United Yam – You Never Know

Syro-Malabar Church in the U.S. gathers for joyful celebration of unity – #Catholic – CHICAGO — While most Christians can’t trace their faith lineage to a specific saint, Syro-Malabar Catholics know exactly who brought their ancestors the faith. They proudly call themselves “St. Thomas Christians” — descendants of the first Christians to whom St. Thomas the Apostle brought the Gospel in Kerala, India, in A.D. 52.The Syro-Malabar community came together July 9–12 in Chicago for “Syro26,” a jubilee convention not only to honor its 25th year as an official eparchy in the U.S. but also to reaffirm and celebrate its unity as a church after liturgical disputes in India nearly led to a schism last year.Counting some 5 million members worldwide, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the largest of the 22 Eastern Catholic churches in communion with Rome. Originally found mostly in India, the church has experienced explosive growth in the U.S. during the 21st century.Just 25 years ago, St. John Paul II established the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy to serve the growing immigrant community. Headquartered in Chicago, the eparchy — what Western Churches call a “diocese” — has jurisdiction over the entire U.S., a region that includes some 87,000 souls who attend 53 parishes and 32 missions, served by 86 devoted priests.More than 3,500 people flooded Chicago’s McCormick Place for the four-day-long festival that featured luminous cultural and dramatic performances, engaging talks from well-known Catholic speakers, a congratulatory visit from local archbishop Cardinal Blaise Cupich, and a dizzying array of events designed for everyone in attendance.In some ways, Syro26 was like other Catholic conferences — plenty of clergy and religious in attendance, daily prayer and Holy Qurbana (the Syro-Malabar liturgy), Catholic speakers, ongoing Eucharistic adoration, and confession. But in other ways, it was its own distinct cultural experience, with attendees in vivid sarees and other traditional clothing; as many conversations in Malayalam as in English; and events that included Bollywood dance and traditional music.

The Syro-Malabar community gathered July 9–12, 2026, in Chicago for “Syro26,” a jubilee convention to honor its 25th year as an official eparchy in the U.S. Counting some 5 million members worldwide, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is the largest of the 22 Eastern Catholic churches in communion with Rome. | Credit: Jitto Kurian

Unity as a church and with RomeCupich, head of the Chicago Archdiocese, attended the inauguration and warmly affirmed the local Roman Catholic Church’s unity and friendship with the eparchy.Addressing those gathered, he said of the eparchy: “Today, this very thriving community is a sign of hope, with its robust youth ministry, catechetical programs, and outreach to immigrant families navigating the cultural differences of life in the United States, while always continuing the Indian traditions.”“We give thanks this evening for the many blessings — among them, the spiritual sustenance and the formation that this eparchy brings to the Syro-Malabar Catholics, the witness it offers to all Catholics in spiritual renewal, and the example that you give to all Americans,” he continued.The “witness to all Catholics” may include in part the church’s recent hard-fought efforts for unity over division. After decades of dispute, the Syro-Malabar Church reached a historic agreement in July 2025 to keep the church united rather than enter into schism.“There will always be issues that come down the line about which we have to be diligent and well-versed, and our leadership has set a good path for us as to how to manage any disagreements,” said Sony Thevalakara, a father of seven who is highly involved in the Chicago eparchy and gave a talk about parenting at Syro26.Events for young and oldWith attendees ranging from newborn babies to the elderly, Syro26 included a vast array of events.Theatrical productions brought to life the Gospel story and how St. Thomas brought the Catholic faith to India, and many attendees mentioned especially enjoying the formal gala and the Chicago River cruise.Catholic speakers like bestselling author Edward Sri, astrophysicist priest Father John Kartje, college chaplain Father Tim Anastos, and others addressed theological and lifestyle topics, while special gatherings brought together groups of catechists, seniors, choir members, nurses, sacristans and altar servers, artists, filmmakers, schoolteachers, youth ministers, and those of other interests.Breakout sessions included topics like college admissions, financial literacy, faith and mental health, skin care, professional networking with a “Syro Shark Tank” business startup summit, a Pietra Fitness workout class, a Bollywood dance workshop, and a saree draping and styling class.Younger participants mentioned enjoying the dodgeball tournament and World Cup Soccer watch party — and especially the 21+ rooftop social and the singles mixer. “I feel like thatʼs kind of half the purpose of the convention,” one young woman joked.

Men in biblical garb hold palm branches in a scene from one of the plays about the life of Jesus performed at Syro26, held July 9–12, 2026, in Chicago. | Credit: Jitto Kurian

Sister Dr. Jocelyn Edathil of the Bethany Sisters, who spoke on a “Catholic Ask Me Anything” panel, told EWTN News: “Coming here and being able to have a shared lived experience is really a blessing. Thereʼs a lot of love in this room.”Brian Kuncheria, logistics director for Syro26, said he hopes the event will make the Syro-Malabar Church better known, as he sometimes runs into misconceptions about being Eastern Catholic.“Often when I explain our church to someone, they’re not very familiar and they think the Roman Catholic Church is the only Catholic church. Itʼs very cool to explain to them the history of St. Thomas coming to India, spreading the faith to our people in India, and how our church is a direct result of that,” he said. “This convention is a unique opportunity to showcase and explain how our church maintains our heritage and traditions while being fully in communion with Rome.”Several speakers and organizers mentioned their hope for their church to grow in evangelization efforts and a missionary spirit here in the U.S. and how they are looking forward to the next 25 years of growth.But perhaps St. Thomas himself said it best in one of Syro26’s theatrical performances: “This mission did not end with St. Thomas. I planted its seed among your ancestors and they took it. They lived it… And in the fullness of time, from the Indian shores, that faith — in its unique expression — set sail for North America and other distant lands.”“It followed those Indian sons and daughters who ventured from their homes to settle in those places, and where they settled, the faith took root… And even still, the story continues.”

unitedyam July 13, 2026July 13, 2026

After liturgical disputes in India nearly led to a schism in 2025, the Syro-Malabar community came together July 9–12 in Chicago to honor its 25th year as an official eparchy in the U.S.

Indian court upholds Hindu prayers in state schools, calls them ‘moral instruction’ – #Catholic – Catholic and other Christian groups have expressed concern after the High Court of Chhattisgarh — a central Indian state governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — declined to set aside a state government order making Hindu prayers mandatory in government schools, dismissing a challenge to it as “premature.”“The government order of June 12 [mandating Hindu prayers in schools at assemblies, meal breaks, and at closing] came as a shock to us,” Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur, the state capital, told EWTN News on July 13.“We were looking forward to the judiciary to uphold the fundamental rights of the religious minorities enshrined under the constitution. But the July 2 verdict of the High Court belies our hope, as it has dismissed the plea against the government order as ‘premature,’” Thakur said.What the circular requiresThe ruling came on a petition filed by former Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chairman Abdul Salam Rizvi and two others challenging the June 12 order. According to The Hindu, which cited a government official, the morning assembly would include the national anthem, national song, Deep Mantra, Saraswati Vandana, Guru Mantra, and excerpts from the biographies of great personalities.During the midday meal, students would recite a food prayer, the Bhojan Mantra, while the closing session at the end of the school day would include the state song, the Gayatri Mantra, and the Shanti Mantra. The order also threatened punitive action “to ensure strict implementation of the order,” with officials inspecting schools to check for violations of the prescribed guidelines.The court’s rulingWhile dismissing the petition against the June 12 order as “premature,” the High Court said the plea was “based on mere apprehension rather than any actual grievance.”The judge, Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, said the petitioners could approach the court “afresh by way of an appropriate petition, supported by cogent and relevant material, if any exigency arises in the future.”However, Thakur said: “In a secular democratic country, young children or their families should not be forced to wage legal battle against the system to uphold their fundamental rights.”“We urge all concerned to ensure that the schools — temples of learning and harmony — are not reduced to communal battlefields of division and religious dominance,” reiterated Thakur, who heads the Catholic Church in Chhattisgarh, where Christians number less than 2% of the state’s 25 million people and the Catholic Church runs over 250 schools.Article 30 of the Indian Constitution empowers all religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.Protests and ‘deep disappointment’The notification of the order drew protests from Christian and civil rights groups and opposition political parties, which dubbed it a Hindu nationalist “majoritarian show.”Sushil Anand Shukla, spokesperson for the opposition Congress party, said: “Students of all faiths, castes, and communities study in government schools and making the recitation of specific religious mantras compulsory could hurt the sentiments of people belonging to other faiths.”The Progressive Christian Alliance (PCA), in a statement on July 10, expressed “deep disappointment” with the High Court order: “The judgment fails to adequately protect the fundamental rights of students of religious minorities and other faith streams … who now face daily pressure to participate in religious practices that are not their own.”“The dismissal overlooks the real and immediate coercive atmosphere created by a government circular that uses the … school setting where children have little agency to opt out without fear of stigma or exclusion,” said the Rev. Akhilesh Edgar, general secretary of the Evangelical Churches in India, in the statement issued on behalf of the educational wing of the PCA.“We organized protests in several places including Raipur against this move to enforce Hindutva [Hindu nationalist] agenda,” said Pastor Simon Digbal Tandi, coordinator of the PCA.“This court order has come even as we were preparing to move the court,” said Tandi, who heads the PCA’s Chhattisgarh chapter.Tandi also said “the government is hypocritical and playing double talk.” While the government had told the court the order drew no objections, he said, it had already begun allotting 25,000 rupees (about $260) per village school to install sound systems to carry out the prayers.

unitedyam July 13, 2026July 13, 2026

The Chhattisgarh High Court dismissed as “premature” a challenge to a government order mandating Hindu prayers in schools, prompting concern from Christian leaders.

Papal nuncio to Great Britain: A visit from Pope Leo is ‘likely’ – #Catholic – The pope’s representative in Great Britain is hopeful that Pope Leo XIV will visit England and “awaken the conscience of the West.”A papal visit to England is “likely, desirable, and I would even say unavoidable,” Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain since 2023, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.A visit to Great Britain is “likely, because King Charles III paid a state visit to the Vatican last year, and it is logical that the United Kingdom would now invite Pope Leo XIV to return the visit,” he added.The last pope to make an official visit to the United Kingdom was Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.Maury said that, as the first English-speaking pope in more than eight centuries, the welcome for Pope Leo would be “extraordinary and his message amplified throughout the English-speaking world.”“The bishops of England and Scotland also hope that a papal visit will reinvigorate the proclamation of the faith in one of Europe’s most secularized societies — one which, I would say, is currently experiencing a time of grace,” the papal representative said.“The spiritual vacuum of recent decades is giving way to a quiet Christian revival among younger generations,” the archbishop continued. “Religious practice is increasing among Catholics, thanks in part to the thousands of immigrants and children of immigrants who are revitalizing parish life and contributing to the growth of Catholic communities.”“Everything suggests that the pontificate of Leo XIV is called to awaken the conscience of the West just as that of St. John Paul II once stirred the conscience of the East, so that the Church may once again breathe fully with both of its lungs,” he said.Born in 1955 in Spain, Maury was ordained a priest in 1980. He never imagined he would become an apostolic nuncio. Nevertheless, in obedience to one of his superiors, he entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1987, beginning a career that would lead him to represent the pope in various countries around the world for more than 39 years.The book “Faith, Life, Diplomacy,” published in Spanish and Italian, reflects on Maury’s nearly four decades of diplomatic service in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Romania, and Moldova.The following is an edited version of the nuncio’s full interview with ACI Prensa:ACI Prensa: You have published “Faith, Life, Diplomacy,” a book about your service in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, where Catholics are a minority. What did you learn there, and what left a lasting mark on you?Maury: I discovered the great humanity of those peoples and the devastating effects on their souls of 70 years of communist and atheist rule. The Muslim majority and millions of Russian Orthodox believers abandoned their faith, while the Catholic minority preserved it — despite being deprived of priests for at least 20 years — thanks to the daily family rosary.Another thing that impressed me positively was the desire of the younger generations to learn and to serve society, now free from the terror under which their parents lived. This contrasts sharply with the apathy and selfishness present among much of Western youth.When Pope Benedict XVI sent me as his representative to those countries, I asked him for advice. “Go,” he told me, “to the remote places where none of your predecessors has gone, and bring them the pope’s blessing.”I did so, just as I have continued to do in the countries to which Pope Francis later sent me.Beyond the joy such — sometimes uncomfortable and risky — journeys bring to people, they provide an unfiltered view of realities on the ground, free from assumptions and prejudices, that can help enlighten officials in the Roman Curia.You began your diplomatic service in Rwanda. You arrived at a difficult time, amid the massacres in Burundi, and remained there when the genocide erupted. What do you remember most? Were you afraid of dying?I began my diplomatic service in Kigali at age 31, and I truly feared that a stray bullet might hit me. In fact, I still have one that came through my bedroom in the middle of the night.Certainly, no one intended to kill us, but the combatants’ lack of training was evident. As far as I know, apart from a few Europeans who had married Tutsi women and were specifically sought out during the genocide, only one elderly French religious sister and an Italian volunteer fell victim to stray bullets.We should not forget that most of the victims on both sides were killed with machetes. In other words, people knew exactly whom they were eliminating.Civil wars are the most horrific because they are driven by hatred, even though they are often provoked and fueled by outside interests.A nuncio’s mission is not the same as that of a typical ambassador. What are the methods and goals of the pope’s diplomacy?I never tire of repeating that the Holy See has no oranges to sell and no oil to buy.The very purpose of Vatican City State is different from that of other states, whose primary responsibility is to ensure the well-being of their citizens. The Vatican exists to guarantee the pope’s independence. He is the only global religious leader who is not subject to any political authority and is therefore free to proclaim the Gospel.The Holy See’s diplomacy gives priority to the spiritual dimension of the human person, raising awareness among the various actors in the international community of the need and benefit of respecting and promoting human rights at both the individual and social level.Every country’s embassies and consulates seek to protect the rights of their citizens abroad. The Holy See’s situation is different because Catholics living in different countries are generally citizens of those same states, so there is, at least in theory, a convergence of interests.The pope has just traveled to Spain. I believe you worked on preparations for Pope Francis’ visit to Romania. How are these visits prepared so that the pope’s message has a lasting impact?I followed the trip on Spanish television and saw that the enthusiasm of the Spanish people for the pope remains undiminished despite social changes.I had the honor of helping prepare five apostolic journeys of St. John Paul II — to Rwanda, Uganda, Nicaragua, Egypt, and Slovenia — and I did indeed welcome Pope Francis to Romania.When preparing papal trips, one must distinguish among different levels: program, logistics, message, and so on.Lately, excessive emphasis on security concerns has unfortunately had the effect of distancing the pontiff from the faithful.As for the lasting impact of his message, much depends on whether it responds to the expectations and historical circumstances of the countries he visits. Normally, it is the local Church that proposes the motto and themes of the trip, although the pope naturally has the final word.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 apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury, has been in the Vatican’s diplomatic service for nearly four decades.

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To be a planet, NASA says an object must be big enough that its gravity has cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun. I can understand how something can clear objects close to itself, but how does it clear something 180° away in its orbit? Rebecca SmithWashougal,Continue reading “How do planets clear out objects on the other side of their orbit?”

The post How do planets clear out objects on the other side of their orbit? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

Picture of the day

The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. commemorates the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826). Today marks the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s death as well as the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, drafted primarily by Jefferson.

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O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

20 Famous Castles Around the World You Need to See in Your Lifetime #Travel Calling all history buffs, architecture fans, and art lovers—these castles should be on your list.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 13, 2026

Calling all history buffs, architecture fans, and art lovers—these castles should be on your list.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

A reading from the Book of Isaiah
1:10-17

Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams
and fat of fatlings;
In the blood of calves, lambs and goats
I find no pleasure.When you come in to visit me,
who asks these things of you?
Trample my courts no more!
Bring no more worthless offerings;
your incense is loathsome to me.
New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,
octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.
Your new moons and festivals I detest;
they weigh me down, I tire of the load.
When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.“Whoever loves
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”When Jesus
finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Christ’s words mean that the peace he came to bring us is not synonymous with the mere absence of conflicts. On the contrary, Jesus’ peace is the result of a constant battle against evil. The fight that Jesus is determined to support is not against human beings or human powers, but against Satan, the enemy of God and man.

