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Ploceus philippinus (Baya Weaver) in Bhigwan, Maharashtra, India
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A NASA jacket containing Artemis I and II mission patches, along with other NASA patches hangs on the back of a chair on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a terminal countdown simulation for the Artemis III mission.
Read MoreMarco Meniero, taken from Pisa, Italy A total solar eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland, and Spain on Aug. 12, 2026; from Pisa, Italy, only a partial eclipse was visible, reaching about 94 percent obscuration as the Sun set behind the domes of the city’s cathedral complex in Piazza dei Miracoli. The photographer shot the single 0.3-secondContinue reading “A leaning tower with a view”
The post A leaning tower with a view appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Commissioner appointee Heidi Overton has criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s chemical abortion policies in the past. She is now poised to be in a position to change them.
The bishop of Lourdes announced that the SSPX no longer has authorization at the shrine to celebrate the Mass or the sacraments, although individuals are free to come and pray privately.
![Legislator proposes bill to ban surrogacy in Colombia – #Catholic – A bill has been introduced in the Colombian Congress to ban surrogacy, commonly referred to as "rent-a-womb,” in order to curb "the reproductive exploitation of women and prevent children from being turned into objects of a transaction."The bill’s explanatory statement notes that the initiative responds to calls from the Constitutional Court, which has urged Congress in four separate rulings to legislate on surrogacy, as the lack of regulation “has direct consequences for the fundamental rights of the pregnant women and the children born through this practice.”Rep. Luis Miguel López Aristizábal, the bill’s author, noted that this legal loophole has caused the country to become “one of the main destinations for so-called ‘reproductive tourism,’ where couples come from abroad to buy babies in Colombia.”The bill states that, “for example, the Tammuz Family agency, which works with the Celagem Clinic and four other clinics in Bogotá, claims on its website that ‘surrogacy in Colombia is accessible to same-sex couples and single men seeking a more affordable path to fatherhood.’”The proposed legislation also indicates that “costs for plans in Colombia start at USD $63,500 (for the basic plan involving donation of ova/eggs). At an exchange rate of 3,400 pesos [63,500 x 3,400], this equates to 215.9 million pesos (for a basic plan), of which the surrogate receives between 25 million and 40 million pesos. This demonstrates that more than 85% of the profits from this business remain with the clinics and intermediaries.”What the bill establishesA statement from López Aristizábal’s office notes that "the bill does not criminalize the pregnant woman.” Instead it establishes the criminal offense of "reproductive exploitation through surrogacy" — whether altruistic or commercial — and penalizes those who promote, broker, finance, or organize it with "prison sentences of 120 to 192 months [10-16 years] and fines ranging from 500 to 1,500 times the minimum wage, with aggravating factors applicable in cases involving the womanʼs vulnerability."These sanctions also apply to Colombian citizens who have engaged in surrogacy abroad, whether in whole or in part.In addition to protecting the surrogate mother from having to return payments received, the law establishes that “for all legal purposes, the mother of children gestated or born in Colombia is the woman who carries and gives birth to them,” i.e., not the individual or couple buying the baby. The introduction of the measure was attended by international activist Olivia Maurel, author of the Spanish-language book “Where Are You, Mom?” who was born via surrogacy. During a forum, Maurel contributed to the debate “her own experience and the perspective of someone born through this procedure.”“It is crucial that this law be passed at this time, as it will protect Colombia’s most vulnerable women” and “prevent children from being born through this practice and having to suffer the consequences of the surrogacy lobby,” she noted.“Do this for your country, for your women, and for your children,” said Maurel, spokeswoman for the Casablanca Declaration for the universal abolition of surrogacy.During the presentation, López Aristizábal stated that the bill has the backing of 15 lawmakers from various parties, such as the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the National Salvation Movement, the Democratic Center, the Historic Pact, and Dignity and Commitment.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/2026/08/legislator-proposes-bill-to-ban-surrogacy-in-colombia-catholic-a-bill-has-been-introduced-in-the-colombian-congress-to-ban-surrogacy-commonly-referred-to-as-rent-a-womb-in-order.jpg "Legislator proposes bill to ban surrogacy in Colombia – #Catholic – A bill has been introduced in the Colombian Congress to ban surrogacy, commonly referred to as \"rent-a-womb,” in order to curb \"the reproductive exploitation of women and prevent children from being turned into objects of a transaction.\"The bill’s explanatory statement notes that the initiative responds to calls from the Constitutional Court, which has urged Congress in four separate rulings to legislate on surrogacy, as the lack of regulation “has direct consequences for the fundamental rights of the pregnant women and the children born through this practice.”Rep. Luis Miguel López Aristizábal, the bill’s author, noted that this legal loophole has caused the country to become “one of the main destinations for so-called ‘reproductive tourism,’ where couples come from abroad to buy babies in Colombia.”The bill states that, “for example, the Tammuz Family agency, which works with the Celagem Clinic and four other clinics in Bogotá, claims on its website that ‘surrogacy in Colombia is accessible to same-sex couples and single men seeking a more affordable path to fatherhood.’”The proposed legislation also indicates that “costs for plans in Colombia start at USD $63,500 (for the basic plan involving donation of ova/eggs). At an exchange rate of 3,400 pesos [63,500 x 3,400], this equates to 215.9 million pesos (for a basic plan), of which the surrogate receives between 25 million and 40 million pesos. This demonstrates that more than 85% of the profits from this business remain with the clinics and intermediaries.”What the bill establishesA statement from López Aristizábal’s office notes that \"the bill does not criminalize the pregnant woman.” Instead it establishes the criminal offense of \"reproductive exploitation through surrogacy\" — whether altruistic or commercial — and penalizes those who promote, broker, finance, or organize it with \"prison sentences of 120 to 192 months [10-16 years] and fines ranging from 500 to 1,500 times the minimum wage, with aggravating factors applicable in cases involving the womanʼs vulnerability.\"These sanctions also apply to Colombian citizens who have engaged in surrogacy abroad, whether in whole or in part.In addition to protecting the surrogate mother from having to return payments received, the law establishes that “for all legal purposes, the mother of children gestated or born in Colombia is the woman who carries and gives birth to them,” i.e., not the individual or couple buying the baby. The introduction of the measure was attended by international activist Olivia Maurel, author of the Spanish-language book “Where Are You, Mom?” who was born via surrogacy. During a forum, Maurel contributed to the debate “her own experience and the perspective of someone born through this procedure.”“It is crucial that this law be passed at this time, as it will protect Colombia’s most vulnerable women” and “prevent children from being born through this practice and having to suffer the consequences of the surrogacy lobby,” she noted.“Do this for your country, for your women, and for your children,” said Maurel, spokeswoman for the Casablanca Declaration for the universal abolition of surrogacy.During the presentation, López Aristizábal stated that the bill has the backing of 15 lawmakers from various parties, such as the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the National Salvation Movement, the Democratic Center, the Historic Pact, and Dignity and Commitment.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.")
The bill would penalize all parties involved except the woman carrying the baby, who would be considered the legal mother.
Bishop Emmanuel Kofi Fianu said the remaining restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic are now lifted because health authorities have not issued new cautions.
![Catholic bishops in India reject ‘Christian conspiracy’ claim over funds bill – #Catholic – The Catholic Church in India has rejected allegations of a “Christian conspiracy” behind the stalling of legislation to tighten controls on foreign donations after the government postponed the bill a second time and referred it to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) following protests by churches and opposition parties.Sections of India’s mainstream and social media have alleged that the Church orchestrated opposition to the measure and that the United States pressed the Indian government on the Church’s behalf.“We do not indulge in any conspiracy. We put our concerns across to our government and it decided to refer the FCRA Bill [the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act] to the JPC,” Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told EWTN News on Aug. 20.The conference is the umbrella body for Catholics of the Latin, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara Churches in India.The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act has governed foreign donations in India since 1976. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which tracks how domestic groups, trusts, and charities receive and use money from abroad.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government amended the act in 2020 and has tightened FCRA rules several times since coming to power in 2014, curbing the flow of funds to Christian and advocacy groups. Critics say the tightening advances a Hindu nationalist agenda. Fewer than 15,000 of some 52,000 FCRA accounts are now active, according to the government’s FCRA online dashboard.The roughly 37,000 licenses canceled or not renewed include those of Church charities and Christian social action groups, along with Indian and international advocacy networks such as Amnesty International, Bread for the World, Compassion International, and Greenpeace.In March, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a harsher amendment to the FCRA and listed it to be passed in Parliament on April 1. Opposition protests inside Parliament and public opposition — including from the Catholic Church — forced the government to delay the bill to the monsoon session.Ahead of that session, the government notified new rules on June 22 requiring groups that receive foreign funds to specify their activities by category and geographical area, to disclose social media accounts, websites, and publications, and to pay a separate fee for each category and each area in which they operate. Political content is barred, and the rules set high penalties for each infringement.With protests spreading to more areas, including Christian-majority states such as Mizoram, and with opposition parties accusing the government of choking civil society groups and the churches under a Hindu nationalist agenda, the government put the bill on hold on Aug. 5 and referred it a week later to a 31-member joint parliamentary committee that includes opposition members. The committee will scrutinize the bill and report to Parliament during the winter session.‘Join the dots’Amid steady news coverage of the FCRA amendment, Republic TV — known for speaking up for the BJP government — devoted a segment on Aug. 19 to what it called the link between the bill and the student protests.“Why is FCRA being linked to the CJP [Cockroach Janta Party] protest? And is there actually a connection?” the anchor asked. “The issue gained traction after the Catholic priest was seen marching with the CJP in New Delhi. This is amid the U.S. also warning that the new FCRA bill could damage the India-America relationship.”The report, presented by the channel’s editor Niranjan Narayanswamy, put the question directly: “Are you wondering what does the church have to do with the Jantar Mantar protest? It’s about students, but why is the church being a part of it? Why are Americans taking an interest in the protest?”It went on to allege that foreign money routed through Christian organizations had reached Maoist-affected areas such as Chhattisgarh, where it was “being used by church bodies to convert and to push people into becoming Maoists,” and described the funding as part of a push into India by “the American deep state,” including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The segment closed: “Join the dots and watch this space.”The protests it referred to were mounted under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical youth movement that grew out of anger over repeated leaks of national entrance examinations, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, the fiercely competitive national examination for admission to medical courses. Weeks of demonstrations, centered on Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and marked by baton charges and tear gas, ended after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25.“Vested interests are behind floating baseless conspiracy theories, [as they are] embarrassed by government going soft on FCRA amendment. We challenge them to prove such wild claims,” Koyickal said.Jesuit Father John Chathanatt, former principal of the Jesuit theologate Vidyajyoti in New Delhi, told EWTN News: “We are not surprised with such wild conspiracy theories being spread whenever the BJP government narrative fails. Since it could not pass the FCRA bill, the blame is being put on church.”“They even found a hook to peg the Vatican conspiracy theory linking it to a Jesuit from Kerala working at the Rome Generate,” Chathanatt said.The Kerala allegationHindu nationalist outfits alleged that the CJP protest was part of a Vatican conspiracy led by a Kerala priest. The allegation was made by K.S. Radhakrishnan, a philosopher and former vice chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady, who had long been described as a friend of the Catholic Church and who is now state vice president of the BJP in Kerala.The claim, which went viral on social media in southern Kerala and drew furious rebuttals from Catholics, named Jesuit Father George Mutholil — former Jesuit provincial of Kerala and, since 2019, the Society of Jesus’ regional assistant for South Asia and a general counsellor to the superior general in Rome — as the organizer of the CJP protest.Mutholil told EWTN News that the claim was “built on a single unverified podcast quote and gets basic facts wrong.” He added: “This is the familiar move: when there’s anger to redirect, blame the minority.”The American strandAmerican interest in the bill is a matter of record. Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, wrote in May that the amendment would disproportionately affect Christian charities and churches and could “do lasting damage to the relations between our two countries,” and he urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise it during his visit to India.Rubio began that visit on May 23 in Kolkata, at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity, before traveling on for talks in New Delhi. In early August, Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, called the amendments a “clear attack against Christians” and warned they could affect relations between the two countries. Sujeet Kumar, a BJP member of Parliament, wrote to Moore on Aug. 10 rejecting the claim that the bill would enable a government takeover of churches.Church officials in India say none of this was done at their instance. Savio Rodrigues, a Goa-based journalist and BJP member who founded the news portal Goa Chronicle, has advanced a broader claim in an online video, suggesting that U.S. President Donald Trump was trying to “topple Modi” through the FCRA with the Church’s support.“I watched this crazy video. I don’t think there is an ounce of truth in his accusations that the Roman Catholic Church has an agenda to dethrone Mr. Modi or his government,” Cyril Fernandes, president of the Catholic Association of Goa, told EWTN News.“The CJP [protest] too has nothing to do with the FCRA demands. The whole interview appears stage-managed to change the narrative for which the central government machinery is famous,” Fernandes said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/catholic-bishops-in-india-reject-christian-conspiracy-claim-over-funds-bill-catholic-the-catholic-church-in-india-has-rejected-allegations-of-a-christian-conspiracy-scaled.jpg "Catholic bishops in India reject ‘Christian conspiracy’ claim over funds bill – #Catholic – The Catholic Church in India has rejected allegations of a “Christian conspiracy” behind the stalling of legislation to tighten controls on foreign donations after the government postponed the bill a second time and referred it to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) following protests by churches and opposition parties.Sections of India’s mainstream and social media have alleged that the Church orchestrated opposition to the measure and that the United States pressed the Indian government on the Church’s behalf.“We do not indulge in any conspiracy. We put our concerns across to our government and it decided to refer the FCRA Bill [the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act] to the JPC,” Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told EWTN News on Aug. 20.The conference is the umbrella body for Catholics of the Latin, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara Churches in India.The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act has governed foreign donations in India since 1976. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which tracks how domestic groups, trusts, and charities receive and use money from abroad.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government amended the act in 2020 and has tightened FCRA rules several times since coming to power in 2014, curbing the flow of funds to Christian and advocacy groups. Critics say the tightening advances a Hindu nationalist agenda. Fewer than 15,000 of some 52,000 FCRA accounts are now active, according to the government’s FCRA online dashboard.The roughly 37,000 licenses canceled or not renewed include those of Church charities and Christian social action groups, along with Indian and international advocacy networks such as Amnesty International, Bread for the World, Compassion International, and Greenpeace.In March, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a harsher amendment to the FCRA and listed it to be passed in Parliament on April 1. Opposition protests inside Parliament and public opposition — including from the Catholic Church — forced the government to delay the bill to the monsoon session.Ahead of that session, the government notified new rules on June 22 requiring groups that receive foreign funds to specify their activities by category and geographical area, to disclose social media accounts, websites, and publications, and to pay a separate fee for each category and each area in which they operate. Political content is barred, and the rules set high penalties for each infringement.With protests spreading to more areas, including Christian-majority states such as Mizoram, and with opposition parties accusing the government of choking civil society groups and the churches under a Hindu nationalist agenda, the government put the bill on hold on Aug. 5 and referred it a week later to a 31-member joint parliamentary committee that includes opposition members. The committee will scrutinize the bill and report to Parliament during the winter session.‘Join the dots’Amid steady news coverage of the FCRA amendment, Republic TV — known for speaking up for the BJP government — devoted a segment on Aug. 19 to what it called the link between the bill and the student protests.“Why is FCRA being linked to the CJP [Cockroach Janta Party] protest? And is there actually a connection?” the anchor asked. “The issue gained traction after the Catholic priest was seen marching with the CJP in New Delhi. This is amid the U.S. also warning that the new FCRA bill could damage the India-America relationship.”The report, presented by the channel’s editor Niranjan Narayanswamy, put the question directly: “Are you wondering what does the church have to do with the Jantar Mantar protest? It’s about students, but why is the church being a part of it? Why are Americans taking an interest in the protest?”It went on to allege that foreign money routed through Christian organizations had reached Maoist-affected areas such as Chhattisgarh, where it was “being used by church bodies to convert and to push people into becoming Maoists,” and described the funding as part of a push into India by “the American deep state,” including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The segment closed: “Join the dots and watch this space.”The protests it referred to were mounted under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical youth movement that grew out of anger over repeated leaks of national entrance examinations, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, the fiercely competitive national examination for admission to medical courses. Weeks of demonstrations, centered on Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and marked by baton charges and tear gas, ended after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25.“Vested interests are behind floating baseless conspiracy theories, [as they are] embarrassed by government going soft on FCRA amendment. We challenge them to prove such wild claims,” Koyickal said.Jesuit Father John Chathanatt, former principal of the Jesuit theologate Vidyajyoti in New Delhi, told EWTN News: “We are not surprised with such wild conspiracy theories being spread whenever the BJP government narrative fails. Since it could not pass the FCRA bill, the blame is being put on church.”“They even found a hook to peg the Vatican conspiracy theory linking it to a Jesuit from Kerala working at the Rome Generate,” Chathanatt said.The Kerala allegationHindu nationalist outfits alleged that the CJP protest was part of a Vatican conspiracy led by a Kerala priest. The allegation was made by K.S. Radhakrishnan, a philosopher and former vice chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady, who had long been described as a friend of the Catholic Church and who is now state vice president of the BJP in Kerala.The claim, which went viral on social media in southern Kerala and drew furious rebuttals from Catholics, named Jesuit Father George Mutholil — former Jesuit provincial of Kerala and, since 2019, the Society of Jesus’ regional assistant for South Asia and a general counsellor to the superior general in Rome — as the organizer of the CJP protest.Mutholil told EWTN News that the claim was “built on a single unverified podcast quote and gets basic facts wrong.” He added: “This is the familiar move: when there’s anger to redirect, blame the minority.”The American strandAmerican interest in the bill is a matter of record. Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, wrote in May that the amendment would disproportionately affect Christian charities and churches and could “do lasting damage to the relations between our two countries,” and he urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise it during his visit to India.Rubio began that visit on May 23 in Kolkata, at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity, before traveling on for talks in New Delhi. In early August, Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, called the amendments a “clear attack against Christians” and warned they could affect relations between the two countries. Sujeet Kumar, a BJP member of Parliament, wrote to Moore on Aug. 10 rejecting the claim that the bill would enable a government takeover of churches.Church officials in India say none of this was done at their instance. Savio Rodrigues, a Goa-based journalist and BJP member who founded the news portal Goa Chronicle, has advanced a broader claim in an online video, suggesting that U.S. President Donald Trump was trying to “topple Modi” through the FCRA with the Church’s support.“I watched this crazy video. I don’t think there is an ounce of truth in his accusations that the Roman Catholic Church has an agenda to dethrone Mr. Modi or his government,” Cyril Fernandes, president of the Catholic Association of Goa, told EWTN News.“The CJP [protest] too has nothing to do with the FCRA demands. The whole interview appears stage-managed to change the narrative for which the central government machinery is famous,” Fernandes said.")
