United Yam – You Never Know

Picture of the day Zagedan Valley with the mountain cirque and high-altitude lakes formed by ancient glacial erosion. Zagedan Ridge, Karachay-Cherkessia, Caucasus Mountains. #ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam August 20, 2026August 20, 2026

Picture of the day

Zagedan Valley with the mountain cirque and high-altitude lakes formed by ancient glacial erosion. Zagedan Ridge, Karachay-Cherkessia, Caucasus Mountains.

unitedyam August 20, 2026August 20, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 20, 2026

A 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)

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 19, 2026

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.

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“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

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 19, 2026

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.

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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

Mexico Archdiocese: Abandoned or aborted babies must be buried, treated with dignity – #Catholic – The Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico called on authorities to establish legal mechanisms ensuring a proper burial for miscarried, aborted, or unclaimed deceased babies and to create suitable places for their interment.In an editorial titled "Let no baby go without burial," published on Aug. 16 in the archdiocesan publication Desde la Fe (From a Faith Perspective), the archdiocese stated that regardless of the circumstances of a babyʼs death, "the dignity with which we treat the body" must be upheld.Death can occur “during pregnancy, at birth, or in the first days of life; it can result from illness, an unexpected complication, an abortion, or an act of violence,” the editorial noted.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.”In light of this situation, the archdiocese reiterated that “the human body, after death, must be treated with respect, due to its inherent human dignity.”Unclaimed remainsThe archdiocese explained that there are associations and apostolates in Mexico that have agreements with local authorities to “receive the bodies of babies who were miscarried, aborted, or went unclaimed, in order to provide them with a proper burial.”The associations “do not seek to replace families or hinder judicial or healthcare investigations. Their valuable work is to care for those little ones that no one else is doing anything for,” the editorial stated.The archdiocese called on the governing authorities to establish mechanisms that, “once all corresponding legal and forensic procedures have been completed, allow for the bodies or remains of unclaimed babies to be turned over to duly accredited institutions and associations prepared to provide them with burial.”Places for remembrance and prayerThe Archdiocese of Mexico also said it is necessary to “have places specifically set aside for these little ones,” places where the remains of babies “whose families could not bury them or whose bodies were never claimed” could be laid to rest.“Such a site could also become a place of remembrance, prayer, and comfort for the many mothers, fathers, and families who have endured a loss that they often carry with them in silence,” the archdiocese noted.The editorial concluded by stating that every person “deserves respect and dignity,” regardless of how “brief their time on this world may have been” or how “difficult the circumstances of their death may have been.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 20, 2026

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 of San Antonio announces laicization of priest for schism and disobedience to the pope – #Catholic – Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio has announced that John Mary Foster, a priest of the archdiocese, has been found guilty of schism and has been dismissed from the clerical state.According to a statement by the archbishop, Foster, who was incardinated into the Archdiocese of San Antonio in 2009, has publicly referred to Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV as “usurpers.” He published messages allegedly received from God, Jesus, and the Blessed Mother by a member of the Mission of Divine Mercy, which he led, and which he said claimed that Pope Leo XIV is “not a true pope.”Despite the archbishop’s multiple requests that Foster repent and stop his “schismatic actions and teachings,” the priest continued to celebrate Mass while omitting the names of both the late Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV from the Eucharistic Prayer. In response to Foster’s disobedience, a tribunal of independent canon lawyers authorized by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith conducted a judicial process that began April 10, 2025. The tribunal spent over a year reviewing evidence consisting of Foster’s statements, actions, homilies, and teachings. It also heard testimony from witnesses.On April 20, 2026, the tribunal declared Foster guilty of the crime of schism for his refusal of submission to the Roman pontiff. It imposed “latae sententiae” excommunication and removed him from the clerical state. Foster did not exercise his right of appeal.“To be Catholic is to be in communion with the pope, the bishop of Rome and the successor of Saint Peter, and with the college of bishops in communion with him,” García-Siller wrote.“Throughout the history of the Church, those who sever ties from this sacred communion often profess to remain in communion with the true Church, even as they deny the successors to Peter and the Apostles, with whom they disagree,” the archbishop continued. “History has shown that these schisms, often initiated by charismatic leaders and based in politics, heresy, or poorly executed attempts at reform, always result in splintered communities who find themselves no longer in communion with the Catholic Church.”“Sadly, this is the case with John Mary Foster and any who choose to follow him out of the Catholic Church,” he said. “Mr. Foster has chosen the path of disobedience.”As a result of the sentence, Foster no longer possesses faculties to celebrate the sacraments except in the limited circumstances provided by canon law. García-Siller said that though he has prohibited Foster from publicly celebrating Mass, “he continues to do so.”The archbishop has prohibited all Catholics from attending any Mass, liturgical activity, or event sponsored by Foster or the Mission of Divine Mercy in Canyon Lake, telling EWTN News that “they continue to sew disunity.” He has also urged the faithful to cease all financial support to Foster and the Mission of Divine Mercy.García-Siller said “the recent actions taken against him and the mission are painful but warranted” because “the archdiocese has sought repentance from John Mary Foster and the Mission of Divine Mercy” for many years. He encouraged Catholics to pray for Foster’s repentance and reconciliation with the Church.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 20, 2026

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.

OAS council approves call for foreign ministers’ meeting on Nicaragua crackdown – #Catholic – The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) voted to summon hemispheric foreign ministers for an emergency session on Nicaragua following President Daniel Ortega’s vow to end elections and ongoing concerns about government pressure on the Catholic Church.The council adopted the resolution, “Convocation of a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to Consider the Situation in Nicaragua,” on Aug. 19 in a 29-1 vote among member states, with only Brazil voting against the measure and Mexico abstaining. Haiti and Venezuela were absent.Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the United States advanced the measure after presenting it at an Aug. 5 special session of the OAS Permanent Council. The U.S. is calling for the meeting to take place before Sept. 1, when the Ortega regime is set to codify its latest policy reforms, including the suspension of future elections. The move invokes one of the OAS’ highest‑level diplomatic tools, signaling that member states view Nicaragua’s political rupture as a regional concern with direct human rights implications. It comes after Ortega’s announcement and other constitutional changes aimed at blocking opposition figures from power.In October 2023, the Permanent Council unanimously approved the resolution “Rejection of the Repressive Measures of the Government of Nicaragua Against Educational Institutions and the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.” Nicaragua withdrew from the OAS in November 2023.Commissioner Rosa María Payá, rapporteur for Nicaragua at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, expressed concern at the Aug. 5 OAS Permanent Council meeting over ongoing human rights abuses against Nicaraguans, including arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances.

