
Papal encyclicals are a powerful way the pope shapes global debates and articulates Church doctrine, but how should Catholics understand them?


Papal encyclicals are a powerful way the pope shapes global debates and articulates Church doctrine, but how should Catholics understand them?


The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023 after nearly 150 sex abuse lawsuits were filed against it.


Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, is connected to Glacier National Park in Montana, and you can visit both.
Read More![Saint Elizabeth’s graduation ceremony shines for Class of 2026 seniors #Catholic - Radiating joy and pride, 277 graduates of Saint Elizabeth’s University (SEU) in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township celebrated a milestone as they received their diplomas during the university’s 124th Commencement Ceremony on the bright morning of May 15.
The ceremony for the Class of 2026 took place on the picturesque front lawn of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who founded and continues to administer the university. Under clear skies, 118 graduate students and 159 undergraduates were honored, with 52 students earning special distinctions amidst applause.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concluded the ceremony with a final prayer and blessing for the Class of 2026. Father Joseph Farias, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J. who serves as university chaplain and advisor to the president for mission integration, offered an opening prayer.
The celebration also featured the participation of Gary B. Crosby, Ph.D., the president of Saint Elizabeth’s, and Ras J. Baraka, mayor of Newark, N.J., who delivered a spirited commencement address.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Saint Elizabeth’s graduation ceremony shines for Class of 2026 seniors #Catholic – ![]()
Radiating joy and pride, 277 graduates of Saint Elizabeth’s University (SEU) in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township celebrated a milestone as they received their diplomas during the university’s 124th Commencement Ceremony on the bright morning of May 15.
The ceremony for the Class of 2026 took place on the picturesque front lawn of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who founded and continues to administer the university. Under clear skies, 118 graduate students and 159 undergraduates were honored, with 52 students earning special distinctions amidst applause.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concluded the ceremony with a final prayer and blessing for the Class of 2026. Father Joseph Farias, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J. who serves as university chaplain and advisor to the president for mission integration, offered an opening prayer.
The celebration also featured the participation of Gary B. Crosby, Ph.D., the president of Saint Elizabeth’s, and Ras J. Baraka, mayor of Newark, N.J., who delivered a spirited commencement address.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Radiating joy and pride, 277 graduates of Saint Elizabeth’s University (SEU) in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township celebrated a milestone as they received their diplomas during the university’s 124th Commencement Ceremony on the bright morning of May 15. The ceremony for the Class of 2026 took place on the picturesque front lawn of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who founded and continues to administer the university. Under clear skies, 118 graduate students and 159 undergraduates were honored, with 52 students earning special distinctions amidst applause. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concluded the ceremony with
![Thousands rejoice as Bishop celebrates Fatima feast at shrine #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., visited the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Asbury, N.J., in the Trenton Diocese on May 13 to celebrate Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Several priests concelebrated the Mass.
The visit started with a rosary procession, with the Our Lady of Fatima pilgrim statue carried around the shrine’s grounds. Thousands of pilgrims from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and around New Jersey attended the Mass. The World Apostolate of Fatima operates the shrine.
The day’s schedule included a talk by David M. Carollo, the shrine’s executive director; an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; a Eucharistic procession and Benediction, and a blessing of religious articles. The event ended with a “Fatima farewell,” during which pilgrims sang a song and waved white handkerchiefs as the statue departed.
The focus on Our Lady of Fatima during the day had special meaning. The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 commemorates the first of six apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917 to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. It is a recognized Optional Memorial in the Catholic Church, emphasizing messages of prayer, peace, penance, and the daily rosary, according to Franciscan Media.
Pilgrims may visit the shrine and receive a plenary indulgence during the Extraordinary Marian Jubilee Year.
For more information, visit BlueArmyShrine.com.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
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Thousands rejoice as Bishop celebrates Fatima feast at shrine #Catholic – ![]()
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., visited the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Asbury, N.J., in the Trenton Diocese on May 13 to celebrate Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Several priests concelebrated the Mass.
The visit started with a rosary procession, with the Our Lady of Fatima pilgrim statue carried around the shrine’s grounds. Thousands of pilgrims from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and around New Jersey attended the Mass. The World Apostolate of Fatima operates the shrine.
The day’s schedule included a talk by David M. Carollo, the shrine’s executive director; an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; a Eucharistic procession and Benediction, and a blessing of religious articles. The event ended with a “Fatima farewell,” during which pilgrims sang a song and waved white handkerchiefs as the statue departed.
The focus on Our Lady of Fatima during the day had special meaning. The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 commemorates the first of six apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917 to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. It is a recognized Optional Memorial in the Catholic Church, emphasizing messages of prayer, peace, penance, and the daily rosary, according to Franciscan Media.
Pilgrims may visit the shrine and receive a plenary indulgence during the Extraordinary Marian Jubilee Year.
For more information, visit BlueArmyShrine.com.
–
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., visited the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Asbury, N.J., in the Trenton Diocese on May 13 to celebrate Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Several priests concelebrated the Mass. The visit started with a rosary procession, with the Our Lady of Fatima pilgrim statue carried around the shrine’s grounds. Thousands of pilgrims from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and around New Jersey attended the Mass. The World Apostolate of Fatima operates the shrine. The day’s schedule included a talk by David M. Carollo, the
A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 20:28-38
At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.
From the Gospel according to John
17:11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
Divisions among Christians, while they wound the Church, wound Christ; and divided, we cause a wound to Christ: the Church is indeed the body of which Christ is the Head. We know well how much Jesus had at heart that his disciples should remain united in his love. It suffices to consider his words, written in the 17th Chapter of the Gospel according to John, in Jesus’ prayer to the Father when his passion was imminent: “Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (Jn 17:11). This unity was already threatened while Jesus was still among them: in the Gospel, in fact, it is recorded that the Apostles argued among themselves about who was the greatest, the most important (cf. Lk 9:46). The Lord, however, emphatically insisted on unity in the name of the Father, allowing us to understand how much more credible our proclamation and our witness will be if we are first able to live in communion and to love each other. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 8 October 2014)
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QUINCY, MA — Weary from a major smallpox outbreak in her area, the wife of John Adams claimed she was starting to believe this whole thing about a "Continental Congress" was made up by her husband as an excuse to go hang out with the boys.
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OVERLAND PARK, KS — The need for the construction of massive data storage centers has been in the news again recently, with the results of a new study indicating that 90% of data centers are just storage for your wife’s pictures of the kids.
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Flower buds in development of a Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ (Montbretia). Focus stack of 54 photos.
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A Chicago-based Catholic and Christian advocacy group said it has struck a deal allowing “daily pastoral visits” to a federal immigration facility in Broadview, Illinois.




Liberal commentators are hailing Gavin Newsom and Zohran Mamdani as proof that socialist governance works, that a government can expand free programs, tax the wealthy, and still balance the books.
The post The Myth of Two Balanced Budgets, California and New York City appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Socialists in Spain are floundering.
The post Another Spanish Socialist Charged With Money Laundering and Influence Peddling – Former Prime Minister and Key Sánchez Ally, Zapatero Has His Offices Raided by Police appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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This is a Gateway Hispanic article.
The post Spain’s High Court investigates former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling in the Plus Ultra case appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The bishops’ conference is set to hold its 2026 Spring Plenary Assembly in Orlando on June 10–12.