Anyone who desires to resist this enemy by remaining faithful to God and to good, must necessarily confront misunderstandings and sometimes real persecutions.

All, therefore, who intend to follow Jesus and to commit themselves without compromise to the truth, must know that they will encounter opposition and that in spite of themselves they will become a sign of division between people, even in their own families. In fact, love for one’s parents is a holy commandment, but to be lived authentically it can never take precedence over love for God and love for Christ.

Thus, following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus, in accordance with St Francis of Assisi’s famous words, Christians become "instruments of peace"; not of a peace that is inconsistent and only apparent but one that is real, pursued with courage and tenacity in the daily commitment to overcome evil with good and paying in person the price that this entails. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 19 August 2007)

Uh Oh: Mamdani’s New NYC Map Includes ‘Little Auschwitz’ In Brooklyn #BabylonBee – NEW YORK CITY — Concerns over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s "Immigrant Enclave Map" have grown after it was noted that the Mayor had added a "Little Auschwitz" in the middle of Brooklyn.

unitedyam July 12, 2026

NEW YORK CITY — Concerns over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s "Immigrant Enclave Map" have grown after it was noted that the Mayor had added a "Little Auschwitz" in the middle of Brooklyn.

Man Informs Wife He Can’t Mow The Lawn Today As He Is Busy Playing Lawn Mowing Simulator #BabylonBee – BIRMINGHAM, AL — Local man Brett Callahan informed his wife that he wouldn’t be able to mow the lawn today as he was completely tied up playing a lawn-mowing simulator.

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BIRMINGHAM, AL — Local man Brett Callahan informed his wife that he wouldn’t be able to mow the lawn today as he was completely tied up playing a lawn-mowing simulator.

VIDEO: FBI and Violent Crimes Taskforce Spotted Outside Home of Sen. Lindsey Graham – FBI agents and members of the Violent Crimes Taskforce have been spotted at the Washington, D.C., home of the late Sen.
The post VIDEO: FBI and Violent Crimes Taskforce Spotted Outside Home of Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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FBI agents in tactical gear discussing near a black vehicle in an urban setting, surrounded by trees and pedestrians.

FBI agents and members of the Violent Crimes Taskforce have been spotted at the Washington, D.C., home of the late Sen.

The post VIDEO: FBI and Violent Crimes Taskforce Spotted Outside Home of Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

After Caitlin Clark Assaults, Divisive and Unserious WNBA Promotes Kamala and Tim Walz This Weekend – After Caitlin Clark Assaults, Divisive and Unserious WNBA Promotes Kamala and Tim Walz This Weekend Two weeks ago, basketball phenom Caitlin Clark was beaten by an opponent who kneed her in the groin, then shoved her fist on Clark’s throat and tried to stomp on her.
The post After Caitlin Clark Assaults, Divisive and Unserious WNBA Promotes Kamala and Tim Walz This Weekend appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Event featuring notable figures engaging at a basketball game, highlighting moments of interaction and conversation in a lively sports atmosphere.

After Caitlin Clark Assaults, Divisive and Unserious WNBA Promotes Kamala and Tim Walz This Weekend Two weeks ago, basketball phenom Caitlin Clark was beaten by an opponent who kneed her in the groin, then shoved her fist on Clark’s throat and tried to stomp on her.

The post After Caitlin Clark Assaults, Divisive and Unserious WNBA Promotes Kamala and Tim Walz This Weekend appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Trump’s Shield of the Americas Gains Momentum: Colombia Set to Join, Ecuador Deepens U.S. Security Partnership, and Haiti Draws Regional Attention – President Donald Trump’s Shield of the Americas initiative continues to gain momentum across the Western Hemisphere.
The post Trump’s Shield of the Americas Gains Momentum: Colombia Set to Join, Ecuador Deepens U.S. Security Partnership, and Haiti Draws Regional Attention appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

Leaders from various countries gather at the Shield of the Americas summit in Doral 2026, showcasing flags and promoting regional collaboration.

President Donald Trump’s Shield of the Americas initiative continues to gain momentum across the Western Hemisphere.

The post Trump’s Shield of the Americas Gains Momentum: Colombia Set to Join, Ecuador Deepens U.S. Security Partnership, and Haiti Draws Regional Attention appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

Legatus members learn about the most prominent U.S. Catholics #Catholic –

On July 1, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Mass for the Northern New Jersey Chapter of Legatus at Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J. Founded in 1987 by Domino’s Pizza creator Tom Monaghan, Legatus is an international peer group for Catholic CEOs, presidents, and business owners.

Chapter members actively seek ways to integrate their Catholic faith into their daily professional lives. The chapter operates under the guidance and support of Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.

Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney was Msgr. John Hart, pastor of Assumption and director of Clergy Personnel for the Paterson Diocese, N.J., along with other priests invited to learn more about Legatus. Deacon Len Deo of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., assisted with the liturgy and facilitates the chapter’s Men’s Forum.

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After the Mass, Legatus members and many spouses enjoyed dinner at a local establishment. As the featured speaker, Bishop Sweeney discussed a recent column on BeaconNJ.com written by Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist, about “The most prominent Catholics of the United States in our first 250 years.”

The column paid tribute to the recent 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Read the column at https://beaconnj.org/the-most-prominent-catholics-of-the-united-states-in-our-first-250-years-msgr-kupkes-top-10/

Established in 2000, the Northern New Jersey Legatus Chapter meets monthly, typically on a Wednesday or Thursday, beginning with the rosary and followed by Mass. Members and their spouses then enjoy dinner and a presentation at venues throughout northern New Jersey.

There are more than 90 Legatus chapters across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– On July 1, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Mass for the Northern New Jersey Chapter of Legatus at Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J. Founded in 1987 by Domino’s Pizza creator Tom Monaghan, Legatus is an international peer group for Catholic CEOs, presidents, and business owners. Chapter members actively seek ways to integrate their Catholic faith into their daily professional lives. The chapter operates under the guidance and support of Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney was Msgr. John Hart, pastor of Assumption and director of Clergy Personnel for the Paterson Diocese, N.J., along with other

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

The Soviet Union launched Phobos 2 on July 12, 1988, the second of two uncrewed probes designed to study Mars, moons Phobos and Deimos, the Sun, and the interplanetary environment. Each probe was equipped with 25 instruments including high-energy detectors; X-ray and solar photometers; infrared, ultrasound, and gamma-ray spectrometers; and more. Phobos 1 was lostContinue reading “July 12, 1988: Phobos 2 launches”

The post July 12, 1988: Phobos 2 launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Pope Leo XIV: Make time for prayer and silence in the summer - #Catholic - From the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, where he moved on July 5 to enjoy a period of rest, Pope Leo XIV has invited the faithful to make time for “meaningful moments of silence and prayer” during the summer.The pontiff’s remarks were made during his Sunday Angelus address on July 12 at Castel Gandolfo, where he will remain until July 27.Reviving a summer papal traditionThis summer, Leo XIV decided to spend part of it on vacation at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, becoming the first pope to do so since 2012. The residence has been used by the popes as a countryside retreat for over 400 years, and was a preferred vacation spot of Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II.Pope Francis, however, never left the Vatican during the summer of his 12-year papacy, choosing instead to remain at the Casa Santa Marta and repurpose the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo as a museum.The palace itself is a 17th-century building on the shores of Lake Albano. Although it will be closed to the public during the pope’s vacation, the nearby papal gardens will remain open to visitors.During Leo’s vacation, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended. His only public audiences will be the Sunday Angelus, with the only exception so far being his lunch with the poor in the gardens on July 11.The parable of the sowerCommenting on the Sunday Gospel for the day, which contains the parable of the sower, Leo XIV highlighted “the generosity and trust” with which God puts his word and power in the hearts of believers.“Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, who gave his life for our salvation, is the seed that the Father continues to sow throughout the world so that, by dying, he may bear much fruit,” Leo said in his address.

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowds after his Sunday Angelus on July 12, 2026, at the Piazza della Libertà at Castel Gandolfo. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News

The pope also explained that, just as in the parable where the seed is planted in different soils, the faithful do not each receive this gift in the same way.“It is true that sometimes [God] finds in us hard and unresponsive soil, at other times distracted soil, like the beaten path, the rocky ground, or the thorny bushes. Yet there are also moments when he finds receptive and fertile ground, and then miracles of love are set in motion that have the power to transform everything — as we ourselves have no doubt experienced in our own lives.”Leo also reminded the faithful present that God’s love “is stronger than our weakness” and that he never stops sowing and believing in them. He also invited them to take advantage of the summer holidays to experience God through silence and prayer.“Let us therefore resolve, especially during these summer days of vacation, to make room for listening to, reading, and meditating on the Word of God, thereby fostering — together with rest and wholesome recreation— meaningful moments of silence and prayer,” Leo said.A renewed appeal for peaceAfter praying the Angelus, Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace in war-torn regions, lamenting that “the winds of war are blowing once again in the Middle East, in Ukraine and in many other parts of the world, sowing violence, terror and death.”The pope also urged political leaders to resume dialogue and opt for diplomatic means to stop the escalation of conflicts.Leoʼs words come at a time of rising international tension, after the United States and Iran once again became embroiled in a dangerous spiral of attacks. The United States launched new airstrikes against Iranian territory following the Revolutionary Guardʼs attack on a Cypriot-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.Finally, the pope, recalling that July 12 is “Sea Sunday,” gave a special greeting to sailors, fishermen, and port workers. He praised them for their work despite being “marked by separation from their loved ones and sometimes by fear of the conflicts [that] occur on the seas.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

The pontiff addressed the faithful during the July 12 Angelus at Castel Gandolfo, where he is currently on vacation.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness’ – #Catholic – U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, passed away on July 11 after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement in the early hours of July 12. No further details were immediately given regarding the senator’s passing. Graham’s family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement said. Graham was 71. He had served in the U.S. Senate since 2003. Tributes poured in for the late senator overnight through July 12. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Graham was “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.” “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X that his “heart is heavy” after Graham’s passing. He described Graham as “a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe.”“He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause,” Thune said. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described him in a media statement as “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America” and “a loyal and steadfast friend.”International tributes poured in as well. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife, Sara, “grieve with the American people” over Graham’s passing. “Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance, and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Graham was “a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.”“He visited Ukraine 10 times during the years of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed,” he said. Born July 9, 1955, in Central, South Carolina, Graham attended the University of South Carolina, where he ultimately obtained a juris doctor degree from the university’s law school in 1981. He served in the JAG Corps of the U.S. Air Force before working as a lawyer in his home state.His political career began in 1992 when he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. He rose to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995 and began serving in the U.S. Senate eight years later.A staunch ally of Trump, Graham was initially a sharp critic of the Republican president before backing him after his victory in the 2016 election. He was a fixture on political news television shows in the later years of his career. A lifelong bachelor, Graham wrote in his memoir that he “never found time to meet the right girl, or the right girl was smart enough not to have time for me.”A Southern Baptist, Graham was a member of Corinth Baptist Church in Seneca, South Carolina, where he lived. He is survived by his sister Darline and extended family.

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The office of the long-serving South Carolina senator said he passed away on July 11.

A month of married saints: July brings feast days of holy husbands and wives – #Catholic – Marriage is one of the Catholic Churchʼs greatest paths to holiness. From the first Christian missionaries to modern-day martyrs, married couples have shown that a shared life rooted in faith, sacrifice, and love can become a powerful witness to the Gospel.Throughout the month of July, the Church celebrates the feast days of several holy husbands and wives whose lives continue to inspire Catholic families today. Here are four of those couples:Blessed Joseph and Wiktoria Ulma (Feast day: July 7)Blessed Joseph and Wiktoria Ulma were a young married couple living in the small Polish village of Markowa during the Second World War. Devout Catholics, they were raising six young children and were expecting a seventh when they made the decision to shelter eight Jewish people in their home after Nazi Germany occupied Poland. They knew the penalty for helping Jews was death, but their Christian faith compelled them to protect their neighbors despite the grave risk.On March 24, 1944, German police discovered those they were hiding. Joseph and Wiktoria, along with the eight Jews they had sheltered, were executed. The soldiers then murdered each of the Ulmas' six children. During Wiktoriaʼs execution, she went into labor with her seventh child, who also died, making the entire family martyrs.While they are not saints yet, the Ulmas were beatified together on Sept. 10 2023, becoming the first entire family — including an unborn child — to be beatified as martyrs. Today, they are honored as patrons of families and unborn children.Sts. Priscilla and Aquila (Feast day: July 8)Priscilla and Aquila, close collaborators of St. Paul, were among the earliest Christian married couples. Jewish converts to Christianity, they were forced to leave Rome after Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city around A.D. 49. The couple settled in Corinth, where they met Paul, who shared their trade of tent-making. They welcomed him into their home, and together they worked while spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire.The New Testament frequently mentions the couple together, highlighting the strength of their marriage and shared mission. They traveled with Paul to Ephesus, where they hosted a church in their home, which is also referred to as a “house church.” Paul also writes that the couple “risked their necks” for his life — however there is no biblical record of the occasion.The couple is perhaps best known for mentoring the gifted preacher Apollos, gently explaining the fullness of the Christian faith so that he could become an even more effective evangelist.Priscilla and Aquila are the patron saints of marriage, love, and strong Christian families.Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin (Feast day: July 12)Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin are best known as the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, but their own path to holiness began long before the birth of their famous daughter. Both initially considered religious life before discerning that God was instead calling them to marriage. They were wed on July 12, 1858, in Alençon, France — the date that would become their feast day.The Martins endured both profound joy and deep suffering. Of their nine children, four died in infancy or early childhood, while the remaining five daughters all entered religious life. Throughout these trials, Louis and Zélie remained steadfast in prayer, trusting Godʼs providence and making the practice of their Catholic faith the center of family life.Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the time of their beatification in Lisieux in 2008, said in his homily: “Louis and Zélie understood that they could sanctify themselves not despite marriage but through, in, and by marriage, and that their nuptials would be considered as the starting point for a mutual rise.”Canonized together on Oct. 18, 2015, by Pope Francis, Louis and Zélie became the first married couple in Church history to be declared saints together.Sts. Joachim and Anne (Feast day: July 26)Sts. Joachim and Anne are honored by the Church as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ. Although they are not mentioned in the canonical Gospels, their story has been preserved through ancient Christian tradition, particularly through the second-century “Protoevangelium of James.” According to tradition, the couple was advanced in age and had long suffered the sorrow of childlessness before God answered their prayers with the miraculous conception of Mary.Today, Joachim and Anne are the patron saints of grandparents, married couples, and families. Their feast is a reminder of the indispensable role parents and grandparents play in passing on the faith to future generations.

unitedyam July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

Throughout the month of July, the Church celebrates the feast days of several holy married couples whose lives continue to inspire Catholic families today.

Picture of the day

Schwäbisch Hall, Germany: the northern old town on Salinenstrasse, seen over the River Kocher. In the foreground is the Kocher weir with a fish ladder (right).
#ImageOfTheDay

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Picture of the day

Schwäbisch Hall, Germany: the northern old town on Salinenstrasse, seen over the River Kocher. In the foreground is the Kocher weir with a fish ladder (right).

This Mountain Town Is an Affordable Alternative to Jackson Hole—With Rugged Charm, Wild Horses, and a 130-year-old Rodeo #Travel It’s the perfect place to explore the Cowboy State’s stunning landscapes.

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It’s the perfect place to explore the Cowboy State’s stunning landscapes.

At lunch with the poor, Pope Leo XIV calls on society to eliminate the causes of poverty, injustice - #Catholic - Pope Leo XIV on July 11 expressed a “hunger for justice [and] authentic charity” while attending a lunch with poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome. “[I have] a hunger for a Church that truly knows how to open its doors and receive everyone — where there is love for all and no one is an enemy, where we all know how to live out reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace,” the pope told the crowd at the lunch, hosted in the gardens of the Borgo Laudato Si’.