Commissioner Rosa María Payá, rapporteur for Nicaragua at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, on Aug. 5, 2026, converses at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. | Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/EWTN News

Payá, a Catholic of Cuban descent, told EWTN News: “We are very concerned about the situation of the persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua and the persecution of the faith in general, and the practice and the exercise of the faith.”“Iʼm Catholic myself and I also come from a society that has suffered the violation of human rights,” she said. “So I deeply understand what it is to to be afraid to speak your mind, what it is to be afraid of practicing and voicing your faith, which is a very primary human exercise.”Payá is the daughter of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, a Catholic dissident who founded the Christian Liberation Movement, a peaceful democratic movement inspired by Catholic social teaching in 1988. He was killed during the Cuban Spring in 2012.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 20, 2026

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.”

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 20, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 20, 2026

In his homily, Bishop Flávio Giovenale held up Mary as the faithful disciple who, like her son, served others.

These Amtrak Trains Travel From NYC to the Deep South, Passing Historic Cities and Coastal Scenery #Travel They’re perfect for families, too.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 19, 2026

They’re perfect for families, too.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 19, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 19, 2026August 19, 2026

NASA’s Boeing 777 returns to the agency’s Langley Research Center after receiving a new paint scheme.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 18, 2026

Picture of the day

Finnish Air Force Hawker Hurricane warbird and U.S. Navy T-6 Texan warbird in flight over Finland

$Catholic Relief Services receives share of .4 billion in aid to faith‑based groups – #Catholic – The State Department has awarded million to Catholic Relief Services as part of a .4 billion partnership with faith-based organizations around the world.Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will receive the funding through the State Department’s Faith and Community Initiative (FCI) announced Aug. 6, alongside other international aid groups, including World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse.“CRS is so proud to be among the recipients of the new Faith and Community Initiative! We received million in first-year funding to lead programming in Cameroon, Liberia, and Nigeria, working as part of a group of faith-based organizations,” CRS spokesperson Brittany Wichtendahl said in a statement to EWTN News.“The funding will help improve hospitals, clinics, and the health networks in rural parts of the countries — where a lot of families have limited access to quality healthcare,” she said. “This investment reflects a core strength of CRS’ approach: working alongside trusted local Church, Caritas, and faith-based partners that are deeply rooted in the communities they serve.”CRS’ financial statements show that U.S. government grants routinely constituted 40% to 50% of total revenue in fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2025, and the 2026 federal grants to the U.S.-based international humanitarian nonprofit organization are only a fraction of the government funding CRS previously received. CRS’ fiscal 2023 budget totaled .3 billion, rising to .4 billion in fiscal 2024 before dipping to .2 billion in fiscal 2025.The aid CRS is set to receive is part of 0 million the State Department earmarked for distribution among faith-based groups over the course of five years.The State Department also said an additional 0 million will be provided directly to faith-based hospitals and clinics under memorandums of understanding with country governments.The State Department said leveraging faith-based and community-run hospitals and clinics ensures that “at least 80% of resources go toward frontline health services that reach patients and clients while streamlining overhead and management costs, a significant increase from the 35% to 40% of resources that went to frontline health services in historical awards from the State Department.”The latest aid package comes after CRS received 5 million in food aid from the State Department for programs in Sudan and Ethiopia in July.$

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 19, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 19, 2026

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)

15,000 faithful and pope’s representative commemorate centenary of 4 Mexican martyrs – #Catholic – Around 15,000 faithful gathered on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Holy Places of Chalchihuites in the Mexican state of Zacatecas to commemorate the centenary of four martyrs killed during the Cristero War.Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, apostolic nuncio to Mexico and representative of Pope Leo XIV in the country, presided over the celebration that concluded the centenary jubilee year.The Archdiocese of Durango shared images of the crowd gathered at the site where Sts. Luis Bátis Sáinz, Manuel Morales, Salvador Lara Puente, and David Roldán Lara were killed.The four martyrs were shot to death on Aug. 15, 1926, at Puerto de Santa Teresa, a town located in the state of Zacatecas and under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Durango.

Thousands of the faithful attend the Mass marking the centenary of the martyrdom of four Mexican saints on Aug. 15, 2026, at Puerto de Santa Teresa, Zacatecas. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Rafael López

‘God does not die’“God does not die,” Spiteri said at the beginning of his homily, echoing the words spoken by St. Manuel Morales before his execution.The nuncio recalled that the four martyrs “offered their lives while freely and peacefully professing their faith in God.”“Their crime was wanting to profess publicly, freely, and peacefully their faith in the God of life and in the Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ,” he stated.Spiteri noted that the four saints were victims of “an ideology that did not admit freedom of thought and conscience,” which some sought to “impose with violence.”In the face of this violence, he continued, the martyrs bore witness to the value “of peaceful resistance.” He emphasized that authentic freedom “is not wanting to do whatever we feel like, but being able to choose freely, consciously; choosing good and not evil.”He said that “choosing to respond to bad actions, violence, and injustice” by doing good and extending forgiveness “is true freedom.” The Vatican diplomat also encouraged Catholics to work “to build a more just society grounded in solidarity.”He emphasized that the Church relies not on “the force of power” but on “the power of service,” and he encouraged the faithful to renew their commitment to offering a witness “of dialogue, understanding, and listening to the most vulnerable and those on the margins, in order to build the kingdom of God.”Who were the 4 martyrs?St. Luis Bátis Sáinz was a priest in San Pedro Parish in Chalchihuites and was particularly noted for his work with young people, according to the Vatican website. He was arrested just 15 days after the suspension of public worship in Mexico, amid the intensification of religious persecution under the government of Plutarco Elías Calles.St. Manuel Morales, a husband and father of three, was a member of the Mexican Catholic Youth Action and president of the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty, an organization that sought the repeal of the federal governmentʼs anticlerical provisions.When Bátis asked the soldiers to spare Morales’ life because he had a wife and children, Morales replied: “Father, I am dying, but God does not die. He will look after my wife and my children.”St. Salvador Lara Puente, who had just turned 21, worked for a mining company and was an active member of Catholic Action. When soldiers arrived looking for him, he replied: “Here I am.”St. David Roldán Lara, 24, also worked for a mining company and was actively involved in the parish apostolate. He and Lara were cousins.Bátis and Morales were the first to be shot to death. A few feet away, soldiers subsequently executed Salvador Lara and David Roldán.The four were beatified by St. John Paul II on Nov. 22, 1992, and canonized by the same pontiff on May 21, 2000, alongside St. Cristóbal Magallanes and other Mexican martyrs.The Archdiocese of Durango also counts among its martyrs St. Mateo Correa Magallanes, a priest murdered on Feb. 6, 1927, in the city of Durango.