A senior official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India challenged critics to prove allegations that the Church engineered the stalling of a bill tightening controls on foreign donations.
![Beyond The Beacon podcast 116: Breaking down myths and what seminary life is really like #Catholic –
Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/beyond-the-beacon-podcast-116-breaking-down-myths-and-what-seminary-life-is-really-like-catholic-are-you-discerning-the-priesthood-or-want-to-learn-more-about-what-seminary-life-is-all-about-f.jpg "Beyond The Beacon podcast 116: Breaking down myths and what seminary life is really like #Catholic –
Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter."){kind=tracking}
Beyond The Beacon podcast 116: Breaking down myths and what seminary life is really like #Catholic – 
Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
– Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch
![La Iglesia diocesana se pone en camino: Paterson peregrina unida a Washington #Catholic – Cada tres años, la Diócesis de Paterson recibe una invitación poco común: peregrinar como una sola familia hacia la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción, en Washington, D.C. Este año, esa invitación vuelve a estar sobre la mesa. El sábado 17 de octubre, el obispo Kevin J. Sweeney encabezará la Peregrinación Mariana Diocesana, acompañado por sacerdotes y fieles de parroquias de toda la diócesis.
Será una jornada de oración en uno de los santuarios católicos más importantes del país y, sobre todo, una ocasión para reconocerse como Iglesia. La peregrinación reúne a personas de distintas edades, culturas y comunidades parroquiales; muchas no se han visto nunca, pero todas llegan como parte de un mismo cuerpo, unidas por el deseo de caminar juntas y acercarse más al Señor.
LEARN MORE/REGISTER:
Diocesan Marian Pilgrimage
Oct. 17, 2026
Mucho más que un viaje
Peregrinar es una práctica antigua en la vida de la Iglesia y no se agota en visitar un lugar sagrado: el camino mismo se convierte en experiencia de fe. Durante la jornada en Washington, los peregrinos podrán recorrer las capillas de la Basílica, recibir el sacramento de la Reconciliación, participar en sesiones de catequesis en inglés y español y rezar la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia. El momento central será la Santa Misa de las 2:30 p. m., presidida por el obispo Sweeney y concelebrada por sacerdotes de la diócesis. Para quienes nunca han estado allí, el día ofrece además la oportunidad de conocer uno de los templos católicos más significativos de los Estados Unidos.
Ese es el caso de Claudia Soria, coordinadora de Educación Religiosa de St. Anthony of Padua Parish, en Passaic, para quien esta será tanto su primera peregrinación diocesana como su primera visita a la Basílica Nacional. Soria cuenta que siente “un llamado en mi corazón a participar en la peregrinación” y que quiere ofrecer el viaje “como un acto de fe, agradeciendo a Dios por sus bendiciones y buscando una conexión más profunda con Él”. Conocer el santuario por primera vez será, dice, “un sueño hecho realidad”, y espera encontrar allí un espacio de paz, oración y encuentro con Dios.
De todos los momentos del día, el que más aguarda es la Eucaristía: participar en la Misa junto a tantos otros peregrinos y recibir al Señor será, asegura, lo más significativo de la experiencia. Valora también el encuentro con católicos de otras comunidades, porque peregrinar con hermanos y hermanas de distintas parroquias “es un regalo” y “un recordatorio de que somos parte de una gran familia en Cristo, unidos en la fe y en la oración”.
Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.
Una invitación para todos
El obispo Sweeney ha invitado personalmente a los fieles a considerar el viaje. Una peregrinación, ha señalado, trae gracias y bendiciones espirituales, puede ser una experiencia especialmente hermosa para jóvenes y familias, y recuerda algo esencial de la identidad cristiana: somos un pueblo peregrino.
Este año, además, la fecha tiene un eco particular. La peregrinación se realiza mientras el país celebra el 250 aniversario de la independencia de los Estados Unidos, lo que convierte la jornada en una ocasión para dar gracias por las bendiciones recibidas y para rezar por la nación, confiándola a la intercesión de la Inmaculada Concepción, su patrona. La experiencia prolonga también el espíritu del Jubileo de 2025 y su llamado a ser “Peregrinos de Esperanza”: el Año Jubilar terminó, pero el camino de la fe continúa.
Dos maneras de participar
Un día: Sábado 17 de octubre, por persona, con transporte en autobús y las actividades del día en la Basílica. La salida de regreso desde Washington está prevista para las 4:15 p. m. La fecha límite de inscripción es el 1 de octubre.
Dos días: Viernes 16 y sábado 17 de octubre, con transporte, visita al Museum of the Bible con almuerzo, alojamiento en el Westin Hotel, cena con el obispo Sweeney el viernes y desayuno el sábado antes de la peregrinación en la Basílica. El costo es de 5 por persona en habitación doble o 5 en habitación individual. La fecha límite de inscripción es el 11 de septiembre.
Soria espera que la jornada fortalezca su compromiso con la fe y regresar a casa “con un corazón lleno de gratitud, una fe renovada y el deseo de compartir lo vivido con mi comunidad”. A quienes aún lo están pensando, les dice que “no lo piensen más”: peregrinar a Washington será, en sus palabras, “una oportunidad para acercarse a Dios, conocer a otros creyentes y vivir momentos de profunda oración”.
Al final, ese es el sentido de toda peregrinación: ponerse en camino buscando al Señor y volver a casa con una fe renovada. En octubre, la Diócesis de Paterson volverá a hacerlo, y la invitación está abierta para que las parroquias caminen juntas hacia Washington como una sola Iglesia.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/la-iglesia-diocesana-se-pone-en-camino-paterson-peregrina-unida-a-washington-catholic-cada-tres-anos-la-diocesis-de-paterson-recibe-una-invitacion-poco-comun-peregrinar-como-una-sola-familia-hac.webp "La Iglesia diocesana se pone en camino: Paterson peregrina unida a Washington #Catholic – Cada tres años, la Diócesis de Paterson recibe una invitación poco común: peregrinar como una sola familia hacia la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción, en Washington, D.C. Este año, esa invitación vuelve a estar sobre la mesa. El sábado 17 de octubre, el obispo Kevin J. Sweeney encabezará la Peregrinación Mariana Diocesana, acompañado por sacerdotes y fieles de parroquias de toda la diócesis.
Será una jornada de oración en uno de los santuarios católicos más importantes del país y, sobre todo, una ocasión para reconocerse como Iglesia. La peregrinación reúne a personas de distintas edades, culturas y comunidades parroquiales; muchas no se han visto nunca, pero todas llegan como parte de un mismo cuerpo, unidas por el deseo de caminar juntas y acercarse más al Señor.
LEARN MORE/REGISTER:
Diocesan Marian Pilgrimage
Oct. 17, 2026
Mucho más que un viaje
Peregrinar es una práctica antigua en la vida de la Iglesia y no se agota en visitar un lugar sagrado: el camino mismo se convierte en experiencia de fe. Durante la jornada en Washington, los peregrinos podrán recorrer las capillas de la Basílica, recibir el sacramento de la Reconciliación, participar en sesiones de catequesis en inglés y español y rezar la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia. El momento central será la Santa Misa de las 2:30 p. m., presidida por el obispo Sweeney y concelebrada por sacerdotes de la diócesis. Para quienes nunca han estado allí, el día ofrece además la oportunidad de conocer uno de los templos católicos más significativos de los Estados Unidos.
Ese es el caso de Claudia Soria, coordinadora de Educación Religiosa de St. Anthony of Padua Parish, en Passaic, para quien esta será tanto su primera peregrinación diocesana como su primera visita a la Basílica Nacional. Soria cuenta que siente “un llamado en mi corazón a participar en la peregrinación” y que quiere ofrecer el viaje “como un acto de fe, agradeciendo a Dios por sus bendiciones y buscando una conexión más profunda con Él”. Conocer el santuario por primera vez será, dice, “un sueño hecho realidad”, y espera encontrar allí un espacio de paz, oración y encuentro con Dios.
De todos los momentos del día, el que más aguarda es la Eucaristía: participar en la Misa junto a tantos otros peregrinos y recibir al Señor será, asegura, lo más significativo de la experiencia. Valora también el encuentro con católicos de otras comunidades, porque peregrinar con hermanos y hermanas de distintas parroquias “es un regalo” y “un recordatorio de que somos parte de una gran familia en Cristo, unidos en la fe y en la oración”.
Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.
Una invitación para todos
El obispo Sweeney ha invitado personalmente a los fieles a considerar el viaje. Una peregrinación, ha señalado, trae gracias y bendiciones espirituales, puede ser una experiencia especialmente hermosa para jóvenes y familias, y recuerda algo esencial de la identidad cristiana: somos un pueblo peregrino.
Este año, además, la fecha tiene un eco particular. La peregrinación se realiza mientras el país celebra el 250 aniversario de la independencia de los Estados Unidos, lo que convierte la jornada en una ocasión para dar gracias por las bendiciones recibidas y para rezar por la nación, confiándola a la intercesión de la Inmaculada Concepción, su patrona. La experiencia prolonga también el espíritu del Jubileo de 2025 y su llamado a ser “Peregrinos de Esperanza”: el Año Jubilar terminó, pero el camino de la fe continúa.
Dos maneras de participar
Un día: Sábado 17 de octubre, por persona, con transporte en autobús y las actividades del día en la Basílica. La salida de regreso desde Washington está prevista para las 4:15 p. m. La fecha límite de inscripción es el 1 de octubre.
Dos días: Viernes 16 y sábado 17 de octubre, con transporte, visita al Museum of the Bible con almuerzo, alojamiento en el Westin Hotel, cena con el obispo Sweeney el viernes y desayuno el sábado antes de la peregrinación en la Basílica. El costo es de 5 por persona en habitación doble o 5 en habitación individual. La fecha límite de inscripción es el 11 de septiembre.
Soria espera que la jornada fortalezca su compromiso con la fe y regresar a casa “con un corazón lleno de gratitud, una fe renovada y el deseo de compartir lo vivido con mi comunidad”. A quienes aún lo están pensando, les dice que “no lo piensen más”: peregrinar a Washington será, en sus palabras, “una oportunidad para acercarse a Dios, conocer a otros creyentes y vivir momentos de profunda oración”.
Al final, ese es el sentido de toda peregrinación: ponerse en camino buscando al Señor y volver a casa con una fe renovada. En octubre, la Diócesis de Paterson volverá a hacerlo, y la invitación está abierta para que las parroquias caminen juntas hacia Washington como una sola Iglesia.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
La Iglesia diocesana se pone en camino: Paterson peregrina unida a Washington #Catholic – 
Cada tres años, la Diócesis de Paterson recibe una invitación poco común: peregrinar como una sola familia hacia la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción, en Washington, D.C. Este año, esa invitación vuelve a estar sobre la mesa. El sábado 17 de octubre, el obispo Kevin J. Sweeney encabezará la Peregrinación Mariana Diocesana, acompañado por sacerdotes y fieles de parroquias de toda la diócesis.
