiful Mass. You really felt the love,” said Raysa Gonzalez, a parishioner who came from OLP and assists with Mass planning and the team of lectors. Gonzalez added, “We had goosebumps because the music is a combination of the Spanish and the English. I had people from the English Mass that do not speak any Spanish come up to me and tell me that even though they didn’t obviously understand the words in the readings that I was saying because it was in a different language that they don’t speak, they were able to feel the readings.” Father Cuellar says the installation Mass also connected people whose exposure to fellow parishioners usually comes only from attending the same liturgy every week, which doesn’t normally increase the chance of meeting other church members. “If they come to the 10 a.m. Mass, they know the people there, but they don’t know the other people from the 7.30 a.m. Mass, from the noon Mass or the 5.30 Mass on Sunday,” he said. “But now this event helped everybody to be together,” he said. A Colombian-born, bilingual priest, Father Cuellar has especially helped bridge the gap between the English- and Spanish-speaking members of the combined parish. As parochial vicar at OLP in 2024, he helped establish a Spanish-speaking Mass, which St. Bonaventure already had for about 10 years. Father Cuellar has also helped combine ministries across parishes and languages, often turning important Masses involving the sacraments of initiation into bilingual experiences that touch every parishioner’s faith journey. “We had a lot of kids do their first Holy Communion. Some of them even got baptized, and it was a mix because it was in Spanish and English,” Gonzalez said. Father Cuellar has also encouraged members of both parishes, representing both languages, to come together in ministries like the lectoring. Gonzalez has joined a bilingual Liturgy Committee from both former church communities that is helping shape people’s experiences of faith in both languages. “A parish becomes truly alive when its members recognize that each of us has a unique role to play in the mission of the Church,” Father Cuellar wrote in a bulletin announcement about forming the Liturgy Committee. He has also used a pilgrimage and mission to help earthquake victims in his native Colombia as a chance to unite the parish. They raised more than $3,600, which helped empower those in need during the trip he and 22 others took in early September. While Father Cuellar credits the countless parishioners who have embraced two parishes becoming one, those parishioners feel the newly installed pastor has been the main force that God has used to connect these parishes as one body of Christ. “Father Manuel has such a blessing to guide us through the change, through the combination, through the different languages of the different communities and putting it together,” Gonzalez said. “Father Manuel has a good balance in respecting everyone’s ways in a way that no one feels excluded. It makes you really want to be part of this parish, this community,” she said. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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New pastor unites Paterson parish during historic merger #Catholic –

Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish.

Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a tapestry of God’s presence among the faithful. Padre Pio has been providing three Masses at each of the parish’s two churches, while also helping connect each former parish into the shared ministries of the singular Padre Pio Parish.

“We are one now,” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two or four, we are one.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

The newly formed parish is officially named for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as “Padre Pio. With the merger streamlining the administration of St. Bonaventure’s and OLP parishes, each with its own histories and traditions, both churches have remained open with adjusted Mass schedules to ensure the parish continues to meet people’s spiritual and pastoral needs.
During this merger, Father Cuellar has encountered people who often want to hold onto their traditions. Yet he sees the steps his parishioners have taken to embrace each other and unify.

“People were attached to their own buildings. People were attached to their own cultures. They wanted the same Mass times at the beginning. Now, I think they understand it in a better way.” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two different communities, I see one now trying to be together, trying to celebrate together, trying to get to know each other,” he said.

Father Cuellar’s installation Mass provided an impactful example of how two parishes with a combined 260 years of distinct traditions have become one.

The installation Mass for Father Cuellar was held at the St. Bonaventure Church site and celebrated in English and Spanish. The liturgy utilized two different sets of lectors and music ministries working together to create one unified faith experience.

“It was such a beautiful Mass. You really felt the love,” said Raysa Gonzalez, a parishioner who came from OLP and assists with Mass planning and the team of lectors.

Gonzalez added, “We had goosebumps because the music is a combination of the Spanish and the English. I had people from the English Mass that do not speak any Spanish come up to me and tell me that even though they didn’t obviously understand the words in the readings that I was saying because it was in a different language that they don’t speak, they were able to feel the readings.”

Father Cuellar says the installation Mass also connected people whose exposure to fellow parishioners usually comes only from attending the same liturgy every week, which doesn’t normally increase the chance of meeting other church members.

“If they come to the 10 a.m. Mass, they know the people there, but they don’t know the other people from the 7.30 a.m. Mass, from the noon Mass or the 5.30 Mass on Sunday,” he said. “But now this event helped everybody to be together,” he said.

A Colombian-born, bilingual priest, Father Cuellar has especially helped bridge the gap between the English- and Spanish-speaking members of the combined parish. As parochial vicar at OLP in 2024, he helped establish a Spanish-speaking Mass, which St. Bonaventure already had for about 10 years.

Father Cuellar has also helped combine ministries across parishes and languages, often turning important Masses involving the sacraments of initiation into bilingual experiences that touch every parishioner’s faith journey.

“We had a lot of kids do their first Holy Communion. Some of them even got baptized, and it was a mix because it was in Spanish and English,” Gonzalez said.

Father Cuellar has also encouraged members of both parishes, representing both languages, to come together in ministries like the lectoring. Gonzalez has joined a bilingual Liturgy Committee from both former church communities that is helping shape people’s experiences of faith in both languages.

“A parish becomes truly alive when its members recognize that each of us has a unique role to play in the mission of the Church,” Father Cuellar wrote in a bulletin announcement about forming the Liturgy Committee.

He has also used a pilgrimage and mission to help earthquake victims in his native Colombia as a chance to unite the parish. They raised more than $3,600, which helped empower those in need during the trip he and 22 others took in early September.

While Father Cuellar credits the countless parishioners who have embraced two parishes becoming one, those parishioners feel the newly installed pastor has been the main force that God has used to connect these parishes as one body of Christ.

“Father Manuel has such a blessing to guide us through the change, through the combination, through the different languages of the different communities and putting it together,” Gonzalez said. “Father Manuel has a good balance in respecting everyone’s ways in a way that no one feels excluded. It makes you really want to be part of this parish, this community,” she said.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish. Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a

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Carmelite sister professes final vows before Bishop in Morristown #Catholic – On Sept. 8, Carmelite Sister Faustina Gloria of the Merciful Heart of Jesus made solemn vows at the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown, N.J., before Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass he celebrated. Born in Ghana, Sister Faustina Gloria moved to the United States with her family at age eight. Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brendan Murray, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who regularly celebrates Mass at the monastery, and other priests who are close to Sister Faustina Gloria. Friends and family also attended. The Discalced Carmelites are a cloistered order with a schedule that includes eight hours of prayer each day, manual labor, some recreation, and contemplation. The sisters observe strict silence so their prayers may be more continuous. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org] Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Carmelite sister professes final vows before Bishop in Morristown #Catholic – On Sept. 8, Carmelite Sister Faustina Gloria of the Merciful Heart of Jesus made solemn vows at the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown, N.J., before Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass he celebrated. Born in Ghana, Sister Faustina Gloria moved to the United States with her family at age eight. Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brendan Murray, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who regularly celebrates Mass at the monastery, and other priests who are close to Sister Faustina Gloria. Friends and family also attended. The Discalced Carmelites are a cloistered order with a schedule that includes eight hours of prayer each day, manual labor, some recreation, and contemplation. The sisters observe strict silence so their prayers may be more continuous. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org] Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Carmelite sister professes final vows before Bishop in Morristown #Catholic –

On Sept. 8, Carmelite Sister Faustina Gloria of the Merciful Heart of Jesus made solemn vows at the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown, N.J., before Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass he celebrated.

Born in Ghana, Sister Faustina Gloria moved to the United States with her family at age eight.

Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brendan Murray, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who regularly celebrates Mass at the monastery, and other priests who are close to Sister Faustina Gloria. Friends and family also attended.

The Discalced Carmelites are a cloistered order with a schedule that includes eight hours of prayer each day, manual labor, some recreation, and contemplation. The sisters observe strict silence so their prayers may be more continuous.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– On Sept. 8, Carmelite Sister Faustina Gloria of the Merciful Heart of Jesus made solemn vows at the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown, N.J., before Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass he celebrated. Born in Ghana, Sister Faustina Gloria moved to the United States with her family at age eight. Concelebrating the Mass were Father Brendan Murray, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., who regularly celebrates Mass at the monastery, and other priests who are close to Sister Faustina Gloria. Friends and family also attended. The Discalced Carmelites are a

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 27 September 2026 – A reading from the Book of Ezekiel 18:25-28 Thus says the LORD: You say, "The LORD’s way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.   A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 2:1-11 Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.From the Gospel according to Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?" They answered, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."If your heart is not a repentant heart, if you do not listen to the Lord, if you do not accept correction and do not trust in Him, you have an unrepentant heart. But these hypocrites who take offence at what Jesus says about tax collectors and prostitutes, yet then secretly went to them, either to indulge their passions or to do business – but all in secret – they were ‘pure’! And the Lord does not want them. (…) These people cannot receive Salvation. They are closed off to Salvation. “I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly; they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord”, for their whole lives. And this remains true to this day, does it not? When we see God’s holy people who are humble, who find their riches in faith in the Lord, in trust in the Lord – the humble, lowly people who trust in the Lord: these are the saved, and this is the way of the Church, is it not? She must take this path, not the other path that does not listen to the voice, that does not accept correction and does not trust in the Lord. (…). When we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, these are my sins – they are not his, or hers, they are mine… They are mine. Take them upon yourself, and so I shall be saved” – when we are able to do this, we shall be the beautiful people, the “humble and poor people”, who trust in the name of the Lord. May the Lord grant us this grace. (Pope Francis, Homily of 16 December 2014)

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A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
18:25-28

Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD’s way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
and does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.

 

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
2:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."

If your heart is not a repentant heart, if you do not listen to the Lord, if you do not accept correction and do not trust in Him, you have an unrepentant heart. But these hypocrites who take offence at what Jesus says about tax collectors and prostitutes, yet then secretly went to them, either to indulge their passions or to do business – but all in secret – they were ‘pure’! And the Lord does not want them. (…) These people cannot receive Salvation. They are closed off to Salvation. “I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly; they shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord”, for their whole lives. And this remains true to this day, does it not? When we see God’s holy people who are humble, who find their riches in faith in the Lord, in trust in the Lord – the humble, lowly people who trust in the Lord: these are the saved, and this is the way of the Church, is it not? She must take this path, not the other path that does not listen to the voice, that does not accept correction and does not trust in the Lord. (…). When we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, these are my sins – they are not his, or hers, they are mine… They are mine. Take them upon yourself, and so I shall be saved” – when we are able to do this, we shall be the beautiful people, the “humble and poor people”, who trust in the name of the Lord. May the Lord grant us this grace. (Pope Francis, Homily of 16 December 2014)

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PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV visits Paris and Lourdes on second day of France trip #Catholic Pope Leo XIV continued his apostolic journey in France on Saturday, first listening to the stories of migrants at the Bakhita House, a center offering support and integration to immigrants in the Archdiocese of Paris, before meeting with new and prospective Catholics and their leaders at the Catholic Institute of Paris.He then made his way to Place de la Concorde, where he greeted a crowd of more than 800,000 people and celebrated Mass. He then ended the evening at the Lourdes shrine, where he led a short prayer service before spending several minutes in private prayer.Here’s a recap of the pope’s day in photos: Pope Leo XIV visits the Maison Bakhita Center for Social Support and Integration in Paris, France, on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV greets the staff and volunteers of the Maison Bakhita Center for Social Support and Integration in Paris, France, on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV meets with new and prospective Catholics and their leaders at the Catholic Institute of Paris on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV prays in the historic Church of Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes during his visit to the Catholic Institute of Paris on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV addresses the Institut Catholique de Paris during his visit on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowds gathered along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées as he rides in the popemobile on the way to Mass at Paris’ Place de la Concorde on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV stops to bless a disabled man during his procession to Place de la Concorde to celebrate an open-air Mass on Sept. 26, 2026, in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV incenses the altar during Mass on Sept. 26, 2026, at Place de la Concorde in Paris. | Credit: Vatican Media Bishops and cardinals concelebrate Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 26, 2026, at Place de la Concorde in Paris. | Credit: Vatican Media Members of the open-air congregation pray during Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 26, 2026, at Place de la Concorde in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Paris on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV touches the rock at the grotto in the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 26, 2026, in France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV prays at the grotto in the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 26, 2026, in France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV honors the statue of the Immaculate Conception at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes with a Golden Rose on Sept. 26, 2026 in France. | Credit: Vatican Media
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PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV visits Paris and Lourdes on second day of France trip #Catholic Pope Leo XIV continued his apostolic journey in France on Saturday, first listening to the stories of migrants at the Bakhita House, a center offering support and integration to immigrants in the Archdiocese of Paris, before meeting with new and prospective Catholics and their leaders at the Catholic Institute of Paris.He then made his way to Place de la Concorde, where he greeted a crowd of more than 800,000 people and celebrated Mass. He then ended the evening at the Lourdes shrine, where he led a short prayer service before spending several minutes in private prayer.Here’s a recap of the pope’s day in photos: Pope Leo XIV visits the Maison Bakhita Center for Social Support and Integration in Paris, France, on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV greets the staff and volunteers of the Maison Bakhita Center for Social Support and Integration in Paris, France, on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV meets with new and prospective Catholics and their leaders at the Catholic Institute of Paris on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV prays in the historic Church of Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes during his visit to the Catholic Institute of Paris on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV addresses the Institut Catholique de Paris during his visit on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowds gathered along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées as he rides in the popemobile on the way to Mass at Paris’ Place de la Concorde on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV stops to bless a disabled man during his procession to Place de la Concorde to celebrate an open-air Mass on Sept. 26, 2026, in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV incenses the altar during Mass on Sept. 26, 2026, at Place de la Concorde in Paris. | Credit: Vatican Media Bishops and cardinals concelebrate Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 26, 2026, at Place de la Concorde in Paris. | Credit: Vatican Media Members of the open-air congregation pray during Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 26, 2026, at Place de la Concorde in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Paris on Sept. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV touches the rock at the grotto in the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 26, 2026, in France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV prays at the grotto in the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 26, 2026, in France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV honors the statue of the Immaculate Conception at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes with a Golden Rose on Sept. 26, 2026 in France. | Credit: Vatican Media

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Pope Leo XIV visited the Maison Bakhita Center and celebrated an open-air Mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris before concluding his day at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

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Illinois bishop announces first-ever parish to be named after Blessed Fulton Sheen #Catholic Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced at the end of a Mass celebrated on Saturday the first-ever parish named for Blessed Fulton Sheen.The combined parish of St. Mary in El Paso, Illinois — where Sheen was baptized — and St. John in Benson, Illinois, will be the first parish in the world to be named after the new blessed. While the buildings themselves will retain their original names, the new parish name will take effect on Dec. 9, Sheen’s feast day, Tylka said.“This has been a remarkable week of firsts for the Diocese of Peoria and the universal Catholic Church,” Tylka said in a statement released later on Sept. 26. “We have celebrated Archbishop Fulton Sheen becoming the first American-born bishop to be declared Blessed. For the first time, we have heard his name invoked as a Blessed in the Eucharistic Prayer. For the first time, we have prayed the Collect given to the Church for his feast. And today, I have the great joy of announcing another first: the establishment of the first parish in the world named Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish.”The Sept. 26 Mass — celebrated by Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, who was baptized as a baby by Sheen — was one of many celebrated in thanksgiving for the beatification of Sheen, who was declared “blessed” on Sept. 24 in St. Louis.“There is something profoundly fitting about this new parish carrying his name,” Tylka continued in the statement. “It was at St. Mary Church in El Paso that Fulton John Sheen was baptized. There, his life in Christ began. From those waters of Baptism flowed a remarkable life of faith, priesthood, preaching, teaching, missionary discipleship and evangelization that eventually touched millions of people around the world.”A person must be proclaimed “blessed” by the Church before a parish can be named after him or her, Tylka explained to EWTN News’ Mark Irons on Saturday outside of St. Mary’s Church. Tylka said he signed the decree to name the parish after Sheen on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after Sheen’s beatification.“It’s great,” Tylka said when asked by Irons what he thought about having the parish named after Sheen. “This is where he was baptized, this parish church — which will still be St. Mary’s Church, but it is St. Mary’s Church of Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish — to know that connection, that we’re continuing on that faith that God has given to us that he witnessed so well, just immense pride and certainly for the folks here … to be able to know that theirs is the first parish to ever honor the blessed.”TweetSheen, despite his humble origins in small-town Illinois, aspired to great things as an academic and as a communicator of the Catholic faith. On Thursday, before a crowd of more than 50,000 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, the farm-boy-turned-mass-media star was declared “blessed” after the reading of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Midwesterner.Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.Sheen was born in Illinois in 1895 and ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. He later became an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New York and then bishop of Rochester, New York.His international fame was largely due to his ability to use the new forms of media of his time to proclaim the Catholic faith.Through his television program “Life Is Worth Living,” broadcast during the 1950s, Sheen brought reflections on faith, morality, and the meaning of life into millions of homes, becoming one of the most recognizable Catholic figures on American television.Mark Irons and Jonah McKeown contributed to this report.This story was updated at 4:02 p.m. ET on Sept. 26, 2026, with the statement from the Diocese of Peoria/Bishop Tylka and comments to Mark Irons.
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Illinois bishop announces first-ever parish to be named after Blessed Fulton Sheen #Catholic Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced at the end of a Mass celebrated on Saturday the first-ever parish named for Blessed Fulton Sheen.The combined parish of St. Mary in El Paso, Illinois — where Sheen was baptized — and St. John in Benson, Illinois, will be the first parish in the world to be named after the new blessed. While the buildings themselves will retain their original names, the new parish name will take effect on Dec. 9, Sheen’s feast day, Tylka said.“This has been a remarkable week of firsts for the Diocese of Peoria and the universal Catholic Church,” Tylka said in a statement released later on Sept. 26. “We have celebrated Archbishop Fulton Sheen becoming the first American-born bishop to be declared Blessed. For the first time, we have heard his name invoked as a Blessed in the Eucharistic Prayer. For the first time, we have prayed the Collect given to the Church for his feast. And today, I have the great joy of announcing another first: the establishment of the first parish in the world named Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish.”The Sept. 26 Mass — celebrated by Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, who was baptized as a baby by Sheen — was one of many celebrated in thanksgiving for the beatification of Sheen, who was declared “blessed” on Sept. 24 in St. Louis.“There is something profoundly fitting about this new parish carrying his name,” Tylka continued in the statement. “It was at St. Mary Church in El Paso that Fulton John Sheen was baptized. There, his life in Christ began. From those waters of Baptism flowed a remarkable life of faith, priesthood, preaching, teaching, missionary discipleship and evangelization that eventually touched millions of people around the world.”A person must be proclaimed “blessed” by the Church before a parish can be named after him or her, Tylka explained to EWTN News’ Mark Irons on Saturday outside of St. Mary’s Church. Tylka said he signed the decree to name the parish after Sheen on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after Sheen’s beatification.“It’s great,” Tylka said when asked by Irons what he thought about having the parish named after Sheen. “This is where he was baptized, this parish church — which will still be St. Mary’s Church, but it is St. Mary’s Church of Blessed Fulton Sheen Parish — to know that connection, that we’re continuing on that faith that God has given to us that he witnessed so well, just immense pride and certainly for the folks here … to be able to know that theirs is the first parish to ever honor the blessed.”TweetSheen, despite his humble origins in small-town Illinois, aspired to great things as an academic and as a communicator of the Catholic faith. On Thursday, before a crowd of more than 50,000 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, the farm-boy-turned-mass-media star was declared “blessed” after the reading of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Midwesterner.Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.Sheen was born in Illinois in 1895 and ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. He later became an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of New York and then bishop of Rochester, New York.His international fame was largely due to his ability to use the new forms of media of his time to proclaim the Catholic faith.Through his television program “Life Is Worth Living,” broadcast during the 1950s, Sheen brought reflections on faith, morality, and the meaning of life into millions of homes, becoming one of the most recognizable Catholic figures on American television.Mark Irons and Jonah McKeown contributed to this report.This story was updated at 4:02 p.m. ET on Sept. 26, 2026, with the statement from the Diocese of Peoria/Bishop Tylka and comments to Mark Irons.

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The combined parish of St. Mary in El Paso, Illinois, and St. John in Benson, Illinois, will be the first parish in the world to be named after the new blessed.