Eucharistic adorers participate in the Mass marking the centenary of the martyrdom of St. Luis Bátis and his three companions on Aug. 15, 2026, in Puerto de Santa Teresa, Zacatecas. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Rafael López

Religious freedom and freedom of conscienceOn Friday, Aug. 14, during a press conference held upon his arrival in Durango, the nuncio said his message for the local Church was one “of peace and communion, as the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, also asks of us.”Spiteri highlighted the martyrs of Durango as examples of freedom of conscience.“Whenever the respect for freedom of conscience has been lacking … the results have always been very sad and tragic,” he warned.The pope’s representative clarified that religious freedom protects not only Catholics or those who profess a particular faith but also an individualʼs right not to adhere to any religion.“When this freedom of thought is restricted … it is always a step in the wrong direction; we are moving backward, not forward,” he stated.During his visit, Spiteri had the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Holy Martyrs and attend the opening of the photographic exhibition "Centenary of the Beginning of the Cristero Movement in Mexico and Durango."A shrine dedicated to the martyrs is currently being built at the Holy Places of Chalchihuites.The celebration was preceded by an eight-day archdiocesan pilgrimage that traveled the road to the Holy Places.At its conclusion on Aug. 14, the archbishop of Durango, Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez, stated: “Blessed are those who have traveled this path, because those of us who live this experience have experienced God.”The archdiocese also shared images of the pilgrims after completing the pilgrimage, “tired, but happy,” and with their “hearts full of gratitude and joy.”Facebook postThis story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 19, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 18, 2026

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

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– 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

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 18, 2026

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

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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.

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.

“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.

PHOTOS | JESSICA MARTINEZ

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

– 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

Mexican bishops question proposed government regulation of media – #Catholic – “Truth is not decreed; rather, it is sought and recognized through free and pluralistic debate,” stated Mexico’s bishops as they questioned various aspects of the government’s proposal to regulate the rights of radio and television audiences.In an Aug. 13 statement, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym) warned that the proposal could make freedom of expression contingent upon the government’s criteria of “truth” and also compromise religious freedom and the editorial independence of the media.The public consultation, open from July 27 to Aug. 21 and conducted by the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, addresses a regulation that, according to the bishops, “will touch the daily lives of millions of Mexicans: what we hear on the radio, what we watch on television, and the spaces where information, culture, faith, opinion, and constructive criticism find a voice.”The CEM acknowledged positive aspects of the proposal, such as the explicit prohibition of prior censorship, nondiscrimination based on religion, and the protection of vulnerable groups against manipulation, misleading advertising, and content that degrades human dignity.“That these rights have clear mechanisms to be enforced is a good thing for everyone,” the conference highlighted.However, the bishops warned that, although the purpose of protecting the rights of audiences is legitimate, the way in which the goal is attempted to be achieved also matters.The CEM statement joins others made by the Catholic Church in Mexico. On Aug. 1, the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico stated that “there can be no prior censorship” and that no administrative authority should determine the veracity or acceptability of opinions.A week later, an editorial in Semanario, a publication of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, questioned who would have “the authority to decide when information is true, false, or presented out of context,” and highlighted the importance of balancing state regulation with media independence.No authority can act as an ‘arbiter of truth’The bishops emphasized that “freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of the democratic order” and noted that “no administrative authority can set itself up as an arbiter of truth, particularly regarding ideas, opinions, convictions, and beliefs, whether religious or otherwise.”The CEM drew a distinction between the veracity required of journalistic information and personal convictions, which cannot be subjected to administrative verification.“The truthfulness legitimately required of journalistic information is a duty of due diligence: to cross-check, verify, distinguish fact from opinion, and rectify errors,” the CEM explained.Something different, the conference noted, is “the truth of convictions, which admits of neither administrative verification nor sanction, and whose assessment by the state would be, in itself, incompatible with freedom of conscience and freedom of expression.”The episcopate expressed particular concern regarding the possibility that a governmental authority might classify and potentially sanction the dissemination of information deemed “false” or “taken out of context,” given that the bill does not clearly define the boundaries of these concepts.In the bishops' view, such a mechanism could “make freedom of expression contingent upon the government’s criteria for truthfulness” — something “incompatible” with the Mexican constitution, international treaties, and “various judicial precedents.”Religious freedom and editorial independenceThe CEM pointed out that by Mexican law “religious associations may not own or manage radio and television licenses.” Consequently, it called for the pluralism envisioned by the guidelines to “also include the pluralism of religious convictions and beliefs.”This protection, they added, must benefit all faiths as well as those who profess no religion, to prevent them from being subjected to “administrative judgments regarding truthfulness” or “compulsory labels.”The bishops also expressed reservations regarding the powers the bill would grant the governmental authority “to review and validate media codes of ethics,” review the decisions of audience ombudsmen, and order the rectification or modification of content.“Ethical self-regulation is a good that flourishes in freedom; when permanently subject to governmental validation, it ceases to be self-regulation,” they pointed out.Participation in consultation encouragedThe CEM deemed it “essential” for the public to participate in the consultation before Aug. 21.“Citizen participation is not merely a procedural step in the regulatory process, but an exercise of co-responsibility for the common good; a democracy is strengthened when citizens participate, not when they remain silent,” it stated.The bishops also expressed their “willingness to engage in frank and constructive dialogue” with authorities and license holders, and offered their educational and pastoral network “to collaborate on media education and literacy programs, the development of audiences that exercise critical thinking, and the dissemination of mechanisms for defending rights.”The CEM also noted that no regulation can replace the responsibility to discern information, verify it before sharing, and avoid spreading content that harms others or creates confusion.“The primary defense of the truth is not a regulation; it is a well-formed conscience,” they emphasized.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 19, 2026

The country’s bishops warned that the proposed regulations could make freedom of expression contingent upon the government’s criteria of “truth.”