The Moon and Venus, center, are seen in conjunction above the Washington Monument, Monday, May 18, 2026, as viewed from the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters Building in Washington.
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Speaking to a group of young people soon to be confirmed, Pope Leo XIV encouraged perseverance in the faith and emphasized that faith is lived in community, not in isolation.


The vast majority of the settlement would come from insurance contributions, according to a filing from the archdiocese.

Arnaud Malleval M82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy, lies about 12 million light-years away in Ursa Major. It is a classic example of a starburst galaxy — one producing newborn stars at a prodigious rate. Their explosive deaths drive filaments of hydrogen gas above and below its disk, forming the reddish filaments in HαContinue reading “Bursting with stars”
The post Bursting with stars appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read MoreMission Highlight: SMILE The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are targeting tonight, Monday, May 18, at 11:52 p.m. EST for the launch of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) on a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The mission was originally set to flyContinue reading “SMILE to give Earth’s magnetosphere its first X-ray”
The post SMILE to give Earth’s magnetosphere its first X-ray appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![‘God hears the cries of the victims,’ Mexican bishop assures at Walk for Peace - #Catholic - The president of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference issued a powerful call to the Church and society not to turn away from those suffering because of the violence that is the result of organized crime, declaring that “our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca delivered the message during the 12th annual Walk for Peace in his diocese on Saturday, May 16, as thousands gathered to reject resignation in the face of ongoing violence.This march, he said, demonstrates that the people of Morelos are “a people who keep moving forward, who don’t give up, and who continue to believe that peace is possible.”According to the most recent report by the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, 17 Mexican localities appear on the list of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Cuernavaca ranks 23rd.Guarding the ‘flame’ of peaceAfter recalling the message of Pope Leo XIV for the 2026 World Day of Peace observed on Jan. 1, in which the Holy Father described peace as “a small flame threatened by the storm,” Castro affirmed: “That is what we have come here to do today: to guard that flame so that it’s not extinguished by the storm. And we do so together, for if we stand alone, it goes out. But together, we can keep it lit.”The Mexican prelate emphasized that his message is not “that of a politician, nor of a social analyst, nor of someone who seeks to point out the suffering of others from a distance. I speak as a shepherd, as a brother who walks alongside his people.”Tweet“I speak as a disciple of Jesus Christ who has seen too many tears on the faces of [the people of] Morelos and of Mexico, of our homeland, so deeply wounded by the violence afflicting our families,” he noted.“I have heard the mothers who break their silence, searching [for their disappeared children],” he continued. “I have seen the fear of young people who feel their future slipping away; the weariness of entire families living amid uncertainty, violence, and abandonment; the exhaustion of transport workers unable to earn an honest living because organized crime holds them in subjugation; and the fed-up frustration of so many who can no longer put up with the corruption we endure.”In the face of this suffering, he said, “the Church cannot remain indifferent, nor take refuge in the comforting atmosphere of its churches; for the God in whom we believe is not a God who observes from afar, he is the God of the burning bush, the God who said to Moses: ‘I have seen the oppression of my people, I have heard their outcry, and I have come down to deliver them.’ Our God hears the cries of the victims, walks with them, and calls upon us, too, not to look the other way.”“The Church is not here to divide or to sow confusion out of ambition or to gain power; the Church is here to build based on the truth, for only the truth can open the way to authentic reconciliation,” the prelate said.“In the face of the person mourning a child, of the one who has been forcibly disappeared, of the one being extorted, or of the one who has lost hope — there is Christ, crying out once again from the cross,” he lamented.
Bishop Ramón Castro Castro blesses the participants of the 12th Walk for Peace in Cuernavaca, Morelos state, Mexico, with the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday, May 16, 2026. | Credit: Diocese of Cuernavaca
A priest forced to leave his parish due to death threatsThe prelate subsequently referred to the “particular wound” afflicting the small town of Huautla, in southern Morelos — one of the “poorest and most forgotten corners of our state,” a “land of simple, hardworking people; a land hard hit for years by poverty and migration; a land that has watched its children depart in search of the daily bread they can’t get there.”There, he denounced, “organized crime has reached a level of cruelty that defies description,” exacting extortion payments, also known as protection money, “simply for living there, simply for owning a home.”“When the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Huautla became the last bastion of hope for the community, as the priest so often is in Mexico’s most vulnerable villages, and when his presence and his words were the only support the people had left to keep from sinking into despair, organized crime threatened to take his life.”“Those threats were so serious, so real, and so concrete that he was forced to leave his community for his own physical protection; and today, Huautla is left without a shepherd,” he lamented.TweetGoverning means not abandoning the peopleCastro emphasized in his message that “governing means not abandoning the people. Governing means not refusing to take up the responsibility of guaranteeing the security and well-being of every person within the territory entrusted to them.”“Our heartfelt plea without mincing words is that Huautla not be left all alone; that the government do its job to help the mothers searching [for their disappeared children] an effort which they rightly deserve; that transport workers be afforded security; that thousands upon thousands of merchants — micro, small, and medium-sized alike — be able to work without having to pay protection money; and that our young people be provided with real alternatives: quality education, decent jobs, and personal safety, so that organized crime is not the only door open to them.”“We ask you, government officials, not to sell us false narratives. The people aren’t buying them anymore then you declare peace, while 90% of the people of Morelos are afraid to step out onto the street. That’s not governing; that’s an insult to the intelligence of the people,” he stated.At the same time, he assured the authorities of help from the Church and its priests, religious, and communities: “We’re not here to criticize for the sake of criticism; we are here to contribute, to offer accompaniment, to put forward proposals, and to walk together toward peace.”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.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/god-hears-the-cries-of-the-victims-mexican-bishop-assures-at-walk-for-peace-catholic-the-president-of-the-mexican-bishops-conference-issued-a-powerful-call-to-the-chur.webp)
Bishop Ramón Castro expressed the Church’s resolve to stand firm in its solidarity with victims of organized crime, decrying widespread extortion and corruption in Mexico.

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 20:17-27
From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
"You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.
"But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God."
From the Gospel according to John
17:1-11a
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
"Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
"I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."
In the Gospel, John tells us that Jesus, before uttering a word, “looked up to heaven” (Jn 17:1). In these, the final hours of his life, Jesus is weighed down by anguish at the prospect of his passion, conscious of the dark night he is about to endure, feeling betrayed and abandoned. Yet in the same moment, he looks up to heaven. Jesus lifts his eyes to God. He does not resign himself to evil; he does not let himself be overwhelmed by grief; he does not retreat into the bitterness of the defeated and disappointed; instead, he looks to heaven. (…) Prayer leads us to trust in God even in times of difficulty. It helps us to hope when things seem hopeless and it sustains us in our everyday struggles. Prayer is not a retreat, an escape, in the face of problems. Instead, it is the only weapon at our disposal for keeping love and hope alive amid the weapons of death. It is not easy to lift our gaze when we are hurting, but faith helps us resist the temptation to turn in on ourselves. We may want to protest, to cry out to God in our pain. We should not be afraid to do so, for this too is prayer. (Pope Francis, Homily on the Holy Mass with the Myanmar Community in Rome, 16 May 2021)
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The pope expressed his gratitude to the papal society founded in 1905, which raises funds to support and strengthen under-resourced mission dioceses throughout the United States.


Archbishop John Wester challenged the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration’s position that increased pit production complies with the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.