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From foster care to Lourdes: Young convert leaves job to see pope, embrace monastic life – #Catholic – LOURDES, France — The exceptional fervor that marked the pope’s visit to Paris — the first stage of his Sept. 25–28 apostolic journey to France — should show no sign of waning in Lourdes, where tens of thousands of faithful are expected to gather around the famous grotto of Massabielle when Leo XIV comes to pray there on the evening of Sept. 26, ahead of an outdoor Mass on the sanctuary’s meadow and the traditional torchlight procession the following day. Among them will be a 27-year-old woman who will attend alongside a group of Cistercian nuns, hoping the visit will confirm the call to contemplative life she has felt since returning to the faith during the COVID-19 crisis. It is no coincidence that Yohanna, a sign-language interpreter for deaf people, has chosen Lourdes to mark this new beginning after years of volunteering with people with disabilities. It is a few dozen miles from here, at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Boulaur, one of the strongholds of monastic renewal in France, that her vocation took shape. And it is to join this community as an aspirant that she quit her job in Paris, just in time not to miss the Holy Father’s visit.Her story reflects a broader generational movement in France, where adult baptisms reached a new record this year, driven largely by young adults.  The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. | Credit: Solene Tadie ‘I wanted to give God everything’But Yohanna’s story is a singular testament to divine grace. Placed in foster care at the age of 4, she grew up far from any religious practice in a life marked early on by bereavement and solitude.Like so many of her generation, she first went looking for answers in the spiritual movements close to the New Age that flourish among young French people — an exploration that left its mark, literally, in the tattoos she still carries. She evokes these wanderings today with a smile rather than regret, for it was through them, she believes, that she eventually found her way back to God.That way opened in the spring of 2020, in a university residence emptied by the first COVID-19 lockdown. “All the students had left, and it felt a bit like the end of the world,” she recalled. “I had nothing; I had no one. And suddenly there was this thought of God that took hold of me. I became really eager to know more about him.”She began learning how to pray through online resources and quickly made prayer part of her daily life. Once the lockdown was lifted, she developed a taste for stepping into every church she encountered to pray alone, while avoiding Masses, since she didn’t know any of the customs. The turning point came in 2023, when she moved to Paris and walked into a church on a weekday, just as a Mass was beginning.“I didn’t even know there was a consecration, although it is the heart of the Catholic Mass. But I spent that whole celebration crying at the back of the church,” she remembered. “And at the end I said to the Lord: OK, I’ve understood. Now I want to give you everything, really everything, my whole life. Do what you want with me. And from that moment on, everything changed.” After settling in a parish in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, she undertook a period of catechetical formation and received the sacrament of confirmation.During the National Pilgrimage each August, she serves as an interpreter for deaf-blind pilgrims — an experience that transformed her understanding of the sanctuary. “The real miracle of Lourdes,” she said, “is perhaps simply that we all end up together.”Her conversion was followed by the call to consecrated life almost immediately, but she was determined not to rush her decision, having been warned that new converts “might be very enthusiastic and immediately think of consecrated life, only to give it up quickly.” The Grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. | Credit: Solene Tadie An unexpected callGuided by her parish priest and the vocations service of the Archdiocese of Paris, she began discerning with apostolic sisters, cloistered life being the last thing on her mind. “Given my personal background, I had enormous clichés about monastic life,” she said. “I imagined all sorts of old-fashioned things.”It was in the middle of a difficult university year, at the end of December 2024, that she first went to the Cistercian abbey of Boulaur, simply because she “had always heard that monasteries were a good place to rest and get some air.” She has returned every holiday since. When the sisters offered her a stay inside the enclosure, she accepted with the thought that it would only confirm her prejudices.“I thought that going inside the cloister for the first time would help me understand that this was not my path at all, and that would settle it,” she said. “But when I experienced the cloister for the first time, it was incredible. I felt completely in my place.”“The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves,” she continued. “Sometimes he leads us to things that at first seem absurd, and afterward you realize that it fits perfectly.”At the 2025 Jubilee of Youth in Rome, she encountered the universal Church for the first time among thousands of young people “so different from each other, and all there for the Lord.” That experience now shapes her expectations for Leo’s visit to a France witnessing record numbers of adult baptisms. Reflecting on the pope’s forthcoming visit to Lourdes, which Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes has described as that of “a simple pilgrim,” she said: “Pope Leo knows what is happening in our country, and I’m sure his words will help us on our way.” The official program already includes a special prayer for France, asking the Virgin Mary for the renewal of Christian families and the flourishing of vocations, “especially priestly and religious.”Yohanna’s own vocation initially alarmed her foster parents. But faced with her perseverance and joy, they agreed to drive her to Boulaur themselves, giving them an opportunity to meet the sisters and discover the life she is preparing to embrace. From there, they will travel together to Lourdes for the pope’s visit.“It will be a chance for them to meet the sisters and to see what a monastery really is, not just what people imagine,” she said. “That’s already a big step.”Her aspirancy, the first step on the long road to the novitiate, is to last until June. She said her heart is “completely open” to what it will reveal. “If God calls me there, I’ll be so happy that I’ll offer him a big yes, with all my heart.”
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From foster care to Lourdes: Young convert leaves job to see pope, embrace monastic life – #Catholic – LOURDES, France — The exceptional fervor that marked the pope’s visit to Paris — the first stage of his Sept. 25–28 apostolic journey to France — should show no sign of waning in Lourdes, where tens of thousands of faithful are expected to gather around the famous grotto of Massabielle when Leo XIV comes to pray there on the evening of Sept. 26, ahead of an outdoor Mass on the sanctuary’s meadow and the traditional torchlight procession the following day. Among them will be a 27-year-old woman who will attend alongside a group of Cistercian nuns, hoping the visit will confirm the call to contemplative life she has felt since returning to the faith during the COVID-19 crisis. It is no coincidence that Yohanna, a sign-language interpreter for deaf people, has chosen Lourdes to mark this new beginning after years of volunteering with people with disabilities. It is a few dozen miles from here, at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Boulaur, one of the strongholds of monastic renewal in France, that her vocation took shape. And it is to join this community as an aspirant that she quit her job in Paris, just in time not to miss the Holy Father’s visit.Her story reflects a broader generational movement in France, where adult baptisms reached a new record this year, driven largely by young adults.  The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. | Credit: Solene Tadie ‘I wanted to give God everything’But Yohanna’s story is a singular testament to divine grace. Placed in foster care at the age of 4, she grew up far from any religious practice in a life marked early on by bereavement and solitude.Like so many of her generation, she first went looking for answers in the spiritual movements close to the New Age that flourish among young French people — an exploration that left its mark, literally, in the tattoos she still carries. She evokes these wanderings today with a smile rather than regret, for it was through them, she believes, that she eventually found her way back to God.That way opened in the spring of 2020, in a university residence emptied by the first COVID-19 lockdown. “All the students had left, and it felt a bit like the end of the world,” she recalled. “I had nothing; I had no one. And suddenly there was this thought of God that took hold of me. I became really eager to know more about him.”She began learning how to pray through online resources and quickly made prayer part of her daily life. Once the lockdown was lifted, she developed a taste for stepping into every church she encountered to pray alone, while avoiding Masses, since she didn’t know any of the customs. The turning point came in 2023, when she moved to Paris and walked into a church on a weekday, just as a Mass was beginning.“I didn’t even know there was a consecration, although it is the heart of the Catholic Mass. But I spent that whole celebration crying at the back of the church,” she remembered. “And at the end I said to the Lord: OK, I’ve understood. Now I want to give you everything, really everything, my whole life. Do what you want with me. And from that moment on, everything changed.” After settling in a parish in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, she undertook a period of catechetical formation and received the sacrament of confirmation.During the National Pilgrimage each August, she serves as an interpreter for deaf-blind pilgrims — an experience that transformed her understanding of the sanctuary. “The real miracle of Lourdes,” she said, “is perhaps simply that we all end up together.”Her conversion was followed by the call to consecrated life almost immediately, but she was determined not to rush her decision, having been warned that new converts “might be very enthusiastic and immediately think of consecrated life, only to give it up quickly.” The Grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. | Credit: Solene Tadie An unexpected callGuided by her parish priest and the vocations service of the Archdiocese of Paris, she began discerning with apostolic sisters, cloistered life being the last thing on her mind. “Given my personal background, I had enormous clichés about monastic life,” she said. “I imagined all sorts of old-fashioned things.”It was in the middle of a difficult university year, at the end of December 2024, that she first went to the Cistercian abbey of Boulaur, simply because she “had always heard that monasteries were a good place to rest and get some air.” She has returned every holiday since. When the sisters offered her a stay inside the enclosure, she accepted with the thought that it would only confirm her prejudices.“I thought that going inside the cloister for the first time would help me understand that this was not my path at all, and that would settle it,” she said. “But when I experienced the cloister for the first time, it was incredible. I felt completely in my place.”“The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves,” she continued. “Sometimes he leads us to things that at first seem absurd, and afterward you realize that it fits perfectly.”At the 2025 Jubilee of Youth in Rome, she encountered the universal Church for the first time among thousands of young people “so different from each other, and all there for the Lord.” That experience now shapes her expectations for Leo’s visit to a France witnessing record numbers of adult baptisms. Reflecting on the pope’s forthcoming visit to Lourdes, which Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes has described as that of “a simple pilgrim,” she said: “Pope Leo knows what is happening in our country, and I’m sure his words will help us on our way.” The official program already includes a special prayer for France, asking the Virgin Mary for the renewal of Christian families and the flourishing of vocations, “especially priestly and religious.”Yohanna’s own vocation initially alarmed her foster parents. But faced with her perseverance and joy, they agreed to drive her to Boulaur themselves, giving them an opportunity to meet the sisters and discover the life she is preparing to embrace. From there, they will travel together to Lourdes for the pope’s visit.“It will be a chance for them to meet the sisters and to see what a monastery really is, not just what people imagine,” she said. “That’s already a big step.”Her aspirancy, the first step on the long road to the novitiate, is to last until June. She said her heart is “completely open” to what it will reveal. “If God calls me there, I’ll be so happy that I’ll offer him a big yes, with all my heart.”

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Among the throngs of pilgrims in Lourdes this weekend will be a 27-year-old woman who be there with a group of Cistercian nuns, hoping the visit will confirm her call to contemplative life.

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Pope Leo XIV in Paris: No one ‘is merely a number’ – #Catholic – PARIS — Pope Leo XIV told his congregation at an open-air Mass in Paris on Saturday that “none of us is merely a number or an entry in a register but a unique and irreplaceable person” in the eyes of God.Local authorities estimated the size of the crowd at 800,000, the Vatican said. Six young men with Down syndrome were among the many altar servers assisting Leo during the celebration Sept. 26. Numerous families with children sprawled on picnic blankets, babies slept in strollers, and gray-haired women sat in camp chairs as they waited for Mass to start.Some Catholics described waiting four to five hours to try to catch a glimpse of Leo as he drove nearly two miles down the Avenue of Champs-Élysées in the popemobile on his way from the Arche de Triomphe to the altar at the Place de la Concorde. Priests heard confessions on the sidewalk along the famous avenue. A young family waits for Pope Leo XIV’s open-air Mass to begin on Sept. 26, 2026, in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Once the site of one of the guillotines that decapitated more than 1,000 people during the French Revolution, including King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, the square was bathed in sunlight, the thick clouds of the morning having parted only 10 minutes before the start of Mass.Jean Noizet, his parents, and five siblings ages 9 to 22 were among those who waited hours along the route for the papal Mass, traveling in from a Paris suburb.The 15-year-old said his family wanted to show their unity with “all the Catholic Church.”“From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France,” Leo said in his homily.“Seeing you gathered here … heirs to France’s long and beautiful history of faith, I say to you: Drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus,” he said.“Yes, you thirst for God, for life, for truth, for unity, for peace, for communion, and for happiness. You long to rediscover a horizon filled with light and to build a renewed nation upon roots nourished by faith.” Pope Leo XIV gives his homily during the open-air Mass on Sept. 26, 2026, in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Thibault Lecauchois left home at 9 a.m. to travel two hours into the city for the Mass. He and his wife brought their 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son to see Pope Leo.He told EWTN News the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the pope in Paris was worth the challenges of the journey and waiting hours with two young children.“We wanted the kids to have the blessing of the pope, and we wanted to share the moment with the rest of the community of Catholics,” he said, noting that his daughter was delighted and shouted “Pape Leon” when she saw him.With tired kids, he was unsure they would be able to stay for the entire Mass, which started at 3 p.m. local time.“I think he’s a pope of hope. I think a message of peace is very important nowadays, and Iʼm eager for him to show it to the rest of the world. And I think Paris is a very good place to do so.”LourdesFollowing the Mass, Pope Leo embarked on the second leg of his trip, flying to Lourdes, at the foot of the Pyrénées in southwest France, where he will spend a day and half in prayer at the shrine where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette.The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world, draws more than 3 million people every year — many in search of miraculous physical healing.The 136-acre property includes the Grotto of Massabielle, where a young St. Bernadette Soubirous saw 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary starting on Feb. 11, 1858. Today, pilgrims to the sanctuary drink and bathe in the healing water Mary revealed to Bernadette.On Saturday evening, Leo was scheduled to pray at the grotto of the apparitions.
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Pope Leo XIV in Paris: No one ‘is merely a number’ – #Catholic – PARIS — Pope Leo XIV told his congregation at an open-air Mass in Paris on Saturday that “none of us is merely a number or an entry in a register but a unique and irreplaceable person” in the eyes of God.Local authorities estimated the size of the crowd at 800,000, the Vatican said. Six young men with Down syndrome were among the many altar servers assisting Leo during the celebration Sept. 26. Numerous families with children sprawled on picnic blankets, babies slept in strollers, and gray-haired women sat in camp chairs as they waited for Mass to start.Some Catholics described waiting four to five hours to try to catch a glimpse of Leo as he drove nearly two miles down the Avenue of Champs-Élysées in the popemobile on his way from the Arche de Triomphe to the altar at the Place de la Concorde. Priests heard confessions on the sidewalk along the famous avenue. A young family waits for Pope Leo XIV’s open-air Mass to begin on Sept. 26, 2026, in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Once the site of one of the guillotines that decapitated more than 1,000 people during the French Revolution, including King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, the square was bathed in sunlight, the thick clouds of the morning having parted only 10 minutes before the start of Mass.Jean Noizet, his parents, and five siblings ages 9 to 22 were among those who waited hours along the route for the papal Mass, traveling in from a Paris suburb.The 15-year-old said his family wanted to show their unity with “all the Catholic Church.”“From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France,” Leo said in his homily.“Seeing you gathered here … heirs to France’s long and beautiful history of faith, I say to you: Drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus,” he said.“Yes, you thirst for God, for life, for truth, for unity, for peace, for communion, and for happiness. You long to rediscover a horizon filled with light and to build a renewed nation upon roots nourished by faith.” Pope Leo XIV gives his homily during the open-air Mass on Sept. 26, 2026, in Paris. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Thibault Lecauchois left home at 9 a.m. to travel two hours into the city for the Mass. He and his wife brought their 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son to see Pope Leo.He told EWTN News the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the pope in Paris was worth the challenges of the journey and waiting hours with two young children.“We wanted the kids to have the blessing of the pope, and we wanted to share the moment with the rest of the community of Catholics,” he said, noting that his daughter was delighted and shouted “Pape Leon” when she saw him.With tired kids, he was unsure they would be able to stay for the entire Mass, which started at 3 p.m. local time.“I think he’s a pope of hope. I think a message of peace is very important nowadays, and Iʼm eager for him to show it to the rest of the world. And I think Paris is a very good place to do so.”LourdesFollowing the Mass, Pope Leo embarked on the second leg of his trip, flying to Lourdes, at the foot of the Pyrénées in southwest France, where he will spend a day and half in prayer at the shrine where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette.The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world, draws more than 3 million people every year — many in search of miraculous physical healing.The 136-acre property includes the Grotto of Massabielle, where a young St. Bernadette Soubirous saw 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary starting on Feb. 11, 1858. Today, pilgrims to the sanctuary drink and bathe in the healing water Mary revealed to Bernadette.On Saturday evening, Leo was scheduled to pray at the grotto of the apparitions.

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An estimated 800,000 people attended the pontiff’s open-air Mass.

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Knights of Columbus pitch their role at Symposium on Young American Men – #Catholic – A senior adviser to the Knights of Columbus discussed the need for men to have fraternal community at the Second Symposium on Young American Men held in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25.“We’re social beings, so we want to join communities … where we can be our authentic selves,” said Joseph McInerney, the Knights’ chief strategy adviser and senior vice president for leader development.The symposium, sponsored in part by the Knights, was focused on problems faced by young American men in 2026. The symposium focused primarily on public policy solutions advanced by both Republicans and Democrats but also included talks unrelated to government, such as McInerney’s, which was about the role of fraternal community in helping strengthen men.Other conference sponsors included the Institute for Family Studies, the National Parents Organization, and the Men’s Health Network. Although the Knights are known for being popular with older, retired men, McInerney noted significant growth in recent years with young men on college campuses and those who recently entered the workforce. He pointed out that men who are under 35 are the organization’s fastest-growing membership segment, and there are now more than 300 active college Knights councils, with nearly half of those in the United States.“The lifeblood of the Knights is young men,” McInerney said, adding that “it’s a place where they can … spend time with other men — their peers — and that, frankly, is very powerful.”McInerney pitched fraternal communities as a means to combat male loneliness and isolation but also to build up men into leaders and “better themselves so they can be better husbands, fathers, … and members of their community.”Warning against isolation, which McInerney said is amplified through the internet and media, he said: “We’re not made for that.” Rather, “we’re made for rich and beautiful relationships with the people that we love.”Although the broader symposium was not primarily focused on matters of faith, McInerney said a major attraction of the Knights for young men is faith formation. He referenced in particular the Knights’ Cor program, which develops small groups for men focused on prayer, formation, and fraternity. The Knights also run the McGivney Fellowship, which is a two-year leadership formation program.“They become good people,” McInerney said of the goals of the Knights’ programs. “They become people who are worthy of trust, and those are the type of people we want to lead us.”Speaking to EWTN News after his talk, McInerney noted that the uniqueness of the Knights of Columbus is that it is a Catholic fraternal organization that is also focused on serving others through charity, which he sees as another attraction for young men.“We want to help people spiritually, but we also have this mandate to serve,” he said. “Thatʼs why we exist, [it] is to help other people. And so, when you join the group, thatʼs kind of part of the package deal that we offer.”“Itʼs natural if youʼre working on your spiritual life, you want to share the grace that youʼre receiving in your relationship with God,” McInerney said.McInerney said Catholic men who wish to join can visit their website and get connected to a local council.“Whatever councilʼs closest to you, weʼll get that person in contact,” he said. “And then whatʼs most important. … Entry might be online there, but whatʼs most important is then getting that man in touch with a man face-to-face.”
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Knights of Columbus pitch their role at Symposium on Young American Men – #Catholic – A senior adviser to the Knights of Columbus discussed the need for men to have fraternal community at the Second Symposium on Young American Men held in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25.“We’re social beings, so we want to join communities … where we can be our authentic selves,” said Joseph McInerney, the Knights’ chief strategy adviser and senior vice president for leader development.The symposium, sponsored in part by the Knights, was focused on problems faced by young American men in 2026. The symposium focused primarily on public policy solutions advanced by both Republicans and Democrats but also included talks unrelated to government, such as McInerney’s, which was about the role of fraternal community in helping strengthen men.Other conference sponsors included the Institute for Family Studies, the National Parents Organization, and the Men’s Health Network. Although the Knights are known for being popular with older, retired men, McInerney noted significant growth in recent years with young men on college campuses and those who recently entered the workforce. He pointed out that men who are under 35 are the organization’s fastest-growing membership segment, and there are now more than 300 active college Knights councils, with nearly half of those in the United States.“The lifeblood of the Knights is young men,” McInerney said, adding that “it’s a place where they can … spend time with other men — their peers — and that, frankly, is very powerful.”McInerney pitched fraternal communities as a means to combat male loneliness and isolation but also to build up men into leaders and “better themselves so they can be better husbands, fathers, … and members of their community.”Warning against isolation, which McInerney said is amplified through the internet and media, he said: “We’re not made for that.” Rather, “we’re made for rich and beautiful relationships with the people that we love.”Although the broader symposium was not primarily focused on matters of faith, McInerney said a major attraction of the Knights for young men is faith formation. He referenced in particular the Knights’ Cor program, which develops small groups for men focused on prayer, formation, and fraternity. The Knights also run the McGivney Fellowship, which is a two-year leadership formation program.“They become good people,” McInerney said of the goals of the Knights’ programs. “They become people who are worthy of trust, and those are the type of people we want to lead us.”Speaking to EWTN News after his talk, McInerney noted that the uniqueness of the Knights of Columbus is that it is a Catholic fraternal organization that is also focused on serving others through charity, which he sees as another attraction for young men.“We want to help people spiritually, but we also have this mandate to serve,” he said. “Thatʼs why we exist, [it] is to help other people. And so, when you join the group, thatʼs kind of part of the package deal that we offer.”“Itʼs natural if youʼre working on your spiritual life, you want to share the grace that youʼre receiving in your relationship with God,” McInerney said.McInerney said Catholic men who wish to join can visit their website and get connected to a local council.“Whatever councilʼs closest to you, weʼll get that person in contact,” he said. “And then whatʼs most important. … Entry might be online there, but whatʼs most important is then getting that man in touch with a man face-to-face.”

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“The lifeblood of the Knights is young men,” said Joseph McInerney, who noted that men under 35 are currently the fraternal organization’s fastest-growing membership segment.

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Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon

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Resembling a lumpy chunk of coral floating through space, Hyperion is one of the weirdest moons not just of Saturn, but in the whole solar system. Its shape is irregular, its rotation is chaotic, and it looks oddly spongelike. On Sept. 26, 2005, Cassini completed its first flyby of this bizarre moon, giving NASA bothContinue reading “Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon”

The post Sept. 26, 2005: Cassini visits Saturn’s weirdest moon appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Try Not to Laugh as Kamala Harris Explains Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms (VIDEO) – During a recent podcast appearance, former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to explain artificial intelligence and algorithms. The post Try Not to Laugh as Kamala Harris Explains Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Try Not to Laugh as Kamala Harris Explains Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms (VIDEO) – During a recent podcast appearance, former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to explain artificial intelligence and algorithms. The post Try Not to Laugh as Kamala Harris Explains Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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During a recent podcast appearance, former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to explain artificial intelligence and algorithms.

The post Try Not to Laugh as Kamala Harris Explains Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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LAUGHABLE: Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki Lectures About the Importance of Media ‘Holding Power to Account’ (VIDEO) – Joe Biden’s White House press secretary Jen Psaki is tootin’ mad about Trump’s treatment of the press. The post LAUGHABLE: Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki Lectures About the Importance of Media ‘Holding Power to Account’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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LAUGHABLE: Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki Lectures About the Importance of Media ‘Holding Power to Account’ (VIDEO) – Joe Biden’s White House press secretary Jen Psaki is tootin’ mad about Trump’s treatment of the press. The post LAUGHABLE: Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki Lectures About the Importance of Media ‘Holding Power to Account’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Joe Biden’s White House press secretary Jen Psaki is tootin’ mad about Trump’s treatment of the press.

The post LAUGHABLE: Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki Lectures About the Importance of Media ‘Holding Power to Account’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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BEYOND PARODY: Maine Democrat Troy Jackson Booted From Facebook Group Supporting His Campaign – Troy Jackson is the Democrat running for U.S. The post BEYOND PARODY: Maine Democrat Troy Jackson Booted From Facebook Group Supporting His Campaign appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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BEYOND PARODY: Maine Democrat Troy Jackson Booted From Facebook Group Supporting His Campaign – Troy Jackson is the Democrat running for U.S. The post BEYOND PARODY: Maine Democrat Troy Jackson Booted From Facebook Group Supporting His Campaign appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Troy Jackson is the Democrat running for U.S.