Pope Leo XIV dines with guests during a lunch for poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome, July 11, 2026. The event was the second lunch the pope has hosted with those facing poverty since the beginning of his pontificate. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Leo pointed out that the historic papal title of “pontiff” means “a builder of bridges.” “Today, we too wish to build a bridge with all of you, with your families, and with the society in which we want to live — but to live with justice, to live where the causes of poverty can be eliminated, where the causes of the injustices that still exist in our world can be removed,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV and guests sit for lunch at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome, July 11, 2026. The event was the second lunch the pope has hosted with those facing poverty since the beginning of his pontificate. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“This is the Church we want to be,” he said while thanking the organizers of the lunch, the second such event the pope has hosted since his pontificate began. “When we gather together, when we experience this spirit of encounter around the table — the very table where Jesus is present with us — we are truly building a different world, a world of hope. Let us strive always to embody this experience of a Church of justice, peace, and love,” he said.Before the pope spoke, Cardinal Fabio Baggio — the incoming pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development — had addressed the gathering.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio speaks during a lunch for poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome, July 11, 2026. The event was the second lunch Pope Leo XIV has hosted with those facing poverty since the beginning of his pontificate. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“At a time when the ‘throwaway culture’ risks relegating many people to the margins, this place seeks to be a small sign of hope,” the cardinal said. “Here, we wish to remind everyone — through our lives rather than just our words — that no one is superfluous in the eyes of God and that every person is a gift to the entire community.”About 200 people facing social vulnerability from the Diocese of Rome attended the lunch with the pope. On Aug. 17, 2025 the pope hosted a similar lunch with people living in poverty from the Diocese of Albano; he held another such luncheon on Nov. 16 of that year.This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The Holy Father on July 11 hosted “Lunch with the Pope,” a day of hospitality and fraternity at Borgo Laudato Si’ within the papal gardens of Castel Gandolfo.

Catholic Church in Colombia calls for respecting presidential election results – #Catholic – The Colombian Bishops’ Conference called for the will of the people expressed in the results of the June 21 presidential elections, which saw Abelardo de la Espriella emerge as the winner, to be respected and accepted as a sign of peace for the country.In the final message of their 121st plenary assembly, the bishops noted the “robust and peaceful participation of the Colombian people” in the elections, describing it as a “clear sign of democratic maturity and of appreciation and respect for institutions.”“We regard respect for and acceptance of the will of the Colombian people, as expressed in the election results, as conditions and signs of peace,” they stated in their message, published on July 9.The bishops lamented that, following the elections, confrontation and division continue to be fueled by violent words and attitudes.After calling for a “culture of encounter,” the bishops’ conference urged government leaders to assume “their constitutional responsibility to safeguard and foster unity, the pursuit of the common good in truth and justice, and a national project that includes us all without disregarding what has been built and received as both a legacy and a task.”The bishops' call comes amid the political conflict sparked by President Gustavo Petroʼs decision on July 6 to reject the runoff election results, citing cyber fraud and claiming that the true winner was his candidate, Iván Cepeda.On June 25, the National Electoral Council declared de la Espriella the winner of the presidential runoff election.De la Espriella responded by suspending his team’s participation in the official transition process, that is, the handover of information between the outgoing government and the one set to take over the leadership of Colombia on Aug. 7.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam July 11, 2026July 11, 2026

With Abelardo de la Espriella’s very narrow victory and outgoing President Gustavo Petros’ refusal to accept that result, alleging fraud, the Colombian bishops urged citizens to respect the outcome.

unitedyam July 11, 2026July 11, 2026

On July 11, 1801, French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons made his first comet discovery, c/1801 N1. When he’d began his career in 1789 as a doorkeeper (essentially, a concierge) at Marseille Observatory, the directors had recognized his talents and taught him more about astronomy. That background, combined with his exceptional observational skills and the ability toContinue reading “July 11, 1801: Jean-Louis Pons finds his first comet”

The post July 11, 1801: Jean-Louis Pons finds his first comet appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

‘We will rise with him,’ Venezuelan bishop says as Catholic nonprofits mobilize relief efforts – #Catholic – Auxiliary Bishop Carlos Márquez of Caracas, Venezuela, this week underscored the Church’s commitment “to be with people” as Venezuela recovers from earthquakes.“First of all, we are committed to being with people,” Márquez told “EWTN News In Depth” on July 10. “Bishops and priests and deacons and religious personnel of all different congregations, we are on the street talking to people, conveying hope, and giving them consolation from all the pain and distress that they are suffering.”“We accompany the pain of our people,” he said. “We don’t leave them alone.”Márquez said that in Caracas, where he serves, around 20 to 25 churches and parish houses have been destroyed. While he said Caracas has seen “a lot of damage in many buildings,” the more heavily affected area is La Guajira.“La Guajira is the poor diocese of Venezuela,” he said. “It’s the sister diocese of Caracas. La Guajira was hit really, really bad and they have much, much more damage than we suffer here.”“Though we’ve been hit by nature, we don’t lose our hope because our hope is set on Christ the Lord, and he had victory over death and destruction, and we know that we join him in this pain,” Márquez said.The auxiliary bishop’s remarks come as Catholic aid organizations, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas Venezuela, are working together to mobilize relief efforts across the country.CRS Senior Technical Adviser for Humanitarian Operations John Service told “EWTN News Nightly” on July 10 that CRS and Caritas have channeled their assistance “down to the most affected area, which is La Guajira.”“Weʼve been sending food, water, hygiene materials, and medical supplies,” he said. “Itʼs been a massive mobilization, a big effort, and weʼve been able to get a lot of trucks going. And itʼs nonstop. Literally in this place where Iʼm standing right now, which is their main office, we get the materials, we process them, we put them into packages that are easy to deliver, and then the trucks go out daily to these different sites.”Service described the mood on the ground in Venezuela as “sad, frustrated, angry together, and determined.”“The reality is thereʼs quite a big trauma thatʼs hit these populations. Theyʼve lost loved ones. They still have loved ones they canʼt find. So it is a very difficult process for them to come to grips with whatʼs happened,” he said.Service said many Venezuelans faced financial hardship before the earthquakes, depleting the resources they might have used to offset the present crisis. “People donʼt have a big safety net,” he said.

unitedyam July 11, 2026July 11, 2026

“Though we’ve been hit by nature, we don’t lose our hope because our hope is set on Christ the Lord, and he had victory over death and destruction,” Auxiliary Bishop Carlos Márquez said.

Irish bishops condemn burning of mosque replica at holiday festivities #Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin of the Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh and Archbishop John McDowell of the Church of Ireland have condemned the burning of a mosque replica in Northern Ireland during the country’s Eleventh Night bonfires.“The placement of a replica mosque atop a bonfire is grossly offensive and raises tensions so soon after the unrest that destroyed property and severely impacted the lives of individuals and families,” the archbishops said. Bonfires are traditionally lit in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland on the night before July 12 — a holiday referred to as “The Twelfth” — marking the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, which saw the defeat of Catholic King James II. The mosque replica placed on top of a bonfire was reported to depict a person holding a knife and a flag.The incident follows weeks of civil unrest and targeting of migrant communities throughout Northern Ireland after a brutal knife attack in Belfast carried out by a Sudanese national.Little Sisters of the Poor set up field hospital for Venezuela earthquake victimsThe Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor of Maiquetía has set up a field hospital following the destruction of San José Hospital during the earthquakes in Venezuela last month.The sisters are continuing their health ministry operations across the street from the damaged hospital, Sister María Yraida Mora Sánchez, vicar general of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, told Vatican News. "We are also making regular visits to three emergency shelters, and the situation is extremely difficult. It is especially challenging because Venezuela was already facing a severe economic and humanitarian crisis, as much of the world already knows,” she said. Abuse survivors seek damages from entity tied to Christian Brothers’ asset transfersSurvivors of clergy abuse at the hands of the Congregation of Christian Brothers are seeking to transfer their compensation claims to Edmund Rice Education Australia, a Catholic entity that received over million worth of property from the Christian Brothers over the course of a decade in symbolic transfers. The move comes after the Christian Brothers said in court that they could not afford to pay survivors’ claims in full but that they would sell off their remaining 36 properties valued at 7 million to divide among creditors and abuse survivors, according to a report from The Guardian on Friday.Indonesia bishops speak out against killing of American mission pilotCatholic bishops in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, have condemned the murder of an American pilot on July 2 by an armed group.“We strongly condemn this brutal act,” Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke said, according to Licas News, noting that the plane that was set on fire by the group was an Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) aircraft owned by five dioceses in Papua. AMA has served Papua for 67 years, delivering humanitarian aid to areas difficult to reach by land. “For decades, we have faced risks from weather and technical problems. However, a criminal act involving the burning of an aircraft and the murder of a pilot is extremely difficult to accept. It is a barbaric and inhumane act,” Bishop Yanuarius Theofilus Matopai of Jayapura in Papua said. Pakistan archbishop declares child abuse a national, moral crisisArchbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in Pakistan has designated 2026 the “Year of Children” amid what he described as “deep concern over the growing number of child abuse cases in society.”"The issue of child sexual abuse in Pakistan remains widespread and requires urgent attention,” the archbishop said in an interview with Fides News Agency on July 8. “Crimes against children are among the most shameful and intolerable violations of human dignity. No society can call itself just, peaceful, or civilized as long as its children live under threat, fear, and insecurity. Children are a sacred gift from God and must be protected with the highest level of moral, social, legal and institutional responsibility,” he said, calling for action from the Pakistani government. New Zealand marks near-50% surge in euthanasia deaths in 3 yearsA report has recorded a 48.17% increase in deaths by euthanasia and assisted suicide in New Zealand over the past three years.The Registrar (assisted dying) Annual Report to the Minister of Health June 2026 report found there was a total of 486 cases of euthanasia and assisted suicide in New Zealand from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. In 2023-2024, there were 328 cases nationwide. The New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference has repeatedly spoken out against euthanasia and assisted suicide laws in the country. Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, celebrates centenary of Latin Vicariate of Port SaidHundreds of pilgrims gathered in Port Said in Egypt to celebrate 100 years after the establishment of the apostolic procurator there, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Sunday.Bishop Claudio Lurati of the Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria presided over the Mass celebrating the anniversary at the Regina Mundi Cathedral. Beyond the anniversary itself, the celebration brought together the history of the local Church, the legacy of generations of Christians, and a remarkable example of ecumenical cooperation, with Regina Mundi Cathedral serving both Latin Catholic and Coptic Orthodox communities.Thailand Catholic schools launch program to combat food insecurityIn the wake of catastrophic flooding across southern Thailand, the Catholic Foundation of the Surat Thani Diocese has launched a program to transform schools into food hubs.The “Promoting Nutrition and Sustainable Food Production for Children and the Poor” project is funded by Pope Leo XIV through the apostolic nuncio to Thailand, according to a report from Licas News on Wednesday. The project is designed to ensure that students receive balanced meals every day by enabling schools to become agricultural food production zones. The program will also establish health monitoring systems to track body mass index (BMI) of students suffering from food insecurity.

unitedyam July 11, 2026July 12, 2026

Irish bishops condemn anti-Muslim display, religious sisters set up a field hospital for Venezuela earthquake victims, euthanasia in New Zealand surges, and more in this week’s world news roundup.

Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz celebró su fiesta patronal como un signo de unidad en Sussex County #Catholic - La Solemnidad de Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz fue mucho más que una fiesta patronal para la parroquia Our Lady Queen of Peace, en Branchville. La celebración se convirtió en un signo de unidad al reunir a las comunidades angloparlante e hispanohablante para celebrar juntas a su patrona en un día de oración, fraternidad y alegría.
A lo largo del día, familias de ambas comunidades participaron en las distintas actividades organizadas por la parroquia: juegos para los niños, adoración eucarística y una Misa al aire libre presidida por el párroco, el Padre Philip Tangorra, junto con el Padre Dailon Lisabet, quien acompaña pastoralmente a la comunidad hispana de Sussex County. La jornada concluyó con un picnic parroquial.
Durante la Misa, el Padre Dailon destacó el profundo significado de esta celebración: “aunque hablamos diferentes idiomas, compartimos la misma fe, el mismo Bautismo, la misma Eucaristía, este mismo templo y la misma Madre, María.”
También expresó su agradecimiento al Padre Philip Tangorra por su cercanía, su apertura y el deseo constante de que la comunidad hispana forme parte plenamente de la vida parroquial: “desde que llegué a esta parroquia, uno de los grandes deseos del Padre Philip ha sido que la comunidad hispana no se sienta como un grupo aparte, sino como una parte viva de esta familia parroquial. Ese también ha sido mi deseo y mi misión.”
Tras la Eucaristía, las dos comunidades compartieron alimentos, conversaciones y momentos de convivencia. La comunidad hispana preparó tacos al pastor y raspados de hielo, que fueron recibidos con entusiasmo por todos los asistentes.

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El domingo siguiente, durante la Misa en español, Mary Eileen B. Schoen expresó públicamente su agradecimiento a la comunidad hispana mediante una carta: “gracias por ser una parte tan especial de la solemnidad y del barbecue de Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz. Los tacos y los raspados fueron todo un éxito. Todos en la parroquia estamos muy agradecidos por su incorporación a nuestra familia parroquial. Que sigamos creciendo juntos en el amor de Dios y unos por otros.”
Susana Cabrera, quien recientemente comenzó a participar en la parroquia junto con su esposo, comentó que se sintió bienvenida desde el primer momento: “fue la primera vez que participé en una Misa al aire libre. Me emocionó ver a las dos comunidades adorando juntas al Santísimo Sacramento y compartiendo la comida como una sola comunidad.”
Stella Guevara también destacó el ambiente vivido durante la celebración: “me pareció espectacular la unión que tuvimos las dos comunidades. Fue un hermoso homenaje a Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz y ojalá podamos repetir momentos como este.”
Para Pablo Noche y su familia, encargados de preparar los tacos al pastor, la convivencia reflejó el verdadero espíritu de la parroquia: “fue una tarde de fraternidad y unión donde pudimos conocernos mejor y fortalecer los lazos que nos unen como una sola familia en Cristo.”
Más allá de las distintas actividades, el mensaje que quedó en el corazón de muchos fue muy significativo: cuando Cristo y la Eucaristía ocupan el centro de la vida parroquial, las diferencias de idioma y cultura dejan de ser barreras para convertirse en una riqueza para toda la Iglesia. Todo lo vivido durante este día en Branchville fue una manifestación de la universalidad de la Iglesia: una sola fe, una sola familia y un mismo deseo de seguir construyendo comunidad bajo el amparo de María, Reina de la Paz.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

unitedyam July 11, 2026July 11, 2026

Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz celebró su fiesta patronal como un signo de unidad en Sussex County #Catholic –

La Solemnidad de Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz fue mucho más que una fiesta patronal para la parroquia Our Lady Queen of Peace, en Branchville. La celebración se convirtió en un signo de unidad al reunir a las comunidades angloparlante e hispanohablante para celebrar juntas a su patrona en un día de oración, fraternidad y alegría.

A lo largo del día, familias de ambas comunidades participaron en las distintas actividades organizadas por la parroquia: juegos para los niños, adoración eucarística y una Misa al aire libre presidida por el párroco, el Padre Philip Tangorra, junto con el Padre Dailon Lisabet, quien acompaña pastoralmente a la comunidad hispana de Sussex County. La jornada concluyó con un picnic parroquial.

Durante la Misa, el Padre Dailon destacó el profundo significado de esta celebración: “aunque hablamos diferentes idiomas, compartimos la misma fe, el mismo Bautismo, la misma Eucaristía, este mismo templo y la misma Madre, María.”