Rosary procession in Madison reflects community’s deep faith #Catholic – ![]()
On May 11, parishioners gathered at St. Vincent Martyr Church in Madison in honor of the Month of Mary for the Rosary Altar Society’s Rosary Procession, reflecting the faith and devotion of the community’s faithful.
The procession began at St. Vincent Church with First Communicants crowning the statue of the Blessed Mother, then processed along the streets of Madison as members of the community stopped to watch.
Led by a banner of the Blessed Mother, the procession included Father Owen B. Moran, pastor of St. Vincent’s, Father Alex Nevitt, priest in residence, and Bishop (Bish), the parish’s “beloved Director of Tail Wagging.” Also in attendance were Sister of Charity Noreen Holly, principal of St. Vincent Martyr School, and Peter Solecki, director of music ministry.
Parishioners of all ages took part in the procession, while those unable to walk gathered prayerfully inside the church. Following the procession, the community returned to St. Vincent Martyr for fellowship.
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On May 11, parishioners gathered at St. Vincent Martyr Church in Madison in honor of the Month of Mary for the Rosary Altar Society’s Rosary Procession, reflecting the faith and devotion of the community’s faithful. The procession began at St. Vincent Church with First Communicants crowning the statue of the Blessed Mother, then processed along the streets of Madison as members of the community stopped to watch. Led by a banner of the Blessed Mother, the procession included Father Owen B. Moran, pastor of St. Vincent’s, Father Alex Nevitt, priest in residence, and Bishop (Bish), the parish’s “beloved Director of
![First Holy Communion held at Clifton parish #Catholic - St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., celebrated the First Holy Communion of 11 young parishioners on May 2. First Communicants are George Bazo, Liliana Bazo, Ariela Chiong, Patrick Diaz, Jonathan Grabowski, Edric Mineses, Jackson Rios, Ryan Valentine, Angel Velez Jr., Mariana Velez, and Jose Alejandro Zuniga. The Mass was celebrated by Father Jeider Barraza, pastor, and Father Joseph DeMarzo, parochial vicar. Surrounded by family and the parish community, the children received the Eucharist for the first time, marking a significant milestone in their Catholic faith journey.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/first-holy-communion-held-at-clifton-parish-catholic-st-andrew-the-apostle-parish-in-clifton-n-j-celebrated-the-first-holy-communion-of-11-young-parishioners-on-may-2-first-communi.jpg)
First Holy Communion held at Clifton parish #Catholic – ![]()
St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., celebrated the First Holy Communion of 11 young parishioners on May 2. First Communicants are George Bazo, Liliana Bazo, Ariela Chiong, Patrick Diaz, Jonathan Grabowski, Edric Mineses, Jackson Rios, Ryan Valentine, Angel Velez Jr., Mariana Velez, and Jose Alejandro Zuniga. The Mass was celebrated by Father Jeider Barraza, pastor, and Father Joseph DeMarzo, parochial vicar. Surrounded by family and the parish community, the children received the Eucharist for the first time, marking a significant milestone in their Catholic faith journey.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., celebrated the First Holy Communion of 11 young parishioners on May 2. First Communicants are George Bazo, Liliana Bazo, Ariela Chiong, Patrick Diaz, Jonathan Grabowski, Edric Mineses, Jackson Rios, Ryan Valentine, Angel Velez Jr., Mariana Velez, and Jose Alejandro Zuniga. The Mass was celebrated by Father Jeider Barraza, pastor, and Father Joseph DeMarzo, parochial vicar. Surrounded by family and the parish community, the children received the Eucharist for the first time, marking a significant milestone in their Catholic faith journey. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

ALTOONA, PA — Local man Ted Woods got tired of all the time spent getting angry online. "There’s always something new to get angry at each day," Woods said. "And you never know what time the facts will come out confirming the need to get angry — it could be while I’m busy and don’t have time to be distracted with being angry." Thus, Woods came up with a great new strategy: Get angry at things now instead of waiting until all the facts are known.
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BANGOR, ME — Local dad David Kemp gathered his family together today to break the news to them that he’s getting really into the American Civil War.
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Guest Post by Pro-life Leader Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life A number of articles over recent days, including the Wall Street Journal’s “The Antiabortion Movement is Turning on Trump,” do not speak for the entire pro-life movement.
The post President Trump and the Prolife Movement appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read More![Indian Catholics denied bail after confronting mob that disrupted Mass #Catholic UDAIPUR, India — Nine Catholics have been behind bars for more than two weeks after parishioners chased out more than a dozen people who barged into a village church during Mass, shouting accusations of conversion, in a remote village in Indiaʼs desert state of Rajasthan.“We feel frustrated that our people were denied bail a second time today on the false allegation of conversion,” Bishop Devprasad John Ganawa of Udaipur, a Divine Word missionary, told EWTN News on May 12.“When the hooligans disrupted the Mass on May 1 shouting ‘conversion,’ our people forced them out. Instead of registering a criminal case against the intruders, the police have charged our people with ‘conversion and attempt to murder’ and arrested nine Catholics of Bandaria Parish,” Ganawa explained.‘They took out a knife’“I was saying the evening Mass at the substation of my parish at Kalinjara village when the incident happened,” Father Arvind Amliyar recounted to EWTN News.“During the Communion time over a dozen people stormed into the church, shouted ‘conversion,’ and started filming with cameras. When one of them took out a knife, our people snatched it and chased them out,” Amliyar said.“Soon police came and what happened then shocked me. Instead of finding out what had happened, they arrested four Catholics the same night,” the priest said.A Hindu mob then staged a protest outside the police station and demanded action against the parishioners, according to Amliyar. Police turned away Catholics who went to them twice, including at midnight the same day and the next day, refusing to register their complaint.Police came knocking on May 4 at 2:30 a.m. and arrested five more parishioners, including Anil Rawat, 70, a retired headmaster of a government school who now runs a private school in the village.Bail denied twiceThe local magistrate court rejected the parishioners' bail application the next day, as they were charged with “serious crimes”: conversion and attempted murder. Church lawyers then moved the case to the Banswara district court, which denied bail again on May 12.