The post BEYOND PARODY: Maine Democrat Troy Jackson Booted From Facebook Group Supporting His Campaign appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Over 150,000 visitors prepare to welcome Pope Leo in Lourdes #Catholic LOURDES, France — As Pope Leo XIV lands in Paris to begin the first official papal visit to France since 2008, pilgrims, organizers, and business owners in Lourdes are preparing for his arrival in the town expected on Saturday night.Patrick Vinuales, owner of Hôtels Vinuales — the largest hotel chain in Lourdes — told EWTN News: “The average number of people who would be staying in Lourdes is roughly 20,000. But for the Sunday Mass, there will be something like 150,000 people. We expect altogether an attendance of nearly a quarter of a million people over the weekend.”“What I think is very important is the enthusiasm of people. A lot of people have been calling us saying even if they couldnʼt come, they were so happy for the pope to come to Lourdes, to reveal more about the message of Our Lady to Bernadette,” he told EWTN News.Tourism is a big business in Lourdes. The town is widely considered to be the area with the highest concentration of hotels in France outside of Paris — rather unusual for a town with a population of 10,000. Hotel owners have been making the most of the increase in numbers.Joseph Tedesco, owner of the Grand Hôtel Moderne, built in 1896 by the nephew of St. Bernadette, told EWTN News: “Everybody increased their prices… We made a huge effort to welcome individuals, because usually itʼs mostly big dioceses… but this event made more individuals come and thatʼs a completely different type of business.”For the major ceremonies, tourists will need to have registered in advance, or they won’t be allowed into the sanctuary. “The biggest challenge is the people who organized the pilgrimage before they knew the pope was coming. There are a lot of people who donʼt have their ticket,” he said. “Our hotel is in the red area, so it wonʼt be accessible [by car].”Pope John Paul II visited Lourdes in 1983 and 2004. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI visited, which Tedesco recalls. “Two months after I bought the hotel 18 years ago, Pope Benedict XVI arrived… We didnʼt have all this security for sure. But thatʼs maybe because we didnʼt have the geopolitical problem that we have today.” Pilgrims gather to pray before Pope Leo arrives in Lourdes, France, during his papal trip to France Sept. 25-28, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley “This visit is, first and foremost, a visit by the Successor of Peter to strengthen his brothers in the faith and to address our society as a whole,” said Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas, bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.During this visit, Pope Leo will pray at the grotto and take part in the torchlight procession, meet with bishops of the French Episcopal Conference, celebrate Holy Mass, and meet the staff and sick community at Accueil Notre Dame, the main hospital for sick pilgrims.He also will meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse in the Church — a major focus for critics who argue the Church hasn’t confronted the problem fully.The visit also marks an increase in the number of attendees on organized pilgrimage groups. Most visitors to Lourdes come as part of an organized group, often with their local diocese.Caroline Trainor, a Lourdes organizer for Joe Walsh Tours, told EWTN News she had seen a huge increase in sign-ups. “When they heard that the pope was visiting, they were signing up to come back to be here over the weekend,” she said. “So thatʼs really positive for the future because it brings Lourdes back into the spotlight… Even coming in this morning, you can kind of feel this little ripple of excitement.”Lourdes’ story can be traced back to 1858, when St. Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old peasant girl, had apparitions of Our Lady in a small cave. A shrine was built there, and the Pyrenean town became a pilgrimage site known for its miraculous healings.Paul Eaton, president of Ireland’s national Carmelite pilgrimage, told EWTN News: “It’s just electrifying. You really have to come here to experience it. It’s just something else… weʼre so blessed to have this honor.”“When the news first came out, we thought ‘this is not happening!’ That increased our numbers, which was fantastic… Weʼre very lucky because we have an awful lot of the same people that come with us every year who are actually hooked… They love Lourdes. They really, really do.”Michael Murphy has been coming on pilgrimage to Lourdes for 19 years. He told EWTN News: “Thereʼs a draw that continually brings me back. Itʼs difficult to explain. Itʼs just the serenity and the atmosphere. For the dates and to align with the pope as well, it just made it extra special.”Organized pilgrimages to Lourdes often have two sides. Pilgrims can either join as someone in need of assistance or as a volunteer. Those with learning or physical disabilities spend the week being assisted by volunteers, who help them with their daily needs.Clíona, a first-time pilgrim, told EWTN News: “I heard people describing Lourdes before, but I never expected it just to be like this. Thereʼs something about it. Itʼs like a magical place.”“Itʼs a different experience than Iʼve ever experienced before,” Harry Lynch, another first-time pilgrim, told EWTN News. “I wasnʼt expecting it to be this busy. Everyoneʼs very excited about everything thatʼs about to happen.”Martin has been visiting Lourdes for 20 years from Ireland. He told EWTN News: “Weʼve got more youth coming now than we had years ago, which is great. With the visit of the pope, we’re getting two trips in one! Thereʼs so much excitement, so much talk about it, and itʼs a great thing for everyone. Some people donʼt get the chance to go to Rome, so they’re getting a real run for their money this year.”The visit is expected to provide a huge boost to Lourdes’ economy. Natasha Afonso, a local souvenir shop owner, told EWTN News: “When tourists found out the pope was coming, many delayed their trips to align the dates. So, we lost a lot of business in the middle [of the] season, but now it’s growing again.”“Lourdes is known for its miracles, so it’s good for the publicity, for the young people, and the new generations to come.”
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Over 150,000 visitors prepare to welcome Pope Leo in Lourdes #Catholic LOURDES, France — As Pope Leo XIV lands in Paris to begin the first official papal visit to France since 2008, pilgrims, organizers, and business owners in Lourdes are preparing for his arrival in the town expected on Saturday night.Patrick Vinuales, owner of Hôtels Vinuales — the largest hotel chain in Lourdes — told EWTN News: “The average number of people who would be staying in Lourdes is roughly 20,000. But for the Sunday Mass, there will be something like 150,000 people. We expect altogether an attendance of nearly a quarter of a million people over the weekend.”“What I think is very important is the enthusiasm of people. A lot of people have been calling us saying even if they couldnʼt come, they were so happy for the pope to come to Lourdes, to reveal more about the message of Our Lady to Bernadette,” he told EWTN News.Tourism is a big business in Lourdes. The town is widely considered to be the area with the highest concentration of hotels in France outside of Paris — rather unusual for a town with a population of 10,000. Hotel owners have been making the most of the increase in numbers.Joseph Tedesco, owner of the Grand Hôtel Moderne, built in 1896 by the nephew of St. Bernadette, told EWTN News: “Everybody increased their prices… We made a huge effort to welcome individuals, because usually itʼs mostly big dioceses… but this event made more individuals come and thatʼs a completely different type of business.”For the major ceremonies, tourists will need to have registered in advance, or they won’t be allowed into the sanctuary. “The biggest challenge is the people who organized the pilgrimage before they knew the pope was coming. There are a lot of people who donʼt have their ticket,” he said. “Our hotel is in the red area, so it wonʼt be accessible [by car].”Pope John Paul II visited Lourdes in 1983 and 2004. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI visited, which Tedesco recalls. “Two months after I bought the hotel 18 years ago, Pope Benedict XVI arrived… We didnʼt have all this security for sure. But thatʼs maybe because we didnʼt have the geopolitical problem that we have today.” Pilgrims gather to pray before Pope Leo arrives in Lourdes, France, during his papal trip to France Sept. 25-28, 2026. | Credit: Elliot Hartley “This visit is, first and foremost, a visit by the Successor of Peter to strengthen his brothers in the faith and to address our society as a whole,” said Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas, bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.During this visit, Pope Leo will pray at the grotto and take part in the torchlight procession, meet with bishops of the French Episcopal Conference, celebrate Holy Mass, and meet the staff and sick community at Accueil Notre Dame, the main hospital for sick pilgrims.He also will meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse in the Church — a major focus for critics who argue the Church hasn’t confronted the problem fully.The visit also marks an increase in the number of attendees on organized pilgrimage groups. Most visitors to Lourdes come as part of an organized group, often with their local diocese.Caroline Trainor, a Lourdes organizer for Joe Walsh Tours, told EWTN News she had seen a huge increase in sign-ups. “When they heard that the pope was visiting, they were signing up to come back to be here over the weekend,” she said. “So thatʼs really positive for the future because it brings Lourdes back into the spotlight… Even coming in this morning, you can kind of feel this little ripple of excitement.”Lourdes’ story can be traced back to 1858, when St. Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old peasant girl, had apparitions of Our Lady in a small cave. A shrine was built there, and the Pyrenean town became a pilgrimage site known for its miraculous healings.Paul Eaton, president of Ireland’s national Carmelite pilgrimage, told EWTN News: “It’s just electrifying. You really have to come here to experience it. It’s just something else… weʼre so blessed to have this honor.”“When the news first came out, we thought ‘this is not happening!’ That increased our numbers, which was fantastic… Weʼre very lucky because we have an awful lot of the same people that come with us every year who are actually hooked… They love Lourdes. They really, really do.”Michael Murphy has been coming on pilgrimage to Lourdes for 19 years. He told EWTN News: “Thereʼs a draw that continually brings me back. Itʼs difficult to explain. Itʼs just the serenity and the atmosphere. For the dates and to align with the pope as well, it just made it extra special.”Organized pilgrimages to Lourdes often have two sides. Pilgrims can either join as someone in need of assistance or as a volunteer. Those with learning or physical disabilities spend the week being assisted by volunteers, who help them with their daily needs.Clíona, a first-time pilgrim, told EWTN News: “I heard people describing Lourdes before, but I never expected it just to be like this. Thereʼs something about it. Itʼs like a magical place.”“Itʼs a different experience than Iʼve ever experienced before,” Harry Lynch, another first-time pilgrim, told EWTN News. “I wasnʼt expecting it to be this busy. Everyoneʼs very excited about everything thatʼs about to happen.”Martin has been visiting Lourdes for 20 years from Ireland. He told EWTN News: “Weʼve got more youth coming now than we had years ago, which is great. With the visit of the pope, we’re getting two trips in one! Thereʼs so much excitement, so much talk about it, and itʼs a great thing for everyone. Some people donʼt get the chance to go to Rome, so they’re getting a real run for their money this year.”The visit is expected to provide a huge boost to Lourdes’ economy. Natasha Afonso, a local souvenir shop owner, told EWTN News: “When tourists found out the pope was coming, many delayed their trips to align the dates. So, we lost a lot of business in the middle [of the] season, but now it’s growing again.”“Lourdes is known for its miracles, so it’s good for the publicity, for the young people, and the new generations to come.”

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As Pope Leo XIV makes his way to Lourdes later on Sept. 26 as part of his four-day trip to France, pilgrims, local residents, and business owners in the famous town prepare with excitement.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 26 September 2026 – A reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes 11:9—12:8 Rejoice, O young man, while you are young  and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment. Ward off grief from your heart and put away trouble from your presence, though the dawn of youth is fleeting. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come And the years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them; Before the sun is darkened, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, while the clouds return after the rain; When the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, And the grinders are idle because they are few, and they who look through the windows grow blind; When the doors to the street are shut, and the sound of the mill is low; When one waits for the chirp of a bird, but all the daughters of song are suppressed; And one fears heights, and perils in the street; When the almond tree blooms, and the locust grows sluggish and the caper berry is without effect, Because man goes to his lasting home, and mourners go about the streets; Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken, And the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the broken pulley falls into the well, And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, all things are vanity!From the Gospel according to Luke 9:43b-45 While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”  But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.They were afraid of the cross. Peter himself, after that solemn confession in the region of Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus said this once again, rebuked the Lord, saying to Him: “No, never, Lord! Not this!” He was afraid of the cross. But it was not only the disciples, not only Peter; Jesus Himself was afraid of the cross. He could not deceive Himself; He knew. And so great was His fear that on that Thursday evening, He sweated blood. So great was Jesus’ fear that He spoke almost the same words as Peter. Almost: “Father, take this cup away from me”; but He added, “Your will must be done”. That is the difference. (…) We must ask for the grace not to flee from the cross when it comes. With fear, it is true; it frightens us. (…) Very close to Jesus on the cross is His mother, His mama. Let us pray to her, and we would do well to ask her to grant us the grace not to take away our fear – it is natural to be afraid of the cross – but not to let us be terrified and flee from the cross. She was there, and she knows how to stand by the cross. (Pope Francis, Homily at Santa Marta, 28 September 2013)

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A reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes
11:9—12:8

Rejoice, O young man, while you are young 
and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart,
the vision of your eyes;
Yet understand that as regards all this
God will bring you to judgment.
Ward off grief from your heart
and put away trouble from your presence,
though the dawn of youth is fleeting.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the evil days come
And the years approach of which you will say,
I have no pleasure in them;
Before the sun is darkened,
and the light, and the moon, and the stars,
while the clouds return after the rain;
When the guardians of the house tremble,
and the strong men are bent,
And the grinders are idle because they are few,
and they who look through the windows grow blind;
When the doors to the street are shut,
and the sound of the mill is low;
When one waits for the chirp of a bird,
but all the daughters of song are suppressed;
And one fears heights,
and perils in the street;
When the almond tree blooms,
and the locust grows sluggish
and the caper berry is without effect,
Because man goes to his lasting home,
and mourners go about the streets;
Before the silver cord is snapped
and the golden bowl is broken,
And the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the broken pulley falls into the well,
And the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the life breath returns to God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
all things are vanity!

From the Gospel according to Luke
9:43b-45

While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” 
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

They were afraid of the cross. Peter himself, after that solemn confession in the region of Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus said this once again, rebuked the Lord, saying to Him: “No, never, Lord! Not this!” He was afraid of the cross. But it was not only the disciples, not only Peter; Jesus Himself was afraid of the cross. He could not deceive Himself; He knew. And so great was His fear that on that Thursday evening, He sweated blood. So great was Jesus’ fear that He spoke almost the same words as Peter. Almost: “Father, take this cup away from me”; but He added, “Your will must be done”. That is the difference. (…) We must ask for the grace not to flee from the cross when it comes. With fear, it is true; it frightens us. (…) Very close to Jesus on the cross is His mother, His mama. Let us pray to her, and we would do well to ask her to grant us the grace not to take away our fear – it is natural to be afraid of the cross – but not to let us be terrified and flee from the cross. She was there, and she knows how to stand by the cross. (Pope Francis, Homily at Santa Marta, 28 September 2013)

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Thousands of young French Catholics converge on soccer stadium for prayer with Pope Leo #Catholic SAINT-DENIS, France — At least 80,000 young Catholics flocked to France’s national soccer stadium north of Paris on Friday night to pray with Pope Leo XIV and to hear his message for the Church.Whether they were lifting their arms in praise-and-worship or silently venerating the relics of saints and the Holy Tunic of Christ, the entire Stade de France was united in prayer before Leo’s arrival and throughout an hour and a half-long program.People from working-class suburbs stood alongside families from the more traditional Catholic milieu associated with the city of Versailles. In the lines outside the stadium, Breton and Vendéan flags — from regions with strong Catholic histories — stood alongside groups with a more popular, charismatic style.One young woman, 29-year-old Romance Bono, wiped tears from her eyes as the pope entered the stadium to deafening cheers.“It brought tears to my eyes because it’s such an emotional moment,” she told EWTN News. “Seeing all these young people cheering for the pope like a rock star, that is the strength of the Church, and it is the future of the Church here. It was very moving.” Young people greet Pope Leo XIV at a prayer vigil at Stade de France on Sept. 25, 2026 in Saint-Denis, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Soon after Pope Leoʼs arrival at the stadium, hundreds of young French Catholics staged an artistic performance depicting French saints and the history of the Church in France, including the use of live horses, and culminating in fireworks launched above the stadium.One 28-year-old volunteer, Jacques-Henri de Livron, told EWTN News that as soon as he heard the pope was coming to France, he decided to take a day off work to see him. He was so afraid of missing the events that he volunteered to make sure he could be in attendance. De Livron grew up in a Catholic environment, but returned to the faith in his twenties after painful deaths among his siblings and close friends. Those experiences, he said, made him recognize its value anew.“Christianity is really the religion of the human person,” he said. “In this age of narcissism, it helps us get out of ourselves, turn toward others and care about them instead of thinking only about ourselves. People often call it a religion of the book, or a religion of revelation. But it’s much more than that. It’s the religion of the human person.”De Livron also made a point of sharing his surname, which is unusual in France, where anticlerical culture is widespread and religious people usually ask to be identified in press reports only by their first names in order to avoid trouble at work. “I want to be part of a generation that stops being afraid to testify, that gives its name, and isn’t afraid of anything,” he said.Pierre-Alain Belaube, 34, described the effort to arrive hours early after a long day at work, and to fight the crowds to enter into the packed stadium, as “200% worth it. It’s a privilege to be here.”Belaube described himself as a formerly lukewarm Catholic, whose life was transformed when he read the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola.“I have the hope that many more young people will open their hearts to God and let him change their life,” he said. “I think that such an event can be, for many, the first milestone of a life-changing experience. I hope we will inspire many more young people to get to know Jesus.”Thibault, a religious brother who preferred not to give his last name because he did not have permission from his superiors to speak with reporters, accompanied 400 members from the youth movement of his religious community, the Missionaries of Divine Mercy, to the event.He told EWTN News that it is very moving to be surrounded by young people “wanting to say, ‘Here I am, I’m Catholic and I’m proud to show it.’”The young religious, who is also studying for the priesthood, said he hopes Leo’s visit to France “will contribute to the missionary awakening that needs to happen in France.”While the primarily secular country is seeing a surprising surge in baptisms, he said he thinks “Catholics still find it difficult to go out and meet people, to be missionaries in their daily lives.”“I think this could become a significant moment in the life of the Church in France.”In his message during the prayer, which included religious hymns and a Litany of Saints, Leo invited young people to shun evil and strive for good.“God is the Lord of history, and no matter what happens, he guides its course toward salvation. In Christ, every evil comes to an end, precisely because that end becomes the beginning of a new and eternal life,” he said.“The work well done, the work that is good, is the redemption that Jesus accomplishes for us,” Leo said. “Through his struggle against sin and death, Christ’s victory sets us free. He saves us from all evil and invites us to all that is good.”The pontiff also answered the questions of two young French people as part of the evening’s program.Chloé, 25, talked about her involvement in her parish and in a group of young Catholics “eager to live out and share their faith with others.” But she lamented that society “is founded on different principles” and sometimes has “no regard for the question of God.”Pope Leo responded that, “It is true, as you say, that the society in which we live seems indifferent to God. But the Lord is not indifferent to us! This is what matters, and what always gives us hope.”Chloé, who is from Saint-Denis, described the vitality of Catholic life there. Saint-Denis is often described as a quartier sensible (“a vulnerable neighborhood”). Her testimony echoed what EWTN News heard from local Catholics in the crowd, including people from immigrant backgrounds, about the life of the Church in their neighborhoods that have a strong Muslim presence.A young man from Burgundy, named François, also addressed the pope and asked him how young people can discern how the Lord is calling them to serve.Leo’s advice to young people was to keep their hearts open to the suffering of their peers, to follow Jesus, and to draw inspiration from the examples of the saints.“Even in the face of persecution, these brothers and sisters of ours opened paths of peace. Look to those priests who were passionate about Christ, such as St. Eugene de Mazenod and St. John Mary Vianney. Look to the mystical beauty of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus; the fervor in charity and mission of Blessed Pauline Jaricot; and the courage of the 50 martyrs of the apostolate who served their brothers and sisters even to the point of sacrificing their own lives during the Second World War,” he said.“These saints changed the course of history by leading many people from hardship to hope, since they first changed their own hearts, transforming them in the light of faith.”The youth vigil was the pope’s last event on a packed first day in France. The Sept. 25-28 journey will also take him to Lourdes and Metz.
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Thousands of young French Catholics converge on soccer stadium for prayer with Pope Leo #Catholic SAINT-DENIS, France — At least 80,000 young Catholics flocked to France’s national soccer stadium north of Paris on Friday night to pray with Pope Leo XIV and to hear his message for the Church.Whether they were lifting their arms in praise-and-worship or silently venerating the relics of saints and the Holy Tunic of Christ, the entire Stade de France was united in prayer before Leo’s arrival and throughout an hour and a half-long program.People from working-class suburbs stood alongside families from the more traditional Catholic milieu associated with the city of Versailles. In the lines outside the stadium, Breton and Vendéan flags — from regions with strong Catholic histories — stood alongside groups with a more popular, charismatic style.One young woman, 29-year-old Romance Bono, wiped tears from her eyes as the pope entered the stadium to deafening cheers.“It brought tears to my eyes because it’s such an emotional moment,” she told EWTN News. “Seeing all these young people cheering for the pope like a rock star, that is the strength of the Church, and it is the future of the Church here. It was very moving.” Young people greet Pope Leo XIV at a prayer vigil at Stade de France on Sept. 25, 2026 in Saint-Denis, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Soon after Pope Leoʼs arrival at the stadium, hundreds of young French Catholics staged an artistic performance depicting French saints and the history of the Church in France, including the use of live horses, and culminating in fireworks launched above the stadium.One 28-year-old volunteer, Jacques-Henri de Livron, told EWTN News that as soon as he heard the pope was coming to France, he decided to take a day off work to see him. He was so afraid of missing the events that he volunteered to make sure he could be in attendance. De Livron grew up in a Catholic environment, but returned to the faith in his twenties after painful deaths among his siblings and close friends. Those experiences, he said, made him recognize its value anew.“Christianity is really the religion of the human person,” he said. “In this age of narcissism, it helps us get out of ourselves, turn toward others and care about them instead of thinking only about ourselves. People often call it a religion of the book, or a religion of revelation. But it’s much more than that. It’s the religion of the human person.”De Livron also made a point of sharing his surname, which is unusual in France, where anticlerical culture is widespread and religious people usually ask to be identified in press reports only by their first names in order to avoid trouble at work. “I want to be part of a generation that stops being afraid to testify, that gives its name, and isn’t afraid of anything,” he said.Pierre-Alain Belaube, 34, described the effort to arrive hours early after a long day at work, and to fight the crowds to enter into the packed stadium, as “200% worth it. It’s a privilege to be here.”Belaube described himself as a formerly lukewarm Catholic, whose life was transformed when he read the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola.“I have the hope that many more young people will open their hearts to God and let him change their life,” he said. “I think that such an event can be, for many, the first milestone of a life-changing experience. I hope we will inspire many more young people to get to know Jesus.”Thibault, a religious brother who preferred not to give his last name because he did not have permission from his superiors to speak with reporters, accompanied 400 members from the youth movement of his religious community, the Missionaries of Divine Mercy, to the event.He told EWTN News that it is very moving to be surrounded by young people “wanting to say, ‘Here I am, I’m Catholic and I’m proud to show it.’”The young religious, who is also studying for the priesthood, said he hopes Leo’s visit to France “will contribute to the missionary awakening that needs to happen in France.”While the primarily secular country is seeing a surprising surge in baptisms, he said he thinks “Catholics still find it difficult to go out and meet people, to be missionaries in their daily lives.”“I think this could become a significant moment in the life of the Church in France.”In his message during the prayer, which included religious hymns and a Litany of Saints, Leo invited young people to shun evil and strive for good.“God is the Lord of history, and no matter what happens, he guides its course toward salvation. In Christ, every evil comes to an end, precisely because that end becomes the beginning of a new and eternal life,” he said.“The work well done, the work that is good, is the redemption that Jesus accomplishes for us,” Leo said. “Through his struggle against sin and death, Christ’s victory sets us free. He saves us from all evil and invites us to all that is good.”The pontiff also answered the questions of two young French people as part of the evening’s program.Chloé, 25, talked about her involvement in her parish and in a group of young Catholics “eager to live out and share their faith with others.” But she lamented that society “is founded on different principles” and sometimes has “no regard for the question of God.”Pope Leo responded that, “It is true, as you say, that the society in which we live seems indifferent to God. But the Lord is not indifferent to us! This is what matters, and what always gives us hope.”Chloé, who is from Saint-Denis, described the vitality of Catholic life there. Saint-Denis is often described as a quartier sensible (“a vulnerable neighborhood”). Her testimony echoed what EWTN News heard from local Catholics in the crowd, including people from immigrant backgrounds, about the life of the Church in their neighborhoods that have a strong Muslim presence.A young man from Burgundy, named François, also addressed the pope and asked him how young people can discern how the Lord is calling them to serve.Leo’s advice to young people was to keep their hearts open to the suffering of their peers, to follow Jesus, and to draw inspiration from the examples of the saints.“Even in the face of persecution, these brothers and sisters of ours opened paths of peace. Look to those priests who were passionate about Christ, such as St. Eugene de Mazenod and St. John Mary Vianney. Look to the mystical beauty of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus; the fervor in charity and mission of Blessed Pauline Jaricot; and the courage of the 50 martyrs of the apostolate who served their brothers and sisters even to the point of sacrificing their own lives during the Second World War,” he said.“These saints changed the course of history by leading many people from hardship to hope, since they first changed their own hearts, transforming them in the light of faith.”The youth vigil was the pope’s last event on a packed first day in France. The Sept. 25-28 journey will also take him to Lourdes and Metz.