Será una jornada de oración en uno de los santuarios católicos más importantes del país y, sobre todo, una ocasión para reconocerse como Iglesia. La peregrinación reúne a personas de distintas edades, culturas y comunidades parroquiales; muchas no se han visto nunca, pero todas llegan como parte de un mismo cuerpo, unidas por el deseo de caminar juntas y acercarse más al Señor.
 |
LEARN MORE/REGISTER: Diocesan Marian Pilgrimage Oct. 17, 2026 |
Mucho más que un viaje
Peregrinar es una práctica antigua en la vida de la Iglesia y no se agota en visitar un lugar sagrado: el camino mismo se convierte en experiencia de fe. Durante la jornada en Washington, los peregrinos podrán recorrer las capillas de la Basílica, recibir el sacramento de la Reconciliación, participar en sesiones de catequesis en inglés y español y rezar la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia. El momento central será la Santa Misa de las 2:30 p. m., presidida por el obispo Sweeney y concelebrada por sacerdotes de la diócesis. Para quienes nunca han estado allí, el día ofrece además la oportunidad de conocer uno de los templos católicos más significativos de los Estados Unidos.
Ese es el caso de Claudia Soria, coordinadora de Educación Religiosa de St. Anthony of Padua Parish, en Passaic, para quien esta será tanto su primera peregrinación diocesana como su primera visita a la Basílica Nacional. Soria cuenta que siente “un llamado en mi corazón a participar en la peregrinación” y que quiere ofrecer el viaje “como un acto de fe, agradeciendo a Dios por sus bendiciones y buscando una conexión más profunda con Él”. Conocer el santuario por primera vez será, dice, “un sueño hecho realidad”, y espera encontrar allí un espacio de paz, oración y encuentro con Dios.
De todos los momentos del día, el que más aguarda es la Eucaristía: participar en la Misa junto a tantos otros peregrinos y recibir al Señor será, asegura, lo más significativo de la experiencia. Valora también el encuentro con católicos de otras comunidades, porque peregrinar con hermanos y hermanas de distintas parroquias “es un regalo” y “un recordatorio de que somos parte de una gran familia en Cristo, unidos en la fe y en la oración”.
Para suscribirse a nuestro boletín electrónico semanal, haga click aquí.
Una invitación para todos
El obispo Sweeney ha invitado personalmente a los fieles a considerar el viaje. Una peregrinación, ha señalado, trae gracias y bendiciones espirituales, puede ser una experiencia especialmente hermosa para jóvenes y familias, y recuerda algo esencial de la identidad cristiana: somos un pueblo peregrino.
Este año, además, la fecha tiene un eco particular. La peregrinación se realiza mientras el país celebra el 250 aniversario de la independencia de los Estados Unidos, lo que convierte la jornada en una ocasión para dar gracias por las bendiciones recibidas y para rezar por la nación, confiándola a la intercesión de la Inmaculada Concepción, su patrona. La experiencia prolonga también el espíritu del Jubileo de 2025 y su llamado a ser “Peregrinos de Esperanza”: el Año Jubilar terminó, pero el camino de la fe continúa.
Dos maneras de participar
Un día: Sábado 17 de octubre, $70 por persona, con transporte en autobús y las actividades del día en la Basílica. La salida de regreso desde Washington está prevista para las 4:15 p. m. La fecha límite de inscripción es el 1 de octubre.
Dos días: Viernes 16 y sábado 17 de octubre, con transporte, visita al Museum of the Bible con almuerzo, alojamiento en el Westin Hotel, cena con el obispo Sweeney el viernes y desayuno el sábado antes de la peregrinación en la Basílica. El costo es de $325 por persona en habitación doble o $395 en habitación individual. La fecha límite de inscripción es el 11 de septiembre.
Soria espera que la jornada fortalezca su compromiso con la fe y regresar a casa “con un corazón lleno de gratitud, una fe renovada y el deseo de compartir lo vivido con mi comunidad”. A quienes aún lo están pensando, les dice que “no lo piensen más”: peregrinar a Washington será, en sus palabras, “una oportunidad para acercarse a Dios, conocer a otros creyentes y vivir momentos de profunda oración”.
Al final, ese es el sentido de toda peregrinación: ponerse en camino buscando al Señor y volver a casa con una fe renovada. En octubre, la Diócesis de Paterson volverá a hacerlo, y la invitación está abierta para que las parroquias caminen juntas hacia Washington como una sola Iglesia.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – Cada tres años, la Diócesis de Paterson recibe una invitación poco común: peregrinar como una sola familia hacia la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción, en Washington, D.C. Este año, esa invitación vuelve a estar sobre la mesa. El sábado 17 de octubre, el obispo Kevin J. Sweeney encabezará la Peregrinación Mariana Diocesana, acompañado por sacerdotes y fieles de parroquias de toda la diócesis. Será una jornada de oración en uno de los santuarios católicos más importantes del país y, sobre todo, una ocasión para reconocerse como Iglesia. La peregrinación reúne a personas de distintas edades, culturas y
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Zagedan Valley with the mountain cirque and high-altitude lakes formed by ancient glacial erosion. Zagedan Ridge, Karachay-Cherkessia, Caucasus Mountains.
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About 12 billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy known as LKH collided with a young Milky Way and merged with it. This artist’s concept portrays that collision. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope uncovered definitive evidence of this collision by studying globular star clusters.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of Ezekiel
36:23-28
Thus says the LORD:
I will prove the holiness of my great name,
profaned among the nations,
in whose midst you have profaned it.
Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,
when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
For I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
22:1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests
and the elders of the people in parables saying,
?The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon
the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
?Tell those invited: ?Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.??
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ?The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.?
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ?My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment??
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ?Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.?
Many are invited, but few are chosen.?
With the narrative of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, in today?s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 22:1-14), Jesus outlines the plan that God envisaged for humanity. The king who ?who gave a marriage feast for his son? (v. 2) is the image of the Father who prepared for the entire human family a wonderful celebration of love and communion around his only begotten Son. Twice the king sends his servants to call the invited guests, but they refuse; they do not want to go to the feast because they have other things to think about: fields and business. We often also put our interests and material things ahead of the Lord who calls us ? and he calls us to a feast. But the king in the parable does not want the hall to remain empty, because he wants to offer the treasures of his kingdom. So he tells his servants: ?Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find? (v. 9). This is how God reacts: when he is rejected, rather than giving up, he starts over and asks that all those found at the thoroughfares be called, excluding no one. No one is excluded from the house of God. (?)
However, the Lord places one condition: to wear a wedding garment. (?) The wedding garment (?) symbolizes the mercy that God freely gives us, namely, grace. Without grace we cannot take a step forward in Christian life. Everything is grace. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 11 October 2020)
Read More
Pope, bishops mourn death of Polish pilgrims returning from Medjugorje #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV and the bishops of Poland and Hungary mourned the loss of several pilgrims who died in a bus crash as they were returning home from Medjugorje.
According to Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent condolences Aug. 18 on the pope’s behalf to Polish Archbishop Adam Szal of Przemysl and Bishop Jan Franciszek Watroba of Rzeszów, who lead the dioceses to which the pilgrims belonged.
“Expressing his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this tragic event, the Holy Father offers special prayers for those brothers and sisters who, while returning from a pilgrimage of faith, completed their earthly pilgrimage,” Cardinal Parolin wrote.
The pope, he added, prayed that the victims’ families would receive the gift of consolation and invoked the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa before imparting his blessing “as a sign of paternal closeness and Christian hope.”
According to Hungarian police, the accident occurred in the early hours of the morning Aug. 16, when the bus carrying 57 pilgrims veered off a highway near the Hungarian town of Mezokeresztes. According to news reports, they were returning to Poland after visiting the Marian shrine at Medjugorje in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“According to current information, it is suspected that the driver fell asleep,” subsequently forcing the bus into a ditch and causing it to overturn, police said in an Aug. 16 statement. The driver was taken into custody shortly after the accident.
The Reuters news agency reported Aug. 18 that a Hungarian court ruled the bus driver’s detention would continue after prosecutors argued that his negligence led to the deaths of 12 people and dozens seriously injured.
“According to the current state of the investigation … the driver was incapable of safely operating the vehicle, he fell asleep due to fatigue,” ?prosecutors said, according to Reuters.
The court ordered that the driver be detained for a month after prosecutors cited concerns that he may flee or interfere in the investigation. If tried and found guilty of negligent homicide, the driver could face between two and eight years in prison.
Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, released a statement hours after the accident, expressing his “great sorrow” for the deaths of the 12 pilgrims and the injured.
“I also extend my prayers to the families of those who died and were injured in the bus accident,” the bishop said in an Aug. 16 statement. “I ask God to grant them the gift of consolation, as well as the strength and hope to help them endure these incredibly difficult times.”
The president of the Hungarian bishops’ conference, Bishop János Székely of Szombathely, said he was “shocked” by the news of the accident and offered prayers for the deceased.
“I ask the Almighty to provide comfort to the relatives of the deceased in these difficult hours and to help the injured recover as soon as possible,” Bishop Székely said. “On behalf of all members of the Hungarian Catholic community, I assure our Polish brothers and sisters of my sympathy and solidarity.”
The accident also drew statements from world leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar who expressed condolences on his Facebook page to the pilgrims’ families and wished “a speedy recovery to the injured.”
In a statement posted to his X account, Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed his sadness about the accident “in which so many of our compatriots perished.”
“In the face of this unimaginable tragedy, which has touched us all, I join in prayer and profound compassion with the families and loved ones of the victims,” Nawrocki wrote.
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
– (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV and the bishops of Poland and Hungary mourned the loss of several pilgrims who died in a bus crash as they were returning home from Medjugorje. According to Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent condolences Aug. 18 on the pope’s behalf to Polish Archbishop Adam Szal of Przemysl and Bishop Jan Franciszek Watroba of Rzeszów, who lead the dioceses to which the pilgrims belonged. “Expressing his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this tragic event, the Holy Father offers special prayers for those brothers and sisters who, while returning from a pilgrimage of
![Deadly school shooting sparks alarm in the Philippines #Catholic – (OSV News) — A shooting in a Jesuit-run school in the Philippines, which saw a student kill a fellow student before killing himself, sparked shock and reignited alarm over juvenile delinquency and campus security.
The incident inside a classroom at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior School in Mindanao, southern Philippines, occurred on the morning of Aug. 18, according to police.
The student not only shot a fellow student and killed himself but also livestreamed the incident on Facebook. The attacker was reportedly armed with a pistol and rifle.
Several other students were injured in the attack and rushed to local hospitals for treatment, the authorities said.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said preliminary information indicated the shooter wore a body camera. The video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.
Olaso raised strong concerns over the influence of ultra-violent online sandbox games like GoreBox and fringe extremist networks like the “764” group, urging national authorities to heavily restrict violent online games accessible to minors.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Local media reported that a customs police officer assigned to the Port of Zamboanga, allegedly the shooter’s father, has been dismissed from his post following the incident.
Jesuit Father Guillrey Anthony Andal, school president, confirmed the shooting incident and affirmed that the institution is prioritizing the community’s welfare.
“We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritize the safety of all our students,” he said in a statement.
The university issued a separate statement to express shock over the shooting.
“The Ateneo de Zamboanga University is saddened by the incident that happened today on our JHS campus. As of now, we confirm that there are two [2] fatalities… We ask everyone to respect the privacy of all affected individuals. We pray for the quick resolution of the situation and for the safety of all,” the statement said.
Zamboanga City Police Director Col. Fidel Fortaleza stated the campus was contained by mid-morning, confirming no ongoing threat as Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) processed the area. Classes were immediately suspended, and students were evacuated to designated safe zones to be reunited with their families.
This is the second fatal shooting at a Jesuit-run Ateneo university network, following a targeted political assassination in July 2022 at Ateneo de Manila University that left three people dead.
It also marks the second deadly school shooting in the Philippines in less than two months, following a June attack at a public high school in Tacloban City where two students killed at least three schoolmates and injured about 20 others.
Police investigations remain underway to establish the motive and determine how the firearms breached campus security.
The school shooting is the second such incident in a Southeast Asian country in little over a week.
On Aug. 7, a 14-year-old boy in Thailand killed his grandparents before shooting dead five more people at a school and then killing himself.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/deadly-school-shooting-sparks-alarm-in-the-philippines-catholic-osv-news-a-shooting-in-a-jesuit-run-school-in-the-philippines-which-saw-a-student-kill-a-fellow-student-before-killing-him.jpg "Deadly school shooting sparks alarm in the Philippines #Catholic – (OSV News) — A shooting in a Jesuit-run school in the Philippines, which saw a student kill a fellow student before killing himself, sparked shock and reignited alarm over juvenile delinquency and campus security.
The incident inside a classroom at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior School in Mindanao, southern Philippines, occurred on the morning of Aug. 18, according to police.
The student not only shot a fellow student and killed himself but also livestreamed the incident on Facebook. The attacker was reportedly armed with a pistol and rifle.
Several other students were injured in the attack and rushed to local hospitals for treatment, the authorities said.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said preliminary information indicated the shooter wore a body camera. The video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.
Olaso raised strong concerns over the influence of ultra-violent online sandbox games like GoreBox and fringe extremist networks like the “764” group, urging national authorities to heavily restrict violent online games accessible to minors.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Local media reported that a customs police officer assigned to the Port of Zamboanga, allegedly the shooter’s father, has been dismissed from his post following the incident.
Jesuit Father Guillrey Anthony Andal, school president, confirmed the shooting incident and affirmed that the institution is prioritizing the community’s welfare.
“We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritize the safety of all our students,” he said in a statement.
The university issued a separate statement to express shock over the shooting.
“The Ateneo de Zamboanga University is saddened by the incident that happened today on our JHS campus. As of now, we confirm that there are two [2] fatalities… We ask everyone to respect the privacy of all affected individuals. We pray for the quick resolution of the situation and for the safety of all,” the statement said.
Zamboanga City Police Director Col. Fidel Fortaleza stated the campus was contained by mid-morning, confirming no ongoing threat as Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) processed the area. Classes were immediately suspended, and students were evacuated to designated safe zones to be reunited with their families.
This is the second fatal shooting at a Jesuit-run Ateneo university network, following a targeted political assassination in July 2022 at Ateneo de Manila University that left three people dead.
It also marks the second deadly school shooting in the Philippines in less than two months, following a June attack at a public high school in Tacloban City where two students killed at least three schoolmates and injured about 20 others.
Police investigations remain underway to establish the motive and determine how the firearms breached campus security.
The school shooting is the second such incident in a Southeast Asian country in little over a week.
On Aug. 7, a 14-year-old boy in Thailand killed his grandparents before shooting dead five more people at a school and then killing himself.")
Deadly school shooting sparks alarm in the Philippines #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — A shooting in a Jesuit-run school in the Philippines, which saw a student kill a fellow student before killing himself, sparked shock and reignited alarm over juvenile delinquency and campus security.
