MONTGOMERY, AL — The Southern Poverty Law Center defended itself against reports of controversial spending practices by informing donors that funding the Ku Klux Klan is only 3% of what they do.
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LINDALE, TX — Surprising many, a preacher at New Wine Community Church held up a three-year-old child’s crappy Sunday school drawing and declared that it was pleasing to Jesus.
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Blue shark (Prionace glauca), Faial-Pico Channel, Azores Islands, Portugal. The blue shark is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, that inhabits deep waters (images taken though between 5 and 10 meter below water) averaging around 3.1 m (10 ft) and preferring cooler waters. They can live up to 20 years, can move very quickly and feed primarily on small fish and squid, although they can take larger prey.
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O Almighty God,
Whose great power and eternal
Wisdom embraces the universe,
Watch over all policemen and
Law enforcement officers everywhere.
Protect them from harm
In the performance of their duty
To stop crime, robbery,
Riots and violence.
We pray, help them keep our streets
And homes safe, day and night.
We commend them to your loving care
Because their duty is dangerous.
Grant them strength and courage
In their daily assignments.
Dear God, protect these brave men …
The humanitarian agency stressed the need to protect international food assistance amid growing global hunger and domestic policy debates.
![British mother to travel to Switzerland to die by assisted suicide after son’s death – #Catholic – A 56-year-old British mother is traveling to Switzerland to end her life by assisted suicide after the death of her only son.Wendy Duffy told the New York Post she paid $13,500 to the Swiss assisted-dying nonprofit the Pegasos clinic.Duffy’s son, Marcus, died at age 23 four years ago after choking on a tomato lodged in his windpipe while sleeping. Nine months later, unable to cope with her grief, she attempted suicide by overdose and was placed on a ventilator for two weeks.She told the Daily Mail suicide is the only way her “spirit can be free.” She also said no amount of medication or therapy can make her whole again, and she “can’t wait” to die. She added: “I could step off a motorway bridge or a tower block but that would leave anyone finding me dealing with that for the rest of their lives.”She said she has chosen her deathbed outfit and requested that Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile” play as she dies. Her belongings will be donated afterward. Duffy said she plans to call her four sisters and two brothers from Switzerland to say goodbye. “It will be a hard call where I’ll say goodbye and thank them,” she said. “But they will get it. They know. Honestly, 100%, they know that I’m not happy, that I don’t want to be here.”Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, even for physically healthy people. On its website, Pegasos says it “believes that it is the human right of every rational adult of sound mind, regardless of state of health, to choose the manner and timing of their death."Duffy’s case follows the recent death by euthanasia of 25-year-old Noelia Castillo in Spain. On March 26, the young woman was euthanized over her father’s objections. The case sparked national debate in Spain, where euthanasia has been legal since 2021.The Church in Spain called Castillo’s death “a societal defeat.”In a statement, members of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference’s Subcommittee for the Family and Defense of Life said Castillo’s “story reflects an accumulation of personal suffering and institutional failings that challenge the whole of society.”Timeʼs up for right-to-die bill in UKMeanwhile, a right-to-die bill has stalled in the U.K. Parliament. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ran out of parliamentary time and therefore failed in the House of Lords on April 24. The archbishop of Liverpool, John Sherrington, said he was grateful to “all those Parliamentarians who have worked tirelessly to preserve the dignity of every human life and ensure that end-of life care remains rooted in compassion and respect until the natural end of life.”The Catholic Church teaches that suicide and euthanasia are gravely immoral. In a 2024 message to a palliative care symposium, Pope Francis called euthanasia “a failure of love.” He recalled when he said previously that assisted suicide and euthanasia constitute a “false compassion.”“‘[C]ompassion,’ a word that means ‘suffering with,’ does not involve the intentional ending of a life but rather the willingness to share the burdens of those facing the end stages of our earthly pilgrimage,” he said.In St. John Paul II’s 1999 address to the Pontifical Academy for Life, “Love and Solidarity for the Dying,” he said: “No one can arbitrarily choose whether to live or die; the absolute master of such a decision is the Creator alone.”In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, he said: “suicide … involves the rejection of love of self and the renunciation of the obligation of justice and charity towards one’s neighbor … In its deepest reality, suicide represents a rejection of God’s absolute sovereignty over life and death.” Euthanasia is likewise condemned as “a grave violation of the law of God.”He also calls euthanasia “a false mercy, and indeed a disturbing ‘perversion’ of mercy. True ‘compassion’ leads to sharing anotherʼs pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.”He continued: “Moreover, the act of euthanasia appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in the most painful terminal stages.”While the Church says euthanasia and assisted suicide are never permissible, it supports palliative care. According to Dian Backoff, former executive director of Catholic Hospice for Catholic Health Services, palliative care is meant to address “what the whole patient wants during the treatment of an illness,” whether or not the patient is terminally ill or dealing with a long-term affliction.