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France’s Catholic culture and the energy of the country’s young people stole the show at a prayer vigil at the national stadium in Saint-Denis, France.

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Pope Leo XIV arrives in Paris at start of 4-day visit to France #Catholic PARIS — Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit to the country that begins with a packed first day, with stops at UNESCO headquarters, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the national stadium for a prayer vigil with 80,000 young people. Leo is the first pope to visit Paris since Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.Leo was welcomed at Paris Orly Airport by President Emmanuel Macron. Two local children presented flowers as the pontiff was given military honors — a formal ceremonial tribute — before entering a room of the airport with the French president for a private conversation.During the flight from Rome, the pope told reporters that he would address “a number of very important topics” during his visit. “I above all am traveling to France, as anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ who wants to bring peace of Christ throughout the world,” he said.The pope’s first stop in the French capital will be the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, an 18th-century mansion surrounded by elaborate landscaped gardens.There, Leo will again have time to speak with Macron, before delivering the first official speech of the trip, addressed to political authorities and members of civil society, the business world, and the diplomatic corps.Among the most sensitive issues that the pope is expected to address are end-of-life questions. France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. After a break for lunch, the Holy Father will visit the headquarters of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — a specialized UN agency that preserves cultural heritage sites and promotes peace, sustainable development, and human rights.
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Pope Leo XIV arrives in Paris at start of 4-day visit to France #Catholic PARIS — Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit to the country that begins with a packed first day, with stops at UNESCO headquarters, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the national stadium for a prayer vigil with 80,000 young people. Leo is the first pope to visit Paris since Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.Leo was welcomed at Paris Orly Airport by President Emmanuel Macron. Two local children presented flowers as the pontiff was given military honors — a formal ceremonial tribute — before entering a room of the airport with the French president for a private conversation.During the flight from Rome, the pope told reporters that he would address “a number of very important topics” during his visit. “I above all am traveling to France, as anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ who wants to bring peace of Christ throughout the world,” he said.The pope’s first stop in the French capital will be the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, an 18th-century mansion surrounded by elaborate landscaped gardens.There, Leo will again have time to speak with Macron, before delivering the first official speech of the trip, addressed to political authorities and members of civil society, the business world, and the diplomatic corps.Among the most sensitive issues that the pope is expected to address are end-of-life questions. France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. After a break for lunch, the Holy Father will visit the headquarters of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — a specialized UN agency that preserves cultural heritage sites and promotes peace, sustainable development, and human rights.

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The pontiff is expected to proclaim Catholic social teaching to a secular country showing signs of Christian revival.

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Blessed Fulton J. Sheen: His beatification in photos – #Catholic – The beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen took place at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis on Sept. 24 with tens of thousands of the faithful in attendance. Pope Leo XIV issued a papal decree granting that Fulton Sheen “may henceforth be called blessed.” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, acting as the pope’s legate, read the apostolic letter at the Mass in St. Louis.Blessed Fulton Sheen’s feast day will be Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. That date also marks the first apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in 1531. Clouds pass behind the twin towers of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, on Sept. 23, 2026, the day before the beatification in St. Louis of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Sheen is buried at the cathedral. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A young woman prays with her hands clasped near the covered tomb of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in the cathedral at Peoria, Illiniois. The visit took place on Sept. 23, 2026, the eve of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheenʼs beatification in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A display at the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Museum recalls Sheenʼs pioneering work in television evangelization, with images of the archbishop beside a vintage television camera. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno An overhead view shows the procession and the congregation filling the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis for solemn vespers on Sept. 23, 2026, the eve of Sheenʼs beatification. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno The vaulted ceiling and sanctuary of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria. Sheen was ordained here in 1919. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Pilgrims kneel in prayer before the covered tomb of now Blessed Fulton J. Sheen in a side chapel of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, on Sept. 23, 2026, the eve of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheenʼs beatification in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Timothy Dolan speaks at the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026 in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Priests process into the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen in St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno The Mass was held at the Dome at Americaʼs Center in St. Louis on. Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Priests, religious, and laypeople attended the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Bishops process into the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle delivers the homily at Sheenʼs beatification Mass. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A new image of Blessed Fulton Sheen is displayed after he is declared “blessed” at the Mass for his beatification on Sept. 24, 2026, at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Tagle elevates the Host at the beatification Mass for now Blessed Fulton Sheen. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A young girl looks pensive during the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Tagle stands before the new image of Blessed Fulton Sheen during the beatification Mass in St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
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Blessed Fulton J. Sheen: His beatification in photos – #Catholic – The beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen took place at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis on Sept. 24 with tens of thousands of the faithful in attendance. Pope Leo XIV issued a papal decree granting that Fulton Sheen “may henceforth be called blessed.” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, acting as the pope’s legate, read the apostolic letter at the Mass in St. Louis.Blessed Fulton Sheen’s feast day will be Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. That date also marks the first apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in 1531. Clouds pass behind the twin towers of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, on Sept. 23, 2026, the day before the beatification in St. Louis of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Sheen is buried at the cathedral. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A young woman prays with her hands clasped near the covered tomb of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in the cathedral at Peoria, Illiniois. The visit took place on Sept. 23, 2026, the eve of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheenʼs beatification in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A display at the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Museum recalls Sheenʼs pioneering work in television evangelization, with images of the archbishop beside a vintage television camera. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno An overhead view shows the procession and the congregation filling the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis for solemn vespers on Sept. 23, 2026, the eve of Sheenʼs beatification. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno The vaulted ceiling and sanctuary of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria. Sheen was ordained here in 1919. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Pilgrims kneel in prayer before the covered tomb of now Blessed Fulton J. Sheen in a side chapel of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, on Sept. 23, 2026, the eve of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheenʼs beatification in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Timothy Dolan speaks at the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026 in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Priests process into the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen in St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno The Mass was held at the Dome at Americaʼs Center in St. Louis on. Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Priests, religious, and laypeople attended the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Bishops process into the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle delivers the homily at Sheenʼs beatification Mass. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A new image of Blessed Fulton Sheen is displayed after he is declared “blessed” at the Mass for his beatification on Sept. 24, 2026, at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Tagle elevates the Host at the beatification Mass for now Blessed Fulton Sheen. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno A young girl looks pensive during the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Cardinal Tagle stands before the new image of Blessed Fulton Sheen during the beatification Mass in St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

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Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was declared “blessed” by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 24.

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Practicing for Safe Landings on the Moon and Beyond – An Alta-X drone flies an advanced guidance and navigation system known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

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An Alta-X drone flies an advanced guidance and navigation system known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) experiment near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

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A ‘porter’ who led others to Christ: Archbishop Fulton Sheen declared ‘blessed’ – #Catholic – ST. LOUIS — Archbishop Fulton Sheen, despite his humble origins in small-town Illinois, aspired to great things as an academic and as a communicator of the Catholic faith. On Sept. 24, before a crowd of tens of thousands at The Dome at America’s Center, the farm-boy-turned-mass-media star was declared “blessed” after the reading of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Midwesterner.Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.Cardinal Luis Tagle, the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass, reflected on the meaning of “blessed” during his homily — noting that throughout history many who shared the Christian faith suffered persecution, yet their lives were still marked by joy. It is Sheen’s deep, humble relationship with Jesus Christ and his radical solidarity with the poor and vulnerable that characterized his life as a missionary, one that all Catholics should emulate, Tagle said.Despite his massive worldly popularity and the fact that he personally accompanied countless converts in their journey to become Catholic, Tagle noted that Sheen did not “claim” the converts as his own but rather described himself as a mere “porter” who led people to the “open door of the house of God.” Cardinal Luis Tagle serves as the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass on Sept. 24, 2026, in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno “It is for being a zealous and creative evangelizer, an advocate for mission that Fulton Sheen is called ‘blessed’ or ‘fortunate’ or ‘happy’… Blessed is the Evangelizer, converted by beholding and touching the wounds of the risen Christ in wounded brothers and sisters, blessed is the missionary who digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen!” Tagle proclaimed.Jam-packed crowds of Catholics of all ages — from the elderly who were around when Sheen’s shows first aired, to numerous families with small children — had descended on the stadium for the Mass, which began with a lengthy procession of some 1,000 priests, 89 bishops, and hundreds of seminarians and deacons.The actual moment when Sheen became “blessed” happened early in the proceedings, following the proclamation of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV. As is customary at beatifications, the decree was read first in Latin by Tagle, the pope’s representative and the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and afterward in the vernacular — in this case English — by Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, in whose diocese Sheen was born.Immediately following the reading, a portrait of Blessed Sheen was revealed showing him with a halo, to thunderous applause. The same portrait was simultaneously unveiled at his tomb at the Cathedral St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria. A new image of Blessed Fulton Sheen is displayed after he is declared “blessed” at the Mass for his beatification on Sept. 24, 2026, at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Earlier in the day, Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, announced that six purported miracles are attributed to the intercession of Sheen as part of the process that could lead to his canonization. Any purported miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession that has taken place since Pope Francis announced his beatification in July 2019 can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward.James Fulton Engstrom, recipient of the confirmed miracle that cleared the way for Sheen’s beatification, survived in spite of having spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The healthy 16-year-old presented several of Sheen’s relics during the beatification Mass today.Catholics from all over the world hailed Sheen’s example as a highly creative and effective missionary, who used every means available to him to share the love of Christ.Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, flew to the U.S. for his first-ever visit to the country to attend the beatification of Sheen, who previously served as the Pontifical Mission Societies’ national director for the U.S.“While I was in the seminary, I read about his book and about his life, and I was somewhat touched by his life. One of the things I have learned from him is the Holy Hour, spending an hour daily, and that has been part of my daily routine, which has been my source of inspiration,” Zaku said. “As the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, [we] promote the Mission Rosary, which Archbishop Fulton Sheen introduced … I pray it daily.”
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A ‘porter’ who led others to Christ: Archbishop Fulton Sheen declared ‘blessed’ – #Catholic – ST. LOUIS — Archbishop Fulton Sheen, despite his humble origins in small-town Illinois, aspired to great things as an academic and as a communicator of the Catholic faith. On Sept. 24, before a crowd of tens of thousands at The Dome at America’s Center, the farm-boy-turned-mass-media star was declared “blessed” after the reading of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Midwesterner.Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.Cardinal Luis Tagle, the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass, reflected on the meaning of “blessed” during his homily — noting that throughout history many who shared the Christian faith suffered persecution, yet their lives were still marked by joy. It is Sheen’s deep, humble relationship with Jesus Christ and his radical solidarity with the poor and vulnerable that characterized his life as a missionary, one that all Catholics should emulate, Tagle said.Despite his massive worldly popularity and the fact that he personally accompanied countless converts in their journey to become Catholic, Tagle noted that Sheen did not “claim” the converts as his own but rather described himself as a mere “porter” who led people to the “open door of the house of God.” Cardinal Luis Tagle serves as the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass on Sept. 24, 2026, in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno “It is for being a zealous and creative evangelizer, an advocate for mission that Fulton Sheen is called ‘blessed’ or ‘fortunate’ or ‘happy’… Blessed is the Evangelizer, converted by beholding and touching the wounds of the risen Christ in wounded brothers and sisters, blessed is the missionary who digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen!” Tagle proclaimed.Jam-packed crowds of Catholics of all ages — from the elderly who were around when Sheen’s shows first aired, to numerous families with small children — had descended on the stadium for the Mass, which began with a lengthy procession of some 1,000 priests, 89 bishops, and hundreds of seminarians and deacons.The actual moment when Sheen became “blessed” happened early in the proceedings, following the proclamation of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV. As is customary at beatifications, the decree was read first in Latin by Tagle, the pope’s representative and the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and afterward in the vernacular — in this case English — by Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, in whose diocese Sheen was born.Immediately following the reading, a portrait of Blessed Sheen was revealed showing him with a halo, to thunderous applause. The same portrait was simultaneously unveiled at his tomb at the Cathedral St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria. A new image of Blessed Fulton Sheen is displayed after he is declared “blessed” at the Mass for his beatification on Sept. 24, 2026, at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Earlier in the day, Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, announced that six purported miracles are attributed to the intercession of Sheen as part of the process that could lead to his canonization. Any purported miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession that has taken place since Pope Francis announced his beatification in July 2019 can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward.James Fulton Engstrom, recipient of the confirmed miracle that cleared the way for Sheen’s beatification, survived in spite of having spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The healthy 16-year-old presented several of Sheen’s relics during the beatification Mass today.Catholics from all over the world hailed Sheen’s example as a highly creative and effective missionary, who used every means available to him to share the love of Christ.Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, flew to the U.S. for his first-ever visit to the country to attend the beatification of Sheen, who previously served as the Pontifical Mission Societies’ national director for the U.S.“While I was in the seminary, I read about his book and about his life, and I was somewhat touched by his life. One of the things I have learned from him is the Holy Hour, spending an hour daily, and that has been part of my daily routine, which has been my source of inspiration,” Zaku said. “As the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, [we] promote the Mission Rosary, which Archbishop Fulton Sheen introduced … I pray it daily.”

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Pope Leo XIV announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death.

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Bishops ask Supreme Court for Catholic inclusion in Colorado universal preschool program – #Catholic – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Catholic schools in Colorado that want to be included in the state’s universal preschool program.Two parents, two Catholic parishes, and the Archdiocese of Denver are suing the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the state’s Universal Preschool Program. The USCCB’s amicus brief argues Catholic schools should be allowed to participate without compromising their faith.Although Colorado permits secular and faith-based schools to participate in the program, schools are prohibited from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in the admissions process. The schools argue that this prevents them from only admitting children if their parents agree with Church teachings on those issues.The USCCB’s amicus brief said the case was the latest example of states and cities using nondiscrimination rules to quietly pressure or sideline certain religious beliefs.“If this trend continues, it will impair the ability of Catholic organizations and other faith-based service providers to partner with state and local governments to serve the public,” it adds. “The resulting harm to the nation’s social support infrastructure would be immense.”The bishops urged the court to rule in favor of the Catholic schools and provide “clear instruction to courts across the country that religious organizations cannot be barred from participation in public life merely because they live out their sincerely held religious beliefs.”“[This] will ensure that these organizations can continue providing vital, irreplaceable services in partnership with the states while freely exercising their faith,” the court filing adds.Benedictine College gets candidate status for medical schoolBenedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, announced that its proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine received candidate status by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.“Achieving Candidate Status is a significant milestone for Benedictine College. It reflects the dedication and hard work of many people who have helped bring this vision forward,” Dr. Marla Golden, the founding dean, said in a statement. “Our attention now turns to the next major step of achieving Pre-Accreditation Status.”According to a news release, receiving candidate status allows the college to move forward toward the process of being accredited.Study shows economic impact of Franciscan UniversityA study by the analytics company Lightcast found that Franciscan University of Steubenville generates $81.2 million in its annual economic impact and supports 1,146 jobs in the Ohio Valley.According to a news release from the university, Franciscan’s economic impact was equal to about 1.6% of the Ohio Valley’s gross regional product. It found the university and its students supported 1 in every 45 regional jobs.“Franciscan University’s first mission is to form men and women in Christ and prepare them to serve God and others through their families, professions, and communities,” Father Dave Pivonka, university president, said in a statement.“This study gives us a remarkable glimpse at another dimension of that mission,” he said. Franciscan is also an economic anchor for the Ohio Valley — providing jobs, supporting businesses, bringing students and visitors to the region, and sending graduates into the world prepared to contribute and serve.”New Catholic head of Intercollegiate Studies InstituteThe Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) — founded by William F. Buckley and Frank Chodorov to support conservative college students — named Christopher Fisher, who has a background in Catholic education, as its new president.Fisher serves as superintendent of Catholic schools at the Archdiocese of San Francisco and previously worked as the executive director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture at Portsmouth Abbey, a Catholic monastery and boarding school.“Chrisʼs deep commitment to the enduring ideas of the Western tradition, his record of institutional leadership, and his passion for forming the next generation of thoughtful, engaged citizens make him exceptionally well-suited to lead ISI into its next chapter,” read an ISI post on X.In a post on X, Fisher said he is “honored and humbled to be chosen as the next President of ISI, and am deeply grateful to the Board for the opportunity to lead an institution that shaped my own education and vocation.”Tennessee school district adds Ten Commandments in schoolsThe Hamilton County School Board in Tennessee voted 6-4 to require all public schools in the county to display the Ten Commandments, joining at least five other counties that have adopted similar rules.These mandates come less than three months after a state law became effective, which expressly allows public schools and charter schools to display the Ten Commandments alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
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Bishops ask Supreme Court for Catholic inclusion in Colorado universal preschool program – #Catholic – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Catholic schools in Colorado that want to be included in the state’s universal preschool program.Two parents, two Catholic parishes, and the Archdiocese of Denver are suing the Colorado Department of Early Childhood and the state’s Universal Preschool Program. The USCCB’s amicus brief argues Catholic schools should be allowed to participate without compromising their faith.Although Colorado permits secular and faith-based schools to participate in the program, schools are prohibited from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in the admissions process. The schools argue that this prevents them from only admitting children if their parents agree with Church teachings on those issues.The USCCB’s amicus brief said the case was the latest example of states and cities using nondiscrimination rules to quietly pressure or sideline certain religious beliefs.“If this trend continues, it will impair the ability of Catholic organizations and other faith-based service providers to partner with state and local governments to serve the public,” it adds. “The resulting harm to the nation’s social support infrastructure would be immense.”The bishops urged the court to rule in favor of the Catholic schools and provide “clear instruction to courts across the country that religious organizations cannot be barred from participation in public life merely because they live out their sincerely held religious beliefs.”“[This] will ensure that these organizations can continue providing vital, irreplaceable services in partnership with the states while freely exercising their faith,” the court filing adds.Benedictine College gets candidate status for medical schoolBenedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, announced that its proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine received candidate status by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.“Achieving Candidate Status is a significant milestone for Benedictine College. It reflects the dedication and hard work of many people who have helped bring this vision forward,” Dr. Marla Golden, the founding dean, said in a statement. “Our attention now turns to the next major step of achieving Pre-Accreditation Status.”According to a news release, receiving candidate status allows the college to move forward toward the process of being accredited.Study shows economic impact of Franciscan UniversityA study by the analytics company Lightcast found that Franciscan University of Steubenville generates $81.2 million in its annual economic impact and supports 1,146 jobs in the Ohio Valley.According to a news release from the university, Franciscan’s economic impact was equal to about 1.6% of the Ohio Valley’s gross regional product. It found the university and its students supported 1 in every 45 regional jobs.“Franciscan University’s first mission is to form men and women in Christ and prepare them to serve God and others through their families, professions, and communities,” Father Dave Pivonka, university president, said in a statement.“This study gives us a remarkable glimpse at another dimension of that mission,” he said. Franciscan is also an economic anchor for the Ohio Valley — providing jobs, supporting businesses, bringing students and visitors to the region, and sending graduates into the world prepared to contribute and serve.”New Catholic head of Intercollegiate Studies InstituteThe Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) — founded by William F. Buckley and Frank Chodorov to support conservative college students — named Christopher Fisher, who has a background in Catholic education, as its new president.Fisher serves as superintendent of Catholic schools at the Archdiocese of San Francisco and previously worked as the executive director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture at Portsmouth Abbey, a Catholic monastery and boarding school.“Chrisʼs deep commitment to the enduring ideas of the Western tradition, his record of institutional leadership, and his passion for forming the next generation of thoughtful, engaged citizens make him exceptionally well-suited to lead ISI into its next chapter,” read an ISI post on X.In a post on X, Fisher said he is “honored and humbled to be chosen as the next President of ISI, and am deeply grateful to the Board for the opportunity to lead an institution that shaped my own education and vocation.”Tennessee school district adds Ten Commandments in schoolsThe Hamilton County School Board in Tennessee voted 6-4 to require all public schools in the county to display the Ten Commandments, joining at least five other counties that have adopted similar rules.These mandates come less than three months after a state law became effective, which expressly allows public schools and charter schools to display the Ten Commandments alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

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U.S. bishops are arguing Catholic schools should be allowed to participate in Colorado’s preschool program without compromising their faith, and more in this week’s Catholic education news roundup.