“Now, we have to go to the High Court with senior lawyers,” Amliyar said of the challenging situation facing the village church, which serves about 70 Catholic families. About 70 people were attending Mass when the intruders stormed in.“I cannot understand what is going on. The police bluntly refused to register the complaint of our people and have filed a serious charge of conversion against our people and imprisoned them,” Ganawa said of the first case of alleged conversion in Udaipur Diocese, where he has served as bishop for 13 years.Anti-conversion laws ‘reduced to a tool to harass minorities’“This is another typical case of the widespread abuse of anti-conversion laws against Christians in several states, most of them ruled by the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party],” A.C. Michael, a Catholic and national coordinator of the United Christian Forum, which monitors atrocities against Christians, told EWTN News from New Delhi.Under the Indian criminal system, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. However, under recently enacted or amended anti-conversion laws, Michael said, the burden of disproving the charge of conversion is shifted to the accused, making it difficult for defendants to secure bail from trial courts quickly, even in fraudulent cases.Under the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, enacted in 2025, the burden of disproving the allegation of conversion falls on the accused.As a result, Michael said, hundreds of Christians are languishing in jails in BJP-ruled states while protracted legal challenges drag on in higher courts.“The shocking reality is that there has been hardly any conviction in so-called conversion cases. That is why the churches and Christian groups have moved the Supreme Court for abolishing the anti-conversion laws that have been reduced to a tool to harass minorities,” Michael said.He noted that the Supreme Court in May 2024 observed that certain provisions in anti-conversion laws may be in violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate oneʼs religion.The Feb. 4–10 biennial assembly of more than 200 bishops in India in Bangalore also reiterated this concern in its final statement: “As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and right to privacy.” Indian Catholics denied bail after confronting mob that disrupted Mass #Catholic UDAIPUR, India — Nine Catholics have been behind bars for more than two weeks after parishioners chased out more than a dozen people who barged into a village church during Mass, shouting accusations of conversion, in a remote village in Indiaʼs desert state of Rajasthan.“We feel frustrated that our people were denied bail a second time today on the false allegation of conversion,” Bishop Devprasad John Ganawa of Udaipur, a Divine Word missionary, told EWTN News on May 12.“When the hooligans disrupted the Mass on May 1 shouting ‘conversion,’ our people forced them out. Instead of registering a criminal case against the intruders, the police have charged our people with ‘conversion and attempt to murder’ and arrested nine Catholics of Bandaria Parish,” Ganawa explained.‘They took out a knife’“I was saying the evening Mass at the substation of my parish at Kalinjara village when the incident happened,” Father Arvind Amliyar recounted to EWTN News.“During the Communion time over a dozen people stormed into the church, shouted ‘conversion,’ and started filming with cameras. When one of them took out a knife, our people snatched it and chased them out,” Amliyar said.“Soon police came and what happened then shocked me. Instead of finding out what had happened, they arrested four Catholics the same night,” the priest said.A Hindu mob then staged a protest outside the police station and demanded action against the parishioners, according to Amliyar. Police turned away Catholics who went to them twice, including at midnight the same day and the next day, refusing to register their complaint.Police came knocking on May 4 at 2:30 a.m. and arrested five more parishioners, including Anil Rawat, 70, a retired headmaster of a government school who now runs a private school in the village.Bail denied twiceThe local magistrate court rejected the parishioners' bail application the next day, as they were charged with “serious crimes”: conversion and attempted murder. Church lawyers then moved the case to the Banswara district court, which denied bail again on May 12.“Now, we have to go to the High Court with senior lawyers,” Amliyar said of the challenging situation facing the village church, which serves about 70 Catholic families. About 70 people were attending Mass when the intruders stormed in.“I cannot understand what is going on. The police bluntly refused to register the complaint of our people and have filed a serious charge of conversion against our people and imprisoned them,” Ganawa said of the first case of alleged conversion in Udaipur Diocese, where he has served as bishop for 13 years.Anti-conversion laws ‘reduced to a tool to harass minorities’“This is another typical case of the widespread abuse of anti-conversion laws against Christians in several states, most of them ruled by the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party],” A.C. Michael, a Catholic and national coordinator of the United Christian Forum, which monitors atrocities against Christians, told EWTN News from New Delhi.Under the Indian criminal system, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. However, under recently enacted or amended anti-conversion laws, Michael said, the burden of disproving the charge of conversion is shifted to the accused, making it difficult for defendants to secure bail from trial courts quickly, even in fraudulent cases.Under the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, enacted in 2025, the burden of disproving the allegation of conversion falls on the accused.As a result, Michael said, hundreds of Christians are languishing in jails in BJP-ruled states while protracted legal challenges drag on in higher courts.“The shocking reality is that there has been hardly any conviction in so-called conversion cases. That is why the churches and Christian groups have moved the Supreme Court for abolishing the anti-conversion laws that have been reduced to a tool to harass minorities,” Michael said.He noted that the Supreme Court in May 2024 observed that certain provisions in anti-conversion laws may be in violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate oneʼs religion.The Feb. 4–10 biennial assembly of more than 200 bishops in India in Bangalore also reiterated this concern in its final statement: “As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and right to privacy.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/indian-catholics-denied-bail-after-confronting-mob-that-disrupted-mass-catholic-udaipur-india-nine-catholics-have-been-behind-bars-for-more-than-two-weeks-after-parishioners-chased-out-mor-scaled.jpg)
Nine parishioners face conversion and attempted murder charges after forcing out intruders who stormed a village church during Mass in Rajasthan.