También expresó su agradecimiento al Padre Philip Tangorra por su cercanía, su apertura y el deseo constante de que la comunidad hispana forme parte plenamente de la vida parroquial: “desde que llegué a esta parroquia, uno de los grandes deseos del Padre Philip ha sido que la comunidad hispana no se sienta como un grupo aparte, sino como una parte viva de esta familia parroquial. Ese también ha sido mi deseo y mi misión.”

Tras la Eucaristía, las dos comunidades compartieron alimentos, conversaciones y momentos de convivencia. La comunidad hispana preparó tacos al pastor y raspados de hielo, que fueron recibidos con entusiasmo por todos los asistentes.

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El domingo siguiente, durante la Misa en español, Mary Eileen B. Schoen expresó públicamente su agradecimiento a la comunidad hispana mediante una carta: “gracias por ser una parte tan especial de la solemnidad y del barbecue de Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz. Los tacos y los raspados fueron todo un éxito. Todos en la parroquia estamos muy agradecidos por su incorporación a nuestra familia parroquial. Que sigamos creciendo juntos en el amor de Dios y unos por otros.”

Susana Cabrera, quien recientemente comenzó a participar en la parroquia junto con su esposo, comentó que se sintió bienvenida desde el primer momento: “fue la primera vez que participé en una Misa al aire libre. Me emocionó ver a las dos comunidades adorando juntas al Santísimo Sacramento y compartiendo la comida como una sola comunidad.”

Stella Guevara también destacó el ambiente vivido durante la celebración: “me pareció espectacular la unión que tuvimos las dos comunidades. Fue un hermoso homenaje a Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz y ojalá podamos repetir momentos como este.”

Para Pablo Noche y su familia, encargados de preparar los tacos al pastor, la convivencia reflejó el verdadero espíritu de la parroquia: “fue una tarde de fraternidad y unión donde pudimos conocernos mejor y fortalecer los lazos que nos unen como una sola familia en Cristo.”

Más allá de las distintas actividades, el mensaje que quedó en el corazón de muchos fue muy significativo: cuando Cristo y la Eucaristía ocupan el centro de la vida parroquial, las diferencias de idioma y cultura dejan de ser barreras para convertirse en una riqueza para toda la Iglesia. Todo lo vivido durante este día en Branchville fue una manifestación de la universalidad de la Iglesia: una sola fe, una sola familia y un mismo deseo de seguir construyendo comunidad bajo el amparo de María, Reina de la Paz.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– La Solemnidad de Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz fue mucho más que una fiesta patronal para la parroquia Our Lady Queen of Peace, en Branchville. La celebración se convirtió en un signo de unidad al reunir a las comunidades angloparlante e hispanohablante para celebrar juntas a su patrona en un día de oración, fraternidad y alegría. A lo largo del día, familias de ambas comunidades participaron en las distintas actividades organizadas por la parroquia: juegos para los niños, adoración eucarística y una Misa al aire libre presidida por el párroco, el Padre Philip Tangorra, junto con el Padre Dailon

Czech court to weigh clearing cardinal jailed by communists #Catholic A second cardinal and a third senior churchman may be rehabilitated this year for mistreatment under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The District Court in Litoměřice, in what is now the Czech Republic, will consider a proposal for the rehabilitation of Cardinal Štěpán Trochta, the former bishop of Litoměřice, over his internment between 1950 and 1953.The public prosecutor asked the relevant authorities to carry out an investigation into the archives and, based on the outcome, found the initiative reasonable. He has already submitted a proposal for the judicial rehabilitation of Trochta over the illegal deprivation of his personal freedom. A date for consideration of the proposal has not yet been set.“I firmly believe that the name of Štěpán Trochta, my predecessor in Litoměřice, will be cleared through the courts,” said Archbishop Stanislav Přibyl of Prague, who is also apostolic administrator of Litoměřice.The verdict that sent Trochta to prison, handed down in a political trial for “treason and conspiracy,” was overturned in 1968, but the Czech courts have not dealt with his earlier illegal internment. The initiative for full rehabilitation came from Jan Kratochvil, director of the Museum of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian Exile of the 20th Century, and the lawyer Lubomír Müller.It is “important to clean his name in this way as well,” said Kratochvil, whose family was friends with the prelate.Salesian, prisoner, cardinalŠtěpán Trochta (1905–1974) was one of the first Czech members of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, the so-called Salesians. He studied in Turin, Italy, where he obtained a doctorate in theology. He returned to Czechoslovakia, and when Nazi Germany occupied the country, he was arrested for his contacts with and support for the resistance and was sent to several concentration camps.He was “ready to work, full of energy, enthusiasm, and willing to work hard.” Trochta was also a good organizer and a gifted speaker and writer who “enjoyed being among the boys, even though he gradually had to spend more time in administration,” according to “Life and Legacy,” a booklet published by the Salesians on the 50th anniversary of the prelate’s death.Shortly before the communists took over in Czechoslovakia, he was appointed bishop of Litoměřice. He became the spokesman for the episcopate of Czechoslovakia in difficult negotiations with the new government. In the end, the regime interned him in his residence and later imprisoned him. Although he was released sooner than expected, he was not allowed to continue as a bishop and had to work as a manual laborer.In 1969, when he was already back in the Diocese of Litoměřice, Pope Paul VI created him a cardinal “in pectore” — that is, secretly.When Trochta died five years later, the funeral was attended by many of the faithful, including cardinals from Berlin, Krakow, and Vienna. Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Krakow, who later became Pope John Paul II, reportedly asked to concelebrate but was not permitted to do so. Wojtyła then defied the ban on foreign participants speaking, delivering a short address over the coffin in which he called the deceased prelate a martyr. The funeral Mass was celebrated by the Czech bishop and future Cardinal František Tomášek.A series of Czech rehabilitationsThe case may become one more in a recent series of rehabilitations in the Czech Republic.In February, the District Court of Prague recognized the unjust treatment of Cardinal Josef Beran, the former archbishop of Prague, who was interned in several locations. Last month, the District Court in Olomouc rehabilitated Archbishop Josef Karel Matocha of Olomouc, also over his internment.In 2024, the Regional Court in Hradec Králové rehabilitated Father Josef Toufar, who was illegally arrested and tortured to death.

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A district court will weigh whether Cardinal Štěpán Trochta, imprisoned by the Nazis and later by the communists, was unlawfully interned in the 1950s.

How the St. Benedict medal became a shield against the powers of darkness #Catholic Temptations in a fallen city, memories of a beautiful woman, a poisoned chalice, the attacks of an envious priest, curses from a pagan priest, a rock that won’t budge and another that falls on a young monk, a kitchen in flames, a dragon that lurks to devour a fleeing monk, threats from Gothic warlords, and the prospect of a destroyed monastery.These are some of the attacks that St. Benedict, whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates on July 11, endured throughout his life.Benedict even had to use force to manifest his authority as abbot over his monks oppressed by the enemy, as related in Father Robert Nixon’s book “The Cross and Medal of Saint Benedict: A Mystical Sign of Divine Power” (TAN, 2024):“Benedict found this monk outside wandering around aimlessly when he should have been in the oratory in prayer. With a certain degree of paternal severity and charitable discipline, he reprimanded him for his lack of wisdom and discernment and struck him with his staff. At this, the monk fell down, motionless. And after that, the devil … never troubled him again. It was as if the staff of Benedict had not struck the hapless monk but had rather driven away the wicked tempter himself!” (p. 14).St. Benedict has come to be recognized for the power of his actions against the enemy, alongside St. Michael the Archangel, as a major protector against evil — particularly through the medal that bears his image.Nixon’s book offers an overview of how the medal rose to prominence as a Catholic devotion and received papal approval, couching it within the story of St. Benedict’s life and the rise of his order of monks.The St. Benedict medalIf you’ve seen the back of a St. Benedict medal, you may have noticed a series of letters. The first set is arranged in and around the shape of the cross: C S P B C S S M L N D S M D. The next set is arranged in a circle around the cross: V R S N S M V S M Q L I V B.This arrangement first came to serious attention in the year 1647 in relation to the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in Bavaria, Germany, when it was believed to have prevented a series of diabolic attacks.Although some of the laity already had medals with these letters engraved, no one at the time understood their meaning. It was only in researching the library’s manuscripts that a 15th-century illustration of St. Benedict pointed to the full prayer they abbreviated:“Cross of our Holy Father Benedict. May the cross be light to me. May the dragon not be a leader to me. Get behind me, Satan: Never persuade me to vain things. What you like is evil; may you yourself drink your venom!”Due to a widespread story of the medal preventing the effect of curses and bringing about exorcisms and healings, which Nixon details in his book, its use spread across Europe, with Pope Benedict XIV approving an official blessing for it and granting it indulgences in 1741.The great father of modern Benedictine monasticism, Dom Prosper Guéranger, speculated why God would grant so many favors to those who invoke his help through St. Benedict’s medal. In an age when “rationalism is so rife,” God has deigned to offer help to those “who put their confidence in the sacred signs marked on the medal” with “strong and simple” faith (Guéranger, “The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict,” author’s preface). It’s as if to laugh at the devil and his plans to pull people away from God through the alleged sophistication of the modern world, overcoming them with simple signs pointing us to the cross and the protection of a holy monk.Of course, the medal should not be used in a superstitious way. It expresses our faith and confidence in God, which conquers the power of the enemy through the blood of Christ. Within God’s plan of salvation, there are certain key defenders of God’s people. St. Benedict proved himself as one over his own monks in spiritual combat. Through the efficacy of his medal, he has manifested himself as a fatherly defender of all who invoke his help.Throughout history, the monastic life has served as a constant beacon calling us to greater conversion of life and prayer. Turning to St. Benedict can lead us to embrace some of his spiritual principles, such as humility, obedience, stability, hospitality, the prayerful reading of Scripture in “lectio divina,” and viewing our work as a means of honoring God.While St. Benedict faced trials in his life as a monk, we all face trials and attacks from the enemy in the Christian life. Sacramentals can help us in our journey of faith, including our efforts to keep evil far away.St. Benedict medals and rosaries with the medal affixed can be purchased at religious gift stores and can be blessed after purchase. Medals are also available at EWTN’s Religious Catalogue site.This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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St. Benedict, whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates on July 11, endured constant attacks from the enemy throughout his life.

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The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above a partly cloudy Indian Ocean southeast of Madagascar.

unitedyam July 10, 2026July 11, 2026

A reading from the Book of Isaiah
6:1-8

In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

From the Gospel according to Matthew
10:24-33

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

A life given to God is one of happiness, but it must be renewed each day through prayer, the sacraments and time spent with the brothers and sisters whom the Lord places along our path. In the communion of hearts and in acts of kindness toward those in need, the miracles of charity are continually renewed. So, if you feel that Christ is calling you to follow him in a path of special consecration — as priests, religious sisters, religious brothers, or catechists — do not be afraid to follow in his footsteps. As he himself promised, and I also wish to say emphatically to you here today — you will receive “a hundredfold and … eternal life” (Mt 19:29). (…)

Let us be inspired by the beauty of love; let us become witnesses to the love that Jesus has left us and taught us! Let us show every day that it is beautiful to love — that the greatest joys, in every situation, come from knowing how to give and from giving of ourselves, especially when we reach out to those most in need. The light of charity, nurtured in our homes and lived out in faith, can truly transform the world — even its structures and institutions — so that every person is respected and no one is forgotten. (Pope Leo XIV, Meeting with young people and families, Bata Stadium, Equatorial Guinea, 22 April 2026)

As the World Cup final looms, what lessons can defeat teach us? #Catholic With fewer than 10 matches left to play, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is entering its final stretch. As the tournament continues and more national teams are defeated and eliminated, the dream of becoming world champion fades away.Faced with this reality, a question arises: What message can defeat convey from the perspective of the Catholic faith?The worldʼs most important national team tournament has already seen the elimination of host countries Mexico, the United States, and Canada, as well as teams with high aspirations like Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Luka Modrić’s Croatia.Although one might think that a defeat brings only sadness and frustration, Father David Jasso, a priest of the Archdiocese of Monterrey, Mexico, and former sporting director of the Monterrey Soccer Club, said in an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that failure also offers important lessons.“We learn more from failure and mistakes than from achievements and successes,” the priest stated, noting that defeat is part of life and personal growth.He also highlighted that the World Cup has demonstrated the power of sport to bring people together around the same dream. He pointed out that experiences like this remind us that we can still “unite, that we can still be together, and that shared hopes and dreams are also part of life.”He encouraged fans to experience the remainder of the tournament in a spirit of fraternity. “Even though our national team isnʼt participating, we love soccer, so let’s enjoy it, especially with family and friends,” he said, while also calling for gatherings and fan festivities to take place “with respect and peace.”Jasso noted that although soccer is a “thrilling, indescribable” sport and winning the World Cup is a great aspiration, “there are more important things for which we are playing,” including “glory, heaven, and salvation.”He also pointed out the importance of preserving the essence of the game, urging people to “carefully protect the sport from corruption, negative practices, and business aspects that unfortunately affect this beautiful sport.”A moment to reflect on hopeFather José de Jesús Aguilar, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico, told ACI Prensa that even in defeat, “one must always have hope.”The priest noted that the Gospel invites us to “always seek success, the best, and growth,” but he also pointed out that Scripture teaches, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, that “there is a time to win and a time to lose.”He explained that this is because “there are many things that do not depend solely on oneself, but also on others,” and furthermore, “people, times, circumstances, opportunities, and many other things” can change.For this reason, he urged fans to accept the final scores with composure, noting that although all the teams are competing to lift up the trophy in celebration, “in this World Cup, there will be only one winner, while all the others participate and learn even from their losses.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam July 10, 2026July 11, 2026

In the world of sports, as in life, “we learn more from failure and mistakes than from achievements and successes,” said former Monterrey Soccer Club director and priest Father David Jasso.

Notre Dame awards religious liberty prize to Becket Fund for Supreme Court wins #Catholic Notre Dame Law School awarded its 2026 Prize for Religious Liberty to the Becket Fund — a nonprofit law firm that has secured 13 Supreme Court victories in the past 15 years defending the First Amendment’s religious liberty protections.“We’re deeply honored to be recognized with the religious liberty prize,” Becket President and CEO Mark Rienzi told EWTN News.“We’re honored to be able to be part of fighting to protect something that is very important for our country and the Church,” said Reinzi, who accepted the award at the July 8 conclusion of Notre Dame’s sixth annual Religious Liberty Summit in Chicago.Becket — established in 1994 to provide cost-free legal counsel to those whose religious liberties were violated — has an undefeated record at the Supreme Court.Its lawyers represented the Little Sisters of the Poor and Hobby Lobby against contraception mandates, defended the rights of Maryland parents to opt their children out of gender-related coursework that conflicted with their religious beliefs, and backed a Catholic foster care agency that only placed children with opposite-sex married couples.G. Marcus Cole, a dean and professor of law at Notre Dame, said during the award ceremony that when the university started giving out the award, “we always imagined that it would go to one person.”“But when we think about the Becket Fund, it is an entire team of lawyers, led by Mark Rienzi, who have made a difference in our world, who have made our lives better,” he said. “And for that reason, we thought it only appropriate to give the award to the Becket Fund as an entity."Ongoing fights for religious libertyThe most recent victory secured by Becket came in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which ensured parents in Montgomery County, Maryland, had a right to opt their children out of coursework that included material related to gender that conflicted with their religious faith.Rienzi told EWTN News that “parents don’t give up the right to [raise] their children when they drop their kids off at the schoolhouse gates.” He added: “Your children don’t belong to the state just because you use a public school.”Becket represented Catholic, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Muslim parents in the lawsuit. Rienzi said religious parents have a right to “operate equally as a full citizen and full member of the public” by utilizing the public school system while maintaining the right to instill religious values in their children.“[This was] the most important case in at least 50 or 100 years in establishing that principle,” he said.Becket also secured the 2020 victory for the Little Sisters of the Poor in which the Supreme Court ruled in favor of federal regulations that exempted the religious sisters from mandatory contraception coverage in insurance plans.The sisters, however, are back in court after the governments of Pennsylvania and New Jersey challenged those exemptions on separate grounds than those on which the court previously ruled. This case is now in an appellate court, which heard oral arguments on July 7. Becket is representing them again and Rienzi is the lead attorney on the case.“It’s outrageous that governments keep volunteering for the beating they get when they keep [going after] the Little Sisters of the Poor,” Rienzi said.He said “the law is really, really clear” that Pennsylvania cannot remove their exemptions from the mandate.Becket is also representing a coalition of Catholic preschools in Colorado that is suing the state because they were excluded from a “universal” tuition program. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. Notre Dame awarded Becket the prize less than one week after Americans celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which culminated in the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which secured religious freedom.“God created everybody equal and equally free and gave them rights,” Rienzi said, adding that religious freedom is “essential to the declaration’s idea of who we are as a country and … [it] is crucial for maintaining it.”“It’s a shame that you still have to fight about it,” Rienzi said. “But on the other hand, it’s worth fighting for.”