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Pope Leo, Hungarian prime minister discuss Ukraine, Middle East, and AI – #Catholic – VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the impact of artificial intelligence, and other challenges facing Europe during a private audience at the Vatican on Thursday.Magyar also formally invited the pope to visit Hungary and presented him with a book of memoirs by Cardinal József Mindszenty, the former archbishop of Esztergom and primate of Hungary who resisted both fascism and communism.Following the audience, Magyar, who won Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary elections, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 consecutive years in power, described the meeting on social media as “an honor” and “inspiring.”Magyar said the two spoke about the situation in Hungary, challenges facing Europe, the growing impact of artificial intelligence on society, and loneliness among young people.He also explained his approach to politics, which he said is based on “honesty, genuine human connection, and hard work.”“At the end of our meeting, I asked for a papal blessing for our country and invited the Holy Father to visit Hungary,” Magyar said.The Vatican said the discussions covered Hungary’s socioeconomic situation as well as education and “the protection of the most vulnerable Christian communities in various regions of the world.”The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine and the Middle East and expressed hope for greater international efforts to promote peace and negotiated solutions to ongoing conflicts.Magyar gave the pope a book of memoirs by Mindszenty, one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century Hungarian Catholicism. The cardinal, who lived from 1892 to 1975, faced imprisonment and persecution for his opposition to both fascism and Hungary’s communist regime.Portuguese president meets Pope LeoPope Leo also received Portuguese President António José Seguro on Thursday in their first official meeting since Seguro became head of state. Pope Leo XIV with Portuguese President António José Seguro at the Vatican on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Seguro subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.The Holy See said the talks covered Portugal’s socioeconomic situation, the promotion of the common good, and international affairs.“Some regional and international issues were addressed, with particular reference to the repercussions of conflicts around the world, migration, the importance of multilateralism and respect for international law, as well as the urgent need for a constant commitment to peace,” the Vatican said.The private audience lasted about 40 minutes. Seguro presented the pope with a porcelain sculpture of the crucified Christ made by Portuguese manufacturer Vista Alegre and designed by architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.Seguro had said Wednesday that he planned to convey “the friendship of the Portuguese people” and renew an invitation for Pope Leo to visit Portugal in 2027, when the country will mark the 500th anniversary of the apostolic nunciature.Pope Francis visited Portugal twice during his pontificate: in 2017 for the centenary of the Marian apparitions at Fátima and in 2023 for World Youth Day in Lisbon.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pope Leo, Hungarian prime minister discuss Ukraine, Middle East, and AI – #Catholic – VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the impact of artificial intelligence, and other challenges facing Europe during a private audience at the Vatican on Thursday.Magyar also formally invited the pope to visit Hungary and presented him with a book of memoirs by Cardinal József Mindszenty, the former archbishop of Esztergom and primate of Hungary who resisted both fascism and communism.Following the audience, Magyar, who won Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary elections, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 consecutive years in power, described the meeting on social media as “an honor” and “inspiring.”Magyar said the two spoke about the situation in Hungary, challenges facing Europe, the growing impact of artificial intelligence on society, and loneliness among young people.He also explained his approach to politics, which he said is based on “honesty, genuine human connection, and hard work.”“At the end of our meeting, I asked for a papal blessing for our country and invited the Holy Father to visit Hungary,” Magyar said.The Vatican said the discussions covered Hungary’s socioeconomic situation as well as education and “the protection of the most vulnerable Christian communities in various regions of the world.”The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine and the Middle East and expressed hope for greater international efforts to promote peace and negotiated solutions to ongoing conflicts.Magyar gave the pope a book of memoirs by Mindszenty, one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century Hungarian Catholicism. The cardinal, who lived from 1892 to 1975, faced imprisonment and persecution for his opposition to both fascism and Hungary’s communist regime.Portuguese president meets Pope LeoPope Leo also received Portuguese President António José Seguro on Thursday in their first official meeting since Seguro became head of state. Pope Leo XIV with Portuguese President António José Seguro at the Vatican on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Seguro subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.The Holy See said the talks covered Portugal’s socioeconomic situation, the promotion of the common good, and international affairs.“Some regional and international issues were addressed, with particular reference to the repercussions of conflicts around the world, migration, the importance of multilateralism and respect for international law, as well as the urgent need for a constant commitment to peace,” the Vatican said.The private audience lasted about 40 minutes. Seguro presented the pope with a porcelain sculpture of the crucified Christ made by Portuguese manufacturer Vista Alegre and designed by architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.Seguro had said Wednesday that he planned to convey “the friendship of the Portuguese people” and renew an invitation for Pope Leo to visit Portugal in 2027, when the country will mark the 500th anniversary of the apostolic nunciature.Pope Francis visited Portugal twice during his pontificate: in 2017 for the centenary of the Marian apparitions at Fátima and in 2023 for World Youth Day in Lisbon.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The pontiff also met Portugal’s president to discuss conflicts, migration, multilateralism, and international law.

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‘A foretaste of heaven’: Sheen beatification organizers eager for Mass – #Catholic – ST. LOUIS — For Bonnie Engstrom, who witnessed her newborn child miraculously healed through the intercession of soon-to-be Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the journey to the prelate’s beatification has been an “emotional roller coaster.”The Sept. 24 Mass will be “a foretaste of heaven,” she predicted, “where we are all going to be worshipping God together and celebrating the Church as a whole, and the power of the body of Christ and every good grace that God has given us. I am so looking forward to it,” Engstrom said at a Thursday morning press conference.Engstrom spoke to the media along with Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, and Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria. Gray said it is a relief, after years of technical investigations and paperwork, to see their work finally come to fruition and be able to join in the celebration of Sheen with the faithful.That said, Gray admitted he has been surprised during the process at how much attention Sheen has attracted, particularly among young people.“One question that came up early on [was]: Whoʼs going to care? All the people who knew him when his program was on are very old. But weʼve discovered young people are inspired by Sheen, because heʼs a voice of integrity that inspires people who did not know him in life, that have discovered him in the years since,” Gray said. “So itʼs just exciting to see how much enthusiasm there is,”Tylka agreed, highlighting the fact that Sheen pioneered “new media” in his day — attracting wide attention, including from non-Catholics — serving as an inspiration to those looking to do the same in 2026. He also showed how to bridge divisions in the Church and in the world because he “always spoke with the truth of the Gospel, with charity and with clarity.”“Sheenʼs message is timeless because he spoke the truth and he spoke the truth with clarity and charity. I think a lot of people in the world, especially young people, are searching for purpose and meaning and to have a voice that so convicted, he presents the truth of our faith, our belief in Jesus Christ, the truth that God loves us and that life is worth living. I think thatʼs very appealing,” Tylka said.‘Local boy’The beatification Mass Thursday afternoon will include 89 bishops, about 1,000 priests, about 850 each of seminarians and religious, and 250 deacons, along with about 50,000 total attendees, Gray said. The Mass, which can be viewed live on EWTN with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Leo XIV’s representative.James Fulton Engstrom, the third of Bonnie and Travis’ eight children and the recipient of the confirmed miracle that led to Sheen’s beatification, will play a part in the Mass by presenting several relics of Sheen onstage. Gray and Tylka both displayed two of the relics during the press conference: one of Sheen’s zuchettos — the reddish-purple skullcap worn by archbishops — and Sheen’s pectoral cross. One of Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s zuchettos, the reddish-purple skullcap worn by archbishops, is displayed during a press conference ahead of Sheenʼs beatification on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jonah McKeown/EWTN News James Fulton, who was born in 2010, spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat while his mother prayed fervently to Sheen to help her child — whom she and her husband had already named after the famous archbishop. Almost exactly 16 years later, James is a happy and healthy teenager. The fact that James’ healing was a miracle was attested to unanimously by the medical experts, cardinals and others at the Vatican tasked with investigating it. In a later on-air interview with EWTN on Thursday, his mother said she sees a connection between Sheen’s devotion to spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament every day and the 61 minutes her son lie lifeless.“As a laywoman, I was so impressed with how thorough the investigation was. And Travis and I felt very reassured that, wow, when the Catholic Church says something is a miracle, it is a miracle,” Engstrom commented during the press conference.When asked why she chose to call upon Sheen specifically in such a dire moment, Engstrom noted that Sheen had been a favorite of their family for years — a “local boy” with a down-to-earth Midwestern air, a “warm character” who reminded Engstrom of her own grandfather and great-grandfather. In that context, calling on Sheen during the worst hour of her and her husband’s life made complete sense, she said.Despite his highly unusual birth story, James himself is an ordinary kid, a “punk teenage boy,” Engstrom joked, who didn’t ask to be thrust into the spotlight. Nevertheless, he is also a “delightful young man” who is excited — albeit a little nervous — to play a part in the beatification Mass for the intercessor who helped save his life, Engstrom continued.“For all of our children, weʼve put all of our kids under the patronage of a saint and have really built a culture where we are celebrating feast days. We are calling on their intercession. I want all of my kids to feel like they have a squad that surrounds them, that is following them through life, praying for them, interceding, cheering them on,” she said.Gray noted that because the late Pope Francis originally announced Sheen’s beatification in July 2019, any purported miracle attributed to his intercession that has taken place since then can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward. Gray said the Vatican is considering six different potential miracles involving Sheen’s intercession, including an alleged instantaneous healing from cancer and a healing of another newborn from a condition similar to James’. Pope Leo, a native of Illinois like Sheen, is well aware of the archbishop’s cause, Tylka added.Both Tylka and Gray said they have no doubt that Sheen will one day be canonized.“Americaʼs bishop, as Sheen was known, is being beatified during the 250th anniversary of our nation,” Tylka said. “And we have a pope from Chicago, a native son of Illinois, who gave the green light for this to move forward. So I think all of those things say itʼs pretty opportune … I hope that the time between now and actual canonization wonʼt be that long.”
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‘A foretaste of heaven’: Sheen beatification organizers eager for Mass – #Catholic – ST. LOUIS — For Bonnie Engstrom, who witnessed her newborn child miraculously healed through the intercession of soon-to-be Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the journey to the prelate’s beatification has been an “emotional roller coaster.”The Sept. 24 Mass will be “a foretaste of heaven,” she predicted, “where we are all going to be worshipping God together and celebrating the Church as a whole, and the power of the body of Christ and every good grace that God has given us. I am so looking forward to it,” Engstrom said at a Thursday morning press conference.Engstrom spoke to the media along with Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, and Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria. Gray said it is a relief, after years of technical investigations and paperwork, to see their work finally come to fruition and be able to join in the celebration of Sheen with the faithful.That said, Gray admitted he has been surprised during the process at how much attention Sheen has attracted, particularly among young people.“One question that came up early on [was]: Whoʼs going to care? All the people who knew him when his program was on are very old. But weʼve discovered young people are inspired by Sheen, because heʼs a voice of integrity that inspires people who did not know him in life, that have discovered him in the years since,” Gray said. “So itʼs just exciting to see how much enthusiasm there is,”Tylka agreed, highlighting the fact that Sheen pioneered “new media” in his day — attracting wide attention, including from non-Catholics — serving as an inspiration to those looking to do the same in 2026. He also showed how to bridge divisions in the Church and in the world because he “always spoke with the truth of the Gospel, with charity and with clarity.”“Sheenʼs message is timeless because he spoke the truth and he spoke the truth with clarity and charity. I think a lot of people in the world, especially young people, are searching for purpose and meaning and to have a voice that so convicted, he presents the truth of our faith, our belief in Jesus Christ, the truth that God loves us and that life is worth living. I think thatʼs very appealing,” Tylka said.‘Local boy’The beatification Mass Thursday afternoon will include 89 bishops, about 1,000 priests, about 850 each of seminarians and religious, and 250 deacons, along with about 50,000 total attendees, Gray said. The Mass, which can be viewed live on EWTN with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Leo XIV’s representative.James Fulton Engstrom, the third of Bonnie and Travis’ eight children and the recipient of the confirmed miracle that led to Sheen’s beatification, will play a part in the Mass by presenting several relics of Sheen onstage. Gray and Tylka both displayed two of the relics during the press conference: one of Sheen’s zuchettos — the reddish-purple skullcap worn by archbishops — and Sheen’s pectoral cross. One of Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s zuchettos, the reddish-purple skullcap worn by archbishops, is displayed during a press conference ahead of Sheenʼs beatification on Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: Jonah McKeown/EWTN News James Fulton, who was born in 2010, spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat while his mother prayed fervently to Sheen to help her child — whom she and her husband had already named after the famous archbishop. Almost exactly 16 years later, James is a happy and healthy teenager. The fact that James’ healing was a miracle was attested to unanimously by the medical experts, cardinals and others at the Vatican tasked with investigating it. In a later on-air interview with EWTN on Thursday, his mother said she sees a connection between Sheen’s devotion to spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament every day and the 61 minutes her son lie lifeless.“As a laywoman, I was so impressed with how thorough the investigation was. And Travis and I felt very reassured that, wow, when the Catholic Church says something is a miracle, it is a miracle,” Engstrom commented during the press conference.When asked why she chose to call upon Sheen specifically in such a dire moment, Engstrom noted that Sheen had been a favorite of their family for years — a “local boy” with a down-to-earth Midwestern air, a “warm character” who reminded Engstrom of her own grandfather and great-grandfather. In that context, calling on Sheen during the worst hour of her and her husband’s life made complete sense, she said.Despite his highly unusual birth story, James himself is an ordinary kid, a “punk teenage boy,” Engstrom joked, who didn’t ask to be thrust into the spotlight. Nevertheless, he is also a “delightful young man” who is excited — albeit a little nervous — to play a part in the beatification Mass for the intercessor who helped save his life, Engstrom continued.“For all of our children, weʼve put all of our kids under the patronage of a saint and have really built a culture where we are celebrating feast days. We are calling on their intercession. I want all of my kids to feel like they have a squad that surrounds them, that is following them through life, praying for them, interceding, cheering them on,” she said.Gray noted that because the late Pope Francis originally announced Sheen’s beatification in July 2019, any purported miracle attributed to his intercession that has taken place since then can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward. Gray said the Vatican is considering six different potential miracles involving Sheen’s intercession, including an alleged instantaneous healing from cancer and a healing of another newborn from a condition similar to James’. Pope Leo, a native of Illinois like Sheen, is well aware of the archbishop’s cause, Tylka added.Both Tylka and Gray said they have no doubt that Sheen will one day be canonized.“Americaʼs bishop, as Sheen was known, is being beatified during the 250th anniversary of our nation,” Tylka said. “And we have a pope from Chicago, a native son of Illinois, who gave the green light for this to move forward. So I think all of those things say itʼs pretty opportune … I hope that the time between now and actual canonization wonʼt be that long.”

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The Sept. 24 beatification Mass will include 89 bishops, about 1,000 priests, about 850 each of seminarians and religious, and 250 deacons, along with about 50,000 total attendees, organizers said.

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Sheen beatification ‘a gift’ and a call to mission, say pilgrims in St. Louis #Catholic – ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — From across the United States and around the world, faithful of all ages have traveled to St. Louis for the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — and several pilgrims described the occasion as both a “gift” and a call to be missionary disciples. Dominique Abagi of Sydney traveled 12 hours from her vacation lodgings in Colombia to attend the celebration, which she described as a “must-go” opportunity. “I love his writing and I love his videos,” she said, speaking to OSV News after a Sept. 23 scheduled midday Mass at the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, located near the iconic Gateway Arch. Pilgrims filled both the pews and the confessionals at the basilica, prompting basilica rector and celebrant Father Nicholas W. Smith to quip that had he anticipated such a crowd, he would have “called in reinforcements.” Abagi said that she particularly appreciated Archbishop Sheen’s ability to make the truths of the Catholic faith accessible. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “I love that he explains things that seem complex, but when he says them, I’m like, ‘Oh no, that’s just true,’” she said. Fellow pilgrim and Mass attendee Carolyn Kwapich of Ave Maria, Florida, echoed that view. “I think he speaks so clearly that he’s almost a man for the common man,” she told OSV News. “He’s not speaking at a level that’s so high that people can’t relate to him. I think that you could always take something away from any of his preaching.” Archbishop Sheen’s keen awareness and spiritual foresight made him “a man of our times,” she said, noting that “Life of Christ” was one of her favorite books by Archbishop Sheen. Kwapich, a self-described Catholic “revert,” fought back tears as she said, “I love Fulton Sheen.” Kathleen Hastings of Phoenix, who was also at the Sept. 23 Mass, told OSV News she had an additional reason for being on hand. “He and my grandmother are second cousins. Their grandmothers were sisters,” she explained. “So I’m on the Fulton side; that’s why I came.” Hastings described the beatification as “very exciting.” “We hope he becomes a saint fairly soon,” she said. Ukrainian Catholic pilgrims attending the beatification pointed to Archbishop Sheen’s closeness to Eastern Catholics. Yuriy Melnik, a western Ukrainian native who along with his wife, Helena, now lives in Chicago, noted that Archbishop Sheen had priestly faculties in the Byzantine Catholic rite. “He was bi-ritual,” said Melnik, citing St. John Paul II’s metaphor of the “two lungs,” Eastern and Western, which both enable Jesus Christ’s Catholic Church to breathe fully. In a homily during a 1960 Melkite Divine Liturgy in Birmingham, Alabama, Archbishop Sheen pointed to the Byzantine rite as “the door” through which the Russian Orthodox Church would enter if it ever sought full communion with Rome. Melnik, who spoke with OSV News Sept. 23 following pre-beatification vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, also stressed Archbishop Sheen’s passionate opposition to communism. “He was a fierce fighter against communism, and that’s exactly what we (in Ukraine) experience in our life,” said Melnik, referencing Russia’s war on Ukraine. Initiated in 2014 and accelerated by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, the conflict has been classified as genocidal in multiple human rights reports. “We share so much in common with Fulton Sheen,” said Melnik. “That’s why he is so dear to our Ukrainian heart as well.” Fellow Ukrainian Catholic Olga Salheska — originally from Ternopil, Ukraine, and currently living in Chicago — said that Archbishop Sheen’s passion for the Gospel inspired hearts everywhere to become missionary disciples. “We need to evangelize as much as we can,” Salheska told OSV News. “It doesn’t matter where we live; it doesn’t matter what language you speak.” Archbishop Sheen’s beatification and its surrounding events have provided pilgrims renewed energy for their own missionary journey as fellow followers of Christ. “It’s a gift to be able to come,” Abagi said. Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.  
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Sheen beatification ‘a gift’ and a call to mission, say pilgrims in St. Louis #Catholic – ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — From across the United States and around the world, faithful of all ages have traveled to St. Louis for the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — and several pilgrims described the occasion as both a “gift” and a call to be missionary disciples. Dominique Abagi of Sydney traveled 12 hours from her vacation lodgings in Colombia to attend the celebration, which she described as a “must-go” opportunity. “I love his writing and I love his videos,” she said, speaking to OSV News after a Sept. 23 scheduled midday Mass at the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, located near the iconic Gateway Arch. Pilgrims filled both the pews and the confessionals at the basilica, prompting basilica rector and celebrant Father Nicholas W. Smith to quip that had he anticipated such a crowd, he would have “called in reinforcements.” Abagi said that she particularly appreciated Archbishop Sheen’s ability to make the truths of the Catholic faith accessible. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “I love that he explains things that seem complex, but when he says them, I’m like, ‘Oh no, that’s just true,’” she said. Fellow pilgrim and Mass attendee Carolyn Kwapich of Ave Maria, Florida, echoed that view. “I think he speaks so clearly that he’s almost a man for the common man,” she told OSV News. “He’s not speaking at a level that’s so high that people can’t relate to him. I think that you could always take something away from any of his preaching.” Archbishop Sheen’s keen awareness and spiritual foresight made him “a man of our times,” she said, noting that “Life of Christ” was one of her favorite books by Archbishop Sheen. Kwapich, a self-described Catholic “revert,” fought back tears as she said, “I love Fulton Sheen.” Kathleen Hastings of Phoenix, who was also at the Sept. 23 Mass, told OSV News she had an additional reason for being on hand. “He and my grandmother are second cousins. Their grandmothers were sisters,” she explained. “So I’m on the Fulton side; that’s why I came.” Hastings described the beatification as “very exciting.” “We hope he becomes a saint fairly soon,” she said. Ukrainian Catholic pilgrims attending the beatification pointed to Archbishop Sheen’s closeness to Eastern Catholics. Yuriy Melnik, a western Ukrainian native who along with his wife, Helena, now lives in Chicago, noted that Archbishop Sheen had priestly faculties in the Byzantine Catholic rite. “He was bi-ritual,” said Melnik, citing St. John Paul II’s metaphor of the “two lungs,” Eastern and Western, which both enable Jesus Christ’s Catholic Church to breathe fully. In a homily during a 1960 Melkite Divine Liturgy in Birmingham, Alabama, Archbishop Sheen pointed to the Byzantine rite as “the door” through which the Russian Orthodox Church would enter if it ever sought full communion with Rome. Melnik, who spoke with OSV News Sept. 23 following pre-beatification vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, also stressed Archbishop Sheen’s passionate opposition to communism. “He was a fierce fighter against communism, and that’s exactly what we (in Ukraine) experience in our life,” said Melnik, referencing Russia’s war on Ukraine. Initiated in 2014 and accelerated by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, the conflict has been classified as genocidal in multiple human rights reports. “We share so much in common with Fulton Sheen,” said Melnik. “That’s why he is so dear to our Ukrainian heart as well.” Fellow Ukrainian Catholic Olga Salheska — originally from Ternopil, Ukraine, and currently living in Chicago — said that Archbishop Sheen’s passion for the Gospel inspired hearts everywhere to become missionary disciples. “We need to evangelize as much as we can,” Salheska told OSV News. “It doesn’t matter where we live; it doesn’t matter what language you speak.” Archbishop Sheen’s beatification and its surrounding events have provided pilgrims renewed energy for their own missionary journey as fellow followers of Christ. “It’s a gift to be able to come,” Abagi said. Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.  