President Trump is calling for Iran to surrender after rejecting a Sunday proposal from Iran as he reportedly weighs resuming the war. According to a report from Axios, a senior US official and a source briefed on the issue say the White House has rejected another deal from Iran.
The post REPORT: Trump Considers Resuming War After Rejecting New Iranian Deal Proposal, Plans High Stakes Situation Room Meeting With National Security Officials appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Rededicate 250 was a complete success as the USA rededicated itself to God.
The post Rededicate 250 Was a Complete Success as the USA Rededicated to God appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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CatholicPOST seeks to restore Catholic social doctrine to its rightful place in intellectual life and academic discussion.

This latest Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope features Messier 77 (M77), a barred spiral galaxy famous and appreciated among astronomers for its combination of relative proximity and spectacular features to study. It is located 45 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus (The Whale).
Read More![Healing the Hidden Wounds: A statewide Catholic response takes shape #Catholic - The doors of the Church, Pope Francis has said, must always remain open – especially for those carrying unseen wounds.
On May 2, that call took concrete shape as more than 200 clergy, religious, educators, mental health professionals, ministry leaders and more gathered with a shared purpose: confronting the growing mental health crisis not from the margins, but from the heart of the faith community.
“Struggle is not a failure of humanity. Silence is. When we treat addiction or mental illness as something that must be concealed or explained away or endured alone, we unintentionally transform human suffering into spiritual isolation – and isolation is where despair grows,” said Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, the keynote speaker for the New Jersey Catholic Mental Health Conference held at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
Hosted by the Diocese of Metuchen, the conference, titled “From Isolation to Belonging: Mental Health and the Catholic Church,” brought together participants from all five New Jersey (arch)dioceses, as well as leaders from multiple religions. The daylong gathering blended pastoral reflection with practical strategy from Bishop Dolan and leading Catholic voices and experts in the field.
The day started with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark. Concelebrating were: Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden; Father Jonathan S. Toborowsky, administrator of the Diocese of Metuchen; Bishop Dolan, and Father Tim Graff from the Archdiocese of Newark.
Coordinated by the New Jersey Catholic Conference in partnership with the state’s dioceses, Catholic Charities agencies and the Catholic Healthcare Partnership of New Jersey, the conference reflected a growing recognition among Church leaders: the mental health crisis is not only a clinical concern, but a pastoral one.
That message was echoed in Cardinal Tobin’s opening remarks, where he invoked Pope Francis’ vision of the Church as “a field hospital after battle.” The image, he suggested, is more than metaphor. It is a directive – one that calls the Church to move toward those who are wounded, to listen without judgment, and to build communities where isolation gives way to belonging.
Suffering in Silence
In his keynote, Bishop Dolan, a survivor of suicide loss, spoke on the effects of isolation and the importance of accompaniment. He cited a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General that found how chronic loneliness can increase the risk of premature death to a level comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. In addition, chronic loneliness can raise the risk of dementia in older adults by roughly 50%.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
A person can be in a room and still be distant. One can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. To be with someone is to be present in a way that acknowledges the other and allows that person to matter. Show up. Stay. Listen.
“That is why the word ‘with’ carries such weight,” Bishop Dolan said. “It points to something deeper than proximity. It speaks of relationship. It speaks of identity.”
Being present for others is especially important in a world in which humanity is connected more than ever before, while true communication is lacking.
“I have come to say clearly: Isolation kills but communion heals. I say that because I’ve seen it and I’ve experienced it,” he said, explaining that five of his family members have died by suicide.
“There is a silence that follows this kind of loss. It’s different,” he explained. “There are questions that don’t always have answers. You find yourself wondering, ‘What more could have been done? Where did I go wrong? Why wasn’t I there? How may I have made a difference?’”
This is also true among leaders of faith, Bishop Dolan said. “I’ve met priests who waited years before seeking help, years of quiet anguish, because they feared disappointing their bishop, their community or their people. I’ve met women religious who believe their vows required endurance without expression. Endurance is not the same as holiness. Suffering in silence is not a sacrament or religious virtue.”
Hope and Healing
Accompaniment was among the first topics that Beth Hlabse, program director of the Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health at Notre Dame University’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, discussed in her presentation.
Overcoming mental illness “is not just a matter of willpower,” she stressed, urging anyone accompanying a loved one to look at is as a “journey of working with [that person], rather than compounding the shame by saying it’s only a matter of willpower – because it’s not.”
“Remember, your role is not to diagnose,” she said. “[It is] to encounter each person according to their uniqueness, to discern their level of suffering and to ask the Lord, ‘Lord, how am I called to walk with this person? How am I called to support them in accessing a broader network of resources beyond what I and our immediate community can offer?’”
With more than one in five American adults living with a mental illness (23.4%), and more than one in 20 U.S. adults living with a serious mental illness (5.6%), she also addressed contributing factors, including illness, and biological, environmental and developmental elements.
Environmental factors aren’t just natural surroundings, she said. “It’s also social media and peer influence – things that put stress on us and increase our vulnerability to mental illness.”
When it comes to developmental factors, consider: “What was the family environment like growing up? The school and neighborhood environments … because when we’re young, we’re more susceptible to environmental influence than we are when we’re older. … Mental illness is not the result of just any one factor.”
God, she continued, is with every person in times of anxiety, depression, stress and illness, as seen when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “God enters into the very depths of our suffering, so that even in times of desolation, we believe that God is there.”
“Healing is a movement from isolation toward communion, toward an experience of hope amidst hardship,” she said.
National Initiatives
Ben Wortham, vice president for Behavioral Health Integration at Catholic Charities USA, and Deacon Ed Shoener, founder of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, presented a collaborative vision for addressing mental health during their session, “Mental Health Ministries for Our Parishes: National Initiatives and Local Action.” Their presentation emphasized that effective mental health care must extend beyond clinical treatment to include housing, community support, education, and spiritual care.
Wortham stressed that “mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” underscoring the need for collaboration among mental health providers, health care systems, and the social determinants of health — including housing, income, employment, education, family and social support, community safety, and access to food and transportation.
He noted that even when people seek professional mental health care, recovery remains difficult if they return to unstable living conditions or lack essential support systems.
“Especially with the poor and vulnerable populations, we can’t talk about mental health without talking about basic needs being met,” he said, highlighting three initiatives developed through Catholic Charities USA:
Healthy Housing Initiative — a program currently operating in five major cities that integrates mental health support with housing services, helping reduce chronic homelessness by pairing affordable housing with onsite mental health care.
“Sister Hope” AI Mental Health Chatbox — a 24/7 faith-aligned support platform that provides coaching programs, referrals to Catholic Charities services, and expanded access for hard-to-reach populations.
“Whole Hearted” — trauma-informed workshops and parish resources designed to integrate spirituality and religious practices with behavioral health education and mental health awareness.
Wortham encouraged attendees to stop viewing mental health as an isolated issue and instead focus on integrated care that addresses both emotional and material needs. He pointed to the importance of Medicaid expansion — noting that 10 states have yet to adopt the program — as well as increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to help provide competitive salaries for mental health professionals. Above all, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration among churches, health systems, and community organizations.
Local Action on the Parish Level
For Deacon Shoener, the central mission of parish mental health ministry is simple but profound: “to be a healing presence in our parishes.” His hope, he said, is that one day “the first place someone with mental health challenges would look for understanding and support is the Catholic Church.”
That vision is deeply personal for Shoener. Nearly 10 years ago, he lost his daughter, who struggled with bipolar disorder and died by suicide. Reflecting on the experience, he explained that “a mental health crisis is also a spiritual crisis,” one that must be met with the love of Christ and the promise of hope.
Deacon Shoener shared that the obituary he wrote for his daughter became an unexpected ministry of its own. More than a tribute to her life, it openly addressed the realities of mental illness and the needs of those who suffer in silence. The obituary spread widely online, reaching millions of readers and prompting tens of thousands of people around the world to contact him with their own stories. Again and again, he heard the same concern: many felt the Church offered little support to individuals experiencing mental illness or to their loved ones.
That response ultimately led Deacon Shoener to partner with Bishop Dolan in founding the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers. Today, the lay association includes more than 7,000 members in over 75 countries and works to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness while equipping parish leaders with resources and support.
Click here for more photos of “Mental Health and the Catholic Church.”
“Mental illness is an illness just like all the other illnesses that doctors treat, and it needs to be understood that way,” Deacon Shoener said.
He noted that current efforts focus on integrating mental health ministry into the everyday life of the Church and normalizing conversations around mental wellness in the same way physical health concerns are addressed.
Addressing conference attendees directly, he challenged those interested in mental health ministry to consider their own willingness to be vulnerable. “Those of you who want to get involved in mental health ministry … are you ready to share your story?” he asked, stressing that trust and accompaniment often begin with personal witness.
He also pointed to three major barriers that prevent many people from seeking support within the Church: fear that clergy or parish leaders will not understand their experience, fear of judgment and stigma, and the perception that little support exists within parish communities.