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Becket President Mark Rienzi said the group is “deeply honored” to be awarded the prize, saying religious liberty “is worth fighting for.”

Iranian delegation visits Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica, engaging in ‘interfaith dialogue’ #Catholic An Iranian delegation recently visited Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City, the Marian shrine that displays the original image of the Virgin Mary that miraculously appeared on the tilma of the Indigenous St. Juan Diego nearly 500 years ago.On July 8, the Iranian Embassy in Mexico shared on social media that “at the spiritual heart of Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica, we had the honor of sharing a fraternal meeting between representatives of Islam and Christianity.”The Iranian delegation consisted of Iranʼs ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh; Ayatollah Dr. Emran Khanzadeh; and Mohammad Reza Gilani, the counselor of cultural affairs at the Iranian Embassy.

The Iranian delegation with Monsignor Edgar Alan Valtierra López during their visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica. | Credit: Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica

The three were welcomed at the Marian shrine by Monsignor Edgar Alan Valtierra López, senior penitentiary canon and head of the Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue at the basilica.In its social media post, under the title “When respect opens the way, friendship is born,” the Iranian embassy highlighted that “during the conversation, Dr. Emran Khanzadeh recalled that the Virgin Mary (Maryam) occupies a unique place in Islam,” since “she is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran and an eternal example of purity, faith, and dedication to God.”“We also share a little-known reality: In Iran, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians have lived together for centuries with mutual respect. Because when people know each other, prejudices disappear,” the Iranian delegation said.“Religions may have different paths, but they all lead to peace,” the embassy wrote.The Virgin Mary and her ‘very important’ role in dialogue between Catholics and MuslimsSpeaking to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Valtierra said that “the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholic-Muslim dialogue is very important.”“Ambassador Abolfazl told us that in the Quran, their holy book, she is called Maryam, and she is the only woman to whom a surah, that is, a chapter of the Quran, is dedicated. Surah 3:42 states: ‘Oh Mary! God has chosen you, purified you, and selected you above the women of all worlds.’”“Although there are very profound differences regarding the figure of Jesus, Mary becomes a sign of rapprochement and respectful dialogue, as we discover shared values such as love for God, obedience, faith, humility, hope, and many others,” the Mexican priest said.Valtierra noted that the gathering took place in the context of the desire of the primatial archbishop of Mexico, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, for the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be a place where people of all faiths can learn about and draw closer to the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.“Interfaith and ecumenical events are held in various areas of the shrine,” he said, noting that meetings have taken place with Lutheran, Anglican, and evangelical Christians as well as believers “from other religions such as Jews, Buddhists, and Hare Krishnas,” among others.“In this context, the Iranian embassy requested to visit the shrine on the occasion of a visit by a very important figure, Ayatollah Dr. Emran Khanzadeh, who wished to engage in interfaith dialogue,” he explained.

Monsignor Edgar Alan Valtierra López accompanies the Iranian delegation during a tour of Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica. | Credit: Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica

‘A testimony to the Church’s openness’Valtierra noted that during the visit, “we first toured the shrine, which included viewing the image head-on from the sanctuary. Afterward, we moved to a room where Ayatollah Emran spoke, drawing on profound Islamic theology, about the need for religions to work together.”The ayatollah, he said, “mentioned that in Iran there is a street where there is a Mazdean [Zoroastrian] temple, an Armenian Christian church, and a mosque,” and “noted that monotheistic religions share many common points, one of which is a merciful God who calls upon us to work in fraternity.”This meeting, the canon of the basilica noted, demonstrates “that the Church can welcome everyone with respect and without neglecting the proclamation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”Visitors who were ‘very devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe’According to Valtierra, the Iranian visitors “showed themselves to be very devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe” and noted that “in the sacristy, we gave them some holy cards featuring the image of the Virgin, and they liked them very much.” The ambassador and the ayatollah shared with him that both men have daughters named Mary.Furthermore, “they also told us that they have an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in their homes, and that in Iran there is even a metro station named ‘Holy Virgin Mary,’ which features a beautiful relief image of the Virgin on one of its walls.”“While the image in the station does not depict Guadalupe, it certainly speaks volumes about the respect held for Holy Mary,” the priest noted.Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica and interreligious dialogueValtierra clarified that when receiving visits from believers of other religions, “the basilica does not stop being a Catholic shrine; rites blending beliefs are not performed,” but rather “each participant fully retains their own religious identity.”The aim, he emphasized, is “to promote mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration for peace and human dignity, as called for by the Second Vatican Council and the contemporary magisterium of the popes.”“Visits by people of other faiths to Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica offer an opportunity to encounter the Catholic faith through its liturgy, devotion to the Virgin, and the witness of popular piety,” he said, noting that “interreligious dialogue does not promote relativism or syncretism; rather, it expresses the conviction that Christianity can bear witness to Christ with clarity while simultaneously listening to, learning from, and working alongside people of other religious traditions.”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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At their request, a delegation of the Iranian embassy in Mexico City was given a tour of the Marian shrine, highlighting the reverence for the Virgin Mary shared by both Islam and Christianity.

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Picture of the day

Willan’s chromodoris (Chromodoris willani), Anilao, Philippines. This 5 centimetres (2.0 in)-long nudibranch can be found in the Western Pacific Ocean and feeds, like many other nudibranchs, on sponges.

The Best Waterfall to Visit in Every U.S. State, From Iconic Cascades to Hidden Gems #Travel The tall, the small, the powerful, and the pretty—these are the must-see waterfalls across the country.

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The tall, the small, the powerful, and the pretty—these are the must-see waterfalls across the country.

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World Cup scores with Paterson clergy celebrating global unity #Catholic –

The calendars of clergy in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., are typically set to their sacramental ministry. But this summer, some diocesan clergy have also been setting aside time for the FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer. They see direct analogies between the game and the Body of Christ.

One of these priests, Father Frank Lennie, chaplain at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., sometimes wears a kilt to games.

Venues around the United States are hosting World Cup matches, including at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which will hold the finals on July 19. Father Lennie often wore a Team USA jersey as he watched World Cup matches at home or at a local establishments before Belgium eliminated the team in the men’s soccer tournament’s round of 16.

“I was hoping they would do a little more than what they did, but they had a successful World Cup — nothing to complain about,” Father Lennie said.

Meanwhile, Father Daniel O’Mullane, pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Boonton, N.J., had Team USA in his heart but still rooted for his birthplace, England, through the quarterfinal round.

“I am an American citizen, but I was born and raised in England, and it’s just like your first love,” said Father O’Mullane, who also supports perennial Premier League contender Liverpool. “I don’t think that there’s really anything compelling about giving up my first love as it relates to football [as soccer is known elsewhere],” he said.

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During his priestly formation in Rome, Father O’Mullane played for the Pontifical North American College soccer team, the Martyrs, where he was a standout forward in the famous Clericus Cup.

Father Lennie wore traditional Scottish attire when he took in a World Cup tune-up match with team of his ancestry at the New York Red Bulls’ home stadium in Harrison, N.J. He kept his auxiliary membership of the Tartan Army when Scotland played in its first World Cup in 28 years before getting eliminated.

“I was kilted up, and singing the ‘Flower of Scotland’ with everybody, which was pretty emotional for me,” Father Lennie said. “I’m not 100-percent Scottish, but it’s what I identify the most as because my name is Scottish.”

Father Lennie is semi-reluctantly joining Father O’Mullane in rooting for England, Scotland’s archrival, in the knockout rounds.

The priests aren’t alone in their love of soccer and the World Cup. Deacon Luis Carlos Mendez of St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany, N.J., proudly traveled to Toronto in Canada to support Panama when it played Ghana in the preliminary rounds.

Neither Father Lennie nor Father O’Mullane had that opportunity, but as they watch a World Cup match or a Red Bulls match at their stadium in Harrison, they find parallels between the game they love and the faith they live and evangelize as priests.

“The game has its own particular beauty. That’s probably the best place to explore it as it relates to the things of God,” Father O’Mullane said. He noted that a soccer team can achieve greatness when its different parts work together like the Body of Christ. “God wants us to celebrate the particular inherent beauty of what we’re able to witness and participate in,” he said.

Father Lennie was moved by how Scotland’s “Tartan Army” embraced opponents such as Brazil during pregame parties in Miami’s South Beach, and how Americans have adopted visiting teams as their own, such as Kansans adopting Algeria. He said the World Cup in North America has fostered a sense of togetherness between strangers, welcoming the visitor as one’s own as Christ teaches.

“There’s a lot to celebrate there, whether it’s the skill of particular people, watching teams come together or celebrating how well-received America has been by the various populations traveling to the country and how grateful they are,” Father Lennie said. “There was a lot of pressure and a lot of false narratives before the World Cup about what was going to happen with all these different people coming to America, but I think those have been found out to be not true,” he said.

O’Mullane still holds out hope for England winning its first World Cup title since 1966, even as his parish celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 19 at a location just 27 miles away from the site of the World Cup final.

“The day at the parish culminates with 11 a.m. Mass and a picnic until 3 p.m. I said to everybody, ‘There should be enough time to go to the picnic and get home in time to watch England win the World Cup,’” Father O’Mullane said.

– The calendars of clergy in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., are typically set to their sacramental ministry. But this summer, some diocesan clergy have also been setting aside time for the FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer. They see direct analogies between the game and the Body of Christ. One of these priests, Father Frank Lennie, chaplain at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., sometimes wears a kilt to games. Venues around the United States are hosting World Cup matches, including at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which will hold the finals on July 19. Father Lennie often wore a

Catholic bishop: ‘There’s no political will in fight against terrorism in Nigeria’ – #Catholic – YOLA, Nigeria — Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeriaʼs Catholic Diocese of Yola has said the countryʼs inability to defeat terrorism is not due to a lack of military resources but rather the absence of the political will needed to end the persistent insecurity that has claimed thousands of lives in the West African country.Speaking to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on the sidelines of the Catholic Menʼs Organization (CMO) meeting of the Jos Ecclesiastical Province on July 7, Mamza expressed concern about the governmentʼs failure to demonstrate sufficient commitment to tackling insurgency despite Nigeria possessing the capacity to overcome the threat.“In the security challenges that we are facing, we all know that the government is unserious,” the bishop said, noting that the countryʼs continued struggles against terrorism raises serious questions about the commitment of those entrusted with protecting citizens.“You cannot say that the government doesnʼt have a hand in what is happening since the government is not prepared to resolve these issues and also give the military full authority to get rid of the terrorists,” Mamza said.The Church leader pointed to the track record of the Nigerian Armed Forces in peacekeeping and military operations across Africa as evidence that the country has the means to confront insurgency successfully.“The Nigerian Army has resolved issues in different African countries. We have air power, we have land power, and we have all the necessary advantages that we need in order to get rid of the insurgency. But there is no will, there is no seriousness, there is no commitment, and there is too much politics in it,” he said.Mamza also faulted both the ruling government and opposition politicians for exploiting Nigeriaʼs security crisis for political gain rather than working together to safeguard lives.“Even the sitting government is politicizing the whole security issue. Even those who are in the opposition are also politicizing the security issues,” he lamented.The bishop warned that public officials who fail to fulfill their responsibility to protect citizens will ultimately answer to God for preventable loss of life.“Our government is not sincere, and our government, on the last day, will be held accountable for the loss of lives in Nigeria at the moment,” he said.Reflecting on the theme of the CMO gathering, Mamza said Godʼs justice extends not only to perpetrators of violence but also to those who neglect their duty to protect human life.“The theme of this gathering is that Godʼs judgment is just; both perpetrators of violent terrorism and those who fail in their responsibility to protect lives will face divine accountability,” he said, explaining that, unlike human justice, divine judgment cannot be influenced by corruption, favoritism, or personal relationships.“Godʼs judgment is not human judgment. God knows everything about us. It is not only what we see that God knows. Even our thoughts, our secret emotions, and what is in our hearts, God knows. His judgment is just and fair,” Mamza said.The bishop also commented on reports about an alleged fake government agency whose purported leadership supposedly established offices and engaged in diplomatic activities despite claims that the agency has no legal basis.He said the reports point to the need for greater transparency and accountability within public institutions.“Every year, they will be getting a budget, and then nothing is being used at the end of the year. This is just one. There might be so many that we donʼt know,” he said.Calling for divine intervention, the bishop added: “We pray that God will expose them.”He encouraged CMO members and all Nigerians not to lose hope despite the countryʼs challenges, emphasizing that while injustice may appear to prevail temporarily, Godʼs justice remains certain.“The message of the Church is one of hope rooted in the certainty that God sees every act of righteousness and every act of evil. While his judgment is uncompromisingly just, it is also rich in mercy for those who repent and seek his forgiveness,” Mamza said.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam July 10, 2026July 10, 2026

Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of the Diocese of Yola says the Nigerian government lacks the will to end the persistent insecurity that has claimed thousands of lives in the West African country.