Archbishop Moth urges UN to act against global persecution of believers #Catholic Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster in England issued “a vital call to action in support of people around the world oppressed for their faith” to national governments and the United Nations.Moth, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, called on Catholics and people of goodwill to sign a petition urging world leaders to ensure countries fulfill the religious freedom requirements in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.“Religious freedom is a right not a privilege,” Moth said in the Aug. 18 statement.The article, created and adopted in 1948, “affirms the right to freedom of religion or belief,” he said. “It was ratified by the United Nations and quickly became recognised around the world.”“The Second Vatican Council affirmed this right, teaching that ‘this freedom means that all people are to be immune from coercion… in such a way that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his or her own beliefs,’” he said.The petition is part of a campaign organized by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). It is intended to advocate for Article 18 ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Red Wednesday, an annual global campaign by ACN to raise awareness about religious persecution.It is “a critical moment to act,” as “more than 5 billion people live in countries where persecution, oppression, and discrimination restrict religious freedom, including more than 200 million Christians,” ACN reported.Despite Article 18’s recognition, “all too often Article 18 is ignored,” Moth said.The bishop said: “Men and women are imprisoned, others are driven from their homes, or even killed, simply because of their peacefully held beliefs.”“In some countries women and girls are kidnapped, forced to renounce their faith and marry their abductors; children are denied the right to learn about their faith; many people — young and old alike — are the victims of religious hatred; they suffer abuse and discrimination in the streets, at school and at work.”“We need to stand up for our brothers and sisters in Christ and stand in support of all those who suffer for their beliefs, recognising religious freedom as a universal human right,” Moth said.Answering Pope Leo’s callThe bishop echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call to not abandon persecuted believers.“As Pope Leo has said, ‘Religious freedom is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments. It is a foundational condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible,’” Moth said. “In the words of the Holy Father, there can be … ’no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and respect for the views of others,’” he concluded.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 19, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 19, 2026

The bishops argue that the term “jury” in the U.S. has historically referenced a body of 12 jurors.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 18, 2026

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.

I’ve Lived in California for Decades—This Is My Favorite Mountain Town for Year-round Recreation and Stunning Lake Views #Travel Mammoth Lakes is a classic choice for good reason.

unitedyam August 18, 2026August 18, 2026

Mammoth Lakes is a classic choice for good reason.

Colorful Collage of Tarantula Nebula – 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.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 17, 2026

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.

Picture of the day

Panixersee (Lag da Pigniu) above Andiast, Switzerland. Rock face above the reservoir.
#ImageOfTheDay

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 17, 2026

Picture of the day

Panixersee (Lag da Pigniu) above Andiast, Switzerland. Rock face above the reservoir.

Poland inaugurates Europe’s tallest statue of the Virgin Mary – #Catholic – On Saturday, Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Catholic Church in Poland dedicated the largest statue of the Virgin Mary in Europe during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski of Włocławek.The monument stands 55.6 meters (182 feet) tall from ground level to its highest point. It was built in the town of Konotopie and funded by married couple Grażyna and Roman Karkosik, for whom it represents a “personal vow of thanksgiving for the recovery of their health and lives,” according to Euronews.Its height exceeds that of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, which measures 38 meters (125 feet) from its base; it is also taller than the Christ the King of the Universe statue in Świebodzin, Poland, which stands 52.5 meters (172 feet) tall when measured from the mound upon which it rises.According to Vatican News, the statue depicts Our Lady of Mercy and is located near a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, which serves as a pilgrimage site. The bishop of Włocławek highlighted this during the blessing ceremony, noting that the site where the new monument stands "is no ordinary place; it is a place sanctified by the prayers of pilgrims.”Instagram postConstruction followed the design of sculptor Adam Jakub Matejkowski. The pedestal is surrounded by eight pillars in the form of a crown. Additionally, pilgrims can go up to a terrace at a height of 15.3 meters (50 feet), from where the image of Mary itself rises.In his homily, the prelate emphasized the importance of lifting oneʼs gaze toward heaven, especially in these times when many people “keep their eyes fixed solely on the earth and focus exclusively on themselves.”Regarding the name of the new sculpture, Wętkowski noted that St. Faustina Kowalska, to whom Christ revealed his divine mercy, was born in Świnice Warckie, also within the Diocese of Włocławek, where she was baptized and received her first Communion.“Here in Konotopie, Mary, in the image we see, welcomes us all; she leans toward us and opens her arms to invite us to lift our gaze upward, toward God and heaven,” Wętkowski noted.The ceremony began with the recitation of the rosary and concluded with a shower of red rose petals dropped from two helicopters hovering over the monument.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 18, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 18, 2026

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)

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.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 18, 2026

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.”

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 18, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 17, 2026

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.

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.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 18, 2026

“American Martyr” can be seen in theaters Aug. 25-26 in English and in Spanish on Aug. 27.

Nigerian seminarian abducted from bishop’s residence escapes unhurt #Catholic OTUKPO, Nigeria — A seminarian who was abducted from the bishop’s residence in Nigeria’s Diocese of Otukpo on July 29 has escaped from his captors and returned home unharmed.In a statement shared with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on Aug. 16, the chancellor of the diocese, Father Joseph Aboyi Itodo, said Kelvin Ochai “managed to escape from his abductors and made his way to Aliade in Gwer East Local Government Area, where he was found and later safely taken home.”According to the chancellor, Bishop Michael Ekwoyi Apochi, who leads the diocese, expressed gratitude to the people of God “for their show of solidarity and earnest prayers which led to the speedy and safe return of our brother.”Apochi also thanked the priest and parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul Aliade Parish, who received Ochai as a seminarian following his escape and provided him with accommodation for the night.Itodo also expressed the diocese’s appreciation to the Nigeria police for attending to the seminarian after he escaped.While giving thanks for Ochai’s safe return, the chancellor appealed for continued prayers for the many people being held by criminal groups in different parts of Nigeria, asking God to bring them safely out of captivity.He also called for prayers for an end to insecurity and the restoration of peace and stability in the West African nation.“May the good Lord reward you all beyond measure,” Itodo said, appealing for continued prayers that God would protect the people from violence and “restore sanity to our country Nigeria.”The West African nation has continued to experience attacks by armed groups involved in killings and kidnappings for ransom.The Boko Haram insurgency has posed a major security challenge in the country since 2009. The group reportedly seeks to turn Africa’s most populous nation into an Islamic state.Insecurity in other parts of Nigeria has also been linked to attacks involving predominantly Muslim Fulani herders, sometimes referred to as the Fulani militia.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 18, 2026