The incident inside a classroom at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior School in Mindanao, southern Philippines, occurred on the morning of Aug. 18, according to police.
The student not only shot a fellow student and killed himself but also livestreamed the incident on Facebook. The attacker was reportedly armed with a pistol and rifle.
Several other students were injured in the attack and rushed to local hospitals for treatment, the authorities said.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said preliminary information indicated the shooter wore a body camera. The video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.
Olaso raised strong concerns over the influence of ultra-violent online sandbox games like GoreBox and fringe extremist networks like the “764” group, urging national authorities to heavily restrict violent online games accessible to minors.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Local media reported that a customs police officer assigned to the Port of Zamboanga, allegedly the shooter’s father, has been dismissed from his post following the incident.
Jesuit Father Guillrey Anthony Andal, school president, confirmed the shooting incident and affirmed that the institution is prioritizing the community’s welfare.
“We do not want any of these things to happen. We wish to prioritize the safety of all our students,” he said in a statement.
The university issued a separate statement to express shock over the shooting.
“The Ateneo de Zamboanga University is saddened by the incident that happened today on our JHS campus. As of now, we confirm that there are two [2] fatalities… We ask everyone to respect the privacy of all affected individuals. We pray for the quick resolution of the situation and for the safety of all,” the statement said.
Zamboanga City Police Director Col. Fidel Fortaleza stated the campus was contained by mid-morning, confirming no ongoing threat as Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) processed the area. Classes were immediately suspended, and students were evacuated to designated safe zones to be reunited with their families.
This is the second fatal shooting at a Jesuit-run Ateneo university network, following a targeted political assassination in July 2022 at Ateneo de Manila University that left three people dead.
It also marks the second deadly school shooting in the Philippines in less than two months, following a June attack at a public high school in Tacloban City where two students killed at least three schoolmates and injured about 20 others.
Police investigations remain underway to establish the motive and determine how the firearms breached campus security.
The school shooting is the second such incident in a Southeast Asian country in little over a week.
On Aug. 7, a 14-year-old boy in Thailand killed his grandparents before shooting dead five more people at a school and then killing himself.
– (OSV News) — A shooting in a Jesuit-run school in the Philippines, which saw a student kill a fellow student before killing himself, sparked shock and reignited alarm over juvenile delinquency and campus security. The incident inside a classroom at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior School in Mindanao, southern Philippines, occurred on the morning of Aug. 18, according to police. The student not only shot a fellow student and killed himself but also livestreamed the incident on Facebook. The attacker was reportedly armed with a pistol and rifle. Several other students were injured in the attack and rushed to
The archdiocese said the bodies of deceased newborns and babies who die late in pregnancy are often “abandoned in public places, in hospitals, or even among the trash.”
Archbishop García-Siller has also prohibited all Catholics from attending any Mass, liturgy, or event sponsored by the former priest or the Mission of Divine Mercy, which the priest leads.
The U.S. is calling for the meeting to take place before Sept. 1, when the Ortega regime is set to codify policy reforms, including the suspension of future elections.
![Catholic bishops urge prayers against abortion by mail that ‘leaves women vulnerable’ #Catholic With an increasing number of abortions done via sending pills through the U.S. mail, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging Catholics across the nation to pray to St. Joseph to “stop the spread” of abortion pills.The bishops are calling for sustained and dedicated prayer from Aug. 18 to Oct. 31, with the campaign launching ahead of Respect Month Life in October.USCCB President Archbishop Paul Coakley and Bishop Daniel Thomas, who heads the bishops’ committee on pro-life activities, urged Catholics to “join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.” Activists have criticized the mailing of abortion pills as a largely unregulated and dangerous practice. Pro-life advocates were dealt a blow in May when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed for the continued mailing of abortion pills throughout the U.S. amid a legal dispute over the practice. “Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother,” the two bishops wrote in an Aug. 18 letter. “Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks.”“The Food and Drug Administration has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb,” the bishops wrote.They said the federal government’s lack of regulation makes women “vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision” and “sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers.”The bishops urged Catholics to visit the USCCB’s Respect Life campaign website, where visitors can “learn about the danger of abortion pills [and] send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies that are involved.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/catholic-bishops-urge-prayers-against-abortion-by-mail-that-leaves-women-vulnerable-catholic-with-an-increasing-number-of-abortions-done-via-sending-pills-through-the-u-s-mail-the.jpg "Catholic bishops urge prayers against abortion by mail that ‘leaves women vulnerable’ #Catholic With an increasing number of abortions done via sending pills through the U.S. mail, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging Catholics across the nation to pray to St. Joseph to “stop the spread” of abortion pills.The bishops are calling for sustained and dedicated prayer from Aug. 18 to Oct. 31, with the campaign launching ahead of Respect Month Life in October.USCCB President Archbishop Paul Coakley and Bishop Daniel Thomas, who heads the bishops’ committee on pro-life activities, urged Catholics to “join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.” Activists have criticized the mailing of abortion pills as a largely unregulated and dangerous practice. Pro-life advocates were dealt a blow in May when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed for the continued mailing of abortion pills throughout the U.S. amid a legal dispute over the practice. “Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother,” the two bishops wrote in an Aug. 18 letter. “Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks.”“The Food and Drug Administration has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb,” the bishops wrote.They said the federal government’s lack of regulation makes women “vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision” and “sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers.”The bishops urged Catholics to visit the USCCB’s Respect Life campaign website, where visitors can “learn about the danger of abortion pills [and] send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies that are involved.”")
Leading U.S. Catholic bishops are calling for a dedicated time of prayer as chemical abortions by mail are on the rise.
![People ‘thirsting for Christ’ at procession in Brazil, bishop says #Catholic About 50,000 faithful took part in the closing procession for the novena to Our Lady of Glory in Brazil on Aug. 15. The local bishop, Flávio Giovenale, said the large turnout reflects the faith of the people, who are “thirsting for Christ.”“This multitude is saying: We want spirituality, we want Jesus, and we love Our Lady because she leads us to Jesus,” the bishop told the website Juruá 24 Horas.“Our Lady is like a mother who takes us to school; the teacher — the master — is Jesus, and Our Lady leads us to him,” he said.The devotees walked about two miles in a procession lasting nearly two hours. Holding candles, they followed the image of Our Lady, praying and giving thanks.“We came to give thanks for the harvest and for our family’s health. Being here among so many people sharing the same purpose is something indescribable,” farmer Renilson Fox said to news website G1.“We spend the whole year waiting for this moment,” veterinarian Douglas Vasconcelos told G1. He said that for him, this “is a day to renew our faith and give thanks for so many graces received.”Mary is our ‘prototype’“Today, we celebrate Our Lady of Glory, who is already there [in glory], a gift from God,” Giovenale said during the Mass at the Cruzeiro do Sul cathedral prior to the procession. The bishop recalled Jesus’s words: “I am going to the Father’s glory, and after I prepare a place, I will return and take you with me.”“We say that at the end of time, we will all rise again and be reunited in body and soul to live in heaven, body and soul. But for Our Lady, Jesus chose to make an exception, a gift. In his freedom, he said: ‘Our Lady was the first to say yes to me; she will also be the first to rise again,’” he explained.The bishop recalled that the Dormition of Mary, although not found in the Bible, has been a tradition “since the early years” of Christianity. It says “that Our Lady fell asleep in the Lord and Jesus came and took her, body and soul.”“She is there in heaven, body and soul, as the first Christian, the first to say ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord,’ and the first to rise again, body and soul. She is, as it were, our prototype,” he said.In his homily, Giovenale said that before attaining glory, Mary served, and Christians must follow her example to reach the kingdom of heaven.“We’re going to walk in procession, why? Because Mary — after receiving the angel’s announcement that she would be the Mother of the Savior, and after saying, ‘I am the servant of the Lord’ — what did she do? She went to serve Elizabeth,” he said.“To serve, to be Christians, to be a faithful people, we can’t afford to slack off. Jesus promised us happiness, not ease. It requires effort; it requires saying, ‘I want to serve,’ just as Mary did,” he said.The bishop recalled that it was Jesus who said, “I came into the world not to be served, but to serve.” “Mary was the one who, in so many ways, anticipated this, because she is the first to be faithful to Jesus,” he added.Giovenale cited the theme of this year’s novena to Our Lady of Glory: “Our Lady of Glory, Mother of the Faithful People.” “If we want to be faithful to Jesus, faithful to God, we must imitate Mary — to journey forth and go serve others,” he said.This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/people-thirsting-for-christ-at-procession-in-brazil-bishop-says-catholic-about-50000-faithful-took-part-in-the-closing-procession-for-the-novena-to-our-lady-of-glory-in-brazil-on.webp "People ‘thirsting for Christ’ at procession in Brazil, bishop says #Catholic About 50,000 faithful took part in the closing procession for the novena to Our Lady of Glory in Brazil on Aug. 15. The local bishop, Flávio Giovenale, said the large turnout reflects the faith of the people, who are “thirsting for Christ.”“This multitude is saying: We want spirituality, we want Jesus, and we love Our Lady because she leads us to Jesus,” the bishop told the website Juruá 24 Horas.“Our Lady is like a mother who takes us to school; the teacher — the master — is Jesus, and Our Lady leads us to him,” he said.The devotees walked about two miles in a procession lasting nearly two hours. Holding candles, they followed the image of Our Lady, praying and giving thanks.“We came to give thanks for the harvest and for our family’s health. Being here among so many people sharing the same purpose is something indescribable,” farmer Renilson Fox said to news website G1.“We spend the whole year waiting for this moment,” veterinarian Douglas Vasconcelos told G1. He said that for him, this “is a day to renew our faith and give thanks for so many graces received.”Mary is our ‘prototype’“Today, we celebrate Our Lady of Glory, who is already there [in glory], a gift from God,” Giovenale said during the Mass at the Cruzeiro do Sul cathedral prior to the procession. The bishop recalled Jesus’s words: “I am going to the Father’s glory, and after I prepare a place, I will return and take you with me.”“We say that at the end of time, we will all rise again and be reunited in body and soul to live in heaven, body and soul. But for Our Lady, Jesus chose to make an exception, a gift. In his freedom, he said: ‘Our Lady was the first to say yes to me; she will also be the first to rise again,’” he explained.The bishop recalled that the Dormition of Mary, although not found in the Bible, has been a tradition “since the early years” of Christianity. It says “that Our Lady fell asleep in the Lord and Jesus came and took her, body and soul.”“She is there in heaven, body and soul, as the first Christian, the first to say ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord,’ and the first to rise again, body and soul. She is, as it were, our prototype,” he said.In his homily, Giovenale said that before attaining glory, Mary served, and Christians must follow her example to reach the kingdom of heaven.“We’re going to walk in procession, why? Because Mary — after receiving the angel’s announcement that she would be the Mother of the Savior, and after saying, ‘I am the servant of the Lord’ — what did she do? She went to serve Elizabeth,” he said.“To serve, to be Christians, to be a faithful people, we can’t afford to slack off. Jesus promised us happiness, not ease. It requires effort; it requires saying, ‘I want to serve,’ just as Mary did,” he said.The bishop recalled that it was Jesus who said, “I came into the world not to be served, but to serve.” “Mary was the one who, in so many ways, anticipated this, because she is the first to be faithful to Jesus,” he added.Giovenale cited the theme of this year’s novena to Our Lady of Glory: “Our Lady of Glory, Mother of the Faithful People.” “If we want to be faithful to Jesus, faithful to God, we must imitate Mary — to journey forth and go serve others,” he said.This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
In his homily, Bishop Flávio Giovenale held up Mary as the faithful disciple who, like her son, served others.
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On Aug. 19, 1646, John Flamsteed was born in Derbyshire, England. Though he left school early due to illness and family obligations, he studied astronomy independently and eventually attended Cambridge University. European maritime trade was rapidly expanding during his lifetime, yet sailors still struggled with the longitude problem – north-south distance was easy to calculateContinue reading “Aug. 19, 1646: The birth of John Flamsteed”
The post Aug. 19, 1646: The birth of John Flamsteed appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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NASA’s Boeing 777 returns to the agency’s Langley Research Center after receiving a new paint scheme.
Read More| Picture of the day |
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Finnish Air Force Hawker Hurricane warbird and U.S. Navy T-6 Texan warbird in flight over Finland
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Funding will help improve hospitals, clinics, and health networks in rural parts of Cameroon, Liberia, and Nigeria, working as part of a group of faith-based organizations, a CRS spokesperson said.
A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
34:1-11
The word of the Lord came to me:
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
in these words prophesy to them to the shepherds:
Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel
who have been pasturing themselves!
Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?
You have fed off their milk, worn their wool,
and slaughtered the fatlings,
but the sheep you have not pastured.
You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick
nor bind up the injured.
You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost,
but you lorded it over them harshly and brutally.
So they were scattered for the lack of a shepherd,
and became food for all the wild beasts.
My sheep were scattered
and wandered over all the mountains and high hills;
my sheep were scattered over the whole earth,
with no one to look after them or to search for them.
Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
As I live, says the Lord GOD,
because my sheep have been given over to pillage,
and because my sheep have become food for every wild beast,
for lack of a shepherd;
because my shepherds did not look after my sheep,
but pastured themselves and did not pasture my sheep;
because of this, shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I swear I am coming against these shepherds.
I will claim my sheep from them
and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep
so that they may no longer pasture themselves.
I will save my sheep,
that they may no longer be food for their mouths.
For thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
20:1-16
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
he found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."
It is a parable that gives hope, because it tells us that this landowner goes out several times to go and look for those who are waiting to give meaning to their lives. (?)
The labourers who had remained in the marketplace had probably given up all hope. That day had come to nothing. Nevertheless, someone still believed in them. (?)
And the originality of this landowner is also seen at the end of the day, at pay time. (?) For the owner of the vineyard, that is, for God, it is just that each person has what he needs to live. He called the labourers personally, he knows their dignity, and on the basis of this, he wants to pay them, and he gives all of them one denarius.
The story says that the labourers from the first hour are disappointed: they cannot see the beauty of the gesture of the landowner, who was not unjust, but simply generous; who looked not only at merit, but also at need. God wants to give his Kingdom, that is, full, eternal and happy life, to everyone. And this is what Jesus does with us: he does not establish rankings, he gives all of himself to those who open their hearts to him. (Pope Leo XIV, General Audience, 4 June 2025)
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A special Mass was held commemorating Sts. Luis Bátis Sáinz, Manuel Morales, Salvador Lara Puente, and David Roldán Lara, who were martyred during the persecution of the Church in the Cristero period.
![Seminarians highlight faith and calling during first Media Day #Catholic – On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood.
“We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. They talked about priestly vocations and the seminary with Jai Agnish, the podcast’s co-host and diocesan communications director, at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The episode was part of the diocese’s inaugural Seminarian Media Day event.