Nicaraguan bishop: Irrationality and cruelty are tragic characteristics of the dictatorship – #Catholic – Forced to leave Nicaragua in April 2019 for defending protesters opposing the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, during a crackdown that left more than 350 people dead, exiled Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez of Managua decried the “irrationality” and “cruelty” of the countryʼs dictatorship.“One of the most tragic characteristics of this dictatorship is its irrationality. Along with that irrationality is cruelty. But the irrationality of this system is shocking,” Báez said in an interview with the Nicaraguan newspaper Confidencial. The interview took place in Madrid, Spain, where he had recently traveled to attend a conference in Ávila. The exiled bishop resides in Miami.On April 18, 2018, in response to the brutal repression unleashed by the dictatorship, he had said: “I call upon Daniel Ortega and his wife to stop the violence and repression. Do not jeopardize the countryʼs peace. Learn to listen, engage in dialogue, and have the maturity to correct so many errors. For the sake of Nicaragua, be sensible!”The bishop said this message “has become even more relevant today. I would repeat it to their faces, the very same thing I told them eight years ago: Be sensible!”“So much blood has been shed, so many lives sacrificed, so much pain. And that has an infinite cost. I hope that all of this is not in vain, and I trust that the Lord will gather all that blood, all that pain, and all that struggle into his gracious hands, and that it may serve as a deposit for a new chapter in Nicaragua’s history,” he said.Since 2018, the Nicaraguan dictatorship has relentlessly persecuted the Catholic Church in the country, keeping priests under tight surveillance, expelling religious sisters, confiscating Church funds and property, banning ordinations, and exiling bishops.Báez celebrates Mass every Sunday at St. Agatha Parish in Miami where the pastor and the parochial vicar — Fathers Marcos Antonio Somarriba and Edwing Román — are also Nicaraguan exiles.‘God is never on the side of a pharaoh’Báez noted that “in Nicaragua, there is a dictatorship that kills, persecutes, exiles, confiscates, lies, and manipulates, one that resembles the authoritarian and totalitarian regimes found in the Bible. In sacred Scripture, the reality of oppression, slavery, and injustice is more present than one might think,” he explained.The prelate highlighted that “the history of the people in the Bible begins with a state of oppression where there is a pharaoh who decides who lives and who dies, holds the people in slavery, and uses that people for his own ends of enrichment and grandeur.”Nevertheless, he said God “hears the cry of the oppressed, sees the suffering of the poor, and feels for them. He is a God who does not remain indifferent. He comes down into history. And the way God came down into history in the Book of Exodus was by calling Moses, who liberates the people of Israel by the power of God and leads them to the Promised Land.”Today, the bishop continued, “Pharaoh still exists, and what we believers must live out and hold as a deep conviction is that our God, the God of the Bible, the God and Father of Jesus Christ, is never on the side of a pharaoh.”The silence of the ChurchAfter denouncing the silencing of individuals and the media as a crime against human dignity, Báez addressed the silence within the Catholic Church.“Within the Church, there exists a negative silence, keeping quiet to avoid trouble or difficulties with power groups, the established system, or those currently in power. The easiest thing to do is to be silent. And the Church succumbs to this temptation when it remains silent,” he charged.“As the community of Jesus, we are called to be a courageous, transparent community, a community of the Word. We are not a community of silence,” he said, noting that there is also a positive silence rooted in prayer and prudence, where one silences “every human word in order to listen to the Lord.”“During my final days in Managua, I spoke some words that many remember: ‘A crucified people will always rise again,’ because the paschal icon of the cross reveals to us the same truth found in exile. For God, there is no final moment when everything comes to an end. A new light can always shine in the darkness,” he said.Bishop Rolando ÁlvarezBáez recalled Bishop Rolando Álvarez, bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí, one of the four exiled Nicaraguan prelates.Álvarez was unjustly accused of treason and sentenced to 26 years and four months in prison following a trial riddled with irregularities before being deported in January 2024.Báez said he suffered “greatly over the tragedy Rolando went through in Nicaragua, and I find satisfaction in the fact that besides praying for him every day, I also did everything within my power. I raised my voice in various U.S. states and with different media outlets” so that “he would not suffer in prison and would be released.”A bishop in exileReflecting on Pope Francis’ decision that Báez should leave Nicaragua in 2019, the bishop admitted that accepting it “was very painful. I argued with Pope Francis at length, but he was convinced it was for the best.”“He told me, ‘I don’t want another martyr bishop in Central America.’ He took me by the arm there in Rome and said, ‘Listen to me; I know what I’m talking about.’ After a long discussion, I finally realized there was no point in arguing with the Holy Father, and I recognized the affection and kindness with which he was trying to save me from an attack and a death that were highly likely,” he recounted.Regarding his ministry while in exile, Báez said that “it is a challenge to pastoral creativity. You are where your heart is, not where your feet are. And I have discovered during these years of exile that not being physically present does not necessarily mean being far away.”One example of this work is that, on the last Monday of every month, more than 200 exiled Nicaraguan priests meet via Zoom, a gathering he said that has the approval of Pope Leo XIV and in which another exiled bishop, Carlos Enrique Herrera, president of the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference, also participates.“It‘s the clergy in exile, but that is one of the dimensions in which I carry out my episcopal ministry of being close to the priests,” he stated.Pope Leo XIV and hope for NicaraguaIn August 2025, Pope Leo XIV met with exiled bishops, including Báez, who stated that the Holy Father “has a very detailed knowledge of the situation in Nicaragua. He knows what is going on, he knows the situation of the Church, he was aware of our own situation, and I believe he is going to make decisions.”“Pope Leo is very thoughtful; he is a man of God and deeply spiritual. He is a wise man who knows how to listen and does not let himself be guided by impulse. I am certain that Nicaragua, the Church in Nicaragua, the priests, and the bishops, are in his mind and in his heart,” the prelate stated.The bishop acknowledged that, given the climate of persecution in Nicaragua, he has at times felt afraid, but he said the important thing is to take action and not let “fear paralyze or silence you.” “Sometimes, fear also helps us perceive things more clearly. The important thing is that it doesnʼt hold you back,” he added.The prelate stressed that the source of hope is faith in God: “When all paths are closed, when everything seems dark, faith in God gives you the inner strength to say, ‘No, it’s not all over.’ A new beginning is possible, one that is brighter than discouragement or sadness; we must not let fear block us, hem us in, cause us to give up, or silence our voices.”Báez said he believes change in Nicaragua depends on the people who are still there and that he dreams of a country where “we can share our ideas and our resources without fear, and in a spirit of solidarity and fairness; where we can build a homeland where no one feels excluded, where thinking differently is not a crime; a country with true peace founded on social justice.”“And I believe,” he affirmed, “that it is possible. I am certain we will achieve it.”“The homeland lives in your heart. And I love Nicaragua.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam July 10, 2026July 10, 2026

Silvio Báez, the exiled auxiliary bishop of Managua, decried the persecution of the Church in Nicaragua but also expressed his hope that change is possible, placing his trust in Jesus Christ.

Northern Ireland launches inquiry into mother and baby homes with landmark bill – #Catholic – Northern Ireland has passed legislation to establish an inquiry-and-redress scheme concerning mother and baby institutions, which were prevalent in the country from 1922 until 1995. The bill was first introduced in June 2025 and completed its final stage on June 30 of this year. The inquiry will investigate issues raised in the Truth Recovery Independent Report, which was also published this week.Both the report and the bill focus on institutions that for over 60 years housed unmarried pregnant women who were sent to the homes by a variety of authorities — welfare, priests, family members — to have their babies. The children born there were typically adopted or sent to baby homes, while some returned home with their mothers. Over 15,000 women and girls are estimated to have passed through mother and baby homes, as well as Magdalene laundries — institutions in both the north and south of Ireland operated by Catholic religious orders in which thousands of women and girls were confined and forced to perform unpaid hard labor. The last one closed in 1996.The Truth Recovery Independent Panel report was commissioned to gather evidence in a nonconfrontational setting and includes the testimonies of over 300 survivors. Seventy recommendations were made, including the specific investigation of “Sister Z,“ a nun at the Good Shepherd Sisters-run Marianvale Mother and Baby Home in Newry, County Down, for sexual abuse.The report highlights serious systemic failures of the state to exercise oversight in Magdalene laundries and other homes. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “Within their walls, women and girls were stripped of dignity, silenced, and shamed. Their children, now adults, are still living with that impact today, carrying unanswered questions and loss.” Conor Brogan, who was born at Marianvale and placed for adoption as an infant, told EWTN News that the bill and the public inquiry are incredibly significant because they were developed with survivors' input.“It has survivors at the forefront, and that is something that victims and survivors have campaigned for for a long time,” he said. “It is a massive step in the right direction to clearly understand where accountability lies and to ensure that those who are accountable are seen in the public eye as such.”He continued: “Girls and women who went into these institutions were publicly shamed. It was barbaric in terms of how they were treated. Institutions themselves didnʼt exist in a vacuum. Society was, in those days, very ‘puritan,’ and the whole facilitation of these institutions was by the broader society. There isnʼt a single case of a mother or baby being connected to one of these institutions without some form of government involvement. They all played a part in it.”Brogan’s birth mother, Geraldine, now deceased, was a resident at Marianvale. He was born there in February 1969 and adopted several weeks later. He says of the redress scheme: “For my mother itʼs getting back to lifting the shame off her shoulders. In todayʼs society, where shame doesnʼt exist, I think education and support for young girls who find themselves in this situation is the biggest legacy that could come out of it.”Brogan was reunited with Geraldine in his 30s, and he said they established a good relationship. “She had never talked to anybody about it — not her own sisters and brothers. Her children didnʼt know about it. Her spouse did. The trauma that was associated with that weighed heavily on her,” he said.Geraldine’s time in the Good Shepherd home from November 1968 to April 1969 was too painful for her to ever talk about to Brogan. “That was very hard for her to even sort of go near it at all. She just couldnʼt; it was too painful, too raw, even after all those years, 35 to 40 years later, she couldnʼt. She just said it wasnʼt very nice and didnʼt want to elaborate. Meeting me and having me in her life went some way to, to sort of easing that trauma; I donʼt think it ever fully healed the wound.”Brogan always knew he was adopted and describes a happy childhood with his adoptive family. He told EWTN News that he, as a child, returned to visit the nuns in Marianvale with his adoptive parents. His brother and sister, also adopted, were born there too. “There was the convent at the front, but there were other smaller outbuildings around the back, where, looking back now, I realize that’s where the women and girls were quartered.”He recalled his dad putting money in the collection box there. “I have clear memories of that visit, but I had absolutely no understanding of the other side of it. The trauma of the birth mothers, knowing that youʼre giving up your baby as soon as itʼs born, of the baby being taken away, and then after that, I think, is the most impactful on peopleʼs lives.”Brogan also embarked on a different journey to make contact with his birth father’s family. Unaware that he had a biological son who had been adopted, his biological father died in 1982. Brogan said of both journeys: “You donʼt know where youʼre going to end up. You donʼt know if youʼre going to have an open door, a closed door, or visit a graveyard. When I found my fatherʼs family, the connection was fantastic. I did visit his grave, and that was quite tough. The realization that I would never meet my father.”“I have met every sort of combination a survivor has gone through,” he said. “So, whether that’s a birth mother never able to meet her child, or one who found their child, but the child, now an adult, didnʼt want to have a relationship, and vice versa. Where the mother has locked that away, doesnʼt want it disturbed, hasnʼt told her family, and really doesnʼt want to acknowledge that it happened.”He added: “I feel incredibly fortunate [that] Iʼm able to talk about it; Iʼm able to talk with others about it. And, you know, if my talking can help one other person, then itʼs worth it.”He explained that “everybody will automatically think, ‘Oh, the Catholic Church is at fault again,’ but there were more accounts of women from a Protestant background who went through institutions than from a Catholic background. I think thatʼs important to state because the number of people who have come forward from the Protestant community is significantly less than the Catholic community. And I think there has to be some level of outreach to those people who feel that they canʼt come forward.”Brogan said that beginning this journey was difficult. “But for me to have a better understanding of who I am, and where I came from, itʼs very, very important. And to be able to spend some level of time with my birth mother, and get an understanding of her and what she went through and everything else was pretty priceless.”In a statement dated July 8 following the publication of the Truth Recovery Independent Report, the Good Shepherd Sisters said: “We respect the courage and strength of all who have come to share their experiences and have contributed to this research. We deeply regret the pain and hurt women in our care experienced, as outlined in their testimony to the panel.”The statement continued: “We also acknowledge the women who expressed their appreciation to the Sisters they met while in our care in the past, even when they reflect on a time of deep crisis in their lives. We will continue to fully cooperate with the impending work of the public inquiry.”

unitedyam July 10, 2026July 10, 2026

The inquiry will investigate issues raised in the Truth Recovery Independent Report, which was also published this week.

unitedyam July 10, 2026July 10, 2026

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column. July 9: Venus stands above Regulus Look north after dark tonight to spot one of the most famous asterisms in the sky: the Big Dipper. Late tonight, it lies to the lower left of the North Star, Polaris, with its cup belowContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, July 10: Meet Mizar and Alcor”

The post The Sky Today on Friday, July 10: Meet Mizar and Alcor appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Curiosity Sees Martian Sulfur Up Close – These sulfur crystals were found inside a rock after NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover happened to drive over it and crush it on May 30, 2024, the 4,200th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

These sulfur crystals were found inside a rock after NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover happened to drive over it and crush it on May 30, 2024, the 4,200th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

SSPX Masses an ‘abuse’ of Eucharist: U.S. bishops continue to urge Catholics not to attend #Catholic U.S. bishops continue to instruct Catholics to separate themselves from the schismatic Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) while urging the society’s members to return to full communion with the Catholic Church.The Vatican declared July 2 that six prelates involved in the SSPX’s unauthorized July 1 episcopal consecrations incurred automatic excommunication. Despite repeated warnings, SSPX bishops consecrated four new bishops without a pontifical mandate — an act of open disobedience to the authority of the pope that carries automatic excommunication for the six bishops involved.Lay faithful who formally adhere to SSPX are also considered schismatic and can incur excommunication by continuing to attend SSPX services after the Church’s formal pronouncement of a schism.Various Catholic bishops with SSPX locations in their dioceses are explicitly forbidding Catholics from attending SSPX Masses, instructing them to avoid the now-illicit sacraments and to withdraw their children from SSPX-affiliated schools while also urging frequent attendees and SSPX priests to seek spiritual guidance and return to the Catholic Church.Abuse of the EucharistBishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, instructed Catholics to “avoid participating in the activities of the SSPX.”Burbidge emphasized in a July 8 letter to his flock that “as a result of the SSPXʼs schismatic act, any celebrations of the sacraments of confession and matrimony by the SSPX are invalid, and the administration of other sacraments is illicit.”Bishop John Iffert of Covington, Kentucky, explained what it means for these sacraments to be “illicit.”“This means that the celebrations are not permitted by the law of the Church and the cleric offering the sacrament commits the canonical and moral fault of disobedience in each instance,” Iffert said.“The Masses these priests celebrate are an abuse of the Eucharist, insofar as they make the sacrament of unity into an occasion of division within the Church, and so they should be firmly rejected and avoided by all the Catholic faithful,” Iffert said.“Together with the priests of the diocese, I invite all Catholics who have been attending the SSPX liturgy to practice their faith in one of the parishes, missions, or chapels of the diocese,” Iffert said. “You will find the Catholic Mass and the sacramental life celebrated faithfully and respectfully throughout the Diocese of Covington.”Who is in schism?Burbidge clarified that not all attendees of SSPX are necessarily in schism but must simply return to sacraments and ministries in union with the Church.“I encourage any persons locally who have been attached to the SSPX and who desire the spiritual nourishment of the Church and the extraordinary form of the Mass to become active in any one of the eight locations in our diocese where this is currently possible,” Burbidge said.“Although lay faithful who formally adhere to the SSPX are considered schismatic and excommunicated, this does not apply to lay faithful ‘who do not reject the magisterium of the authority of the Roman pontiff’ and have engaged with the SSPX for solely liturgical or spiritual reasons,” Burbidge said. “Such persons must simply resolve not to continue to participate in future SSPX sacramental worship or pastoral ministries.”“The Holy See, in the spirit of conciliation, has outlined the procedure necessary for SSPX priests and lay faithful to return to Catholic communion,” Burbidge explained.Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez of Palm Beach, Florida, issued a decree reiterating the Holy See’s excommunication and instructing the faithful to separate from SSPX in any "ecclesiastical ministry” or “diocesan entity.”Rodríguez also provided instructions for any Catholics who wish to leave SSPX “and enter into full communion with the Catholic Church."How SSPX’s schism affects educationThe schismatic acts of SSPX have a trickle-down effect, even affecting the education of children.In Covington, Kentucky, two schools are affiliated with SSPX. Iffert has instructed Catholics to withdraw their children from the schools due to the schismatic nature of the group.“Because Assumption Academy and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy are associated with the SSPX, Catholic parents should not enroll their children in these schools,” Iffert said in a letter. “To do so is to entrust the religious formation of children to those who participate in schism against the Roman Catholic Church.”He encouraged parents to reach out to the diocesan Catholic schools office for “appropriate placement in a local Catholic school.”Praying for returnThe bishops prayed for union and for society members to return to the Church.“I pledge to pray for the bishops and priests of the SSPX and for their faithful return to regular order in the Catholic Church,” Iffert said. “I also assure the lay faithful who have been attached to the SSPX of my prayer for their good and for the restoration of unity in the Church.”Burbidge prayed especially for SSPX priests.“To my brother priests in the SSPX, please know of my prayers for you and my heartfelt desire for your return to full communion with the Church,” Burbidge said. “I invite all the faithful to join me in prayer for the end of all division and schism and for the unity of the Church, so that she may better fulfill the divine commission to make disciples of all nations.”“I ask all faithful Catholics to pray for restored unity and order in the Church and in our diocese,” Iffert said. “Please beg the intercession of Pope St. Pius X, that his name may always give glory to God and never be a sign of division in the Eucharistic community that he cherished.”