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.

unitedyam August 17, 2026August 17, 2026

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]

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– 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

Faith In Humanity Instantly Restored By Kids’ Lemonade Stand #BabylonBee – FRISCO, TX — Local woman Samantha Johnson’s faith in humanity was instantly restored this afternoon after she drove up to find neighborhood kids doing a lemonade stand.

unitedyam August 17, 2026

FRISCO, TX — Local woman Samantha Johnson’s faith in humanity was instantly restored this afternoon after she drove up to find neighborhood kids doing a lemonade stand.

Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead at 36 – Actress Hayden Panettiere passed away on Sunday, according to ABC News and TMZ.
The post Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead at 36 appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

Actress Hayden Panettiere passed away on Sunday, according to ABC News and TMZ.

The post Actress Hayden Panettiere Dead at 36 appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Migrant From Ghana Arrested Multiple Times in Two Weeks For Raping, Sexually Assaulting Women in Oklahoma – A migrant from Ghana has been arrested at least three times in the last two weeks for raping and sexually assaulting women in Oklahoma.
The post Migrant From Ghana Arrested Multiple Times in Two Weeks For Raping, Sexually Assaulting Women in Oklahoma appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

A migrant from Ghana has been arrested at least three times in the last two weeks for raping and sexually assaulting women in Oklahoma.

The post Migrant From Ghana Arrested Multiple Times in Two Weeks For Raping, Sexually Assaulting Women in Oklahoma appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump ORDERS Secretary Hegseth to SLASH “Costly” Joint Military Operations with South Korea — Cites His “Very Good Friendship” with Kim Jong Un After Seoul REFUSES to Help America – President Donald Trump dropped a foreign-policy bombshell Sunday, ordering Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the massive joint military exercises set to begin with South Korea on Monday.
The post President Trump ORDERS Secretary Hegseth to SLASH “Costly” Joint Military Operations with South Korea — Cites His “Very Good Friendship” with Kim Jong Un After Seoul REFUSES to Help America appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a podium with the presidential seal, flanked by other officials during a press event.

President Donald Trump dropped a foreign-policy bombshell Sunday, ordering Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the massive joint military exercises set to begin with South Korea on Monday.

The post President Trump ORDERS Secretary Hegseth to SLASH “Costly” Joint Military Operations with South Korea — Cites His “Very Good Friendship” with Kim Jong Un After Seoul REFUSES to Help America appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

This Small Montana Town Is a Lower-cost Alternative to Jackson Hole—Just 30 Miles From Glacier National Park #Travel Plan a trip to Whitefish for Western vibes that won’t break the bank.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 17, 2026

Plan a trip to Whitefish for Western vibes that won’t break the bank.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

A reading from the Book of Ezekiel
24:15-23

The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, ?Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us??
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
?Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life??
He answered him, ?Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.?
He asked him, ?Which ones??
And Jesus replied, ?You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.?
The young man said to him,
?All of these I have observed. What do I still lack??
Jesus said to him, ?If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.?
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

Today?s Gospel begins with a great question posed to Jesus: ?Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?? (?). Those words express a constant desire in our life: our yearning for salvation, for an existence free from failure, evil and death.

This hope of the human heart is described as something to be ?inherited?, not something to be gained by force, begged for, or negotiated. Eternal life, which God alone can give, is bestowed on us as an inheritance, as parents do with their children.

That is why Jesus tells us that, in order to receive God?s gift, we must do his will. It is written in the Law: ?You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,? and ?your neighbour as yourself? (?). When we do these two things, we respond to the Father?s love. God?s will is the law of life that the Father himself was the first to follow, by loving us unconditionally in his Son, Jesus. (?)

In order to live eternally, we do not need to cheat death, but to serve life, by caring for others in this, our time together. That is the supreme law that is prior to all society?s rules and gives them their meaning. (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 13 July 2025)

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

Picture of the day

Motion picture poster for Three Friends, a Biograph Studios release, shows three men clasping hands while sitting at a table in a bar. 1 print (poster) : lithograph, color ; 104 x 70 cm. Today is International Beer Day.

Christians across the Middle East and North Africa celebrate the Assumption despite challenges – #Catholic – Across the Middle East and North Africa, Christians celebrated the solemnity of the Assumption according to their own traditions and cultures, despite the different challenges facing their communities.LebanonDespite the ongoing war and the country’s difficult economic situation, streets across Lebanon on Saturday were filled with processions honoring the Virgin Mary, with each village marking the feast through its own customs.In the southern town of Jezzine in Lebanon, a long procession culminated with a rosary made of balloons being released into the sky. A statue of the Virgin Mary was then lifted above the crowd by a crane, symbolizing her assumption into heaven, as flower petals rained down on those gathered below.

Solemnity of the Assumption celebrations take place in Jezzine, southern Lebanon, on Aug. 15, 2026. | Credit: Rami Rizk

In Bhamdoun, Mount Lebanon, villagers continued their tradition of preparing “hreeseh” together for the feast. Residents took turns stirring the traditional wheat-and-meat dish in large cauldrons as it cooked for hours.SyriaDespite earlier announcements by some churches canceling public festivities amid a rise in the kidnapping of Christians, several celebrations and religious observances still took place in Syria.One example was the Marmarita Carnival. First held in 1975, the event returned this year, filling the streets with music and joy. Participants dressed in colorful costumes and paraded through the town, reviving a tradition that has long brought residents and members of the Syrian diaspora together for the feast.TunisiaIn Tunisia, celebrations centered on La Goulette, the port town near Tunis where the traditional procession of Our Lady of Trapani takes place each year. Following Mass at the Church of St. Augustine and St. Fidelis, the statue of the Virgin Mary was carried through the streets as worshippers gathered to mark the Assumption.The tradition originated among Sicilian fishermen who settled in La Goulette during the 19th century. They would carry the statue toward the sea, asking the Virgin Mary to bless the waters, protect fishermen, and grant them an abundant catch. Over time, the procession became part of the town’s shared heritage, attracting Christians, Muslims, and people from different cultural backgrounds.The celebration disappeared in the 1960s as much of La Goulette’s European Christian community left Tunisia, but it was revived in 2017.