Still, he encouraged participants to see their presence at the conference as a call to action. “If you are here, you are being tapped on the shoulder in some way to bring this mental health ministry to your community,” he said.
To learn more about Catholic mental health ministry resources, visit the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers at https://catholicmhm.org.
Jennifer Mauro is the managing editor of the Catholic Star Herald, the newspaper for the Diocese of Camden. Mary Morrell is the editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper for the Diocese of Metuchen.
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Healing the Hidden Wounds: A statewide Catholic response takes shape #Catholic – ![]()
The doors of the Church, Pope Francis has said, must always remain open – especially for those carrying unseen wounds.
On May 2, that call took concrete shape as more than 200 clergy, religious, educators, mental health professionals, ministry leaders and more gathered with a shared purpose: confronting the growing mental health crisis not from the margins, but from the heart of the faith community.
“Struggle is not a failure of humanity. Silence is. When we treat addiction or mental illness as something that must be concealed or explained away or endured alone, we unintentionally transform human suffering into spiritual isolation – and isolation is where despair grows,” said Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, the keynote speaker for the New Jersey Catholic Mental Health Conference held at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
Hosted by the Diocese of Metuchen, the conference, titled “From Isolation to Belonging: Mental Health and the Catholic Church,” brought together participants from all five New Jersey (arch)dioceses, as well as leaders from multiple religions. The daylong gathering blended pastoral reflection with practical strategy from Bishop Dolan and leading Catholic voices and experts in the field.
The day started with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark. Concelebrating were: Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden; Father Jonathan S. Toborowsky, administrator of the Diocese of Metuchen; Bishop Dolan, and Father Tim Graff from the Archdiocese of Newark.
Coordinated by the New Jersey Catholic Conference in partnership with the state’s dioceses, Catholic Charities agencies and the Catholic Healthcare Partnership of New Jersey, the conference reflected a growing recognition among Church leaders: the mental health crisis is not only a clinical concern, but a pastoral one.
That message was echoed in Cardinal Tobin’s opening remarks, where he invoked Pope Francis’ vision of the Church as “a field hospital after battle.” The image, he suggested, is more than metaphor. It is a directive – one that calls the Church to move toward those who are wounded, to listen without judgment, and to build communities where isolation gives way to belonging.
Suffering in Silence
In his keynote, Bishop Dolan, a survivor of suicide loss, spoke on the effects of isolation and the importance of accompaniment. He cited a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General that found how chronic loneliness can increase the risk of premature death to a level comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. In addition, chronic loneliness can raise the risk of dementia in older adults by roughly 50%.
“One of the hardest truths to face is that a person can be deeply loved but still feel completely alone,” he said. “That’s why presence matters. Not abstract care, but real encounter.”
A person can be in a room and still be distant. One can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. To be with someone is to be present in a way that acknowledges the other and allows that person to matter. Show up. Stay. Listen.
“That is why the word ‘with’ carries such weight,” Bishop Dolan said. “It points to something deeper than proximity. It speaks of relationship. It speaks of identity.”
Being present for others is especially important in a world in which humanity is connected more than ever before, while true communication is lacking.
“I have come to say clearly: Isolation kills but communion heals. I say that because I’ve seen it and I’ve experienced it,” he said, explaining that five of his family members have died by suicide.
“There is a silence that follows this kind of loss. It’s different,” he explained. “There are questions that don’t always have answers. You find yourself wondering, ‘What more could have been done? Where did I go wrong? Why wasn’t I there? How may I have made a difference?’”
This is also true among leaders of faith, Bishop Dolan said. “I’ve met priests who waited years before seeking help, years of quiet anguish, because they feared disappointing their bishop, their community or their people. I’ve met women religious who believe their vows required endurance without expression. Endurance is not the same as holiness. Suffering in silence is not a sacrament or religious virtue.”
Hope and Healing
Accompaniment was among the first topics that Beth Hlabse, program director of the Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health at Notre Dame University’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, discussed in her presentation.
Overcoming mental illness “is not just a matter of willpower,” she stressed, urging anyone accompanying a loved one to look at is as a “journey of working with [that person], rather than compounding the shame by saying it’s only a matter of willpower – because it’s not.”
“Remember, your role is not to diagnose,” she said. “[It is] to encounter each person according to their uniqueness, to discern their level of suffering and to ask the Lord, ‘Lord, how am I called to walk with this person? How am I called to support them in accessing a broader network of resources beyond what I and our immediate community can offer?’”
With more than one in five American adults living with a mental illness (23.4%), and more than one in 20 U.S. adults living with a serious mental illness (5.6%), she also addressed contributing factors, including illness, and biological, environmental and developmental elements.
Environmental factors aren’t just natural surroundings, she said. “It’s also social media and peer influence – things that put stress on us and increase our vulnerability to mental illness.”
When it comes to developmental factors, consider: “What was the family environment like growing up? The school and neighborhood environments … because when we’re young, we’re more susceptible to environmental influence than we are when we’re older. … Mental illness is not the result of just any one factor.”
God, she continued, is with every person in times of anxiety, depression, stress and illness, as seen when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. “God enters into the very depths of our suffering, so that even in times of desolation, we believe that God is there.”
“Healing is a movement from isolation toward communion, toward an experience of hope amidst hardship,” she said.
National Initiatives
Ben Wortham, vice president for Behavioral Health Integration at Catholic Charities USA, and Deacon Ed Shoener, founder of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, presented a collaborative vision for addressing mental health during their session, “Mental Health Ministries for Our Parishes: National Initiatives and Local Action.” Their presentation emphasized that effective mental health care must extend beyond clinical treatment to include housing, community support, education, and spiritual care.
Wortham stressed that “mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” underscoring the need for collaboration among mental health providers, health care systems, and the social determinants of health — including housing, income, employment, education, family and social support, community safety, and access to food and transportation.
He noted that even when people seek professional mental health care, recovery remains difficult if they return to unstable living conditions or lack essential support systems.
“Especially with the poor and vulnerable populations, we can’t talk about mental health without talking about basic needs being met,” he said, highlighting three initiatives developed through Catholic Charities USA:
Wortham encouraged attendees to stop viewing mental health as an isolated issue and instead focus on integrated care that addresses both emotional and material needs. He pointed to the importance of Medicaid expansion — noting that 10 states have yet to adopt the program — as well as increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to help provide competitive salaries for mental health professionals. Above all, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration among churches, health systems, and community organizations.
Local Action on the Parish Level
For Deacon Shoener, the central mission of parish mental health ministry is simple but profound: “to be a healing presence in our parishes.” His hope, he said, is that one day “the first place someone with mental health challenges would look for understanding and support is the Catholic Church.”
That vision is deeply personal for Shoener. Nearly 10 years ago, he lost his daughter, who struggled with bipolar disorder and died by suicide. Reflecting on the experience, he explained that “a mental health crisis is also a spiritual crisis,” one that must be met with the love of Christ and the promise of hope.
Deacon Shoener shared that the obituary he wrote for his daughter became an unexpected ministry of its own. More than a tribute to her life, it openly addressed the realities of mental illness and the needs of those who suffer in silence. The obituary spread widely online, reaching millions of readers and prompting tens of thousands of people around the world to contact him with their own stories. Again and again, he heard the same concern: many felt the Church offered little support to individuals experiencing mental illness or to their loved ones.
That response ultimately led Deacon Shoener to partner with Bishop Dolan in founding the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers. Today, the lay association includes more than 7,000 members in over 75 countries and works to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness while equipping parish leaders with resources and support.
“Mental illness is an illness just like all the other illnesses that doctors treat, and it needs to be understood that way,” Deacon Shoener said.
He noted that current efforts focus on integrating mental health ministry into the everyday life of the Church and normalizing conversations around mental wellness in the same way physical health concerns are addressed.
Addressing conference attendees directly, he challenged those interested in mental health ministry to consider their own willingness to be vulnerable. “Those of you who want to get involved in mental health ministry … are you ready to share your story?” he asked, stressing that trust and accompaniment often begin with personal witness.
He also pointed to three major barriers that prevent many people from seeking support within the Church: fear that clergy or parish leaders will not understand their experience, fear of judgment and stigma, and the perception that little support exists within parish communities.
Still, he encouraged participants to see their presence at the conference as a call to action. “If you are here, you are being tapped on the shoulder in some way to bring this mental health ministry to your community,” he said.
To learn more about Catholic mental health ministry resources, visit the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers at https://catholicmhm.org.
Jennifer Mauro is the managing editor of the Catholic Star Herald, the newspaper for the Diocese of Camden. Mary Morrell is the editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper for the Diocese of Metuchen.
–
The doors of the Church, Pope Francis has said, must always remain open – especially for those carrying unseen wounds. On May 2, that call took concrete shape as more than 200 clergy, religious, educators, mental health professionals, ministry leaders and more gathered with a shared purpose: confronting the growing mental health crisis not from the margins, but from the heart of the faith community. “Struggle is not a failure of humanity. Silence is. When we treat addiction or mental illness as something that must be concealed or explained away or endured alone, we unintentionally transform human suffering into spiritual