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 10, 2026

More U.S. bishops are instructing Catholics to avoid attending Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) events in light of the recent excommunications of SSPX leadership.

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 10, 2026

A reading from the Book of Hosea
14:2-10

Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”—
because of me you bear fruit!

Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
10:16-23

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”

One cannot evangelise only with the mind or only with the heart or only with the hands. Everything is involved. And, in style, the important thing is testimony, as Jesus wants us to do. He says this: “I send you out as sheep among wolves” (v. 16). He does not ask us to be able to face the wolves, that is, to be able to argue, to offer counter arguments, and to defend ourselves. No, no. We might think like this: let us become relevant, numerous, prestigious, and the world will listen to us and respect us and we will defeat the wolves. No, it’s not like that. No, I send you out as sheep, as lambs. This is important. If you don’t want to be sheep, the Lord will not defend you from the wolves. Deal with it as best you can. But if you are sheep, rest assured that the Lord will defend you from the wolves. Be humble. He asks us to be like this, to be meek and with the will to be innocent, to be disposed to sacrifice; this is what the lamb represents: meekness, innocence, dedication, tenderness. And he, the Shepherd, will recognise his lambs and protect them from the wolves. On the other hand, lambs disguised as wolves are unmasked and torn to pieces. A Church Father wrote: “As long as we are lambs, we will conquer, and even if we are surrounded by many wolves, we will overcome them. But if we become wolves — ‘Ah, how clever, look, I feel good about myself’ — we will be defeated, because we will be deprived of the shepherd’s help. He does not shepherd wolves, but lambs” (St John Chrysostom, Homily 33 on the Gospel of Matthew). If I want to be the Lord’s, I have to allow him to be my shepherd; and he is not the shepherd of wolves, He is the shepherd of lambs, meek, humble, kind as the Lord is. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 15 February 2023)

Vatican commission seeks to address legal loophole facing women religious suffering abuse #Catholic Consecrated women and women religious who have suffered abuse face a significant legal loophole: Canon law and specialized commissions focus primarily on minors and adults with disabilities, leaving these women outside their scope of protection.In practice, this means that if the victim is an adult who has received formation, it is assumed she can defend herself or that she consented. However, signs of change are beginning to emerge from the Vatican.In addressing this issue, “it cannot simply be a label of ‘vulnerable adult,’” said Claudia Giampietro, an Italian canon lawyer working at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM).“We must understand that there are situations of imbalances of power … and situations involving abuse, and so it is these situations of vulnerability that we need to examine more deeply,” she told EWTN News on July 1.

Claudia Giampietro, an Italian canon lawyer working at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), during an interview on July 1, 2026. | Credit: EWTN News

One of the functions of the PCPM is to collaborate with the various dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the conferences and unions of religious men and women, and the institutes of consecrated life.This enables them to gain firsthand knowledge of a complex reality: “There are a great many circumstances, situations, and people that can also affect women religious, including older ones, and so it is necessary to understand the contexts in which they work and carry out their ministry, both within their communities and also outside them,” Giampietro said.The situation in Latin AmericaThe Vatican helped break the taboo surrounding abuse against women religious by dedicating an extensive report to it in January 2020, published in Donne, Chiesa, Mondo (Women, Church, World), the monthly women’s supplement to L’Osservatore Romano. Issues covered include abuse of power, sexual abuse, and the difficulties faced by many nuns both within and outside consecrated life.In subsequent years, there has been a proliferation of studies aimed at gauging the scale of a phenomenon that was traditionally hidden. Notable among them is the research published in 2022 in the Spanish-language book “Vulnerability, Abuse, and Care in Womenʼs Religious Life,” edited by Sister María Rosaura González Casas, who at the time was coordinator of the Commission for the Care and Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons for the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious.Based on a survey of 1,417 women religious, the study revealed that 19.8% reported having suffered sexual abuse, and more than half stated they had experienced some form of abuse of power at the hands of superiors, priests, formators, or bishops. Additionally, 14.3% of respondents indicated having been harassed by a priest, 9.7% by laypeople, and 8% by other religious women, figures that highlight the scope and complexity of an issue that remained largely silenced for decades.González Casas, dean of the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, explained that since the study was published four years ago, “greater awareness of what abuse entails has grown at all levels” in the region.

Sister María Rosaura González Casas of the Company of St. Teresa of Jesus is dean of the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

“The sisters are more aware, and bishops and priests are also more alert to it. When we conducted the survey, many women religious did not want to respond, even though it was anonymous. There was fear of speaking out. Now there is greater awareness, although clear codes of conduct are still lacking. Unconscious and internalized machismo persists in society and has permeated religious and priestly life,” she explained in comments to EWTN News.A conference in Rome on abuse preventionIn order to promote dialogue to prevent abuse against women religious, the PCPM will organize the second annual meeting on abuse prevention, focusing on consecrated life. It will be held in Rome on Dec. 9–11, centering on the theme “Communion, Care, and Justice: Mutual Relationships for a Shared Mission.”This is not an academic conference but a synodal “learning lab” geared toward concrete results. Over the course of three days, bishops, representatives from institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, conferences and unions of major superiors, officials from Roman Curia dicasteries, and experts in abuse prevention will collaborate through roundtables, sessions on canon law, and working groups.“The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has already taken up this issue, and with their involvement, superiors and women religious will take it more seriously,” said Sister Jacinta Ondeng of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Kenya, who has been invited to participate in the forum.“Safeguarding must be an essential part of community life,” emphasized the religious sister, director of the Safeguarding Initiative for Catholic Sisters, a project based at Tangaza University in Nairobi that provides training on abuse prevention across various African countries.Many situations are covered up due to a lack of oversightOndeng emphasized the need for effective case follow-up. “It’s important for the relevant Vatican offices to oversee these situations because cases from Africa, and perhaps other parts of the world, are often covered up precisely due to a lack of oversight. If the relevant bodies of the Holy See intervene and evaluate cases when congregations fail to resolve them, that will help.”

Sister Jacinta Ondeng, of the School Sisters of Notre Dame congregation in Kenya, will participate in a Vatican-organized conference on abuse. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Jacinta Ondeng

She also proposes developing clear guidelines for handling abuse cases within consecrated life — similar to those established by Pope Francis in Vos Estis Lux Mundi for allegations of abuse against minors — which require bishops and superiors to take action when faced with complaints or concerning indications.“Once it becomes clear that the Vatican is involved in matters affecting members of consecrated life, there will be changes. Human nature responds to clear rules: When they exist, people tend to act with greater prudence,” she observed.The sister also led a revealing, as-yet-unpublished study in Africa that brought to light harrowing testimonies from consecrated women, such as:“Sisters leave not because they lack a vocation but because of abuse; superiors are abusing their authority.”“Sisters suffer in silence rather than reporting it because they love the Church and fear damaging the reputation of a priest, bishop, or superior.”“I told my superior what was happening, and since the sister in question was her friend, she did nothing.”The study’s results were presented at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome during the 2026 International Safeguarding Conference, held June 16–19 under the theme “One Commitment, Many Contexts: Safeguarding Across Cultures.” The study was based on an anonymous online survey conducted between February and March in which more than 140 religious sisters from various African countries participated.Fear of stigma and self-blameThe findings are revealing: 35.5% of congregations lack a formal safeguarding policy; 67.4% of those surveyed identify fear of stigma and self-blame as the main obstacles to reporting abuse; and 60.3% point to the absence of confidential reporting channels.Personal factors such as “shame, guilt, and self-reproach are very prevalent among many women religious who wish to take the step of reporting abuse,” explained Ondeng, who dedicates her ministry to conducting workshops and training on safeguarding in Africa, with a particular focus on Catholic women religious.Her goal is to raise awareness about abuse and its consequences, empower consecrated women to break the culture of silence, and promote safe environments for all. She also emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability as fundamental pillars for the success of safeguarding policies within the Church.The religious also warned of the tendency toward cover-ups that can arise in certain ecclesial contexts.“As numerous studies on abuse and the abuse of authority have shown, the Church hierarchy commands immense respect in many African societies,” she noted. While this is a positive cultural value, it also helps explain why individuals in positions of authority are rarely reported when involved in abusive behavior.This phenomenon is reflected in several of the testimonies gathered during the investigation:“Many sisters do not want to air dirty laundry. They do not wish to publicly expose these problems, in order to protect the institute’s reputation.”“Some fear that if they speak out, they will be expelled from religious life, and they do not want to leave,” Ondeng added.Lack of training in abuse preventionOndeng’s study also reveals that, when faced with situations of injustice or abuse, some women religious choose to leave consecrated life. Abuse can take many forms — sexual, spiritual, physical, emotional, or institutional — and, in certain cases, becomes unbearable.However, the majority of victims remain in their communities, often out of fear of the social stigma or rejection they might suffer if they returned to their families.Others are aware that leaving the convent could entail serious financial difficulties, as they lack employment or the means to support themselves, the religious explained.Of the 141 women religious surveyed, more than 95% stated they had received some form of training on the prevention of sexual abuse. However, in many cases, this preparation proves insufficient.“Most have taken short courses, but we cannot say that this 95% has received comprehensive training in safeguarding. At most, some have participated in one- or two-day sessions. That is very little, and it poses a problem,” the Kenyan religious sister noted in a statement to EWTN News.For this reason, she insists on the need to strengthen safeguarding training as a true ministry within the Church.“Much more preparation is needed for Catholic women religious to have the courage to speak about their experiences in their communities. Currently, training is very limited and must be ramped up to empower consecrated women,” she stated.Added to this challenge is a significant cultural component. “People do not want to make their problems public. It is something deeply rooted in African culture, although it also occurs in European and American contexts,” she stated.For its part, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life does not publish aggregate figures on apostolic visitations conducted worldwide, as these are carried out on an occasional rather than a systematic basis.The only large-scale investigation for which detailed data exist was the one conducted in the United States from 2008 to 2014, which involved 341 institutes of consecrated life and about 50,000 religious women.“The entire Church must understand that safeguarding is a Gospel value. It’s not something imposed from the outside. The Gospel calls us to promote the dignity of every person, support those who suffer, and care for those who are hurting,” Ondeng pointed out.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 10, 2026

Efforts to address the abuse crisis in the Church have focused on minors and vulnerable adults, leaving unaddressed the abuse suffered by women religious. Efforts are underway to rectify that.

10 Best Islands to Visit in the South for Charming Beach Towns, Pristine Sands, and Beautiful Coastal Views #Travel Add Georgia’s Golden Isles or “the sunset capital of Alabama” to your travel list.

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Add Georgia’s Golden Isles or “the sunset capital of Alabama” to your travel list.

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Picture of the day

Little street musicians, Paris. Image captured between 1910 and 1929.

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Discover St. Francis through Jubilee Year pilgrimages and prayer opportunities #Catholic –

Faithful near and far are invited to draw inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi and gain a plenary indulgence by making prayerful pilgrimages to any of five designated St. Francis-related parishes in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., until Jan. 10, 2027.

On Jan. 10, 2026, Pope Leo XVI decreed that the Universal Church would commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, which ends next Jan. 10. The decree also provides for a special plenary indulgence for parishes associated with the saint. A plenary indulgence is remission of temporal punishment that may remain after sacramental confession.

On April 29, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney issued a decree designating the five parishes in the diocese where pilgrims are able to avail themselves of a plenary indulgence.

These parishes are St. Francis of Assisi in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque, N.J.; St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes, N.J.; St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Butler, N.J.; St. Clare Parish in Clifton, N.J., and St. John Kanty Parish in the Athenia neighborhood of Clifton.

St. Francis of Assisi is known for his ministry to the poor and underprivileged, his care for nature and animals, his promotion of peace, and his founding of the Franciscan order, one of the largest in the Church. The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe founded many parishes in the diocese, especially in Passaic County.

“The Holy Father notes that in an age known for strife, division, and interminable wars, the life of St. Francis of Assisi, ‘continues to point to the authentic source of peace.’ We profess that the source of all peace is Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” Bishop Sweeney wrote in the local decree.

Some of these parishes are also planning St. Francis-related events. Check their websites, bulletins, and social media, or call them, for Mass and confession times and special event schedules if not already listed below.

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In his Jan. 10, 2026, decree, Pope Leo wrote, “May this Year of St. Francis urge us all, each according to our own possibilities, to imitate the Poverello of Assisi… [and] to mold ourselves as much as possible on the model of Christ…May the hope that saw us as pilgrims now be transformed into zeal and fervor of active charity.”

Pilgrims seeking a plenary indulgence have the opportunity to “experience the divine mercy of God,” said Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office and pastor of St. Brendan/St. George Parish in Clifton. He helped coordinate the pilgrimages under the leadership of Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious.

To gain the plenary indulgence, pilgrims must show detachment from sin, receive the Eucharist, go to confession, pray for the Holy Father’s intentions and recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed. Those unable to travel due to illness or caregiving responsibilities may obtain the indulgence by offering their suffering to God.

Each designated parish in the diocese is connected to St. Francis. St. Francis is the only parish in the diocese currently named for the saint. St. Mary’s is one of two remaining parishes in the diocese founded by the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The other is St. Anthony’s, which also has a friary.

In addition, St. Clare’s is named after St. Clare, a devoted spiritual student, close confidante, and first female follower of St. Francis. St. John Kanty, which serves a Polish community, is administered by the Conventual Franciscan Friars.

Franciscan Father John Aherne, pastor of St. Mary’s, is pleased that the parish was selected as a Jubilee pilgrimage site.

“The Jubilee Year is a way for St. Mary’s to highlight its identity as a Franciscan community and engage with the community,” Father John Aherne said. He noted that the parish has been holding a full schedule of St. Francis-related events. “As Franciscans, we endeavor to bring peace and unity to a world fraught with violence and division and cherish and protect the beauty of the world and humanity,” Father Aherne said.

During the Jubilee Year, Bishop Sweeney will visit St. Francis for the annual Religious Jubilee Mass on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m. All attendees will have an opportunity for an indulgence. In addition, it’s anticipated that the bishop will return on Sunday, Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis, for confirmations.

St. Francis Parish is expecting the arrival of a new, larger statue of the saint from Italy for outside the church. The parish also has a first-class relic of St. Francis for veneration, said Father Greg Golba, St. Francis’ pastor.

“St. Francis of Assisi was friendly to everyone and everything: people, nature, and animals. During this Jubilee Year, pilgrims can receive important graces from God by praying for people through the intercession of St. Francis,” Father Golba said.

Diocesan St. Francis of Assisi pilgrimage parishes

St. Francis of Assisi Parish

868 Ringwood Ave., Haskell, N.J. 07420
Phone: (973) 835-0480
Email: stfrancis@optonline.net
Website: stfrancishaskell.org

Daily Mass:
Monday: 8 a.m.
Tuesday: 8 a.m.
Wednesday: noon
Thursday: 8 a.m.
Friday: 8 a.m.

Confession:
Saturday: 4:30 to 5 p.m. or upon request

St. Mary’s Parish

31 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes, N.J. 07442
Phone: 973-835-0374
Email: smc@stmarys-pompton.org
Website: stmarys-pompton.org

Mass times:
Saturday: 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 8:45 a.m. in Spanish (also livestreamed), 9 a.m. in the Carnevale Center, 10:30 a.m. (also livestreamed), noon
Monday: 8 a.m. (also livestreamed)
Tuesday: 8 a.m. (also livestreamed)
Wednesday: 8 a.m. (also livestreamed) and 7 p.m. in Spanish (also livestreamed)
Thursday: 8 p.m. (also livestreamed)
Friday: 8 p.m. (also livestreamed)
Saturday: 9 a.m. Liturgy of the Word with Communion in the Prayer Room

Confession:
Thursday: 4 to 5 p.m. or by appointment

St. Anthony of Padua Parish

65 Bartholdi Ave., Butler, N.J.
Phone: 973-838-0031
Email: bleck@saopp.org
Website: saopp.org

Masses:
Saturday 5 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. in Spanish
Weekdays: 7:30 a.m. and Saturday: 8 a.m.