The Our Lady of Trapani procession in La Goulette, Tunisia, on Aug. 15, 2026. | Credit: Italian Embassy in Tunisia/Facebook

These celebrations offer only a glimpse of the many ways Christians across the Middle East and North Africa marked the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Across the region, communities gathered in churches, streets, and homes, blending their shared devotion to the Virgin Mary with local traditions passed down through generations. Amid uncertainty and change, the feast remained a moment of faith, continuity, and collective joy.This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated for and adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 17, 2026

Across the region, communities gathered in churches, streets, and homes, blending their shared devotion to the Virgin Mary with local traditions passed down through generations.

This Beach Town Is Called the ‘Caribbean of Texas’ for Its Clear Water and Soft White Sand #Travel From snorkeling and kayaking to birding and beach lounging, South Padre Island has something for every traveler.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

From snorkeling and kayaking to birding and beach lounging, South Padre Island has something for every traveler.

EWTN News explains: How is Catholic Communion bread made? – #Catholic – The Second Vatican Council referred to the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life,” St. Augustine referred to it as “a Divine storehouse filled with every virtue,” and St. Thérèse of Lisieux described it simply as “the sole remedy, if you want to be cured.”Yet though Christ in the Eucharist occupies a place of centrality in the Church, many Catholics may not ever stop to reflect on the bread that in the Mass becomes Christ — namely, how is this unique substance produced before it is brought to the altar?The question is not merely academic; in rare instances the local Church can run out of Communion hosts, as occurred in Cuba in June. All of Cuba’s hosts are produced by Discalced Carmelites at the Monastery of Santa Teresa and San José, but the lack of a reliable power supply there hindered production over the summer.Sister Ruth Starman, the head of altar bread production for the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri, told EWTN News that the requirements for Catholic altar bread are dictated by the Code of Canon Law of the Church, specifically canon 924. The sisters’ abbey in Missouri has been producing altar bread for years and was the first U.S. producer of altar breads approved by the Vatican to make low-gluten hosts. Standard hosts, she said, “can be made of wheat and water only.” “Yeast is not allowed because that would make it leavened bread and Jesus used unleavened bread at the Last Supper,” she said. "Any other additives such as salt, honey, etc. would be forbidden.”In addition to the strict water-and-wheat requirements, Church law dictates that the bread must be “recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.” Manufacturers, meanwhile, use special machines on which to bake the bread to ensure it is produced in the familiar uniform and thin style. “The baking machines have plates that may have designs on them or not,” Starman said. “The plates will produce a thin wafer sheet that will then need to be moistened in a dampener before being cut into the round hosts.” Breads that are not moistened “will shatter when cut,” she said. Special cutters, meanwhile, allow bakers to divide the bread into differently sized hosts including the smaller rounds intended for lay communicants and the larger portions for priests and bishops. As to why the bread is so thin and flat, Starman told EWTN News: “I donʼt have the answer for that but just conjecture. Because it is unleavened, the bread will be ‘flat’ anyway. However, I suppose with the invention of specialized baking equipment, where two baker plates close upon the batter, that probably started the more wafer-thin hosts."Starman said there have been “no major changes” to the process in recent years. “The Vatican does periodically have to remind priests and the Church at large that anything other than a wheat bread cannot be used,” she said. “Hosts made from rice, corn, or potato starch, for example, are considered invalid matter.” The low-gluten hosts at the abbey, she said, are made from two different wheat starches that have had most of the gluten removed. “The Church does not say how much wheat percentage a host must have, but only that it needs to have some amount to make it valid matter,” she said. Elsewhere the Church has stressed the need for hosts to be treated with reverence at every stage of the process. The instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, promulgated in March 2004 by what was then the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, states that the bread “should obviously be made by those who are not only distinguished by their integrity, but also skilled in making them and furnished with suitable tools.”In response to the shortage of Communion hosts in Cuba earlier this year, Church leaders in Panama sent 35,000 hosts to the island nation, while another 300,000 were sent from Puerto Rico.Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta of Panama said at the time that the emergency shipment arose “in response to the difficulties several Cuban dioceses are facing in ensuring a supply of hosts.” The prelate called the hosts “an essential element for the celebration of the sacrament that constitutes the source and summit of the Christian life.”

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 17, 2026

The rules governing the production of bread for Communion hosts date back to the Last Supper and the custom of unleavened bread.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 16, 2026

In March of 1899, William Pickering discovered Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, on photographic plates taken on Aug. 16, 1898, by DeLisle Stewart. It was the first moon to be discovered photographically, rather than observationally, and over a hundred years later, it would be the first target of the Cassini spacecraft. Phoebe orbits at aContinue reading “Aug. 16, 1898: Phoebe makes an appearance”