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Sheen beatification ‘a gift’ and a call to mission, say pilgrims in St. Louis #Catholic –

ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — From across the United States and around the world, faithful of all ages have traveled to St. Louis for the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — and several pilgrims described the occasion as both a “gift” and a call to be missionary disciples.

Dominique Abagi of Sydney traveled 12 hours from her vacation lodgings in Colombia to attend the celebration, which she described as a “must-go” opportunity.

“I love his writing and I love his videos,” she said, speaking to OSV News after a Sept. 23 scheduled midday Mass at the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, located near the iconic Gateway Arch.

Pilgrims filled both the pews and the confessionals at the basilica, prompting basilica rector and celebrant Father Nicholas W. Smith to quip that had he anticipated such a crowd, he would have “called in reinforcements.”

Abagi said that she particularly appreciated Archbishop Sheen’s ability to make the truths of the Catholic faith accessible.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“I love that he explains things that seem complex, but when he says them, I’m like, ‘Oh no, that’s just true,’” she said.

Fellow pilgrim and Mass attendee Carolyn Kwapich of Ave Maria, Florida, echoed that view.

“I think he speaks so clearly that he’s almost a man for the common man,” she told OSV News. “He’s not speaking at a level that’s so high that people can’t relate to him. I think that you could always take something away from any of his preaching.”

Archbishop Sheen’s keen awareness and spiritual foresight made him “a man of our times,” she said, noting that “Life of Christ” was one of her favorite books by Archbishop Sheen.

Kwapich, a self-described Catholic “revert,” fought back tears as she said, “I love Fulton Sheen.”

Kathleen Hastings of Phoenix, who was also at the Sept. 23 Mass, told OSV News she had an additional reason for being on hand.

“He and my grandmother are second cousins. Their grandmothers were sisters,” she explained. “So I’m on the Fulton side; that’s why I came.”

Hastings described the beatification as “very exciting.”

“We hope he becomes a saint fairly soon,” she said.

Ukrainian Catholic pilgrims attending the beatification pointed to Archbishop Sheen’s closeness to Eastern Catholics.

Yuriy Melnik, a western Ukrainian native who along with his wife, Helena, now lives in Chicago, noted that Archbishop Sheen had priestly faculties in the Byzantine Catholic rite.

“He was bi-ritual,” said Melnik, citing St. John Paul II’s metaphor of the “two lungs,” Eastern and Western, which both enable Jesus Christ’s Catholic Church to breathe fully.

In a homily during a 1960 Melkite Divine Liturgy in Birmingham, Alabama, Archbishop Sheen pointed to the Byzantine rite as “the door” through which the Russian Orthodox Church would enter if it ever sought full communion with Rome.

Melnik, who spoke with OSV News Sept. 23 following pre-beatification vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, also stressed Archbishop Sheen’s passionate opposition to communism.

“He was a fierce fighter against communism, and that’s exactly what we (in Ukraine) experience in our life,” said Melnik, referencing Russia’s war on Ukraine. Initiated in 2014 and accelerated by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, the conflict has been classified as genocidal in multiple human rights reports.

“We share so much in common with Fulton Sheen,” said Melnik. “That’s why he is so dear to our Ukrainian heart as well.”

Fellow Ukrainian Catholic Olga Salheska — originally from Ternopil, Ukraine, and currently living in Chicago — said that Archbishop Sheen’s passion for the Gospel inspired hearts everywhere to become missionary disciples.

“We need to evangelize as much as we can,” Salheska told OSV News. “It doesn’t matter where we live; it doesn’t matter what language you speak.”

Archbishop Sheen’s beatification and its surrounding events have provided pilgrims renewed energy for their own missionary journey as fellow followers of Christ.

“It’s a gift to be able to come,” Abagi said.

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

 

– ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — From across the United States and around the world, faithful of all ages have traveled to St. Louis for the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — and several pilgrims described the occasion as both a “gift” and a call to be missionary disciples. Dominique Abagi of Sydney traveled 12 hours from her vacation lodgings in Colombia to attend the celebration, which she described as a “must-go” opportunity. “I love his writing and I love his videos,” she said, speaking to OSV News after a Sept. 23 scheduled midday Mass at the Basilica

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800 years after St. Francis’ death, Franciscans to mark his ‘Transitus’ — so what is it? #Catholic – (OSV News) — Each year on Oct. 3, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) — friars; nuns; laypeople — mark the globally popular saint’s own journey from life to death, his “Transitus” as it is known in Latin, through special community commemorations. But what meaning does the Transitus hold — especially on this 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, and during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV — if you aren’t a Franciscan? “I think the answer is self-evident. We are all going to die,” Father Joseph Mary Elder, director of vocations and communications for the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Conrad, in Denver, told OSV News. “The Transitus is the celebration of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi from earthly life to heavenly glory,” he explained. “It is not so much the passing of St. Francis — everyone dies after all — but the manner in which St. Francis of Assisi died. St. Francis embraced death in much the same way he had learned to live his life: with a radical and total fearlessness.” That fearlessness led the saint to actually recite his own poetic acclaim of God as he began to expire. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “As St. Francis was dying, his body was racked with pain; he was nearly blind — and yet, he was speaking aloud the ‘Canticle of Creation’ he had written only shortly before,” said Father Joseph. The “Canticle of Creatures,” also called the “Canticle of the Sun,” was written by St. Francis between 1225-1226. It lyrically praises God through the elements of nature: “Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation and especially for our Brother Sun, who brings us the day and the light … Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, and for the stars.” “In the painful darkness of encroaching death, Francis was singing a composition praising the glory of God revealed all around him in the brilliance of creation,” said Father Joseph. “What a paradox! May this be true for each and every one of us.” One way to learn about St. Francis and his spirit of surrender is to attend or watch a Transitus ceremony, which can be found at many Franciscan-staffed parishes or livestreamed online. Some typical elements are highlights from Francis’ life by his early biographers; recitation of his writings; Scripture; hymns; and prayer. The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio is marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death with a special on-campus conference, “Sister Death – Gate of Life,” from Nov. 5-7. During the gathering — which will bring together theologians, philosophers, medical professionals, ethicists, clergy and scholars from a variety of disciplines — participants will explore St. Francis, his view of death and eternal life, the lasting relevance of his witness today, and how the Christian understanding of death speaks to some of the most pressing questions facing contemporary society. “This conference came about as a way to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ passing from death to eternal life — and so that is at the heart of our idea of the Transitus,” James Matenaer, a professor of history at the university, told OSV News. “But it’s also a way to celebrate the Jubilee year that Pope Leo proclaimed to celebrate St. Francis of Assisi,” he added, “and the importance that the Franciscan movement and charisms have in our Catholic faith.” There are approximately 650,000 Franciscans in 110 countries. Nearly 35,000 Franciscan friars belong to the First Order of Friars Minor, the First Order of Capuchin Franciscans, the First Order of Conventual Franciscans and the Third Order Regular. Followers of St. Clare (Poor Clares) number about 60,000 cloistered religious women. There are close to 155,000 Third Order Regular religious sisters and brothers. Additionally, 400,000 single and married women and men follow the way of St. Francis as Secular Franciscans. In the 800 years since St. Francis’ death — and with so many Franciscans spread across the globe — his life and its legends have travelled far and wide. “We have our own ideas of Francis, and they can be all over the place,” Father Greg Friedman, an author, journalist, and Franciscan friar in the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, told OSV News. “Sometimes they’re accurate; sometimes they’re not,” he explained. “And sometimes the emphasis is so much on Francis that we forget what the key thing about his life was — and that is the following of Jesus in the Gospel.” So what might St. Francis hope faithful Catholics and other Franciscan friends will remember the 800th anniversary of his death? For Father Greg, who will be in Rome for the Transitus, a motto of St. Francis comes to mind. “‘I have done what is mine; may Christ teach you what is yours.’ I think this is a very important saying of Francis. What he would want — in this 800th anniversary year — would be to say, ‘How are you focusing on what is yours to do? What is yours to do, in the spirit of Jesus?’” While Transitus traditions might in some ways appear slightly puzzling to non-Franciscans, Father Greg offered a helpful context. “If somebody said to me, ‘Why do you guys do this? Why do you celebrate the death of St. Francis every year?’ I would say, ‘Well, how do you remember the people in your family? How do you remember your grandparents; your great-grandparents?’” he said. “You tell the story.” Kimberley Heatherington is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Virginia.  
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800 years after St. Francis’ death, Franciscans to mark his ‘Transitus’ — so what is it? #Catholic – (OSV News) — Each year on Oct. 3, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) — friars; nuns; laypeople — mark the globally popular saint’s own journey from life to death, his “Transitus” as it is known in Latin, through special community commemorations. But what meaning does the Transitus hold — especially on this 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, and during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV — if you aren’t a Franciscan? “I think the answer is self-evident. We are all going to die,” Father Joseph Mary Elder, director of vocations and communications for the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Conrad, in Denver, told OSV News. “The Transitus is the celebration of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi from earthly life to heavenly glory,” he explained. “It is not so much the passing of St. Francis — everyone dies after all — but the manner in which St. Francis of Assisi died. St. Francis embraced death in much the same way he had learned to live his life: with a radical and total fearlessness.” That fearlessness led the saint to actually recite his own poetic acclaim of God as he began to expire. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “As St. Francis was dying, his body was racked with pain; he was nearly blind — and yet, he was speaking aloud the ‘Canticle of Creation’ he had written only shortly before,” said Father Joseph. The “Canticle of Creatures,” also called the “Canticle of the Sun,” was written by St. Francis between 1225-1226. It lyrically praises God through the elements of nature: “Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation and especially for our Brother Sun, who brings us the day and the light … Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, and for the stars.” “In the painful darkness of encroaching death, Francis was singing a composition praising the glory of God revealed all around him in the brilliance of creation,” said Father Joseph. “What a paradox! May this be true for each and every one of us.” One way to learn about St. Francis and his spirit of surrender is to attend or watch a Transitus ceremony, which can be found at many Franciscan-staffed parishes or livestreamed online. Some typical elements are highlights from Francis’ life by his early biographers; recitation of his writings; Scripture; hymns; and prayer. The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio is marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death with a special on-campus conference, “Sister Death – Gate of Life,” from Nov. 5-7. During the gathering — which will bring together theologians, philosophers, medical professionals, ethicists, clergy and scholars from a variety of disciplines — participants will explore St. Francis, his view of death and eternal life, the lasting relevance of his witness today, and how the Christian understanding of death speaks to some of the most pressing questions facing contemporary society. “This conference came about as a way to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ passing from death to eternal life — and so that is at the heart of our idea of the Transitus,” James Matenaer, a professor of history at the university, told OSV News. “But it’s also a way to celebrate the Jubilee year that Pope Leo proclaimed to celebrate St. Francis of Assisi,” he added, “and the importance that the Franciscan movement and charisms have in our Catholic faith.” There are approximately 650,000 Franciscans in 110 countries. Nearly 35,000 Franciscan friars belong to the First Order of Friars Minor, the First Order of Capuchin Franciscans, the First Order of Conventual Franciscans and the Third Order Regular. Followers of St. Clare (Poor Clares) number about 60,000 cloistered religious women. There are close to 155,000 Third Order Regular religious sisters and brothers. Additionally, 400,000 single and married women and men follow the way of St. Francis as Secular Franciscans. In the 800 years since St. Francis’ death — and with so many Franciscans spread across the globe — his life and its legends have travelled far and wide. “We have our own ideas of Francis, and they can be all over the place,” Father Greg Friedman, an author, journalist, and Franciscan friar in the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, told OSV News. “Sometimes they’re accurate; sometimes they’re not,” he explained. “And sometimes the emphasis is so much on Francis that we forget what the key thing about his life was — and that is the following of Jesus in the Gospel.” So what might St. Francis hope faithful Catholics and other Franciscan friends will remember the 800th anniversary of his death? For Father Greg, who will be in Rome for the Transitus, a motto of St. Francis comes to mind. “‘I have done what is mine; may Christ teach you what is yours.’ I think this is a very important saying of Francis. What he would want — in this 800th anniversary year — would be to say, ‘How are you focusing on what is yours to do? What is yours to do, in the spirit of Jesus?’” While Transitus traditions might in some ways appear slightly puzzling to non-Franciscans, Father Greg offered a helpful context. “If somebody said to me, ‘Why do you guys do this? Why do you celebrate the death of St. Francis every year?’ I would say, ‘Well, how do you remember the people in your family? How do you remember your grandparents; your great-grandparents?’” he said. “You tell the story.” Kimberley Heatherington is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Virginia.  

unitedyam

800 years after St. Francis’ death, Franciscans to mark his ‘Transitus’ — so what is it? #Catholic –

(OSV News) — Each year on Oct. 3, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) — friars; nuns; laypeople — mark the globally popular saint’s own journey from life to death, his “Transitus” as it is known in Latin, through special community commemorations.

But what meaning does the Transitus hold — especially on this 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, and during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV — if you aren’t a Franciscan?

“I think the answer is self-evident. We are all going to die,” Father Joseph Mary Elder, director of vocations and communications for the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Conrad, in Denver, told OSV News.

“The Transitus is the celebration of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi from earthly life to heavenly glory,” he explained. “It is not so much the passing of St. Francis — everyone dies after all — but the manner in which St. Francis of Assisi died. St. Francis embraced death in much the same way he had learned to live his life: with a radical and total fearlessness.”

That fearlessness led the saint to actually recite his own poetic acclaim of God as he began to expire.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“As St. Francis was dying, his body was racked with pain; he was nearly blind — and yet, he was speaking aloud the ‘Canticle of Creation’ he had written only shortly before,” said Father Joseph.

The “Canticle of Creatures,” also called the “Canticle of the Sun,” was written by St. Francis between 1225-1226. It lyrically praises God through the elements of nature: “Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation and especially for our Brother Sun, who brings us the day and the light … Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, and for the stars.”

“In the painful darkness of encroaching death, Francis was singing a composition praising the glory of God revealed all around him in the brilliance of creation,” said Father Joseph. “What a paradox! May this be true for each and every one of us.”

One way to learn about St. Francis and his spirit of surrender is to attend or watch a Transitus ceremony, which can be found at many Franciscan-staffed parishes or livestreamed online. Some typical elements are highlights from Francis’ life by his early biographers; recitation of his writings; Scripture; hymns; and prayer.

The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio is marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death with a special on-campus conference, “Sister Death – Gate of Life,” from Nov. 5-7.

During the gathering — which will bring together theologians, philosophers, medical professionals, ethicists, clergy and scholars from a variety of disciplines — participants will explore St. Francis, his view of death and eternal life, the lasting relevance of his witness today, and how the Christian understanding of death speaks to some of the most pressing questions facing contemporary society.

“This conference came about as a way to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ passing from death to eternal life — and so that is at the heart of our idea of the Transitus,” James Matenaer, a professor of history at the university, told OSV News.

“But it’s also a way to celebrate the Jubilee year that Pope Leo proclaimed to celebrate St. Francis of Assisi,” he added, “and the importance that the Franciscan movement and charisms have in our Catholic faith.”

There are approximately 650,000 Franciscans in 110 countries. Nearly 35,000 Franciscan friars belong to the First Order of Friars Minor, the First Order of Capuchin Franciscans, the First Order of Conventual Franciscans and the Third Order Regular. Followers of St. Clare (Poor Clares) number about 60,000 cloistered religious women. There are close to 155,000 Third Order Regular religious sisters and brothers. Additionally, 400,000 single and married women and men follow the way of St. Francis as Secular Franciscans.

In the 800 years since St. Francis’ death — and with so many Franciscans spread across the globe — his life and its legends have travelled far and wide.

“We have our own ideas of Francis, and they can be all over the place,” Father Greg Friedman, an author, journalist, and Franciscan friar in the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, told OSV News.

“Sometimes they’re accurate; sometimes they’re not,” he explained. “And sometimes the emphasis is so much on Francis that we forget what the key thing about his life was — and that is the following of Jesus in the Gospel.”

So what might St. Francis hope faithful Catholics and other Franciscan friends will remember the 800th anniversary of his death?

For Father Greg, who will be in Rome for the Transitus, a motto of St. Francis comes to mind.

“‘I have done what is mine; may Christ teach you what is yours.’ I think this is a very important saying of Francis. What he would want — in this 800th anniversary year — would be to say, ‘How are you focusing on what is yours to do? What is yours to do, in the spirit of Jesus?’”

While Transitus traditions might in some ways appear slightly puzzling to non-Franciscans, Father Greg offered a helpful context.

“If somebody said to me, ‘Why do you guys do this? Why do you celebrate the death of St. Francis every year?’ I would say, ‘Well, how do you remember the people in your family? How do you remember your grandparents; your great-grandparents?’” he said. “You tell the story.”

Kimberley Heatherington is an OSV News correspondent. She writes from Virginia.

 

– (OSV News) — Each year on Oct. 3, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) — friars; nuns; laypeople — mark the globally popular saint’s own journey from life to death, his “Transitus” as it is known in Latin, through special community commemorations. But what meaning does the Transitus hold — especially on this 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, and during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV — if you aren’t a Franciscan? “I think the answer is self-evident. We are all going to die,” Father Joseph Mary Elder, director of vocations and

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Pope Leo to visit migration center in Paris that welcomes all, no matter their legal status #Catholic – PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will open his second day in Paris with a special visit. On Sept. 26, he will cross the threshold of Maison Bakhita, a facility run by the Archdiocese of Paris dedicated to providing shelter for people in extreme need, most often migrants. On Sept. 27, the Church observes World Day of Migrants and Refugees, ahead of which Pope Leo issued an appeal that migrants, especially vulnerable children, “always be protected and cared for” and called the exploitation of migrants a “tragic reality.” Opened in 2021, Maison Bakhita brings together the efforts of numerous Catholic organizations that serve the poor. Spanning over 15,000 square feet, it is located in the 18th arrondissement, or district, not far from the Sacré-Coeur, or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, in Montmartre, and near the Porte de la Chapelle, where makeshift camps for foreign migrants regularly spring up. The center is named after St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who became a nun in Italy, where she died in 1947, and who was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2000. At Maison Bakhita, or Bakhita House, everyone who knocks on the door is welcomed. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “It offers a warm welcome to everyone,” Gwendoline Fasano, director of Maison Bakhita, told OSV News. “Here, people can have a time to rest and a comforting place where they can be heard.” “All our efforts are aimed at helping these people regain their self-esteem,” Fasano emphasized. “We want to help them regain the ability to connect with others and the opportunity for a spiritual life, beyond their material needs, which we strive to help them meet.” Upon his arrival, the pope will go to pray in the house’s oratory, accompanied by the two nuns who live there permanently. “They maintain a prayerful presence, and they welcome anyone who wants to speak with them or pray the liturgical services with them,” Fasano said. There, the pope will unveil a commemorative plaque marking his visit. “It will remind us of the honor he has bestowed upon us,” Fasano said. “It will be an important memento for all the people welcomed here, who deeply need to be shown consideration.” Pope Leo will then walk past the daycare center where women who come to the Bakhita House can leave their children. “Some women are single mothers with young children,” Fasano said. “The daycare center allows them to be available to take the training courses we offer, which help them reenter the workforce.” Among these programs are French language classes, as well as workshops in cooking, carpentry, digital skills, and sewing. In the large dining hall, some 150 people pass through each day for a moment of fellowship. The pope will be welcomed there by about forty people, volunteers and people in need, and will listen to the stories of some of them. Among them, an Afghan tailor of Muslim background will share how he was once taken in by Maison Bakhita, and how he now, standing firmly on his feet, returns there every week as a volunteer to help others. “At Maison Bakhita, our welcome is unconditional,” Fasano emphasized. “We do not ask about the religion of those who knock on our door.” At Maison Bakhita, the staff also does not ask residents whether they are in the country legally. “Migration policy decisions are not within our purview,” Fasano said. “What drives us is Christ’s words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: ‘I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.’ The pope’s visit will serve as a reminder that it is important to welcome every person — with their story and their suffering — just as we would welcome Christ himself.” Among the witnesses who will address the pope will be a woman who was rescued from prostitution by the Catholic organization Aux Captifs la Libération, which the diocese has invited to participate in the Maison Bakhita papal visit. The association’s director, Thierry Desjuzeur, will be with her. “Every day, we reach out to people on the streets, particularly in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, where prostitution is prevalent,” he told OSV News. “Our organization works in collaboration with parishes in Paris,” he said. The organization’s name refers to the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, when he read the passage from the Book of Isaiah speaking of the Lord who sent him “To proclaim liberty to the captives.” “We try, as Christ did, to go out and meet today’s captives, those enslaved by prostitution, alcohol and precarious living conditions, and to bring them the Father’s tenderness,’ Desjuzeur said. For Desjuzeur, the pope’s visit serves as a reminder of the intrinsic dignity of people living on the streets. “Whatever their circumstances, they are human beings,” he said. “I am struck by the simplicity and trust in God of these people whom we strive to accompany.” The director expressed his admiration and gratitude for the pope’s visit to Maison Bakhita, despite his busy schedule. “In Paris, the number of migrants on the streets has increased significantly recently,” he said. “In this context, the pope’s message will be extremely powerful for society as a whole.” Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.  
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Pope Leo to visit migration center in Paris that welcomes all, no matter their legal status #Catholic – PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will open his second day in Paris with a special visit. On Sept. 26, he will cross the threshold of Maison Bakhita, a facility run by the Archdiocese of Paris dedicated to providing shelter for people in extreme need, most often migrants. On Sept. 27, the Church observes World Day of Migrants and Refugees, ahead of which Pope Leo issued an appeal that migrants, especially vulnerable children, “always be protected and cared for” and called the exploitation of migrants a “tragic reality.” Opened in 2021, Maison Bakhita brings together the efforts of numerous Catholic organizations that serve the poor. Spanning over 15,000 square feet, it is located in the 18th arrondissement, or district, not far from the Sacré-Coeur, or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, in Montmartre, and near the Porte de la Chapelle, where makeshift camps for foreign migrants regularly spring up. The center is named after St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who became a nun in Italy, where she died in 1947, and who was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2000. At Maison Bakhita, or Bakhita House, everyone who knocks on the door is welcomed. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “It offers a warm welcome to everyone,” Gwendoline Fasano, director of Maison Bakhita, told OSV News. “Here, people can have a time to rest and a comforting place where they can be heard.” “All our efforts are aimed at helping these people regain their self-esteem,” Fasano emphasized. “We want to help them regain the ability to connect with others and the opportunity for a spiritual life, beyond their material needs, which we strive to help them meet.” Upon his arrival, the pope will go to pray in the house’s oratory, accompanied by the two nuns who live there permanently. “They maintain a prayerful presence, and they welcome anyone who wants to speak with them or pray the liturgical services with them,” Fasano said. There, the pope will unveil a commemorative plaque marking his visit. “It will remind us of the honor he has bestowed upon us,” Fasano said. “It will be an important memento for all the people welcomed here, who deeply need to be shown consideration.” Pope Leo will then walk past the daycare center where women who come to the Bakhita House can leave their children. “Some women are single mothers with young children,” Fasano said. “The daycare center allows them to be available to take the training courses we offer, which help them reenter the workforce.” Among these programs are French language classes, as well as workshops in cooking, carpentry, digital skills, and sewing. In the large dining hall, some 150 people pass through each day for a moment of fellowship. The pope will be welcomed there by about forty people, volunteers and people in need, and will listen to the stories of some of them. Among them, an Afghan tailor of Muslim background will share how he was once taken in by Maison Bakhita, and how he now, standing firmly on his feet, returns there every week as a volunteer to help others. “At Maison Bakhita, our welcome is unconditional,” Fasano emphasized. “We do not ask about the religion of those who knock on our door.” At Maison Bakhita, the staff also does not ask residents whether they are in the country legally. “Migration policy decisions are not within our purview,” Fasano said. “What drives us is Christ’s words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: ‘I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.’ The pope’s visit will serve as a reminder that it is important to welcome every person — with their story and their suffering — just as we would welcome Christ himself.” Among the witnesses who will address the pope will be a woman who was rescued from prostitution by the Catholic organization Aux Captifs la Libération, which the diocese has invited to participate in the Maison Bakhita papal visit. The association’s director, Thierry Desjuzeur, will be with her. “Every day, we reach out to people on the streets, particularly in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, where prostitution is prevalent,” he told OSV News. “Our organization works in collaboration with parishes in Paris,” he said. The organization’s name refers to the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, when he read the passage from the Book of Isaiah speaking of the Lord who sent him “To proclaim liberty to the captives.” “We try, as Christ did, to go out and meet today’s captives, those enslaved by prostitution, alcohol and precarious living conditions, and to bring them the Father’s tenderness,’ Desjuzeur said. For Desjuzeur, the pope’s visit serves as a reminder of the intrinsic dignity of people living on the streets. “Whatever their circumstances, they are human beings,” he said. “I am struck by the simplicity and trust in God of these people whom we strive to accompany.” The director expressed his admiration and gratitude for the pope’s visit to Maison Bakhita, despite his busy schedule. “In Paris, the number of migrants on the streets has increased significantly recently,” he said. “In this context, the pope’s message will be extremely powerful for society as a whole.” Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.  