St. Paul’s was a beehive of activity for the Media Day. The event gave the 12 diocesan seminarians there the opportunity, with great wit and charm, to share their engaging stories about how God called them to the priesthood, their faith journeys so far, interests, and their lives in the seminary.
This content will be posted in the coming months on digital platforms where young people consume information, such as podcasts, social media, and print news, to help make them aware of the possibility of a priestly vocation. In September, the diocesan Vocations Office will launch an Instagram account dedicated to vocations, which will use much of this lively material.
“For Media Day, it was good to hear the voices from the faces of seminarians on vocations posters. Maybe our stories will encourage other men to enter the seminary,” Collins said. The podcast also included interviews with seminarians Eric Hasenbein and Sean Gallagher.
The Media Day was a collaboration by the diocesan Vocations Office, the Communications Office, and St. Paul Inside the Walls, the diocesan evangelization center. The event also highlighted the seminarians’ varied ages, backgrounds, and personalities.
“In today’s world, many young people exploring a vocation will first look online for information and inspiration,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “We want to engage people where they are and provide them with resources that can help them hear and respond to God’s call. One of the best ways we can promote vocations is by featuring our seminarians, who are living witnesses to what it means to answer God’s call,” he said.
Before co-hosting the podcast, Bishop Sweeney joined the seminarians for Mass in St. Paul’s chapel. Among the congregants were Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor, and diocesan staff who work at the center.
“Let the lives of the saints inspire us —from bishops and religious sisters to those living the vocation of marriage, parents, grandparents, and those living the single life. We’re all sharing baptismal vocations that baptismal call to holiness,” Bishop Sweeney said in his Mass introduction.
The men featured in the digital content range from the start of seminary studies, called the propaedeutic year, to the diaconal year — the final step before being ordained a priest. In the afternoon, they each participated in one of three “content stations”: appearing on the podcast, making a short video, or sitting for an interview for a print news story.
“The seminarians’ participation is also helping them become agents of the New Evangelization. Future priests need to be able to communicate the truths of the faith not only from the pulpit, but also through the modern means of communication that people use every day,” Father Lana said. “Media Day is one small step toward helping our seminarians grow in confidence as public leaders, communicators, and messengers of the Gospel,” he said.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
With her cellphone, Cecile Pagliarulo, digital media specialist and a co-host of Beyond the Beacon, captured stories and insight from seminarians Jean- Baptiste Mollet, John Peter Zappe, David Marin, and Brian Reilly in English and Deacon Carlos Vargas in Spanish.
Pagliarulo asked the seminarians specific questions that will be used in several videos on vocations- or priest-themed observances, such as Priesthood Sunday, National Vocations Awareness Week, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
“I enjoyed meeting each of the seminarians — young men committed to learning and studying about the priesthood in hopes that they will become priests for future generations of Catholics. A common theme in asking them about vocations was that we are all called to holiness,” Pagliarulo said.
Meanwhile, Michael Wojcik, managing editor of BeaconNJ.org, camped out in a classroom at the center to interview seminarians James Burke and Mark Tosso about their vocation stories in English. In another classroom, Yoel Gonzalez, a Spanish-language writer for BeaconNJ.org, interviewed seminarian Jairo Jaramillo in Spanish.
Mary Drasheff, communications coordinator at St. Paul Inside the Walls, and Joseph Ginexi, digital media specialist at St. Paul Inside the Walls, also participated in Media Day, conducting video interviews with seminarians and assisting with setting up the podcast space.
“The Media Day was upbeat. It gave us seminarians a sense of brotherhood, encouraging one another, before we go back to school. There was great care and guidance, especially from more experienced seminarians, priests and Bishop Sweeney,” Tosso said.
Then, each seminarian posed for portraits outside on St. Paul’s front porch, taken by Joe Gigli, a freelance photographer for the diocese. Then the men continued the fellowship they started at lunch.
Catalina Zempoalteca, Vocations Office coordinator, organized the Media Day with Father Lana and the other collaborating offices in the diocese. She called the first-ever Media Day “a success.”
“All our 12 seminarians have unique and beautiful vocation stories that should be shared for other men to know that God is capable of moving in their lives towards the vocation that he is calling them to live out. In our case, we hope these stories inspire more men to discern the priesthood,” Zempoalteca said. “The journey of discerning one’s vocation is a love story unraveled by God. I’m blessed to witness this working in the Vocations Office and in helping it be shared through the content created on Media Day,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI & JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/seminarians-highlight-faith-and-calling-during-first-media-day-catholic-on-a-recent-podcast-brian-collins-24-a-seminarian-of-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-demystified-life-in-the-seminary-while-st.jpg "Seminarians highlight faith and calling during first Media Day #Catholic – On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood.
“We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. They talked about priestly vocations and the seminary with Jai Agnish, the podcast’s co-host and diocesan communications director, at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The episode was part of the diocese’s inaugural Seminarian Media Day event.
St. Paul’s was a beehive of activity for the Media Day. The event gave the 12 diocesan seminarians there the opportunity, with great wit and charm, to share their engaging stories about how God called them to the priesthood, their faith journeys so far, interests, and their lives in the seminary.
This content will be posted in the coming months on digital platforms where young people consume information, such as podcasts, social media, and print news, to help make them aware of the possibility of a priestly vocation. In September, the diocesan Vocations Office will launch an Instagram account dedicated to vocations, which will use much of this lively material.
“For Media Day, it was good to hear the voices from the faces of seminarians on vocations posters. Maybe our stories will encourage other men to enter the seminary,” Collins said. The podcast also included interviews with seminarians Eric Hasenbein and Sean Gallagher.
The Media Day was a collaboration by the diocesan Vocations Office, the Communications Office, and St. Paul Inside the Walls, the diocesan evangelization center. The event also highlighted the seminarians’ varied ages, backgrounds, and personalities.
“In today’s world, many young people exploring a vocation will first look online for information and inspiration,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “We want to engage people where they are and provide them with resources that can help them hear and respond to God’s call. One of the best ways we can promote vocations is by featuring our seminarians, who are living witnesses to what it means to answer God’s call,” he said.
Before co-hosting the podcast, Bishop Sweeney joined the seminarians for Mass in St. Paul’s chapel. Among the congregants were Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor, and diocesan staff who work at the center.
“Let the lives of the saints inspire us —from bishops and religious sisters to those living the vocation of marriage, parents, grandparents, and those living the single life. We’re all sharing baptismal vocations that baptismal call to holiness,” Bishop Sweeney said in his Mass introduction.
The men featured in the digital content range from the start of seminary studies, called the propaedeutic year, to the diaconal year — the final step before being ordained a priest. In the afternoon, they each participated in one of three “content stations”: appearing on the podcast, making a short video, or sitting for an interview for a print news story.
“The seminarians’ participation is also helping them become agents of the New Evangelization. Future priests need to be able to communicate the truths of the faith not only from the pulpit, but also through the modern means of communication that people use every day,” Father Lana said. “Media Day is one small step toward helping our seminarians grow in confidence as public leaders, communicators, and messengers of the Gospel,” he said.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
With her cellphone, Cecile Pagliarulo, digital media specialist and a co-host of Beyond the Beacon, captured stories and insight from seminarians Jean- Baptiste Mollet, John Peter Zappe, David Marin, and Brian Reilly in English and Deacon Carlos Vargas in Spanish.
Pagliarulo asked the seminarians specific questions that will be used in several videos on vocations- or priest-themed observances, such as Priesthood Sunday, National Vocations Awareness Week, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
“I enjoyed meeting each of the seminarians — young men committed to learning and studying about the priesthood in hopes that they will become priests for future generations of Catholics. A common theme in asking them about vocations was that we are all called to holiness,” Pagliarulo said.
Meanwhile, Michael Wojcik, managing editor of BeaconNJ.org, camped out in a classroom at the center to interview seminarians James Burke and Mark Tosso about their vocation stories in English. In another classroom, Yoel Gonzalez, a Spanish-language writer for BeaconNJ.org, interviewed seminarian Jairo Jaramillo in Spanish.
Mary Drasheff, communications coordinator at St. Paul Inside the Walls, and Joseph Ginexi, digital media specialist at St. Paul Inside the Walls, also participated in Media Day, conducting video interviews with seminarians and assisting with setting up the podcast space.
“The Media Day was upbeat. It gave us seminarians a sense of brotherhood, encouraging one another, before we go back to school. There was great care and guidance, especially from more experienced seminarians, priests and Bishop Sweeney,” Tosso said.
Then, each seminarian posed for portraits outside on St. Paul’s front porch, taken by Joe Gigli, a freelance photographer for the diocese. Then the men continued the fellowship they started at lunch.
Catalina Zempoalteca, Vocations Office coordinator, organized the Media Day with Father Lana and the other collaborating offices in the diocese. She called the first-ever Media Day “a success.”
“All our 12 seminarians have unique and beautiful vocation stories that should be shared for other men to know that God is capable of moving in their lives towards the vocation that he is calling them to live out. In our case, we hope these stories inspire more men to discern the priesthood,” Zempoalteca said. “The journey of discerning one’s vocation is a love story unraveled by God. I’m blessed to witness this working in the Vocations Office and in helping it be shared through the content created on Media Day,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI & JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
Seminarians highlight faith and calling during first Media Day #Catholic – 
On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood.
“We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. They talked about priestly vocations and the seminary with Jai Agnish, the podcast’s co-host and diocesan communications director, at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The episode was part of the diocese’s inaugural Seminarian Media Day event.
St. Paul’s was a beehive of activity for the Media Day. The event gave the 12 diocesan seminarians there the opportunity, with great wit and charm, to share their engaging stories about how God called them to the priesthood, their faith journeys so far, interests, and their lives in the seminary.
This content will be posted in the coming months on digital platforms where young people consume information, such as podcasts, social media, and print news, to help make them aware of the possibility of a priestly vocation. In September, the diocesan Vocations Office will launch an Instagram account dedicated to vocations, which will use much of this lively material.
“For Media Day, it was good to hear the voices from the faces of seminarians on vocations posters. Maybe our stories will encourage other men to enter the seminary,” Collins said. The podcast also included interviews with seminarians Eric Hasenbein and Sean Gallagher.
The Media Day was a collaboration by the diocesan Vocations Office, the Communications Office, and St. Paul Inside the Walls, the diocesan evangelization center. The event also highlighted the seminarians’ varied ages, backgrounds, and personalities.
“In today’s world, many young people exploring a vocation will first look online for information and inspiration,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “We want to engage people where they are and provide them with resources that can help them hear and respond to God’s call. One of the best ways we can promote vocations is by featuring our seminarians, who are living witnesses to what it means to answer God’s call,” he said.
Before co-hosting the podcast, Bishop Sweeney joined the seminarians for Mass in St. Paul’s chapel. Among the congregants were Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor, and diocesan staff who work at the center.
“Let the lives of the saints inspire us —from bishops and religious sisters to those living the vocation of marriage, parents, grandparents, and those living the single life. We’re all sharing baptismal vocations that baptismal call to holiness,” Bishop Sweeney said in his Mass introduction.
The men featured in the digital content range from the start of seminary studies, called the propaedeutic year, to the diaconal year — the final step before being ordained a priest. In the afternoon, they each participated in one of three “content stations”: appearing on the podcast, making a short video, or sitting for an interview for a print news story.
“The seminarians’ participation is also helping them become agents of the New Evangelization. Future priests need to be able to communicate the truths of the faith not only from the pulpit, but also through the modern means of communication that people use every day,” Father Lana said. “Media Day is one small step toward helping our seminarians grow in confidence as public leaders, communicators, and messengers of the Gospel,” he said.
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With her cellphone, Cecile Pagliarulo, digital media specialist and a co-host of Beyond the Beacon, captured stories and insight from seminarians Jean- Baptiste Mollet, John Peter Zappe, David Marin, and Brian Reilly in English and Deacon Carlos Vargas in Spanish.
Pagliarulo asked the seminarians specific questions that will be used in several videos on vocations- or priest-themed observances, such as Priesthood Sunday, National Vocations Awareness Week, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
“I enjoyed meeting each of the seminarians — young men committed to learning and studying about the priesthood in hopes that they will become priests for future generations of Catholics. A common theme in asking them about vocations was that we are all called to holiness,” Pagliarulo said.
Meanwhile, Michael Wojcik, managing editor of BeaconNJ.org, camped out in a classroom at the center to interview seminarians James Burke and Mark Tosso about their vocation stories in English. In another classroom, Yoel Gonzalez, a Spanish-language writer for BeaconNJ.org, interviewed seminarian Jairo Jaramillo in Spanish.
Mary Drasheff, communications coordinator at St. Paul Inside the Walls, and Joseph Ginexi, digital media specialist at St. Paul Inside the Walls, also participated in Media Day, conducting video interviews with seminarians and assisting with setting up the podcast space.
“The Media Day was upbeat. It gave us seminarians a sense of brotherhood, encouraging one another, before we go back to school. There was great care and guidance, especially from more experienced seminarians, priests and Bishop Sweeney,” Tosso said.
Then, each seminarian posed for portraits outside on St. Paul’s front porch, taken by Joe Gigli, a freelance photographer for the diocese. Then the men continued the fellowship they started at lunch.
Catalina Zempoalteca, Vocations Office coordinator, organized the Media Day with Father Lana and the other collaborating offices in the diocese. She called the first-ever Media Day “a success.”
“All our 12 seminarians have unique and beautiful vocation stories that should be shared for other men to know that God is capable of moving in their lives towards the vocation that he is calling them to live out. In our case, we hope these stories inspire more men to discern the priesthood,” Zempoalteca said. “The journey of discerning one’s vocation is a love story unraveled by God. I’m blessed to witness this working in the Vocations Office and in helping it be shared through the content created on Media Day,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI & JESSICA MARTINEZ
– On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood. “We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J. On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin
![Bishop urges Passaic parishioners to ‘persevere in prayer’ #Catholic – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer.
Jessica Martinez
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer.
Bishop Sweeney reminded the congregation that Catholics, too, can see themselves in the women from the Gospel when they turn to Jesus in moments when they feel unheard or are seeking his help. Her persistence serves as an example of the faith and the perseverance believers are called to have in our own lives.
“Jesus is inviting us today to give him a chance, and we have to persevere in prayer. We have to have the faith of that wonderful mom that didn’t stop asking.” Bishop Sweeney said.
Bishop Sweeney also invited the parish community to pray for those suffering in Colombia after a recent earthquake and for immigrants in Passaic facing difficult circumstances.
The message was echoed in the opening hymn, “Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia vamos caminando al encuentro del Señor,” reminding the faithful that we journey
together as brothers and sisters as one Church toward the Lord.
Bishop Sweeney reminded the congregation that Catholics, too, can see themselves in the women from the Gospel when they turn to Jesus in moments when they feel unheard or are seeking his help. Her persistence serves as an example of the faith and the perseverance believers are called to have in our own lives.
“Jesus is inviting us today to give him a chance, and we have to persevere in prayer. We have to have the faith of that wonderful mom that didn’t stop asking.” Bishop Sweeney said.