Many attendees said they felt white working-class Britons are being marginalized and Christian values eroded.

![Top U.S. leadership rededicate country as ‘One nation, under God’ – #Catholic – In a marathon ecumenical prayer and praise celebration ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, top U.S. political figures gathered with major faith leaders and several thousand Americans on May 17 to reflect on the role of Providence in American history and rededicate the country as “One Nation, under God.”The event, which was held under the auspices of Freedom 250, the country’s public-private initiative leading the celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, also commemorated the act of the American colonies’ Continental Congress which ahead of the Revolutionary War proclaimed for May 17,1776 a “Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer."In that proclamation, the leaders of the nascent nation urged their fellow citizens to “confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his [Godʼs] righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness.”Catholic participants at the “Rededicate 250” event, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron and actor Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in “The Chosen” television series.President Trump did not attend or offer a customized message for the event. Instead, a video of the president from last month’s “America Reads The Bible” event was played in which Trump reads from 2 Chronicles, including verse 7:14 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”In a video message to the gathering, Cardinal Timothy Dolan noted that “in every chapter of the American story our faith in God has been the bedrock of our greatness.”“Our deepest values as a country have always been rooted in our identity as a people of God and anchored in the reality that we’re not only American citizens — you bet we are and grateful for it — but that we are bound some day to be citizens of Heaven,” Dolan emphasized, adding that “our founders knew that. They knew that in order to be faithful and productive citizens and true patriots, well we must recognize that we’re children of God first.”Driving home the point, Dolan cited the nation’s preeminent founding father and first president, George Washington, who in 1778 said “While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion — To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian.”Dolan also took the occasion to inform the audience that the nation’s bishops will “consecrate the United States of America to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12th of this year.”The central prayer of the event was led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson, who at the outset of his prayer recalled the nation’s legislative forebears’ act of May 17, 1776, which he noted they did “to humble themselves and to seek Your guidance at the dawn of their fight for freedom.”The resulting nation, Johnson continued, “would become, by Your mercy and grace, the most successful, most benevolent nation in the history of the world.”“Lord, today our people gather once again in your Name,” Johnson prayed. “We have humbled ourselves before You. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding and the countless miracles that have followed are Your doing.”“We pray that You bestow on all Americans a renewed love of country, hope for the future and faith in Your everlasting mercy and grace,” Johnson continued. “Father we pray mercy upon our land, mercy upon us for our mistakes, forgive us of our sins individually and collectively and help us to devote ourselves with renewed piety and patriotism to the eternal truths of Your Word.”As he concluded his prayer, Johnson declared that “Today, here Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God” and he asked for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the American homeland.Johnson was followed by one of the country’s best known Catholic prelates, Bishop Robert Barron, who referenced Blessed Fulton Sheenʼs saying that America’s Declaration of Independence amounts to a “Declaration of Dependence” upon God.“Lord, on this great national anniversary we gather to rededicate our country to You,” Barron prayed. “Not because You need our devotion, but because by praising You we receive grace upon grace.”Recalling that the United States rests on theological foundations, Barron concluded his prayer by declaring that “as a bishop of the Catholic Church and as a proud American, I make bold to dedicate our country once more to God and to say Lord, let the light of Thy face shine upon our land. Amen.” Top U.S. leadership rededicate country as ‘One nation, under God’ – #Catholic – In a marathon ecumenical prayer and praise celebration ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, top U.S. political figures gathered with major faith leaders and several thousand Americans on May 17 to reflect on the role of Providence in American history and rededicate the country as “One Nation, under God.”The event, which was held under the auspices of Freedom 250, the country’s public-private initiative leading the celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, also commemorated the act of the American colonies’ Continental Congress which ahead of the Revolutionary War proclaimed for May 17,1776 a “Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer."In that proclamation, the leaders of the nascent nation urged their fellow citizens to “confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his [Godʼs] righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness.”Catholic participants at the “Rededicate 250” event, held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron and actor Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in “The Chosen” television series.President Trump did not attend or offer a customized message for the event. Instead, a video of the president from last month’s “America Reads The Bible” event was played in which Trump reads from 2 Chronicles, including verse 7:14 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”In a video message to the gathering, Cardinal Timothy Dolan noted that “in every chapter of the American story our faith in God has been the bedrock of our greatness.”“Our deepest values as a country have always been rooted in our identity as a people of God and anchored in the reality that we’re not only American citizens — you bet we are and grateful for it — but that we are bound some day to be citizens of Heaven,” Dolan emphasized, adding that “our founders knew that. They knew that in order to be faithful and productive citizens and true patriots, well we must recognize that we’re children of God first.”Driving home the point, Dolan cited the nation’s preeminent founding father and first president, George Washington, who in 1778 said “While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion — To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian.”Dolan also took the occasion to inform the audience that the nation’s bishops will “consecrate the United States of America to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12th of this year.”The central prayer of the event was led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson, who at the outset of his prayer recalled the nation’s legislative forebears’ act of May 17, 1776, which he noted they did “to humble themselves and to seek Your guidance at the dawn of their fight for freedom.”The resulting nation, Johnson continued, “would become, by Your mercy and grace, the most successful, most benevolent nation in the history of the world.”“Lord, today our people gather once again in your Name,” Johnson prayed. “We have humbled ourselves before You. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding and the countless miracles that have followed are Your doing.”“We pray that You bestow on all Americans a renewed love of country, hope for the future and faith in Your everlasting mercy and grace,” Johnson continued. “Father we pray mercy upon our land, mercy upon us for our mistakes, forgive us of our sins individually and collectively and help us to devote ourselves with renewed piety and patriotism to the eternal truths of Your Word.”As he concluded his prayer, Johnson declared that “Today, here Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God” and he asked for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the American homeland.Johnson was followed by one of the country’s best known Catholic prelates, Bishop Robert Barron, who referenced Blessed Fulton Sheenʼs saying that America’s Declaration of Independence amounts to a “Declaration of Dependence” upon God.“Lord, on this great national anniversary we gather to rededicate our country to You,” Barron prayed. “Not because You need our devotion, but because by praising You we receive grace upon grace.”Recalling that the United States rests on theological foundations, Barron concluded his prayer by declaring that “as a bishop of the Catholic Church and as a proud American, I make bold to dedicate our country once more to God and to say Lord, let the light of Thy face shine upon our land. Amen.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/top-u-s-leadership-rededicate-country-as-one-nation-under-god-catholic-in-a-marathon-ecumenical-prayer-and-praise-celebration-ahead-of-the-nations-250th-anniversary-top-u-s-polit.jpg)
Catholic participants at the event included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron and actor Jonathan Roumie.