unitedyam

Pope Leo to visit migration center in Paris that welcomes all, no matter their legal status #Catholic –

PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will open his second day in Paris with a special visit. On Sept. 26, he will cross the threshold of Maison Bakhita, a facility run by the Archdiocese of Paris dedicated to providing shelter for people in extreme need, most often migrants.

On Sept. 27, the Church observes World Day of Migrants and Refugees, ahead of which Pope Leo issued an appeal that migrants, especially vulnerable children, “always be protected and cared for” and called the exploitation of migrants a “tragic reality.”

Opened in 2021, Maison Bakhita brings together the efforts of numerous Catholic organizations that serve the poor. Spanning over 15,000 square feet, it is located in the 18th arrondissement, or district, not far from the Sacré-Coeur, or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, in Montmartre, and near the Porte de la Chapelle, where makeshift camps for foreign migrants regularly spring up.

The center is named after St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who became a nun in Italy, where she died in 1947, and who was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2000.

At Maison Bakhita, or Bakhita House, everyone who knocks on the door is welcomed.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“It offers a warm welcome to everyone,” Gwendoline Fasano, director of Maison Bakhita, told OSV News. “Here, people can have a time to rest and a comforting place where they can be heard.”

“All our efforts are aimed at helping these people regain their self-esteem,” Fasano emphasized. “We want to help them regain the ability to connect with others and the opportunity for a spiritual life, beyond their material needs, which we strive to help them meet.”

Upon his arrival, the pope will go to pray in the house’s oratory, accompanied by the two nuns who live there permanently. “They maintain a prayerful presence, and they welcome anyone who wants to speak with them or pray the liturgical services with them,” Fasano said.

There, the pope will unveil a commemorative plaque marking his visit. “It will remind us of the honor he has bestowed upon us,” Fasano said. “It will be an important memento for all the people welcomed here, who deeply need to be shown consideration.”

Pope Leo will then walk past the daycare center where women who come to the Bakhita House can leave their children. “Some women are single mothers with young children,” Fasano said. “The daycare center allows them to be available to take the training courses we offer, which help them reenter the workforce.” Among these programs are French language classes, as well as workshops in cooking, carpentry, digital skills, and sewing.

In the large dining hall, some 150 people pass through each day for a moment of fellowship.

The pope will be welcomed there by about forty people, volunteers and people in need, and will listen to the stories of some of them. Among them, an Afghan tailor of Muslim background will share how he was once taken in by Maison Bakhita, and how he now, standing firmly on his feet, returns there every week as a volunteer to help others.

“At Maison Bakhita, our welcome is unconditional,” Fasano emphasized. “We do not ask about the religion of those who knock on our door.”

At Maison Bakhita, the staff also does not ask residents whether they are in the country legally.

“Migration policy decisions are not within our purview,” Fasano said. “What drives us is Christ’s words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: ‘I was … a stranger and you welcomed me.’ The pope’s visit will serve as a reminder that it is important to welcome every person — with their story and their suffering — just as we would welcome Christ himself.”

Among the witnesses who will address the pope will be a woman who was rescued from prostitution by the Catholic organization Aux Captifs la Libération, which the diocese has invited to participate in the Maison Bakhita papal visit.

The association’s director, Thierry Desjuzeur, will be with her.

“Every day, we reach out to people on the streets, particularly in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, where prostitution is prevalent,” he told OSV News. “Our organization works in collaboration with parishes in Paris,” he said.

The organization’s name refers to the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, when he read the passage from the Book of Isaiah speaking of the Lord who sent him “To proclaim liberty to the captives.”

“We try, as Christ did, to go out and meet today’s captives, those enslaved by prostitution, alcohol and precarious living conditions, and to bring them the Father’s tenderness,’ Desjuzeur said.

For Desjuzeur, the pope’s visit serves as a reminder of the intrinsic dignity of people living on the streets. “Whatever their circumstances, they are human beings,” he said. “I am struck by the simplicity and trust in God of these people whom we strive to accompany.”

The director expressed his admiration and gratitude for the pope’s visit to Maison Bakhita, despite his busy schedule. “In Paris, the number of migrants on the streets has increased significantly recently,” he said. “In this context, the pope’s message will be extremely powerful for society as a whole.”

Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.

 

– PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will open his second day in Paris with a special visit. On Sept. 26, he will cross the threshold of Maison Bakhita, a facility run by the Archdiocese of Paris dedicated to providing shelter for people in extreme need, most often migrants. On Sept. 27, the Church observes World Day of Migrants and Refugees, ahead of which Pope Leo issued an appeal that migrants, especially vulnerable children, “always be protected and cared for” and called the exploitation of migrants a “tragic reality.” Opened in 2021, Maison Bakhita brings together the efforts of numerous

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Technological advancements are not rivals to faith, pope says #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Progress in science and technology is not contrary to belief in God, and Christians should be actively involved in shaping that progress so that it serves human dignity and the common good, Pope Leo XIV said. At his Sept. 23 general audience, the pope also pointed to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is set to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, as an example of a Catholic who embraced the technology of his time to spread the Gospel. Continuing his series on documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on the council’s conciliar constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” particularly its teaching on human activity and progress in the world. Created in the image and likeness of God, the human being is an agent of progress, the pope said, using freedom and intelligence to increase knowledge and advance society. Yet as scientific and technological achievements multiplied, he said, some thinkers began portraying God and humanity as “rivals: in order to assert his knowledge, his freedom and his progress, man is thought to have to emancipate himself from God.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Pope Leo called that view erroneous and quoted the late theologian, Jesuit Father Henri de Lubac, who described it as the “tragedy of atheistic humanism.” “Ultimately, however, by denying the relationship with God, one also loses the possibility of affirming the transcendent value of the human person,” the pope said. Quoting the conciliar constitution, he said Christians instead believe “that the triumphs of the human race are a sign of God’s grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design.” Human achievement, therefore, should not draw the faithful away from involvement in scientific, technological or social progress, the pope said. Rather, the Gospel calls them to participate in building society while keeping such progress oriented toward human flourishing. “Let us carry out our daily activities with true charity, offering our work to the Lord both as a means for personal sanctification and as an expression of our desire ever more fully to bring about God’s kingdom, especially through pursuing the common good, caring for the needy and defending human dignity,” he told English-speaking pilgrims. Humanity’s freedom and activity are not absorbed or nullified by an encounter with God, Pope Leo said. Instead, humanity finds its fullest truth and freedom in Christ. “From this perspective, an important truth emerges: to encounter God, the human being must not abandon his earthly occupations, but can live his vocation fully, carrying out his daily work well and sanctifying it,” he said. Christians, he said, should therefore participate fully in society’s progress while reminding others of its “ultimate purpose.” Pope Leo’s catechesis echoes his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” in which he addressed the development of artificial intelligence and stressed that technological advances must remain at the service of human dignity. Authentic human progress, the pope said at the general audience, “must be inspired and guided by charity” and improve the lives of all people, particularly those who are disadvantaged. “Dear brothers and sisters, the Second Vatican Council invites us to share the bread of knowledge and know-how, so that every person and every people may develop their potential, and together, with God’s help, we may build a better future,” he said. Mentioning the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Sheen in his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo recalled the American prelate’s innovative use of radio and television for evangelization. “May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm,” he said.  
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Technological advancements are not rivals to faith, pope says #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Progress in science and technology is not contrary to belief in God, and Christians should be actively involved in shaping that progress so that it serves human dignity and the common good, Pope Leo XIV said. At his Sept. 23 general audience, the pope also pointed to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is set to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, as an example of a Catholic who embraced the technology of his time to spread the Gospel. Continuing his series on documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on the council’s conciliar constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” particularly its teaching on human activity and progress in the world. Created in the image and likeness of God, the human being is an agent of progress, the pope said, using freedom and intelligence to increase knowledge and advance society. Yet as scientific and technological achievements multiplied, he said, some thinkers began portraying God and humanity as “rivals: in order to assert his knowledge, his freedom and his progress, man is thought to have to emancipate himself from God.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Pope Leo called that view erroneous and quoted the late theologian, Jesuit Father Henri de Lubac, who described it as the “tragedy of atheistic humanism.” “Ultimately, however, by denying the relationship with God, one also loses the possibility of affirming the transcendent value of the human person,” the pope said. Quoting the conciliar constitution, he said Christians instead believe “that the triumphs of the human race are a sign of God’s grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design.” Human achievement, therefore, should not draw the faithful away from involvement in scientific, technological or social progress, the pope said. Rather, the Gospel calls them to participate in building society while keeping such progress oriented toward human flourishing. “Let us carry out our daily activities with true charity, offering our work to the Lord both as a means for personal sanctification and as an expression of our desire ever more fully to bring about God’s kingdom, especially through pursuing the common good, caring for the needy and defending human dignity,” he told English-speaking pilgrims. Humanity’s freedom and activity are not absorbed or nullified by an encounter with God, Pope Leo said. Instead, humanity finds its fullest truth and freedom in Christ. “From this perspective, an important truth emerges: to encounter God, the human being must not abandon his earthly occupations, but can live his vocation fully, carrying out his daily work well and sanctifying it,” he said. Christians, he said, should therefore participate fully in society’s progress while reminding others of its “ultimate purpose.” Pope Leo’s catechesis echoes his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” in which he addressed the development of artificial intelligence and stressed that technological advances must remain at the service of human dignity. Authentic human progress, the pope said at the general audience, “must be inspired and guided by charity” and improve the lives of all people, particularly those who are disadvantaged. “Dear brothers and sisters, the Second Vatican Council invites us to share the bread of knowledge and know-how, so that every person and every people may develop their potential, and together, with God’s help, we may build a better future,” he said. Mentioning the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Sheen in his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo recalled the American prelate’s innovative use of radio and television for evangelization. “May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm,” he said.  

unitedyam

Technological advancements are not rivals to faith, pope says #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Progress in science and technology is not contrary to belief in God, and Christians should be actively involved in shaping that progress so that it serves human dignity and the common good, Pope Leo XIV said.

At his Sept. 23 general audience, the pope also pointed to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is set to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, as an example of a Catholic who embraced the technology of his time to spread the Gospel.

Continuing his series on documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on the council’s conciliar constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” particularly its teaching on human activity and progress in the world.

Created in the image and likeness of God, the human being is an agent of progress, the pope said, using freedom and intelligence to increase knowledge and advance society.

Yet as scientific and technological achievements multiplied, he said, some thinkers began portraying God and humanity as “rivals: in order to assert his knowledge, his freedom and his progress, man is thought to have to emancipate himself from God.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Pope Leo called that view erroneous and quoted the late theologian, Jesuit Father Henri de Lubac, who described it as the “tragedy of atheistic humanism.”

“Ultimately, however, by denying the relationship with God, one also loses the possibility of affirming the transcendent value of the human person,” the pope said.

Quoting the conciliar constitution, he said Christians instead believe “that the triumphs of the human race are a sign of God’s grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design.”

Human achievement, therefore, should not draw the faithful away from involvement in scientific, technological or social progress, the pope said. Rather, the Gospel calls them to participate in building society while keeping such progress oriented toward human flourishing.

“Let us carry out our daily activities with true charity, offering our work to the Lord both as a means for personal sanctification and as an expression of our desire ever more fully to bring about God’s kingdom, especially through pursuing the common good, caring for the needy and defending human dignity,” he told English-speaking pilgrims.

Humanity’s freedom and activity are not absorbed or nullified by an encounter with God, Pope Leo said. Instead, humanity finds its fullest truth and freedom in Christ.

“From this perspective, an important truth emerges: to encounter God, the human being must not abandon his earthly occupations, but can live his vocation fully, carrying out his daily work well and sanctifying it,” he said.

Christians, he said, should therefore participate fully in society’s progress while reminding others of its “ultimate purpose.”

Pope Leo’s catechesis echoes his recent encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” in which he addressed the development of artificial intelligence and stressed that technological advances must remain at the service of human dignity.

Authentic human progress, the pope said at the general audience, “must be inspired and guided by charity” and improve the lives of all people, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

“Dear brothers and sisters, the Second Vatican Council invites us to share the bread of knowledge and know-how, so that every person and every people may develop their potential, and together, with God’s help, we may build a better future,” he said.

Mentioning the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Sheen in his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo recalled the American prelate’s innovative use of radio and television for evangelization.

“May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm,” he said.

 

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Progress in science and technology is not contrary to belief in God, and Christians should be actively involved in shaping that progress so that it serves human dignity and the common good, Pope Leo XIV said. At his Sept. 23 general audience, the pope also pointed to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is set to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, as an example of a Catholic who embraced the technology of his time to spread the Gospel. Continuing his series on documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on the council’s conciliar

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‘A powerful heavenly friend and intercessor’: Bishop Barron reflects on Fulton Sheen – #Catholic – ST. LOUIS — Families with young children, religious sisters and brothers, and pilgrims who had traveled to St. Louis filled the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Sept. 23 for evening prayer on the eve of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.More than 1,000 people gathered for the service, as the cathedral’s schola sang the psalms and canticles and Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis presided. Bishop Robert Barron of Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, preached.Barron began by recalling Sheen’s extraordinary influence as a preacher and communicator, including the millions who watched his television programs at the height of his career.But Barron said he wanted to focus on a different question: What made Sheen “blessed, a saintly man of God”?His answer, according to Barron, was friendship with Jesus Christ.From the beginning of his own work in evangelization, Barron said, Sheen had been his “motto and inspiration.” Sheen repeatedly insisted that Christianity was not an abstract philosophy or simply a set of moral convictions but a relationship with a living person — Jesus Christ, who told his apostles that he no longer called them servants but friends.Barron found a window into that friendship in Sheen’s autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” particularly in Sheen’s reflection on the prophet Isaiah’s encounter with God.The passage offered a template for the spiritual journey, Barron said. It begins with an encounter with the holiness of God, moves through a recognition of one’s own unworthiness and ends with a willingness to be sent on mission.The first movement, he said, is grace.“Sheen’s life was marked through and through by signs of unmerited divine love,” Barron said. That grace was closely connected to Sheen’s devotion to Mary, whom Scripture describes as “full of grace.”“Mary, as it were, haunts the spiritual life of Fulton Sheen,” Barron said.He traced that devotion from Sheen’s baptism at St. Mary Church in El Paso, Illinois, through his priestly ordination in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, his devotion to the rosary, and his more than 30 journeys to Lourdes. Sheen went there, Barron recalled, to visit “the woman I love.”For Sheen, Mary was the supreme example of a human being receiving the unmerited love of God. Left to right: Sisters of Life Maria Augustine, Mariam, and Leonie Thérèse smile in front of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis following evening prayer Sept. 23, 2026, the vigil of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. | Credit: Gigi Duncan/EWTN News That understanding of love for God also shaped Sheen’s approach to the Eucharist. Barron pointed to Sheen’s lifelong commitment to the Holy Hour, when he would spend an uninterrupted hour each day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.Sheen saw the Holy Hour not as a task to be accomplished but as time spent in the presence of Christ. “Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart in a mysterious way,” he wrote.Barron also recalled Sheen’s image of the person who faithfully sits before the tabernacle as “like a dog at the master’s door ready to see” where the master will send him.That preparation would lead Sheen to radio and television, where he saw new opportunities to bring the Gospel to a much wider audience. His academic formation, Barron noted, was always directed toward that apostolic purpose. Sheen wanted to bring the Catholic intellectual tradition to bear on the questions of his time while communicating it in ways ordinary people could understand.He repeatedly heard, Barron said, Christ’s command to “go out into the deep.”Sheen answered that call through decades of preaching, writing, broadcasting, and missionary travel. Yet “Treasure in Clay” also reveals the fragility of the person carrying that treasure.Sheen openly acknowledged his weaknesses, including his enjoyment of titles, prestige, and popularity. “I was popular,” Sheen wrote. “I was sought after, I was a friend of both royalty and the masses.” Then came the question: “How close was I to the cross?”For Barron, that honesty was part of Sheen’s holiness. The closer a person comes to the holiness of God, he said, the more clearly that person sees his own need for forgiveness and healing.“God is holy. I am not. Woe is me,” Barron quoted Sheen as saying.Sheen’s sufferings, including those that came from within and outside the Church, became part of that purification. As Sheen put it, “Since I would not take up the cross, the Lord would lay it on my back.”Through that process, Barron said, Sheen became more deeply conformed to Christ and more ready to be sent. Those themes were reflected in the way people at the cathedral spoke about Sheen and his continuing influence.Sister of Life Maria Augustine, who traveled from New York with other members of her community, called Sheen “a great teacher and a great evangelist.”“We look to him for his inspiration and his intercession as we go out into the world,” she said, “to proclaim the good news of human life and love.” Cardinal Raymond Burke blesses an item outside of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis following vespers on Sept. 23, 2026. | Credit: Gigi Duncan/EWTN News For Cardinal Raymond Burke, Sheen’s example has particular significance for the priesthood. Burke said Sheen inspired his own priestly vocation, and he continues to read Sheen today to deepen his “knowledge and love of the holy priesthood.”Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, pointed to Sheen’s deep Eucharistic devotion as the source of his evangelizing work.“To me, Fulton Sheen is a man who was so deeply in love with Jesus in the Eucharist, that he just let that shine out in everything that he does,” Cozzens told EWTN News. “And that’s what I try to do too.” Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, meets pilgrims outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis following vespers on the eve of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 23, 2026. | Credit: Gigi Duncan/EWTN News Barron returned at the end of his homily to the Church’s continuing work of evangelization. The beatification, he said, does not make Sheen any greater; rather, it brings him “in a powerful way before the attention of the world.”Those seeking “fresh language” to bring the Gospel to modern culture, Barron said, are indebted to Sheen. So are those who preach the “ancient faith with a heart on fire” and those willing to use the communications technologies available to them.For them, Barron said, Sheen is “a powerful heavenly friend and intercessor.”EWTN will provide live coverage of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, with broadcast coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET with a “Beatification Pre-Show” from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, followed by the “Mass of Beatification” at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live updates will also be available through the EWTN News live blog.
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‘A powerful heavenly friend and intercessor’: Bishop Barron reflects on Fulton Sheen – #Catholic – ST. LOUIS — Families with young children, religious sisters and brothers, and pilgrims who had traveled to St. Louis filled the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Sept. 23 for evening prayer on the eve of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.More than 1,000 people gathered for the service, as the cathedral’s schola sang the psalms and canticles and Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis presided. Bishop Robert Barron of Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, preached.Barron began by recalling Sheen’s extraordinary influence as a preacher and communicator, including the millions who watched his television programs at the height of his career.But Barron said he wanted to focus on a different question: What made Sheen “blessed, a saintly man of God”?His answer, according to Barron, was friendship with Jesus Christ.From the beginning of his own work in evangelization, Barron said, Sheen had been his “motto and inspiration.” Sheen repeatedly insisted that Christianity was not an abstract philosophy or simply a set of moral convictions but a relationship with a living person — Jesus Christ, who told his apostles that he no longer called them servants but friends.Barron found a window into that friendship in Sheen’s autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” particularly in Sheen’s reflection on the prophet Isaiah’s encounter with God.The passage offered a template for the spiritual journey, Barron said. It begins with an encounter with the holiness of God, moves through a recognition of one’s own unworthiness and ends with a willingness to be sent on mission.The first movement, he said, is grace.“Sheen’s life was marked through and through by signs of unmerited divine love,” Barron said. That grace was closely connected to Sheen’s devotion to Mary, whom Scripture describes as “full of grace.”“Mary, as it were, haunts the spiritual life of Fulton Sheen,” Barron said.He traced that devotion from Sheen’s baptism at St. Mary Church in El Paso, Illinois, through his priestly ordination in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, his devotion to the rosary, and his more than 30 journeys to Lourdes. Sheen went there, Barron recalled, to visit “the woman I love.”For Sheen, Mary was the supreme example of a human being receiving the unmerited love of God. Left to right: Sisters of Life Maria Augustine, Mariam, and Leonie Thérèse smile in front of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis following evening prayer Sept. 23, 2026, the vigil of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. | Credit: Gigi Duncan/EWTN News That understanding of love for God also shaped Sheen’s approach to the Eucharist. Barron pointed to Sheen’s lifelong commitment to the Holy Hour, when he would spend an uninterrupted hour each day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.Sheen saw the Holy Hour not as a task to be accomplished but as time spent in the presence of Christ. “Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart in a mysterious way,” he wrote.Barron also recalled Sheen’s image of the person who faithfully sits before the tabernacle as “like a dog at the master’s door ready to see” where the master will send him.That preparation would lead Sheen to radio and television, where he saw new opportunities to bring the Gospel to a much wider audience. His academic formation, Barron noted, was always directed toward that apostolic purpose. Sheen wanted to bring the Catholic intellectual tradition to bear on the questions of his time while communicating it in ways ordinary people could understand.He repeatedly heard, Barron said, Christ’s command to “go out into the deep.”Sheen answered that call through decades of preaching, writing, broadcasting, and missionary travel. Yet “Treasure in Clay” also reveals the fragility of the person carrying that treasure.Sheen openly acknowledged his weaknesses, including his enjoyment of titles, prestige, and popularity. “I was popular,” Sheen wrote. “I was sought after, I was a friend of both royalty and the masses.” Then came the question: “How close was I to the cross?”For Barron, that honesty was part of Sheen’s holiness. The closer a person comes to the holiness of God, he said, the more clearly that person sees his own need for forgiveness and healing.“God is holy. I am not. Woe is me,” Barron quoted Sheen as saying.Sheen’s sufferings, including those that came from within and outside the Church, became part of that purification. As Sheen put it, “Since I would not take up the cross, the Lord would lay it on my back.”Through that process, Barron said, Sheen became more deeply conformed to Christ and more ready to be sent. Those themes were reflected in the way people at the cathedral spoke about Sheen and his continuing influence.Sister of Life Maria Augustine, who traveled from New York with other members of her community, called Sheen “a great teacher and a great evangelist.”“We look to him for his inspiration and his intercession as we go out into the world,” she said, “to proclaim the good news of human life and love.” Cardinal Raymond Burke blesses an item outside of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis following vespers on Sept. 23, 2026. | Credit: Gigi Duncan/EWTN News For Cardinal Raymond Burke, Sheen’s example has particular significance for the priesthood. Burke said Sheen inspired his own priestly vocation, and he continues to read Sheen today to deepen his “knowledge and love of the holy priesthood.”Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, pointed to Sheen’s deep Eucharistic devotion as the source of his evangelizing work.“To me, Fulton Sheen is a man who was so deeply in love with Jesus in the Eucharist, that he just let that shine out in everything that he does,” Cozzens told EWTN News. “And that’s what I try to do too.” Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, meets pilgrims outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis following vespers on the eve of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 23, 2026. | Credit: Gigi Duncan/EWTN News Barron returned at the end of his homily to the Church’s continuing work of evangelization. The beatification, he said, does not make Sheen any greater; rather, it brings him “in a powerful way before the attention of the world.”Those seeking “fresh language” to bring the Gospel to modern culture, Barron said, are indebted to Sheen. So are those who preach the “ancient faith with a heart on fire” and those willing to use the communications technologies available to them.For them, Barron said, Sheen is “a powerful heavenly friend and intercessor.”EWTN will provide live coverage of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, with broadcast coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET with a “Beatification Pre-Show” from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, followed by the “Mass of Beatification” at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live updates will also be available through the EWTN News live blog.