Bishop Sweeney also invited the parish community to pray for those suffering in Colombia after a recent earthquake and for immigrants in Passaic facing difficult circumstances.
The message was echoed in the opening hymn, “Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia vamos caminando al encuentro del Señor,” reminding the faithful that we journey
together as brothers and sisters as one Church toward the Lord.
PHOTOS | JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/bishop-urges-passaic-parishioners-to-persevere-in-prayer-catholic-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-celebrated-sunday-mass-at-our-lady-of-fatima-and-st-nicholas-parish-in-passaic-n-j-du.jpg "Bishop urges Passaic parishioners to ‘persevere in prayer’ #Catholic – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer.
Jessica Martinez
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer.
Bishop Sweeney reminded the congregation that Catholics, too, can see themselves in the women from the Gospel when they turn to Jesus in moments when they feel unheard or are seeking his help. Her persistence serves as an example of the faith and the perseverance believers are called to have in our own lives.
“Jesus is inviting us today to give him a chance, and we have to persevere in prayer. We have to have the faith of that wonderful mom that didn’t stop asking.” Bishop Sweeney said.
Bishop Sweeney also invited the parish community to pray for those suffering in Colombia after a recent earthquake and for immigrants in Passaic facing difficult circumstances.
The message was echoed in the opening hymn, “Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia vamos caminando al encuentro del Señor,” reminding the faithful that we journey
together as brothers and sisters as one Church toward the Lord.
Bishop Sweeney reminded the congregation that Catholics, too, can see themselves in the women from the Gospel when they turn to Jesus in moments when they feel unheard or are seeking his help. Her persistence serves as an example of the faith and the perseverance believers are called to have in our own lives.
“Jesus is inviting us today to give him a chance, and we have to persevere in prayer. We have to have the faith of that wonderful mom that didn’t stop asking.” Bishop Sweeney said.
Bishop Sweeney also invited the parish community to pray for those suffering in Colombia after a recent earthquake and for immigrants in Passaic facing difficult circumstances.
The message was echoed in the opening hymn, “Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia vamos caminando al encuentro del Señor,” reminding the faithful that we journey
together as brothers and sisters as one Church toward the Lord.
PHOTOS | JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
Bishop urges Passaic parishioners to ‘persevere in prayer’ #Catholic – 
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer.
Jessica Martinez
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16.
Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy.
During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer.
Bishop Sweeney reminded the congregation that Catholics, too, can see themselves in the women from the Gospel when they turn to Jesus in moments when they feel unheard or are seeking his help. Her persistence serves as an example of the faith and the perseverance believers are called to have in our own lives.
“Jesus is inviting us today to give him a chance, and we have to persevere in prayer. We have to have the faith of that wonderful mom that didn’t stop asking.” Bishop Sweeney said.
Bishop Sweeney also invited the parish community to pray for those suffering in Colombia after a recent earthquake and for immigrants in Passaic facing difficult circumstances.
The message was echoed in the opening hymn, “Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia vamos caminando al encuentro del Señor,” reminding the faithful that we journey
together as brothers and sisters as one Church toward the Lord.
Bishop Sweeney reminded the congregation that Catholics, too, can see themselves in the women from the Gospel when they turn to Jesus in moments when they feel unheard or are seeking his help. Her persistence serves as an example of the faith and the perseverance believers are called to have in our own lives.
“Jesus is inviting us today to give him a chance, and we have to persevere in prayer. We have to have the faith of that wonderful mom that didn’t stop asking.” Bishop Sweeney said.
Bishop Sweeney also invited the parish community to pray for those suffering in Colombia after a recent earthquake and for immigrants in Passaic facing difficult circumstances.
The message was echoed in the opening hymn, “Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia vamos caminando al encuentro del Señor,” reminding the faithful that we journey
together as brothers and sisters as one Church toward the Lord.
PHOTOS | JESSICA MARTINEZ
– Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas Parish in Passaic, N.J., during his pastoral visit on Aug. 16. Concelebrating with Bishop Sweeney were Father Rolands Uribe, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Nicholas, and Father Gilberto Gutierrez, a retired priest of the Diocese of N.J. Deacon Luis Gil assisted with the liturgy. During his homily, Bishop Sweeney reflected on the Gospel and the woman who approached Jesus, asking him to help her daughter. Despite initially feeling unheard, she persevered in faith and prayer. Jessica Martinez Click here to subscribe to
The country’s bishops warned that the proposed regulations could make freedom of expression contingent upon the government’s criteria of “truth.”
The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales urged world leaders to enforce religious freedom standards in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
![U.S. bishops urge Supreme Court to require 12-person juries for criminal cases #Catholic The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to require 12-person juries in criminal cases, with the bishops arguing against a Florida policy allowing smaller six-person juries in many cases. The case Kian v. Florida, which the Supreme Court agreed to hear in June, was brought after Florida chiropractor Hamed Kian was convicted of five felony counts for practicing without a license. Kian was found guilty by a six-person jury; the state of Florida only requires 12-person juries in capital cases. Several other states have similar rules. Kian sued the state arguing that the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees a right to a 12-person jury. He lost his appeal at the Fourth District Court of Appeal of Florida and subsequently appealed directly to the Supreme Court, which will hold arguments in the case in its upcoming term. In their amicus filing, the U.S. bishops argued that the term “jury” in the U.S. has historically referenced a body of 12 jurors; the bishops pointed to “Founding-era dictionaries” as well as “common-law history.” The bishops said they have a “strong interest” in the case, insofar as the Catholic Church over the centuries has played a “central role in shaping the legal culture from which the common-law jury emerged.”Among the historical examples of 12-person juries the bishops cited include the General Fundamentals of Plymouth, “the earliest codified legal system by English colonists in North America,” which guaranteed that “all trials” would be “tried by a jury of twelve good and lawful men.” The prelates disputed the Supreme Court’s 1970 ruling in the case Williams v. Florida, which held that the Sixth Amendment does not require 12 jurors in court cases. That ruling in part “discard[ed] the robust common-law history of the jury right,” while the high court in that decision “set far too high a bar for historical relevance,” they said.The bishops further cited the biblical commandment to “love your neighbor justly.” They pointed to the Catholic catechism’s mandate for public authorities to “dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone.” They urged the Supreme Court to “return to its previously long-held understanding that the Constitution entitles criminal defendants to a jury of twelve of their peers.”Numerous advocacy groups have also filed amicus briefs advocating the 12-juror standard, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Innocence Project, several dozen current and former prosecutors, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/u-s-bishops-urge-supreme-court-to-require-12-person-juries-for-criminal-cases-catholic-the-u-s-conference-of-catholic-bishops-is-urging-the-u-s-supreme-court-to-require-12-person-juries-in-crimina-scaled.jpg "U.S. bishops urge Supreme Court to require 12-person juries for criminal cases #Catholic The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to require 12-person juries in criminal cases, with the bishops arguing against a Florida policy allowing smaller six-person juries in many cases. The case Kian v. Florida, which the Supreme Court agreed to hear in June, was brought after Florida chiropractor Hamed Kian was convicted of five felony counts for practicing without a license. Kian was found guilty by a six-person jury; the state of Florida only requires 12-person juries in capital cases. Several other states have similar rules. Kian sued the state arguing that the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees a right to a 12-person jury. He lost his appeal at the Fourth District Court of Appeal of Florida and subsequently appealed directly to the Supreme Court, which will hold arguments in the case in its upcoming term. In their amicus filing, the U.S. bishops argued that the term “jury” in the U.S. has historically referenced a body of 12 jurors; the bishops pointed to “Founding-era dictionaries” as well as “common-law history.” The bishops said they have a “strong interest” in the case, insofar as the Catholic Church over the centuries has played a “central role in shaping the legal culture from which the common-law jury emerged.”Among the historical examples of 12-person juries the bishops cited include the General Fundamentals of Plymouth, “the earliest codified legal system by English colonists in North America,” which guaranteed that “all trials” would be “tried by a jury of twelve good and lawful men.” The prelates disputed the Supreme Court’s 1970 ruling in the case Williams v. Florida, which held that the Sixth Amendment does not require 12 jurors in court cases. That ruling in part “discard[ed] the robust common-law history of the jury right,” while the high court in that decision “set far too high a bar for historical relevance,” they said.The bishops further cited the biblical commandment to “love your neighbor justly.” They pointed to the Catholic catechism’s mandate for public authorities to “dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone.” They urged the Supreme Court to “return to its previously long-held understanding that the Constitution entitles criminal defendants to a jury of twelve of their peers.”Numerous advocacy groups have also filed amicus briefs advocating the 12-juror standard, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Innocence Project, several dozen current and former prosecutors, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.")
The bishops argue that the term “jury” in the U.S. has historically referenced a body of 12 jurors.
Alessandro Carrozzi, taken near Palencia, Spain The Sun’s corona glows in all its glory in this high-dynamic range image taken during totality on Aug. 12. Bright prominences are visible at the Sun’s limb, as well as faint outer structures formed by the solar wind streaming out along magnetic field lines. Earthshine is also apparent, dimlyContinue reading “The corona from Spain”
The post The corona from Spain appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Like a collage made of layered sheets of colored cellophane, a vibrant new image layers observations of a famous star-forming nebula from NASA space telescopes. The resulting cosmic “craft” reveals new details about the star formation region known as 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula.
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Panixersee (Lag da Pigniu) above Andiast, Switzerland. Rock face above the reservoir.
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Rising to a height of over 180 feet from ground level, the statue of Our Lady of Mercy exceeds in height the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil and the Christ the King statue in Poland.
A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
28:1-10
The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,
say to the prince of Tyre:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you are haughty of heart,
you say, ?A god am I!
I occupy a godly throne
in the heart of the sea!??
And yet you are a man, and not a god,
however you may think yourself like a god.
Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,
there is no secret that is beyond you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have made riches for yourself;
You have put gold and silver
into your treasuries.
By your great wisdom applied to your trading
you have heaped up your riches;
your heart has grown haughty from your riches?
therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you have thought yourself
to have the mind of a god,
Therefore I will bring against you
foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.
They shall draw their swords
against your beauteous wisdom,
they shall run them through your splendid apparel.
They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die
a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
Will you then say, ?I am a god!?
when you face your murderers?
No, you are man, not a god,
handed over to those who will slay you.
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners,
for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
19:23-30
Jesus said to his disciples:
?Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.?
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
?Who then can be saved??
Jesus looked at them and said,
?For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.?
Then Peter said to him in reply,
?We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us??
Jesus said to them, ?Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.?
The harsh words Jesus uses towards to the rich and to riches, those regarding the camel and the eye of the needle (cf. Mt 19:23-24), have sometimes been applied too hastily to every entrepreneur and every merchant, likening them to those sellers whom Jesus drove out of the temple (cf. Mt 21:12?13). In reality, it is possible to be a merchant or an entrepreneur and still be a follower of Christ, a citizen of His Kingdom. (?) Jesus tells us that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Difficult, yes, but not impossible (cf. Mt 19:26). And indeed, we know of wealthy people who were part of Jesus?s early community, such as Zacchaeus of Jericho, Joseph of Arimathea, or certain women who supported the apostles with their resources. In the first communities there were men and women who were not poor; and in the Church there have always been wealthy people who have followed the Gospel in an exemplary manner: they included entrepreneurs, bankers and economists, such as the Blessed Giuseppe Toniolo and Giuseppe Tovini. To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, not everyone is asked to renounce their possessions as the merchant Francis of Assisi did; some who possess wealth are asked to share it. Sharing is another name for evangelical poverty. (Pope Francis, Address to participants in the public assembly of Confindustria, 12 September 2022)
Read More![Priest and nun recover sacred hosts from earthquake rubble in Colombia – #Catholic – When the Aug. 10 earthquake hit the town of Chiquinquirá in Roldanillo, a subdistrict of the Valle del Cauca district in Colombia, a wooden tabernacle in a historic chapel was destroyed, scattering consecrated hosts across the floor and covering them with debris. Minutes later, the pastor and a nearby religious sister gathered them up to take care of them according to Church protocol.The quake severely damaged Our Lady of the Rosary chapel, which dates back to the 17th century. Inside the chapel’s tabernacle was the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts left over from the Mass celebrated the previous Saturday by Father Germán Andrés Clavijo, the pastor of St. Sebastian Parish, the parish to which the chapel belongs.Immediately after the quake, which struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, the priest entered the chapel with Sister Marcela, a member of the Community of the Blessed Sacrament. They went straight to the wall where the tabernacle had been located. Falling debris had knocked the tabernacle down from its place. “I said to her, ‘Help me look, because the consecrated hosts are there,’” the priest recounted to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “We found the ciborium, but it was completely smashed,” Clavijo said, adding that “some of the hosts were badly broken,” so they began gathering them up with great care.As they picked them up by hand, both recited the “litanies to the Blessed Sacrament, to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,” and placed them into a smaller ciborium. Afterward, they sprinkled water over the debris and the areas where particles of the hosts that could no longer be gathered up might have remained.Regarding the hosts that were mixed in with dirt and debris, Clavijo said: “I told her they must be placed in a container of water so that they would dissolve” and the water could later be poured by a tree or into a potted plant.No. 1377 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist” in the physical appearance of bread and wine.The priest from Roldanillo said it was “very sad” to see the hosts scattered on the ground, for the Eucharist “is the life of the priest; that is the life of the Church; it is our center.”However, he said he had to be “very strong, because I had to find a solution,” adding: “It wasn’t the time for lamenting; after all, the earthquake had just happened, and we were in a very unsafe spot, fearing that an aftershock or something else might cause debris to come crashing down on us.” Instagram postThe quake’s effects in RoldanilloRoldanillo was one of the areas hardest hit areas by the earthquake. Located about 90 miles from Cali and founded in 1576, many of its buildings date back to the colonial era and the early days of the republic.The day after the natural disaster, the Valle del Cauca governorʼs office reported that two people had died and 112 were injured. In addition, nearly 1,300 homes were affected, “some of which have completely collapsed,” and “60% of the hospital sustained structural damage.”Regarding the parish church, the priest said that it is has closed due to the effects of the earthquake, so Masses are being celebrated in the town square. The chapel cannot be used either, and its restoration will depend on the Colombian government as it is classified as a national heritage building.In the video he shared on the day of the earthquake, Clavijo expressed his solidarity with the residents of Roldanillo: “Amid the rubble left behind, I also wish to offer a prayer of hope and encouragement for those who have lost everything, especially those who have lost a loved one.”