The post Aug. 16, 1898: Phoebe makes an appearance appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Nigerian court bars Islamic police from arresting Christian convert over faith, marriage refusal – #Catholic – KANO, Nigeria — A federal high court in Nigeria has restrained authorities in the country’s Kano state and the Islamic religious police, known as Hisbah, from arresting a 22-year-old woman because she converted from Islam to Christianity and rejected a forced marriage.In its May 26 ruling, the court described the actions taken against the woman, identified by the pseudonym “Sarah,” as a “flagrant violation” of her fundamental rights to human dignity and freedom of religion, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.The court also ordered that she receive financial compensation, ADF said in an Aug. 11 report announcing the ruling.Sarah, a resident of Kano state, reportedly fled her family home in 2025 after suffering abuse from her elder siblings, who were allegedly attempting to force her into marriage.Her parents had died years earlier, and her siblings subsequently enlisted local Hisbah officials to have her arrested, according to ADF.Sarah was reportedly detained for four days. She alleged that she was beaten and pressured to accept the marriage from which she had fled.She later found refuge with a Christian family, the Abaras, and voluntarily converted to Christianity while staying with them, ADF reported.Amid fears of further threats, the family helped her relocate to Jos in January. Her siblings subsequently accused the Abaras of kidnapping her.On Feb. 24, Sarah filed a fundamental-rights enforcement action challenging the measures taken against her. Two days later, the Abaras were arraigned in Kano without legal representation.The Federal High Court of Nigeria subsequently prohibited Kano state authorities and Hisbah officials from pursuing Sarah’s arrest because of her conversion or her refusal to enter the proposed marriage.“The court’s ruling in Sarah’s case affirms that the Hisbah police have no jurisdiction over Christians or other non-Muslims,” ADF Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom Sean Nelson said.He added: “Sarah’s choice to convert and reject a forced marriage is her right under law.”Sarah welcomed the judgment and expressed gratitude to the Christian family that had sheltered her.“The Abara family kept me safe in a time when I had nowhere else to go. I am grateful to them especially for introducing me to the Gospel. It is not against the law for me to choose my faith in Jesus,” she said.She also expressed gratitude that the court had recognized her freedom to become a Christian and protected her from the religious police.The criminal proceedings against the Abaras remain pending in Kano, with ADF providing legal assistance.Previous cases involving Christian convertsSarah’s case follows other reported incidents involving people who converted, or were suspected of converting, from Islam to Christianity in northern Nigeria.In January 2018, the reported conversion of Nabila Umar Sanda, then a 19-year-old student at Bingham University in Abuja, attracted national attention after security officials intervened.Media reports indicated that Nigeria’s Department of State Services arrested Sanda and some of her Christian associates after Islamic leaders learned of her conversion. Christian leaders Jeremiah Datim and Simput Dafup were also reportedly drawn into the case, which unfolded in Jos, Plateau state.Hisbah organizations operate in several northern Nigerian states to enforce Islamic moral codes. They have faced allegations of interfering with Christians and other people who are not subject to Islamic religious obligations.In November 2023, International Christian Concern reported that Hisbah officials in Kano stopped five Christian girls who were traveling to church. The girls were allegedly instructed to dress according to Islamic standards and prevented from attending church until the service had ended.In another case, Pastor Yohanna Shuaibu was killed by a mob in Kano state in 2021 following allegations that he had helped convert a Muslim man to Christianity.The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that Shuaibu was attacked after being accused of involvement in the man’s conversion.Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that the man had left Islam but was attending neither a church nor a mosque. Members of the local Muslim community nevertheless reportedly assumed that he had become a Christian and blamed Shuaibu.According to the organization, Shuaibu had returned to Massu village in Kano state’s Sumaila Local Government Area to evacuate children from a Christian school when the mob attacked him. He later died from injuries sustained in the attack.This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa. It has been adapted by EWTN News.

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 17, 2026

The federal high court described the actions taken against the woman as a “flagrant violation” of her fundamental rights to human dignity and freedom of religion.

Pope Leo XIV: Violence against Palestinians in West Bank must stop #Catholic In his Sunday Angelus address on Aug. 16, Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling for a two-state solution and an end to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.“I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank, and I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace,“ Leo said in his address.The pope delivered his Angelus address once more from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo after traveling there from the Vatican to celebrate the feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, for which he also delivered an Angelus address. He will remain there from Aug. 12–18.The Vatican’s longtime support for a 2-state solutionThe pope and the Holy See have consistently called for a two-state solution to the conflict in the Holy Land.In 2025, Leo met separately with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents and discussed the solution with both heads of state.During a Sept. 23 press briefing with reporters at Castel Gandolfo, the pope highlighted the Vatican’s long-standing support for the two-state solution.“The Holy See has supported the two-state solution for many years,” the pope recalled, pointing out that the Vatican formally recognized Palestine in 2015 with the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement. “The Holy See recognized the two-state solution some time ago. That is clear: We must seek a path that respects all peoples.”Despite challenges, each person has own place with the FatherDuring his Angelus, Leo also preached on the Gospel of the day, recounting Jesus healing the daughter of a Canaanite woman. The pope noted the woman’s persistence and faith in seeking a miracle, despite Jesus and his disciples initially refusing her.“The disciples see her as a nuisance, and Jesus himself resists her pleas,” the pope said. “Reflecting upon this, we can understand Jesus’ obedience in fulfilling his mission by allowing himself to be moved by what he sees and hears. Finally, he says to her: ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’”From her persistence, Leo explained, the faithful can learn “humility and determination” and that “each person has his or her own place with the Father.”Tweet

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 17, 2026

During his Aug. 16 Angelus address at Castel Gandolfo, the pontiff urged a 2-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