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The bishop looked beyond Sheen’s public fame to the prayer, sacrifice, and friendship with Christ that shaped his life.

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Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith

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On Sept. 24, 1970, Luna 16 blazed a new trail in lunar sample collection – one traversed by robots. Although the Apollo astronauts had collected lunar samples on their missions, Luna 16 was the first instance of samples being gathered and returned to Earth fully robotically, with no astronauts (or cosmonauts) involved. After blasting offContinue reading “Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith”

The post Sept. 24, 1970: Luna 16 brings back regolith appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Haiku Prayer 10: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, September 24, 2026 – #Prayer – “Haiku” prayers, in Japanese poetical form, have their origin in the fourteenth century. They consist of 17 syllables arranged in three lines (5-7-5). This provides a simple format for composing personal and family prayers. The following haiku prayer is a Canadian example. You are encouraged to develop your own. Blessed mother, pray to Jesus for all the world, pray to Him for us.

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“Haiku” prayers, in Japanese poetical form, have their origin in the fourteenth century. They consist of 17 syllables arranged in three lines (5-7-5). This provides a simple format for composing personal and family prayers. The following haiku prayer is a Canadian example. You are encouraged to develop your own.
Blessed mother, pray
to Jesus for all the world,
pray to Him for us.

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As beatification nears, new book explains why Fulton Sheen was ‘America’s Apostle’ #Catholic With the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen approaching, a new book on the life and legacy of the evangelist and television and radio show host explains why he was “America’s Apostle.”Allan Smith, founder and director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, published the book “America’s Apostle” on Sept. 15, just ahead of the archbishop’s beatification on Sept. 24.“I think … the title is a perfect one — ‘Americaʼs Apostle,’ because he really was an apostle to the American people in the great tradition of apostles,” Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News Matthew Bunson told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on Sept. 22.The book was published through EWTN Publishing and Sophia Institute Press.“[Sheen] was a brilliant communicator; he had immense gifts on television, radio, as a writer, as a poet,” Bunson said. “But all of that was geared toward proclaiming Jesus Christ in exactly the same way that a good apostle should.”Sheen began his media career as a priest, hosting an hourlong radio show called “The Catholic Hour” in 1930 until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in New York in 1951 and transitioned to television, hosting “Life Is Worth Living.” At its peak, Sheen’s radio show was reaching about 4 million people weekly, and his television show was reaching about 30 million people.“Like a good apostle, he used all the means of communications at his disposal,” Bunson said. “I just mentioned television, radio, you name it. He wanted to use it. So itʼs perfectly appropriate, I think, for him to be called ‘Americaʼs Apostle.’”Sheen also reserved one hour every day for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning this when he was ordained in 1919 until he died in 1979. He was found dead at the age of 84 in his chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.Bunson explained that Sheen “made a promise on the day of his ordination” that he would do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He also noted Sheen wrote in his autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” that he prepared for his homilies, his books, and his speeches in front of the Eucharist. The book cover for “America’s Apostle: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen” features a portrait of Sheen. It was released days before Sheen’s beatification set for Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: EWTN “He made the Blessed Sacrament his way of not just preparing, but making himself holy and worthy of the people he was talking to,” Bunson said. “Because thatʼs how seriously he took what he was saying.”“So as a communicator, it wasnʼt just communicating about himself,” he said. “He was always proclaiming a person, and that was Jesus Christ. And he did that by developing and fostering his love for the Eucharist. And he did it in the Holy Hour.”“Fulton Sheen, pray for us,” Bunson concluded.
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As beatification nears, new book explains why Fulton Sheen was ‘America’s Apostle’ #Catholic With the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen approaching, a new book on the life and legacy of the evangelist and television and radio show host explains why he was “America’s Apostle.”Allan Smith, founder and director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, published the book “America’s Apostle” on Sept. 15, just ahead of the archbishop’s beatification on Sept. 24.“I think … the title is a perfect one — ‘Americaʼs Apostle,’ because he really was an apostle to the American people in the great tradition of apostles,” Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News Matthew Bunson told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Veronica Dudo on Sept. 22.The book was published through EWTN Publishing and Sophia Institute Press.“[Sheen] was a brilliant communicator; he had immense gifts on television, radio, as a writer, as a poet,” Bunson said. “But all of that was geared toward proclaiming Jesus Christ in exactly the same way that a good apostle should.”Sheen began his media career as a priest, hosting an hourlong radio show called “The Catholic Hour” in 1930 until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in New York in 1951 and transitioned to television, hosting “Life Is Worth Living.” At its peak, Sheen’s radio show was reaching about 4 million people weekly, and his television show was reaching about 30 million people.“Like a good apostle, he used all the means of communications at his disposal,” Bunson said. “I just mentioned television, radio, you name it. He wanted to use it. So itʼs perfectly appropriate, I think, for him to be called ‘Americaʼs Apostle.’”Sheen also reserved one hour every day for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning this when he was ordained in 1919 until he died in 1979. He was found dead at the age of 84 in his chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament.Bunson explained that Sheen “made a promise on the day of his ordination” that he would do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He also noted Sheen wrote in his autobiography, “Treasure in Clay,” that he prepared for his homilies, his books, and his speeches in front of the Eucharist. The book cover for “America’s Apostle: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen” features a portrait of Sheen. It was released days before Sheen’s beatification set for Sept. 24, 2026. | Credit: EWTN “He made the Blessed Sacrament his way of not just preparing, but making himself holy and worthy of the people he was talking to,” Bunson said. “Because thatʼs how seriously he took what he was saying.”“So as a communicator, it wasnʼt just communicating about himself,” he said. “He was always proclaiming a person, and that was Jesus Christ. And he did that by developing and fostering his love for the Eucharist. And he did it in the Holy Hour.”“Fulton Sheen, pray for us,” Bunson concluded.

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The book by Allan Smith was published on Sept. 15, about one week before the beatification. EWTN’s Matthew Bunson discusses the book and Sheen’s legacy on “EWTN News Nightly.”

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NASA’s Hubble Telescope Reaches Milestone, Looks for Elusive Supernova – An image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of galaxy cluster MACS J0417 is part of repeated observations to monitor for the reappearance of supernova Athena, which can help astronomers measure the expansion rate of the universe.
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NASA’s Hubble Telescope Reaches Milestone, Looks for Elusive Supernova – An image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of galaxy cluster MACS J0417 is part of repeated observations to monitor for the reappearance of supernova Athena, which can help astronomers measure the expansion rate of the universe.

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An image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of galaxy cluster MACS J0417 is part of repeated observations to monitor for the reappearance of supernova Athena, which can help astronomers measure the expansion rate of the universe.

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Archbishop of Panama asks victims for forgiveness: ‘We cannot remain silent in the face of abuse’ #Catholic The archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, stated that “we cannot remain silent in the face of abuse” during his presentation of the report “Assessment of Institutional Responses (AIR) in cases of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable persons” within the Archdiocese of Panama between 2001 and 2025.The report by the Transparency Commission (TC), a pilot project and the first from an interdisciplinary group of independent experts on addressing and preventing abuse within ecclesial settings, was presented on Sept. 22 at the Santa María La Antigua University auditorium in Panama City.Speaking during the presentation, Ulloa emphasized: “It has already been said here, and we know it: Our Panamanian culture often prefers to remain silent, but in the face of abuse, we cannot remain silent.”“We want to listen; we want to take every complaint seriously, with respect, and confidentiality, protecting the individuals involved and acting in accordance with established procedures,” he added.The prelate explained that the archdiocese he leads “remains committed to reporting relevant allegations to the competent civil authorities in accordance with current legislation” and acknowledged the need to ask what can be done better to move forward in the prevention of abuse.“A culture of protection is not built solely through written rules; it is built when every priest, religious, pastoral worker, collaborator, and member of our communities understands that protecting minors and vulnerable persons is an ongoing, shared responsibility,” the archbishop emphasized.Asking forgiveness of the victimsThe prelate also addressed “in a special way victims and survivors. We are deeply pained by the suffering you have endured.”“It pains us to know that those who should have found a place of welcome, care, and trust within the Church experienced situations that caused them such deep wounds,” he continued.Ulloa emphasized that “wherever members of our Church caused harm, and wherever our institutional response fell short of what the victims needed and had a right to expect, we ask for forgiveness in the name of the Church.”The archbishop also noted that “over this 25-year period, and I wish to highlight this especially for the media, more than 18 priests have been removed from priestly ministry due to situations involving the Sixth Commandment, offenses against property, or other issues they have experienced.”The Transparency CommissionAccording to its website, the Transparency Commission (TC) was established to conduct comprehensive investigations “in a holistic, professional, independent, and rigorous manner regarding cases of abuse of minors and vulnerable persons within the Church.” It is funded by the University of Notre Dame Law School in Indiana and Villanueva University in Madrid.“This group of experts focuses its work on places where crises related to ecclesial abuse have not yet occurred or have not come to light,” notes the TC website. Presentation of the report to the archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa. | Credit: Archdiocese of Panama The report indicates that in cases of sexual abuse, the AIR “must place victims at the center of the analysis, since the way the institution protects their rights, addresses their needs, and fosters their reparation constitutes the primary criterion for evaluating the quality of the response provided.”The Transparency Commission is composed of 17 individuals coordinated by Father Jordi Pujol, a lawyer who holds a doctorate in moral theology and is also a professor of law and communication ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.Its members include Father Thomas Berg, a professor and researcher at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame; Yago de la Cierva, a professor of preventive and crisis communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; and Irma Patricia Espinosa, a psychiatrist, member of the National Council for the Protection of Minors of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, academic director and founding partner of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Training for the Protection of Minors (CEPROME) Latin America, and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2022.Also serving on the Transparency Commission are María Inés Franck, professor of canon law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and a member of the Pastoral Council for the Protection of Minors of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference; Monsignor John Paul Kimes, professor of canon law at the University of Notre Dame Law School; and Father Daniel Portillo, dean of the psychology department at Lumen Gentium Catholic University in Mexico. He is the director and a founding member of CEPROME Latin America.The Panama ReportThe request for the report goes back to October 2025, when the archbishop of Panama requested an assessment of institutional response from the TC “on his own initiative, without a court order or a request from the Holy See.”The commission stated that it accepted the assignment subject to three conditions: full access to information, total independence in the investigation, and a commitment to publish the findings. The archdiocese did not intervene in the compilation of the report and only saw it days before its presentation.The TC states that it operated with financial independence: Its members received no remuneration from the archdiocese, and costs were covered by Notre Dame Law School and the Villanueva University Foundation. The archdiocese only covered transportation and accommodation and provided workspace.The commission reported that, during the period under review, the archdiocese received 37 complaints of which it analyzed 24, while the remaining 13 were excluded from the analysis “because they referred to events that occurred outside the archdioceseʼs territory or the time frame examined, or because they did not involve abuse against minors or vulnerable persons.”The report reveals that case management improved thanks to two initiatives by the archdiocese: the approval of guidelines in 2015 and the creation in 2024 of the Pastoral Care and Prevention Office and the Listening Office.The report, currently available only in Spanish, identifies five areas requiring improvement: listening to and accompanying victims; recordkeeping; prevention; justice for victims; and reparation.“Making reparation requires acknowledging the harm, accepting personal and institutional responsibility, and addressing the physical, psychological, moral, spiritual, and social needs of each victim,” the commission emphasizes.The pilot projectIn a FAQ section about the report, the TC explains that this work is a pilot project because “it is the first time that a comprehensive methodology has been applied that can be replicated in other dioceses or ecclesial organizations.”“This first project has allowed us to test a methodology and a work system, based on professional listening, research in archives, conducting interviews with various audiences of interest, and media analysis and the sociocultural context of the country,” it adds.The Transparency Commission further specifies that the working methodology aims to “place victims at the center, protecting their rights, and guarantee due process for the accused,” applying a clear standard of prudence to avoid “revictimizing a victim or blaming an innocent person.”The Transparency Commission also noted that “the Vatican has been kept informed of the workʼs progress at all times; both the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America are aware of the TC’s work. Furthermore, some members of the commission work or have worked with both the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.”The TC concludes by noting that anyone who has suffered abuse within the Church may, at any time, turn to the Archdiocese of Panama’s Listening Office and file a report with the public prosecutorʼs office.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Archbishop of Panama asks victims for forgiveness: ‘We cannot remain silent in the face of abuse’ #Catholic The archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, stated that “we cannot remain silent in the face of abuse” during his presentation of the report “Assessment of Institutional Responses (AIR) in cases of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable persons” within the Archdiocese of Panama between 2001 and 2025.The report by the Transparency Commission (TC), a pilot project and the first from an interdisciplinary group of independent experts on addressing and preventing abuse within ecclesial settings, was presented on Sept. 22 at the Santa María La Antigua University auditorium in Panama City.Speaking during the presentation, Ulloa emphasized: “It has already been said here, and we know it: Our Panamanian culture often prefers to remain silent, but in the face of abuse, we cannot remain silent.”“We want to listen; we want to take every complaint seriously, with respect, and confidentiality, protecting the individuals involved and acting in accordance with established procedures,” he added.The prelate explained that the archdiocese he leads “remains committed to reporting relevant allegations to the competent civil authorities in accordance with current legislation” and acknowledged the need to ask what can be done better to move forward in the prevention of abuse.“A culture of protection is not built solely through written rules; it is built when every priest, religious, pastoral worker, collaborator, and member of our communities understands that protecting minors and vulnerable persons is an ongoing, shared responsibility,” the archbishop emphasized.Asking forgiveness of the victimsThe prelate also addressed “in a special way victims and survivors. We are deeply pained by the suffering you have endured.”“It pains us to know that those who should have found a place of welcome, care, and trust within the Church experienced situations that caused them such deep wounds,” he continued.Ulloa emphasized that “wherever members of our Church caused harm, and wherever our institutional response fell short of what the victims needed and had a right to expect, we ask for forgiveness in the name of the Church.”The archbishop also noted that “over this 25-year period, and I wish to highlight this especially for the media, more than 18 priests have been removed from priestly ministry due to situations involving the Sixth Commandment, offenses against property, or other issues they have experienced.”The Transparency CommissionAccording to its website, the Transparency Commission (TC) was established to conduct comprehensive investigations “in a holistic, professional, independent, and rigorous manner regarding cases of abuse of minors and vulnerable persons within the Church.” It is funded by the University of Notre Dame Law School in Indiana and Villanueva University in Madrid.“This group of experts focuses its work on places where crises related to ecclesial abuse have not yet occurred or have not come to light,” notes the TC website. Presentation of the report to the archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa. | Credit: Archdiocese of Panama The report indicates that in cases of sexual abuse, the AIR “must place victims at the center of the analysis, since the way the institution protects their rights, addresses their needs, and fosters their reparation constitutes the primary criterion for evaluating the quality of the response provided.”The Transparency Commission is composed of 17 individuals coordinated by Father Jordi Pujol, a lawyer who holds a doctorate in moral theology and is also a professor of law and communication ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.Its members include Father Thomas Berg, a professor and researcher at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame; Yago de la Cierva, a professor of preventive and crisis communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; and Irma Patricia Espinosa, a psychiatrist, member of the National Council for the Protection of Minors of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, academic director and founding partner of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Training for the Protection of Minors (CEPROME) Latin America, and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2022.Also serving on the Transparency Commission are María Inés Franck, professor of canon law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and a member of the Pastoral Council for the Protection of Minors of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference; Monsignor John Paul Kimes, professor of canon law at the University of Notre Dame Law School; and Father Daniel Portillo, dean of the psychology department at Lumen Gentium Catholic University in Mexico. He is the director and a founding member of CEPROME Latin America.The Panama ReportThe request for the report goes back to October 2025, when the archbishop of Panama requested an assessment of institutional response from the TC “on his own initiative, without a court order or a request from the Holy See.”The commission stated that it accepted the assignment subject to three conditions: full access to information, total independence in the investigation, and a commitment to publish the findings. The archdiocese did not intervene in the compilation of the report and only saw it days before its presentation.The TC states that it operated with financial independence: Its members received no remuneration from the archdiocese, and costs were covered by Notre Dame Law School and the Villanueva University Foundation. The archdiocese only covered transportation and accommodation and provided workspace.The commission reported that, during the period under review, the archdiocese received 37 complaints of which it analyzed 24, while the remaining 13 were excluded from the analysis “because they referred to events that occurred outside the archdioceseʼs territory or the time frame examined, or because they did not involve abuse against minors or vulnerable persons.”The report reveals that case management improved thanks to two initiatives by the archdiocese: the approval of guidelines in 2015 and the creation in 2024 of the Pastoral Care and Prevention Office and the Listening Office.The report, currently available only in Spanish, identifies five areas requiring improvement: listening to and accompanying victims; recordkeeping; prevention; justice for victims; and reparation.“Making reparation requires acknowledging the harm, accepting personal and institutional responsibility, and addressing the physical, psychological, moral, spiritual, and social needs of each victim,” the commission emphasizes.The pilot projectIn a FAQ section about the report, the TC explains that this work is a pilot project because “it is the first time that a comprehensive methodology has been applied that can be replicated in other dioceses or ecclesial organizations.”“This first project has allowed us to test a methodology and a work system, based on professional listening, research in archives, conducting interviews with various audiences of interest, and media analysis and the sociocultural context of the country,” it adds.The Transparency Commission further specifies that the working methodology aims to “place victims at the center, protecting their rights, and guarantee due process for the accused,” applying a clear standard of prudence to avoid “revictimizing a victim or blaming an innocent person.”The Transparency Commission also noted that “the Vatican has been kept informed of the workʼs progress at all times; both the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America are aware of the TC’s work. Furthermore, some members of the commission work or have worked with both the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.”The TC concludes by noting that anyone who has suffered abuse within the Church may, at any time, turn to the Archdiocese of Panama’s Listening Office and file a report with the public prosecutorʼs office.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Addressing the scourge of sexual abuse, the archbishop of Panama requested the services of the Transparency Commission, a project sponsored by Notre Dame Law School and Madrid’s Villanueva University.

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