The Aug. 10, 2026, earthquake that hit the town of Chiquinquirá in Roldanillo, a subdistrict of the Valle del Cauca district in Colombia, severely damaged Our Lady of the Rosary chapel, which dates back to the 17th century.| Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Germán Andrés Clavijo/video screenshot
The priest affirmed that, although it is not easy, “with hope and God’s hand, all of us united, will overcome this storm. As the Gospel said yesterday [Sunday, Aug. 9], sometimes we walk amid strong winds and turbulent waves, and our boat seems to be sinking, but God reaches out his hand to us. Like Peter, we all cry out: ‘Lord, save us.’”“And that is what we pray for today. To all of you, I offer my blessing and words of encouragement and hope during these times. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he said, blessing the viewers.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/2026/08/priest-and-nun-recover-sacred-hosts-from-earthquake-rubble-in-colombia-catholic-when-the-aug-10-earthquake-hit-the-town-of-chiquinquira-in-roldanillo-a-subdistrict-of-the-valle-del-cauca-distri.jpg "Priest and nun recover sacred hosts from earthquake rubble in Colombia – #Catholic – When the Aug. 10 earthquake hit the town of Chiquinquirá in Roldanillo, a subdistrict of the Valle del Cauca district in Colombia, a wooden tabernacle in a historic chapel was destroyed, scattering consecrated hosts across the floor and covering them with debris. Minutes later, the pastor and a nearby religious sister gathered them up to take care of them according to Church protocol.The quake severely damaged Our Lady of the Rosary chapel, which dates back to the 17th century. Inside the chapel’s tabernacle was the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts left over from the Mass celebrated the previous Saturday by Father Germán Andrés Clavijo, the pastor of St. Sebastian Parish, the parish to which the chapel belongs.Immediately after the quake, which struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, the priest entered the chapel with Sister Marcela, a member of the Community of the Blessed Sacrament. They went straight to the wall where the tabernacle had been located. Falling debris had knocked the tabernacle down from its place. “I said to her, ‘Help me look, because the consecrated hosts are there,’” the priest recounted to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “We found the ciborium, but it was completely smashed,” Clavijo said, adding that “some of the hosts were badly broken,” so they began gathering them up with great care.As they picked them up by hand, both recited the “litanies to the Blessed Sacrament, to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,” and placed them into a smaller ciborium. Afterward, they sprinkled water over the debris and the areas where particles of the hosts that could no longer be gathered up might have remained.Regarding the hosts that were mixed in with dirt and debris, Clavijo said: “I told her they must be placed in a container of water so that they would dissolve” and the water could later be poured by a tree or into a potted plant.No. 1377 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist” in the physical appearance of bread and wine.The priest from Roldanillo said it was “very sad” to see the hosts scattered on the ground, for the Eucharist “is the life of the priest; that is the life of the Church; it is our center.”However, he said he had to be “very strong, because I had to find a solution,” adding: “It wasn’t the time for lamenting; after all, the earthquake had just happened, and we were in a very unsafe spot, fearing that an aftershock or something else might cause debris to come crashing down on us.” Instagram postThe quake’s effects in RoldanilloRoldanillo was one of the areas hardest hit areas by the earthquake. Located about 90 miles from Cali and founded in 1576, many of its buildings date back to the colonial era and the early days of the republic.The day after the natural disaster, the Valle del Cauca governorʼs office reported that two people had died and 112 were injured. In addition, nearly 1,300 homes were affected, “some of which have completely collapsed,” and “60% of the hospital sustained structural damage.”Regarding the parish church, the priest said that it is has closed due to the effects of the earthquake, so Masses are being celebrated in the town square. The chapel cannot be used either, and its restoration will depend on the Colombian government as it is classified as a national heritage building.In the video he shared on the day of the earthquake, Clavijo expressed his solidarity with the residents of Roldanillo: “Amid the rubble left behind, I also wish to offer a prayer of hope and encouragement for those who have lost everything, especially those who have lost a loved one.”
The Aug. 10, 2026, earthquake that hit the town of Chiquinquirá in Roldanillo, a subdistrict of the Valle del Cauca district in Colombia, severely damaged Our Lady of the Rosary chapel, which dates back to the 17th century.| Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Germán Andrés Clavijo/video screenshot
The priest affirmed that, although it is not easy, “with hope and God’s hand, all of us united, will overcome this storm. As the Gospel said yesterday [Sunday, Aug. 9], sometimes we walk amid strong winds and turbulent waves, and our boat seems to be sinking, but God reaches out his hand to us. Like Peter, we all cry out: ‘Lord, save us.’”“And that is what we pray for today. To all of you, I offer my blessing and words of encouragement and hope during these times. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he said, blessing the viewers.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.")
Despite the danger of the earthquake’s aftershocks, a priest and nun in Colombia entered a chapel in search of the hosts that were kept in the tabernacle that they found destroyed.
![Florida attorney general, Miami archbishop spar over vaccine exemptions in Catholic schools – #Catholic – A dispute between Florida’s Catholic bishops and state Attorney General James Uthmeier over vaccine exemptions in Catholic schools is testing the boundaries between state law and Church authority, with both sides arguing religious freedom is at stake.The dispute began with what Wenski described as Uthmeierʼs “veiled threat” in a July 31 letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. In it, the attorney general urged the bishops to bring Catholic schools into compliance with Florida law requiring religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates, on pain of the loss of state funding through its school choice scholarship program. Florida has one of the most expansive school choice programs in the United States, whereby families can use state-funded scholarship money for a variety of education-related expenses, including private school tuition.Uthmeier argued in his letter that “at least one diocese” in Florida appears to have adopted a policy based on what he characterized as the bishops' erroneous interpretation of guidance given to Wenski in 2011 by the National Catholic Bioethics Center.The bioethics center’s then-president, John Haas, said Catholic institutions could not grant exemptions to vaccines on religious grounds because the Church has determined that utilizing vaccines derived from aborted fetal cell lines was “not intrinsically evil” because of the remoteness of the original, evil act of abortion. At the same time, Haas made a distinction between religious and conscience objections, stating Catholic institutions should grant the latter “as liberally as possible for the sake of the delicate consciences” of Catholic parents. He also noted that the consciences of those making school policies must be respected.Wenski told “EWTN News in Depth” host Catherine Hadro in an Aug. 14 interview: “If a Catholic has conscience objections to the vaccines you canʼt say that your objections come from your understanding of the Catholic faith because the vaccinations available and developed are not contrary to Church teachings.”Religious exemptions or conscience exemptions?The distinction between the two types of exemptions is important, making the Florida case complicated, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, an attorney and the founder of The Conscience Project, told EWTN News. While most states offer some combination of medical, religious, and conscience exemptions to vaccine mandates, Florida law does not explicitly protect conscience objections, only medical and religious ones.Uthmeier argues that conscience objections fall under the protection of religious liberty, particularly for Catholics, for whom the formation of conscience is a central aspect of the faith.“The teachings of the Catholic Church do not require Catholic schools to compel students to take vaccines derived from the tissue of aborted children against the sincerely held religious objections of their parents,” Uthmeier wrote.The attorney general also noted that some Catholic families object to certain vaccines not only because of their connection to aborted fetal cell lines, but also because of concerns about the safety of vaccine ingredients and methods of production, including the use of mRNA technology, which he said brings a “heightened risk of health defects, including miscarriages.”The National Catholic Bioethics Center declined to comment to EWTN News. However, the organization maintains resources on its website stating the Church’s position that although vaccines developed through morally problematic means may be used for grave reasons, vaccination is not a moral obligation for Catholics and, in order to protect human dignity and the free exercise of conscience, should be voluntary.The organization also states that “public health measures and policies should be built upon sound science and ethical principles.”Uthmeier: Parents' rights are being violatedUthmeier told EWTN News he is concerned about the "religious freedoms and rights of parents.” He pointed out that many Catholic families have come to him noting the irony that their conscience rights are protected in public schools in Florida but not in Catholic ones. Uthmeier also said families are confused because Catholic schools in several dioceses across the country do grant vaccine conscience and religious exemptions.Because Catholic schools receive state scholarship funds, he argued, the state has an interest in ensuring that religious freedoms are protected.“Where First Amendment rights [and] the religious beliefs of parents are being violated, we as a state have a duty to investigate and see what legal tools we may have to protect our parents in Florida,” he said.While acknowledging that the state cannot dictate religious beliefs, he said he remains unconvinced that the bishops have identified an authentically religious reason for denying exemptions.A Catholic himself, Uthmeier further pointed to what he said were long-standing Catholic teachings regarding parental authority and conscience rights.“Respecting the right of conscience is deeply embedded in our catechism,” he said. “How these rights can be violated, and how Catholic Church officials can disagree on citing religious teaching across the country, perplexes me.”Wenski: Catholic schools must protect the common goodWenski likewise framed the controversy as a religious freedom issue, from the perspective of the Churchʼs right to determine and apply its own teachings.He described Uthmeierʼs position as “an unfair and ill-advised interpretation of separation of Church and state” and argued that lawmakers never intended school-choice scholarships to impose a religious test on participating schools. “The Church has a right to determine our own teachings,” he said.Wenski told EWTN News that the bishops “certainly respect the rights of conscience of every person.” At the same time, he said Catholic social teaching also obligates schools to promote the common good and protect children through immunization.“Weʼve witnessed in recent months an upsurge of cases of measles, and we know that that presents certain dangers for pregnant women,” Wenski said.The archbishop noted that Catholic schools already grant medical exemptions when a physician certifies that a child should not be vaccinated.But he maintained that parents who object to vaccination are free to choose another school."Nobody is forced to go to a Catholic school,” he said.The bishops sent Uthmeier a formal response, Wenski said, outlining what they view as the religious freedom issues implicated by the attorney generalʼs intervention.Wenski said the bishops are “prepared to protect our students, to defend our rights, and to preserve religious freedom” while remaining open to continued dialogue with the state.Critics of Florida bishops’ policy disagreeWhile Wenski suggested the issue is largely settled within Catholic teaching, critics of the Florida bishops' policy disagree.Yvonne Bontkowski, director of Children of God for Life, said the controversy reflects a deeper disagreement over how Catholics should respond to vaccines connected to abortion-derived cell lines.“This is the first time I have ever seen where the state isnʼt asking the Church to violate its teaching, itʼs asking the Church to honor it,” she told EWTN News.The organization argues that although the Church has determined it can be morally permissible to receive such vaccines under certain circumstances, Church teaching says Catholics still have a moral duty to advocate for ethical alternatives and resist what it sees as the continued exploitation of aborted fetal tissue in biomedical research.Bontkowski cited a 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life, which established the moral permissibility of the use of vaccines developed from aborted fetal cell lines in order to protect health but also affirmed that Catholics may exercise conscientious objection regarding such vaccines.“Our conscience is directed to what is morally good,” she said. “The Vatican never said these vaccines are morally good. It said weʼre not sinning if we take them for grave reasons and on a temporary basis while we demand ethical alternatives.”She argued that families exercising that duty should not be excluded from Catholic education, which, unlike immunization, is a moral obligation.Canon law states that parents have both a right and a “most grave obligation” to provide a Catholic education for their children, while Canon 217 affirms that the faithful have the right to a Christian education “by which they are to be instructed properly to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation.”Other critics contend that the debate ultimately turns on differing understandings of public health and the common good.Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and director of the National Vaccine Information Center, told EWTN News that Catholic school officials generally formulate vaccine and other public health policies based on the judgments of public health authorities.But, she argued, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed public distrust in scientific and governmental institutions, especially regarding data about who is at greatest biological risk for vaccines “that could hurt or even kill people.”“Unfortunately the entire notion of the common good rests upon the science,” Fisher said. “If the scientists and the government havenʼt done due diligence in doing the best science, or havenʼt told the full truth, that is a moral dilemma the Church is going to have to eventually grapple with.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/florida-attorney-general-miami-archbishop-spar-over-vaccine-exemptions-in-catholic-schools-catholic-a-dispute-between-floridas-catholic-bishops-and-state-attorney-general-james-uthmeier.jpg "Florida attorney general, Miami archbishop spar over vaccine exemptions in Catholic schools – #Catholic – A dispute between Florida’s Catholic bishops and state Attorney General James Uthmeier over vaccine exemptions in Catholic schools is testing the boundaries between state law and Church authority, with both sides arguing religious freedom is at stake.The dispute began with what Wenski described as Uthmeierʼs “veiled threat” in a July 31 letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. In it, the attorney general urged the bishops to bring Catholic schools into compliance with Florida law requiring religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates, on pain of the loss of state funding through its school choice scholarship program. Florida has one of the most expansive school choice programs in the United States, whereby families can use state-funded scholarship money for a variety of education-related expenses, including private school tuition.Uthmeier argued in his letter that “at least one diocese” in Florida appears to have adopted a policy based on what he characterized as the bishops' erroneous interpretation of guidance given to Wenski in 2011 by the National Catholic Bioethics Center.The bioethics center’s then-president, John Haas, said Catholic institutions could not grant exemptions to vaccines on religious grounds because the Church has determined that utilizing vaccines derived from aborted fetal cell lines was “not intrinsically evil” because of the remoteness of the original, evil act of abortion. At the same time, Haas made a distinction between religious and conscience objections, stating Catholic institutions should grant the latter “as liberally as possible for the sake of the delicate consciences” of Catholic parents. He also noted that the consciences of those making school policies must be respected.Wenski told “EWTN News in Depth” host Catherine Hadro in an Aug. 14 interview: “If a Catholic has conscience objections to the vaccines you canʼt say that your objections come from your understanding of the Catholic faith because the vaccinations available and developed are not contrary to Church teachings.”Religious exemptions or conscience exemptions?The distinction between the two types of exemptions is important, making the Florida case complicated, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, an attorney and the founder of The Conscience Project, told EWTN News. While most states offer some combination of medical, religious, and conscience exemptions to vaccine mandates, Florida law does not explicitly protect conscience objections, only medical and religious ones.Uthmeier argues that conscience objections fall under the protection of religious liberty, particularly for Catholics, for whom the formation of conscience is a central aspect of the faith.“The teachings of the Catholic Church do not require Catholic schools to compel students to take vaccines derived from the tissue of aborted children against the sincerely held religious objections of their parents,” Uthmeier wrote.The attorney general also noted that some Catholic families object to certain vaccines not only because of their connection to aborted fetal cell lines, but also because of concerns about the safety of vaccine ingredients and methods of production, including the use of mRNA technology, which he said brings a “heightened risk of health defects, including miscarriages.”The National Catholic Bioethics Center declined to comment to EWTN News. However, the organization maintains resources on its website stating the Church’s position that although vaccines developed through morally problematic means may be used for grave reasons, vaccination is not a moral obligation for Catholics and, in order to protect human dignity and the free exercise of conscience, should be voluntary.The organization also states that “public health measures and policies should be built upon sound science and ethical principles.”Uthmeier: Parents' rights are being violatedUthmeier told EWTN News he is concerned about the \"religious freedoms and rights of parents.” He pointed out that many Catholic families have come to him noting the irony that their conscience rights are protected in public schools in Florida but not in Catholic ones. Uthmeier also said families are confused because Catholic schools in several dioceses across the country do grant vaccine conscience and religious exemptions.Because Catholic schools receive state scholarship funds, he argued, the state has an interest in ensuring that religious freedoms are protected.“Where First Amendment rights [and] the religious beliefs of parents are being violated, we as a state have a duty to investigate and see what legal tools we may have to protect our parents in Florida,” he said.While acknowledging that the state cannot dictate religious beliefs, he said he remains unconvinced that the bishops have identified an authentically religious reason for denying exemptions.A Catholic himself, Uthmeier further pointed to what he said were long-standing Catholic teachings regarding parental authority and conscience rights.“Respecting the right of conscience is deeply embedded in our catechism,” he said. “How these rights can be violated, and how Catholic Church officials can disagree on citing religious teaching across the country, perplexes me.”Wenski: Catholic schools must protect the common goodWenski likewise framed the controversy as a religious freedom issue, from the perspective of the Churchʼs right to determine and apply its own teachings.He described Uthmeierʼs position as “an unfair and ill-advised interpretation of separation of Church and state” and argued that lawmakers never intended school-choice scholarships to impose a religious test on participating schools. “The Church has a right to determine our own teachings,” he said.Wenski told EWTN News that the bishops “certainly respect the rights of conscience of every person.” At the same time, he said Catholic social teaching also obligates schools to promote the common good and protect children through immunization.“Weʼve witnessed in recent months an upsurge of cases of measles, and we know that that presents certain dangers for pregnant women,” Wenski said.The archbishop noted that Catholic schools already grant medical exemptions when a physician certifies that a child should not be vaccinated.But he maintained that parents who object to vaccination are free to choose another school.\"Nobody is forced to go to a Catholic school,” he said.The bishops sent Uthmeier a formal response, Wenski said, outlining what they view as the religious freedom issues implicated by the attorney generalʼs intervention.Wenski said the bishops are “prepared to protect our students, to defend our rights, and to preserve religious freedom” while remaining open to continued dialogue with the state.Critics of Florida bishops’ policy disagreeWhile Wenski suggested the issue is largely settled within Catholic teaching, critics of the Florida bishops' policy disagree.Yvonne Bontkowski, director of Children of God for Life, said the controversy reflects a deeper disagreement over how Catholics should respond to vaccines connected to abortion-derived cell lines.“This is the first time I have ever seen where the state isnʼt asking the Church to violate its teaching, itʼs asking the Church to honor it,” she told EWTN News.The organization argues that although the Church has determined it can be morally permissible to receive such vaccines under certain circumstances, Church teaching says Catholics still have a moral duty to advocate for ethical alternatives and resist what it sees as the continued exploitation of aborted fetal tissue in biomedical research.Bontkowski cited a 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life, which established the moral permissibility of the use of vaccines developed from aborted fetal cell lines in order to protect health but also affirmed that Catholics may exercise conscientious objection regarding such vaccines.“Our conscience is directed to what is morally good,” she said. “The Vatican never said these vaccines are morally good. It said weʼre not sinning if we take them for grave reasons and on a temporary basis while we demand ethical alternatives.”She argued that families exercising that duty should not be excluded from Catholic education, which, unlike immunization, is a moral obligation.Canon law states that parents have both a right and a “most grave obligation” to provide a Catholic education for their children, while Canon 217 affirms that the faithful have the right to a Christian education “by which they are to be instructed properly to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation.”Other critics contend that the debate ultimately turns on differing understandings of public health and the common good.Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and director of the National Vaccine Information Center, told EWTN News that Catholic school officials generally formulate vaccine and other public health policies based on the judgments of public health authorities.But, she argued, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed public distrust in scientific and governmental institutions, especially regarding data about who is at greatest biological risk for vaccines “that could hurt or even kill people.”“Unfortunately the entire notion of the common good rests upon the science,” Fisher said. “If the scientists and the government havenʼt done due diligence in doing the best science, or havenʼt told the full truth, that is a moral dilemma the Church is going to have to eventually grapple with.”")