‘It’s always the Holy Spirit’: Meet 3 dioceses seeing large numbers of priestly ordinations #Catholic What drives a young man to discern into the priesthood — a supportive family, a vibrant parish, a proactive pastor, an outspoken bishop? Father John Eckert’s response: “Yes.” Eckert, the vocations director for the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, chuckled a little when describing the myriad paths that a young man may take when finding his way to holy orders. But, he said, “it’s always the Holy Spirit at work. It’s always cooperating with the grace of God.” The Charlotte Diocese is among those in the U.S. seeing high numbers of seminarians and priestly ordinations. The diocese in western North Carolina saw a record 10 young men ordained to the priesthood earlier in 2026; that followed six ordinations in 2025 and seven in 2024. “We’re blessed in the Diocese of Charlotte,” Eckert said. “It’s a beautiful moment.” The priest just wrapped up his first full year as vocations director there. He said one of the strengths of the diocese is in its vibrant faith life, which he attributed partly to the “evangelical Bible-belt roots” of the region. “This is Billy Graham territory,” he joked. The diocese itself bears out that witness, he said. “The Church is growing like crazy down here,” he said. “We have wonderful families. We have faithful, hardworking priests. We’ve had five bishops who keep on striving to bear the Gospel message and bring that to every corner of the diocese.”The growing ranks of the priesthood is proof of that high spirit, though Eckert said it can be tricky to tease out just what contributes to years of high ordinations. One of the diocese’s strengths, he said, is its own “in-house college seminary.” “It’s so wonderful that if we have a young man interested in the priesthood, we can actually just bring him to this place and show him where the initial years of formation will take place,” he said. The school offers prospective seminarians a chance to see “a group of men living this out, being very intentional about their prayer life, striving to grow in love of Our Lord.”Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv, told EWTN News that when seeing such high levels of devotion to the priesthood, “we often have to just marvel at God’s work.” Priests in the diocese, he said, excel at offering candidates to the priesthood “the opportunity to see a healthy, holy, good person that they can see themselves becoming.” Families, meanwhile, have become “far more open” to communicating to their sons that they would be “honored to see [them] consider the priesthood.”“That dynamic has come about because the presbyterate gives a good example,” the bishop said. “It makes families, and parents in particular, more willing to be able to create that environment in their own families.”Both Martin and Eckert said that at a certain point Church leaders simply have to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit. “To fully try to understand it is important,” Martin said, “but in some ways it’s best just to appreciate and enjoy it and be grateful for it.”Eckert, meanwhile, cited as an example 1 Corinthians 3:6, in which Paul tells the Church at Corinth about its faith: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”The priest spoke joyfully about his work in the diocesan vocations office, though he downplayed his own role in bringing men to holy orders. He recounted with a laugh what a speaker told a group of vocations directors at a recent conference: “Gentlemen, get over yourselves. Nobody ever entered seminary because of their vocations director.”Priestly vocation ‘seen as a natural, fulfilling life’Father Garett Burns, the director of vocations promotion in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, admitted that the Midwestern diocese is “blessed with a strong culture of vocations.” “For example, this past May six men were ordained to the priesthood,” he said. “We’ve been blessed to generally have a steady number of ordinations each year. There have been 22 priestly ordinations since 2020 and 44 priestly ordinations in the last 10 years. We will begin this academic year with 50 seminarians in formation.”He said that it is “difficult to capture succinctly” why a diocese might have such abundant vocations, describing every Catholic’s vocation as a “mystery of grace.” But he said promoting vocations throughout every aspect of Church life — including in families, schools, and parishes — has borne steady fruit. The diocese has an abundance of Eucharistic adoration, he said, including perpetual adoration. Such chapels present opportunities for young people to spend time in silence before Christ, he said, and “these moments are where vocations grow and flourish.”Priests and bishops in the diocese, meanwhile, are “deeply committed to the Lord.” “When priests love their priesthood and enjoy each other, that is attractive to young men,” he said. A local seminary program has also borne fruit, he said, allowing young men to form a close, core connection with the Church “at home.” The priest said he hesitates to offer advice to other dioceses, admitting that there is “no universal solution” given the unique histories, gifts, and challenges of each diocese. But expanding opportunities for Eucharistic adoration, he said, offers “one viable option that promises to deepen the culture of vocations.”Father Noah Morey, the vocations director in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, echoed the assessment of his fellow vocations directors: “It’s not just one thing, it’s everything,” he told EWTN News. The Arlington Diocese saw seven new priests ordained in 2026; it recorded 12 ordinations in 2025. Morey noted that when it comes to ordinations, “it’s not about numbers, it’s about quality.” But he said the Arlington Diocese has a “strong culture of vocations” that has helped produce exemplary priests over the years. The diocese has promoted vocations since its founding in 1974. Its first leader, Bishop Thomas Welsh, “really fostered that culture” in part by bringing a Poor Clares monastery to the diocese. “Our bishops have all taken a hands-on approach of fostering vocations in young men from a young age,” Morey said. Bishops in Arlington regularly attend seminary events and meet personally with aspiring priests, he said. Eucharistic adoration is prolific throughout the diocese, meanwhile; several years ago, Morey said, current Bishop Michael Burbidge asked every pastor in the diocese to institute 40 hours of Eucharistic adoration annually.The diocese also holds St. Andrew dinners several times a year, which allows young men to speak to both the bishop and diocesan priests about their potential discernment. “I tell the young men, it’s a very low-commitment event — you’re not signing your life away!” he said. “You just show up for a free dinner with the bishop.” A yearly “Quo Vadis?” summer camp offers another opportunity for young men to have face-to-face discernment with Church leaders. An active, vibrant priesthood in the diocese also helps foster vocational discernment, he said. “If a young man sees a priest who’s in love with the Lord, that’s really attractive to the priesthood,” he said. And faith-filled and encouraging families are equally to credit for fostering vocations in young men, Morey continued. He offered a baseball analogy to describe the process by which young men find their way to the priesthood. “The families are the starting pitchers,” he said. “The priests are the middle relievers. And the vocations director is the closer.”Globally the Church has continued to see lower vocations; the most recent data shows a continued drop in priests, with significant declines in Europe and the Americas, though Africa and Asia saw notable increases. In the first 15 months of his pontificate Pope Leo XIV has continued to emphasize the importance of vocations. In June 2025 he told vocations ministers at the Vatican that their job consisted of “forming men capable of loving, listening, praying, and serving as a community.”The pope said God “continues to call and remains faithful to his promises.” He urged leaders to help bring about the creation of appropriate conditions “to hear [God’s] voice.”In Charlotte, Bishop Martin said the best response to an increase in vocations is to be both joyful for the gift and determined to help it flourish. “There’s something in God’s design that’s beyond even what I can say,” he said. “I can provide some insights, but at the end of the day, this is the work of the Holy Spirit.” Eckert, meanwhile, said an increase in vocations is a blessing no matter where it develops.“The job that I think we all have is being intentional in our discipleship of Jesus Christ,” he said. “I pray for myself and all my brother vocations directors out there. Whether it happens in Peoria or it happens in Charlotte, it’s good for all of us.”

unitedyam August 16, 2026August 17, 2026

Multiple dioceses throughout the U.S. are bucking national trends and seeing large numbers of men discern into the priesthood.

unitedyam August 15, 2026August 15, 2026

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to His people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
Almighty God and Father,
we worship You, we give You thanks,
we praise You for Your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ,
only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
You take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
You are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For You alone are the Holy One,
You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, …

unitedyam August 15, 2026August 15, 2026

A total solar eclipse is seen from San Millán de los Caballeros, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.

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Aug. 16, 1898: Phoebe makes an appearance

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