Confession:
Saturday: 8:30 to 9 a.m. after the 8 a.m. Mass or by appointment

St. Clare Parish

69 Allwood Rd., Clifton, N.J. 07014
Phone: 973-777-9313
Email: office@saintclarenj.com
Website: saintclarenj.com

Mass times:
Saturday: 4 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Weekdays: 8:30 a.m.

Confession:
Saturday: 3 to 3:30 p.m. or by appointment

St. John Kanty Parish

49 Speer Ave., Clifton, N.J. 07013
Parish Office: 973-779-4102
Website: saintjohnkanty.org

Masses:
Saturday Vigil: 5 p.m. in English
Sunday: 8:30 a.m. in English, 10 a.m. in Polish, noon in English and 7 p.m. in Polish

Weekend Mass:
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 7 a.m. in English, 8 a.m. in Polish
Wednesday and Friday: 7 a.m. in English and 7 p.m. in Polish
Saturday: 8 a.m. in English
First Friday: 7 p.m. in Polish

Confession:
Saturday: from 4 to 4:45 p.m., daily before morning Masses or by appointment

– Faithful near and far are invited to draw inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi and gain a plenary indulgence by making prayerful pilgrimages to any of five designated St. Francis-related parishes in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., until Jan. 10, 2027. On Jan. 10, 2026, Pope Leo XVI decreed that the Universal Church would commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, which ends next Jan. 10. The decree also provides for a special plenary indulgence for parishes associated with the saint. A plenary indulgence is remission of temporal punishment that may remain after sacramental confession. On April 29, Bishop Kevin

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says no changes to capital punishment after botched execution – #Catholic – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told reporters in Knoxville on Tuesday that there will be no changes to the protocol for capital punishment in the state following the botched execution attempt of death row inmate Tony Carruthers on May 21.In May, the Republican governor suspended Carruthers’ execution for one year after the medical team failed to find a vein when trying to set up the backup IV line of lethal drugs. They tried to set up the IV line for more than an hour.“The Department of Corrections did exactly what they were supposed to,” Lee told reporters. “I decided to suspend the execution. I have the authority to do that. I’m the only one who can.”“Given the circumstances of not being able to find a vein, I made that decision,” the governor added. “But the protocol itself and the process for the death penalty in this state — which is the law of Tennessee that the people have decided — but the protocol itself still stands, as it should.”After the botched execution, eight Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to the governor, which urged him to review the death penalty protocol, according to the Tennessee Lookout. The letter called the incident a failure “to carry a lawful sentence of its own courts,” but the lawmakers still expressed support for the death penalty.Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network — a group that works with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on opposition to the death penalty — expressed disappointment in Lee’s comment in a statement to EWTN News.“Tony Carruthers’ botched execution reminds us that every execution — regardless of the method or the procedures that take place — is a barbaric act that disregards the sanctity of life,” she said. “I am heartbroken to hear that Gov. Bill Lee has decided to let current lethal injection procedures stand.”Murphy noted that Republican lawmakers urged the governor to commission an independent review of how the execution was botched.“It is helpful to pause in times like this and ask ourselves: To what lengths will the state go to seek revenge?” she said. “There is nothing appropriate in this situation. The only way to avoid perpetuating more violence and harm is to step back from executing people altogether.”

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

The execution medical team spent more than an hour unsuccessfully trying to place a second intravenous line required in case the primary IV failed.

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

Vatican unveils agenda for global family summit marking ‘Amoris Laetitia’ anniversary #Catholic –

(OSV News) — The Vatican has released the framework for a fall meeting with the heads of Eastern Catholic Churches and presidents of bishops’ conferences, marking the 10th anniversary of “Amoris Laetitia” and focusing on the Church’s pastoral approach to families.

Pope Francis’ issued his post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the pastoral care of families. It was published after the 2014 and 2015 Synods on the Family.

The Oct. 7-14 gathering is intended “to proceed, in mutual listening, to a synodal discernment on the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel to families today,” not only in light of “Amoris Laetitia” but also “taking into account what is currently being done in the local Churches.”

The Vatican described the initiative as part of an ongoing process of “pastoral conversion,” emphasizing renewed evangelization rooted in lived experience.

Participants are expected to reflect on how families themselves contribute to the Church’s mission, not only as recipients of pastoral care but as active agents of evangelization. The framework — dated July 3 and released July 6 by the Vatican — said that families embody the Gospel in “daily relationships, choices, fragility and hope,” and calls for continued openness to renewal, asking for “the courage to persevere on this path,” while “always welcoming the Gospel anew in the joy of being able to proclaim it to all.”

The meeting will include listening sessions, the sharing of concrete pastoral experiences, and dialogue with experts. Its goal is to discern “the direction in which the Holy Spirit is leading us today,” while recognizing and supporting what is already being lived out in families and local Church communities. The themes are divided into five daily sessions by the organizers of the family summit.

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Families today: reality, beauty and challenges

The first topic discussed will be “Families today: reality, beauty and challenges” — aimed at “discerning the signs of the times through the experience of families and the Church’s pastoral commitment today.”

This part aims at “attentive listening to the concrete lives of families and to the experience of those who accompany them, recognizing together both the beauty of love as it takes shape in daily life and the fragilities that often affect it.”

The Vatican listed “precarious employment and housing, illness, the challenges of raising children, emotional loneliness, and the care of family members with disabilities, the elderly, or those who are not self-sufficient,” as challenges that families face today.

Among questions asked during the session will be: “How do the transformations of our time affect the experience of love between man and woman, generation of life, care, the transmission of the faith, and the mission of the Church?”

Young people and the discovery of the vocation to marriage

The second day will be focused on the young people “and the discovery of the vocation to marriage” and is aimed at “listening to young people and accompanying them in discovering the value of marriage.”

“In many parts of the world, young people live in contexts in which confidence in the possibility of building a stable marital and family project has weakened due to economic, social and cultural factors,” the Vatican said, pointing out that the meeting will address several challenges connected to upbringing of young people in families.

One of them is what “language, experiences, and educational and spiritual pathways help children, adolescents and young people today to recognize the value of marriage?” with the other asking “What witness can couples and families offer?” and how can they contribute to “accompanying young people in their emotional, relational and sexual growth?”

Pope Leo XIV, traveling to Spain June 6-12, encouraged young people to not be afraid to marry.

After one of the young men on the stage mentioned he was a newlywed, Pope Leo went visibly off the cuff to urge young people to “not be afraid of marriage. Do not be afraid of forming a family!”

Married life. The first years of marriage: a decisive time

Listening to and accompanying couples “in the early years of married life and at every stage of life” is a third-day topic of the discussion — titled “Married life. The first years of marriage: a decisive time.”

“The experience of couples in the first years of married life calls for particular attention,” the Vatican said. “This is an especially important phase for strengthening the marital bond and facing together the changes that accompany the beginning of family life, such as the birth of children and the challenge of balancing family and work, while discovering ever new meanings of conjugal and family love.”

The Vatican noted in their preparatory note that “it is during these early years that many of the human and spiritual resources are cultivated that will help spouses navigate the different seasons of family life.”

Looking at this stage of marriage bears weight as according to Pew Research Center, 4 in 10 divorces occur in the first decade of marriage, with 16% of couples divorcing in the first four years, and 24% between the fifth and ninth year of marriage.

The Vatican announced that in that phase of the discussion, some of the questions asked will be: “What forms of accompaniment are most effective in supporting couples, particularly during the first years of married life?” as well as “How can spouses be helped to recognize and develop their relational, spiritual, generative and parental resources?”and “Which experiences demonstrate the fruitfulness of networks of families capable of supporting one another and, in turn, becoming a source of accompaniment and witness for others?”

— In the difficulties of life: accompanying and supporting —

“Walking with families in complex situations” is the fourth stage of discussion, titled “In the difficulties of life: accompanying and supporting.”

“Particular attention is directed to couples and families who, at every stage of married life, encounter relational, social or spiritual difficulties, situations in which the Gospel is called to draw ever closer,” the July 6 release said.

“Failure, fragility, the gap between the ideal and reality, and the complexity of life situations also become places in which the work of God’s grace may be recognized and where persons can be accompanied with respect, patience and hope,” the Vatican said.

In this fourth day of the family summit designed around “Amoris Laetitia,” participants will be asking “What steps have been taken to support those living in situations of fragility or difficulty?” as well as “What forms of resistance continue to emerge?”

The discussion will also draw on the ways Christian communities can be built “in which those who have experienced suffering, abandonment, separation and divorce may truly feel listened to, involved and co-responsible.”

Christian families as subjects of the Church’s mission

The last day of the discussions will be focused on “Christian families as subjects of the Church’s mission” and will discuss the theme of “Embracing conjugal and family love as an impetus for mission.”

“Spouses know well that one never ceases to learn the languages of love, day after day,” the Vatican said.

“Within Christian communities, couples have a distinctive way of responding to the common vocation to love. In a rapidly changing world, the contribution of families to the Church’s mission is more necessary than ever in fostering an ‘apprenticeship in enduring love,’ with the benefits this brings to personal, ecclesial and social life.”

The framework said that “Despite the challenges posed by the pace of contemporary life, families remain the primary setting in which the faith is handed on to new generations, therefore participants will ask “How can the experience of couples and families be valued as a place of human, spiritual, ecclesial and social growth?” and “How can the contribution of families to the Church’s evangelizing mission and to the pastoral conversion of Christian communities be recognized and supported?”

The pope made the announcement about the meeting on the feast of St. Joseph, saying that he was convening the meeting “in light of the changes that continue to impact families … in an effort to proceed, in mutual listening, to a synodal discernment on the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel to families today, in light of Amoris Laetitia and taking into account what is currently being done in the local Churches.”

“I entrust this journey to the intercession of Saint Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family of Nazareth,” he added.

Paulina Guzik is international editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @Guzik_Paulina.

– (OSV News) — The Vatican has released the framework for a fall meeting with the heads of Eastern Catholic Churches and presidents of bishops’ conferences, marking the 10th anniversary of “Amoris Laetitia” and focusing on the Church’s pastoral approach to families. Pope Francis’ issued his post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the pastoral care of families. It was published after the 2014 and 2015 Synods on the Family. The Oct. 7-14 gathering is intended “to proceed, in mutual listening, to a synodal discernment on the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel to families today,” not only in light

Corruption in Pakistan’s courts hits poor Christians hardest, report finds – #Catholic – A new report by leading human rights groups says entrenched corruption throughout Pakistanʼs criminal justice system disproportionately harms the countryʼs poorest religious minorities, particularly Christians accused under its controversial blasphemy laws.The study — titled “Under the Bench: Mapping Corruption Risks in Pakistanʼs Justice System” — was released July 8 by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).“Ethnic and religious minorities continue to face rampant discrimination in Pakistan — issues that are compounded by the fact that they also come from low-income communities,” the report states.“Many of the victims in cases targeting Christians, for example, are sanitation workers or daily laborers, meaning that their resources to pay legal representation with necessary social and political connections or to pay bribes are very limited, if not absent, in effect widening the gap in access to justice.”The report is based on 30 interviews conducted by FIDH and HRCP in February and March with lawyers, journalists, civil society activists, academics, and judges.Several interviewees said anti-minority and anti-poor bias was evident in the language used by some judges in their rulings.Bribes and stalled trialsIts findings echo those of a 2025 report by Human Rights Watch, which said blasphemy accusations were increasingly being used for financial gain, with some police officials allegedly demanding bribes from victims to avoid the registration of false first information reports.The report also cited figures from the National Commission for Human Rights, a government human rights body, showing a sharp increase in blasphemy prosecutions. It said 767 people were detained on blasphemy charges as of July 25, 2024, compared with 213 in 2023, 64 in 2022, nine in 2021, and 11 in 2020.Behram Francis, legal adviser for the Catholic bishops' National Commission for Justice and Peace, said the findings matched what he has seen on the ground.“Police start dealing with families of blasphemy victims after an accusation is made and the case is publicized. Given the security risk, sensitivity, and public sentiment associated, the usual bribe rate in such cases starts from at least 50,000 rupees [$180],” Francis told EWTN News.“Trials in lower courts can drag on for years, and the victim continues suffering in prison, as the accuser can easily get the next hearing postponed by paying 15,000 rupees to the court reader. Our lawyers usually encounter prejudice against Christians during trials.”Concerns in the courtroomRiaz Anjum, president of the Christian Lawyers Association of Pakistan, said procedural delays and intimidation inside courtrooms remained among the biggest obstacles to defending Christians accused of blasphemy.“These cases are often not listed in the regular cause list, forcing us to file separate applications just to obtain a hearing,” Anjum told EWTN News.“Muslim lawyers sometimes openly threaten us in front of judges and mobilize madrassa students outside courtrooms. The risk of external pressure and mob intimidation influencing judicial proceedings remains very high.”Pakistan ranked 123rd out of 143 countries in the World Justice Projectʼs 2025 Rule of Law Index for absence of corruption, placing it second from the bottom in its regional rankings.

unitedyam July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

Christians accused under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws face bribe demands, stalled trials, and courtroom intimidation, according to a new report by two leading human rights organizations.

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How do planets clear out objects on the other side of their orbit?

20 Famous Castles Around the World You Need to See in Your Lifetime #Travel Calling all history buffs, architecture fans, and art lovers—these castles should be on your list.

Uh Oh: Mamdani’s New NYC Map Includes ‘Little Auschwitz’ In Brooklyn #BabylonBee – NEW YORK CITY — Concerns over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s "Immigrant Enclave Map" have grown after it was noted that the Mayor had added a "Little Auschwitz" in the middle of Brooklyn.

Man Informs Wife He Can’t Mow The Lawn Today As He Is Busy Playing Lawn Mowing Simulator #BabylonBee – BIRMINGHAM, AL — Local man Brett Callahan informed his wife that he wouldn’t be able to mow the lawn today as he was completely tied up playing a lawn-mowing simulator.

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July 12, 1988: Phobos 2 launches

Picture of the day Schwäbisch Hall, Germany: the northern old town on Salinenstrasse, seen over the River Kocher. In the foreground is the Kocher weir with a fish ladder (right). #ImageOfTheDay

This Mountain Town Is an Affordable Alternative to Jackson Hole—With Rugged Charm, Wild Horses, and a 130-year-old Rodeo #Travel It’s the perfect place to explore the Cowboy State’s stunning landscapes.

July 11, 1801: Jean-Louis Pons finds his first comet

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Waxing Gibbous Moon – The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above a partly cloudy Indian Ocean southeast of Madagascar.

Picture of the day Willan’s chromodoris (Chromodoris willani), Anilao, Philippines. This 5 centimetres (2.0 in)-long nudibranch can be found in the Western Pacific Ocean and feeds, like many other nudibranchs, on sponges. #ImageOfTheDay

The Best Waterfall to Visit in Every U.S. State, From Iconic Cascades to Hidden Gems #Travel The tall, the small, the powerful, and the pretty—these are the must-see waterfalls across the country.

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The Sky Today on Friday, July 10: Meet Mizar and Alcor

Curiosity Sees Martian Sulfur Up Close – These sulfur crystals were found inside a rock after NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover happened to drive over it and crush it on May 30, 2024, the 4,200th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

10 Best Islands to Visit in the South for Charming Beach Towns, Pristine Sands, and Beautiful Coastal Views #Travel Add Georgia’s Golden Isles or “the sunset capital of Alabama” to your travel list.

Picture of the day Little street musicians, Paris. Image captured between 1910 and 1929. #ImageOfTheDay

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Diocesan St. Francis of Assisi pilgrimage parishes

St. Francis of Assisi Parish

St. Mary’s Parish

St. Anthony of Padua Parish

St. Clare Parish

St. John Kanty Parish

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Families today: reality, beauty and challenges

Young people and the discovery of the vocation to marriage

Married life. The first years of marriage: a decisive time

Christian families as subjects of the Church’s mission