A dispute between Florida’s Catholic bishops and the state attorney general over vaccine exemptions in Catholic schools is testing the boundaries between state law and Church authority.
Rocket launches this week On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Chinese aerospace firm LandSpace is targeting 7:35 p.m. EDT for the second flight of its Zhuque-3 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, according to tracking from Next Spaceflight. The launch was scrubbed last week after a Long March 7A rocket exploded hours before Zhuque-3’sContinue reading “More Starlink satellites and two big launches for China”
The post More Starlink satellites and two big launches for China appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![New film ‘American Martyr’ tells story of Oklahoma priest and martyr Blessed Stanley Rother #Catholic Hundreds gathered late last month in Oklahoma City for the premiere of the new film “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story,” a feature-length documentary depicting the inspiring life of Blessed Stanley Rother.“This has been a long time coming,” Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City told EWTN News on the red carpet July 28.Born in Okarche, Oklahoma, Rother was a farmer before he attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and was ordained a priest in 1963. After serving as an associate pastor at a parish in Oklahoma for five years, Rother received permission to join the staff at the Oklahoma diocese’s mission in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.He served the Tz’utujil people, who are descendants of the Mayans, in Guatemala, learning their native Tz’utujil language as well as Spanish. As their pastor, Rother celebrated Mass and helped translate the New Testament into the Tz’utujil language. He quickly gained the trust and love of the local people, ministering to them in their homes, sharing meals, helping them in the fields, and visiting the sick.While Rother was in Guatemala, a civil war broke out and the Catholic Church was caught in its crosshairs. The priest’s name was placed on a death list. On July 28, 1981, three men entered the rectory at night and killed the beloved priest.Rother’s cause for canonization opened in 2007 by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, and in 2016 Pope Francis recognized Rother as a martyr for the faith. He became the first American-born priest to be recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church.
The Warren Theater in Oklahoma City hosted the premiere of “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” on July 28, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Chris Porter
“We’ve been very intentionally promoting the cause of Blessed Stanley Rother for many years,” Coakley said. “He’s been beatified and now we’re working toward his canonization, and in order for that ever to happen we need more and more people seeking the intercession of Blessed Stanley Rother and seeking his divine favor so that miracles may be performed through his intercession. So that’s why we undertook this production, to introduce him to more and more people.”The archbishop added that the film is “a beautiful depiction of the life of an ordinary Catholic who responded generously and faithfully to Godʼs grace and mercy and allowed the Lord to transform him and form him into the saint ultimately that we hope he will finally be named.”Michael Scaperlanda, chancellor at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said: “This is an exciting moment for the archdiocese to have a nationwide release … of this wonderful documentary narrated by Martin Sheen.”He highlighted the importance of sharing Rother’s story to a wider audience because it serves as a reminder that “even ordinary people can become saints.” For Felipe Coche Pablo, the documentary is particularly personal. Pablo is a native of Santiago Atitlan and was baptized by Rother when he was 6 months old. He was 2 years old when Rother was killed.When Rother’s cause was opened, Pablo was appointed to serve as the official church notary for Rother’s parish in Santiago Atitlán. It was then that he learned about the potential saint’s life and legacy.Pablo said learning about Rother deeply impacted his life and taught him “to keep fighting in life. There are always stumbles, but you have to pick yourself back up, like he [Rother] did.”
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, left, and Felipe Coche Pablo, right, at the premiere of “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” on July 28, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Chris Porter
Today, Pablo is the administrator at Colegio Católico Padre Aplaʼs — also known as the Blessed Stanley Rother Catholic School — in Santiago Atitlán. This school is part of the parish in which Rother served, Santiago Apóstol, or St. James the Apostle Church.“We have 435 students and the education is trilingual — Tz’utujil, Spanish, and English,” he explained. “Our first language is the Mayan language, Tz’utujil. And he [Rother] was a priest that was very loved by the people because he learned the Mayan language Tz’utujil, like us, like what I speak.”Pablo said he hopes viewers of the film will be inspired by Rother’s “service to others” and to “carry peace, love, evangelize, and what is most needed in life — look for God.”Coakley added that he hopes viewers will leave the theater reminded that “all of us are called to holiness.”“Stanley Rother would not have been the one in high school in the yearbook that said most likely to become a saint … And yet all of us are called, it’s our vocation if you’re baptized, you’re called to be a saint. All of us are called to be saints. And Stanley Rother gives us a hope that for each one of us that is a possibility that is real.”“American Martyr” can be seen in theaters across the U.S. on Aug. 25 and 26 in English and in Spanish on Aug. 27.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/new-film-american-martyr-tells-story-of-oklahoma-priest-and-martyr-blessed-stanley-rother-catholic-hundreds-gathered-late-last-month-in-oklahoma-city-for-the-premiere-of-the-new-fil-scaled.png "New film ‘American Martyr’ tells story of Oklahoma priest and martyr Blessed Stanley Rother #Catholic Hundreds gathered late last month in Oklahoma City for the premiere of the new film “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story,” a feature-length documentary depicting the inspiring life of Blessed Stanley Rother.“This has been a long time coming,” Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City told EWTN News on the red carpet July 28.Born in Okarche, Oklahoma, Rother was a farmer before he attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and was ordained a priest in 1963. After serving as an associate pastor at a parish in Oklahoma for five years, Rother received permission to join the staff at the Oklahoma diocese’s mission in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.He served the Tz’utujil people, who are descendants of the Mayans, in Guatemala, learning their native Tz’utujil language as well as Spanish. As their pastor, Rother celebrated Mass and helped translate the New Testament into the Tz’utujil language. He quickly gained the trust and love of the local people, ministering to them in their homes, sharing meals, helping them in the fields, and visiting the sick.While Rother was in Guatemala, a civil war broke out and the Catholic Church was caught in its crosshairs. The priest’s name was placed on a death list. On July 28, 1981, three men entered the rectory at night and killed the beloved priest.Rother’s cause for canonization opened in 2007 by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, and in 2016 Pope Francis recognized Rother as a martyr for the faith. He became the first American-born priest to be recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church.
The Warren Theater in Oklahoma City hosted the premiere of “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” on July 28, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Chris Porter
“We’ve been very intentionally promoting the cause of Blessed Stanley Rother for many years,” Coakley said. “He’s been beatified and now we’re working toward his canonization, and in order for that ever to happen we need more and more people seeking the intercession of Blessed Stanley Rother and seeking his divine favor so that miracles may be performed through his intercession. So that’s why we undertook this production, to introduce him to more and more people.”The archbishop added that the film is “a beautiful depiction of the life of an ordinary Catholic who responded generously and faithfully to Godʼs grace and mercy and allowed the Lord to transform him and form him into the saint ultimately that we hope he will finally be named.”Michael Scaperlanda, chancellor at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said: “This is an exciting moment for the archdiocese to have a nationwide release … of this wonderful documentary narrated by Martin Sheen.”He highlighted the importance of sharing Rother’s story to a wider audience because it serves as a reminder that “even ordinary people can become saints.” For Felipe Coche Pablo, the documentary is particularly personal. Pablo is a native of Santiago Atitlan and was baptized by Rother when he was 6 months old. He was 2 years old when Rother was killed.When Rother’s cause was opened, Pablo was appointed to serve as the official church notary for Rother’s parish in Santiago Atitlán. It was then that he learned about the potential saint’s life and legacy.Pablo said learning about Rother deeply impacted his life and taught him “to keep fighting in life. There are always stumbles, but you have to pick yourself back up, like he [Rother] did.”
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, left, and Felipe Coche Pablo, right, at the premiere of “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” on July 28, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Chris Porter
Today, Pablo is the administrator at Colegio Católico Padre Aplaʼs — also known as the Blessed Stanley Rother Catholic School — in Santiago Atitlán. This school is part of the parish in which Rother served, Santiago Apóstol, or St. James the Apostle Church.“We have 435 students and the education is trilingual — Tz’utujil, Spanish, and English,” he explained. “Our first language is the Mayan language, Tz’utujil. And he [Rother] was a priest that was very loved by the people because he learned the Mayan language Tz’utujil, like us, like what I speak.”Pablo said he hopes viewers of the film will be inspired by Rother’s “service to others” and to “carry peace, love, evangelize, and what is most needed in life — look for God.”Coakley added that he hopes viewers will leave the theater reminded that “all of us are called to holiness.”“Stanley Rother would not have been the one in high school in the yearbook that said most likely to become a saint … And yet all of us are called, it’s our vocation if you’re baptized, you’re called to be a saint. All of us are called to be saints. And Stanley Rother gives us a hope that for each one of us that is a possibility that is real.”“American Martyr” can be seen in theaters across the U.S. on Aug. 25 and 26 in English and in Spanish on Aug. 27.")
“American Martyr” can be seen in theaters Aug. 25-26 in English and in Spanish on Aug. 27.
The Diocese of Otukpo gave thanks for the return of the seminarian and those who have provided him care, and called for prayers for other captives.
![Bishop leads Mass helping school leaders begin academic year #Catholic – Presidents and principals of Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for a Mass he celebrated on Aug. 14 to open the 2026–27 academic year. The liturgy occurred in the oratory of the Diocesan Center in Clifton, N.J.
Father Peter Clarke, Ed. D., president of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J., concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Congregants included the staff of the diocesan Schools Office, led by Mary D. Baier, superintendent of schools.
The Mass opened a full-day meeting of principals and presidents for the start of the school year in the Molloy Center of St. Philip the Apostle Parish, also in Clifton.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI / JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/bishop-leads-mass-helping-school-leaders-begin-academic-year-catholic-presidents-and-principals-of-catholic-schools-in-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-joined-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-for-a-mass-he-celeb.jpg "Bishop leads Mass helping school leaders begin academic year #Catholic – Presidents and principals of Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for a Mass he celebrated on Aug. 14 to open the 2026–27 academic year. The liturgy occurred in the oratory of the Diocesan Center in Clifton, N.J.
Father Peter Clarke, Ed. D., president of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J., concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Congregants included the staff of the diocesan Schools Office, led by Mary D. Baier, superintendent of schools.
The Mass opened a full-day meeting of principals and presidents for the start of the school year in the Molloy Center of St. Philip the Apostle Parish, also in Clifton.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI / JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
Bishop leads Mass helping school leaders begin academic year #Catholic – 
Presidents and principals of Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for a Mass he celebrated on Aug. 14 to open the 2026–27 academic year. The liturgy occurred in the oratory of the Diocesan Center in Clifton, N.J.
Father Peter Clarke, Ed. D., president of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J., concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Congregants included the staff of the diocesan Schools Office, led by Mary D. Baier, superintendent of schools.
The Mass opened a full-day meeting of principals and presidents for the start of the school year in the Molloy Center of St. Philip the Apostle Parish, also in Clifton.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI / JESSICA MARTINEZ
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
– Presidents and principals of Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., joined Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for a Mass he celebrated on Aug. 14 to open the 2026–27 academic year. The liturgy occurred in the oratory of the Diocesan Center in Clifton, N.J. Father Peter Clarke, Ed. D., president of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J., concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Congregants included the staff of the diocesan Schools Office, led by Mary D. Baier, superintendent of schools. The Mass opened a full-day meeting of principals and presidents for the start of the school year in the Molloy
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