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 19:1-8
While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul traveled through the interior of the country
and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.
He said to them,
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
They answered him,
“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said, “How were you baptized?”
They replied, “With the baptism of John.”
Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.”
When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.
He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly
with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God.
From the Gospel according to John
16:29-33
The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
To endure is more than simply being patient; it is to carry the burden on one’s shoulders, to bear the weight of trials. And the Christian life, too, has such moments. But Jesus tells us: “Take courage in such times. I have overcome; you too will be victorious”. These first words give us the strength to face life’s most difficult moments, those moments that cause us to suffer. (…) Entrusting something to the Lord, entrusting this difficult moment to the Lord, entrusting myself to the Lord, entrusting our faithful – we priests, bishops – entrusting our families and our friends to the Lord, and saying to the Lord: “Take care of these people, they are yours”. It is a prayer that we do not always say, the prayer of entrustment: “Lord, I entrust this to you, carry it forward yourself”. It is a beautiful Christian prayer. It is the attitude of confidence in the power of the Lord, and also in the tenderness of the Lord who is the Father. … Three words: tribulations, entrustment and peace. In life we must walk paths of tribulation, but it is the law of life. But in those moments, if we entrust ourselves to the Lord, He responds with peace. This Lord, who is our Father, loves us so much and never disappoints. (Pope Francis, Homily at Santa Marta, 5 May 2015)
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TUCSON, AZ — Local man Dale Swanson declined to have his double scoops of mint chocolate chip and strawberry ice cream served in a delicious waffle cone, instead opting to have it in a blasphemous paper cup instead.
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U.S. — The Associated Press has warned that despite their deadly nature, medieval trebuchets are mostly exempt from firearm regulations in the United States.
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Los agustinos celebran un año del ‘don del Papa León’ con una Misa especial #Catholic – ![]()
NEW LENOX, Illinois (OSV News) — Los hermanos agustinos del Papa León XIV y otras personas de la zona de Chicago recordaron con gratitud el año transcurrido desde la elección de uno de los suyos en una Misa especial celebrada el 8 de mayo.
Los agustinos de la provincia del Medio Oeste de Estados Unidos y las hermanas agustinas residentes en el área de Chicago asistieron a la Misa de acción de gracias por el primer año del Papa en la Iglesia Católica de San Judas, en New Lenox, al suroeste de Chicago. La parroquia, dirigida por los agustinos, es el lugar donde el Papa León XIV visitó por última vez Estados Unidos, en agosto de 2024, cuando aún era el cardenal Robert F. Prevost.
“Qué bendecidos y afortunados somos, y sé que muchos de nosotros, en algún momento, lo hemos conocido, hemos hablado con él, hemos pasado tiempo con él. Ahora bien, no mucha gente puede decir eso del pontífice”, dijo el padre agustino Anthony B. Pizzo al inicio de la Misa. El padre Pizzo es el superior saliente de los agustinos del Medio Oeste del país, un cargo que el mismo Papa ocupó anteriormente.
Cinco agustinos y el padre pasionista Enzo Del Brocco, presidente de Catholic Theological Union (Unión Teológica Católica), donde el Papa León obtuvo su máster en teología, concelebraron la Misa. Entre ellos se encontraba el padre John Lydon, amigo cercano del Papa desde la universidad y sus días como misionero en Perú. El sacerdote agustino y el futuro Papa vivieron en Trujillo durante 10 años –en la tumultuosa década de los noventa, marcada por la inestabilidad política– enseñando y guiando a los seminaristas agustinos.
En su homilía, el padre Lydon recordó la visita del Papa ese mismo día, con motivo del primer aniversario, a Pompeya, Italia, en la festividad de Nuestra Señora de Pompeya –un lugar que, según dijo, trajo consigo conversión, milagros y “mucha esperanza”. El padre Lydon también señaló que ese mismo día, en la tradición agustina, se honra a Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, patrona de los agustinos en Perú.
Las lecturas de las fiestas marianas y la carta de San Pablo a los Gálatas, en la que dice que ya no somos esclavos, sino hijos de Dios, dijo, “nos ayudan a comprender el ministerio y la misión del Papa León”.
Tras la Misa, el padre Lydon compartió con OSV News que sus primeros pensamientos al cumplirse un año de la elección de su buen amigo al Papado eran “de gratitud al Señor” por “el don del Papa León”.
“Su espíritu es lo que guió a los cardenales a elegir a nuestro sumo pontífice”, dijo. Refiriéndose al Papa León, añadió: “Necesitamos su guía moral, su voz moral en nuestro mundo actual. Y él ha asumido valientemente esa responsabilidad”.
El padre Lydon dijo que “cuesta creer que haya pasado ya un año” desde que el Papa fue elegido, “pero es solo una señal de la gracia infinita de Dios para con todos nosotros… y aunque las nubes de tormenta parecen densas, tenemos la certeza de que el Hijo, H-i-j-o, se abre paso y el Papa León nos ayuda a dirigirnos hacia él”.
El padre agustino Ray Flores, párroco de San Judas y amigo de John Prevost, uno de los dos hermanos mayores del Papa, dijo que “ha sido un privilegio… cuando pienso en haber acompañado a John a diferentes entrevistas a lo largo del año” para conocer mejor al Papa, “lo cual he disfrutado de verdad”.
“Los dos queremos compartir la buena nueva de su hermano, del Papa León y de los agustinos, así como el mensaje de paz del que el Papa León ha hablado desde el primer día de forma tan hermosa y elocuente”, afirmó. “La gente quiere eso”.
El padre Flores, que anteriormente era sacerdote diocesano, ingresó en la Orden de San Agustín en 2017, cuando el Papa León era aún el obispo Prevost de la Diócesis de Chiclayo, en Perú. Sabía que el Papa era afable cada vez que lo saludaba y llegó a conocerlo mejor hace cuatro años mientras colaboraba con él en la parroquia. Uno de los primeros feligreses que el padre Flores conoció en San Judas en enero de 2023 fue John Prevost.
Recién llegado de un viaje a Nueva York para una entrevista con la CNN, John Prevost asistió a la Misa, pero mantuvo un perfil bajo ante los medios de comunicación, tras un año vertiginoso en el que había concedido entrevistas con regularidad.
En el vestíbulo, fuera del santuario de San Judas, las personas que asistieron a la Misa charlaban con los agustinos y entre ellas. La frase “somos tan afortunados” se oía una y otra vez.
Simone Orendain es corresponsal de OSV News. Escribe desde Chicago.
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NEW LENOX, Illinois (OSV News) — Los hermanos agustinos del Papa León XIV y otras personas de la zona de Chicago recordaron con gratitud el año transcurrido desde la elección de uno de los suyos en una Misa especial celebrada el 8 de mayo. Los agustinos de la provincia del Medio Oeste de Estados Unidos y las hermanas agustinas residentes en el área de Chicago asistieron a la Misa de acción de gracias por el primer año del Papa en la Iglesia Católica de San Judas, en New Lenox, al suroeste de Chicago. La parroquia, dirigida por los agustinos, es
On May 17, 1882, an eclipse trekked across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Many scientists gathered in Egypt to witness it even though it was a fairly short-duration event, with maximum totality at only 1 minute 50 seconds and totality in Egypt at only 70 seconds. J. Norman Lockyer, one of two astronomers whoContinue reading “May 17, 1882: Comet Tewfik is spotted during an eclipse”
The post May 17, 1882: Comet Tewfik is spotted during an eclipse appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Democrats don’t want to admit it publicly, but they are still the same party that tried to ‘Defund the Police’ a few years ago.
The post 173 House Democrats Refused to Vote for a Resolution Honoring Law Enforcement Officers During National Police Week appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has confirmed that illegal aliens are responsible for approximately 50% of all murders in the affluent, and deep blue, Northern Virginia suburb of Fairfax County, just outside Washington, D.C.
The post WATCH: DHS Secretary Confirms 50% of All Murders in Fairfax County, Virginia, Committed by Illegal Aliens — ‘That’s Just in Fairfax!’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The Supreme Court stood for a basic principle: Americans should not be divided by race for political power.
The post Lawyer Who Took Louisiana Redistricting Fight to Supreme Court Now Warns of “Rampant Racial Discrimination” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The pontiff marked World Communications Day by urging technology to remain centered on human dignity.