“Palliative care, then, is a genuine form of compassion, for it responds to suffering, whether physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual, by affirming the fundamental and inviolable dignity of every person, especially the dying, and helping them to accept the inevitable moment of passage from this life to eternal life,” Pope Francis said in 2024.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/british-mother-to-travel-to-switzerland-to-die-by-assisted-suicide-after-sons-death-catholic-a-56-year-old-british-mother-is-traveling-to-switzerland-to-end-her-life-by-assisted-suicide.jpg "British mother to travel to Switzerland to die by assisted suicide after son’s death – #Catholic – A 56-year-old British mother is traveling to Switzerland to end her life by assisted suicide after the death of her only son.Wendy Duffy told the New York Post she paid $13,500 to the Swiss assisted-dying nonprofit the Pegasos clinic.Duffy’s son, Marcus, died at age 23 four years ago after choking on a tomato lodged in his windpipe while sleeping. Nine months later, unable to cope with her grief, she attempted suicide by overdose and was placed on a ventilator for two weeks.She told the Daily Mail suicide is the only way her “spirit can be free.” She also said no amount of medication or therapy can make her whole again, and she “can’t wait” to die. She added: “I could step off a motorway bridge or a tower block but that would leave anyone finding me dealing with that for the rest of their lives.”She said she has chosen her deathbed outfit and requested that Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile” play as she dies. Her belongings will be donated afterward. Duffy said she plans to call her four sisters and two brothers from Switzerland to say goodbye. “It will be a hard call where I’ll say goodbye and thank them,” she said. “But they will get it. They know. Honestly, 100%, they know that I’m not happy, that I don’t want to be here.”Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, even for physically healthy people. On its website, Pegasos says it “believes that it is the human right of every rational adult of sound mind, regardless of state of health, to choose the manner and timing of their death.\"Duffy’s case follows the recent death by euthanasia of 25-year-old Noelia Castillo in Spain. On March 26, the young woman was euthanized over her father’s objections. The case sparked national debate in Spain, where euthanasia has been legal since 2021.The Church in Spain called Castillo’s death “a societal defeat.”In a statement, members of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference’s Subcommittee for the Family and Defense of Life said Castillo’s “story reflects an accumulation of personal suffering and institutional failings that challenge the whole of society.”Timeʼs up for right-to-die bill in UKMeanwhile, a right-to-die bill has stalled in the U.K. Parliament. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ran out of parliamentary time and therefore failed in the House of Lords on April 24. The archbishop of Liverpool, John Sherrington, said he was grateful to “all those Parliamentarians who have worked tirelessly to preserve the dignity of every human life and ensure that end-of life care remains rooted in compassion and respect until the natural end of life.”The Catholic Church teaches that suicide and euthanasia are gravely immoral. In a 2024 message to a palliative care symposium, Pope Francis called euthanasia “a failure of love.” He recalled when he said previously that assisted suicide and euthanasia constitute a “false compassion.”“‘[C]ompassion,’ a word that means ‘suffering with,’ does not involve the intentional ending of a life but rather the willingness to share the burdens of those facing the end stages of our earthly pilgrimage,” he said.In St. John Paul II’s 1999 address to the Pontifical Academy for Life, “Love and Solidarity for the Dying,” he said: “No one can arbitrarily choose whether to live or die; the absolute master of such a decision is the Creator alone.”In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, he said: “suicide … involves the rejection of love of self and the renunciation of the obligation of justice and charity towards one’s neighbor … In its deepest reality, suicide represents a rejection of God’s absolute sovereignty over life and death.” Euthanasia is likewise condemned as “a grave violation of the law of God.”He also calls euthanasia “a false mercy, and indeed a disturbing ‘perversion’ of mercy. True ‘compassion’ leads to sharing anotherʼs pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.”He continued: “Moreover, the act of euthanasia appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in the most painful terminal stages.”While the Church says euthanasia and assisted suicide are never permissible, it supports palliative care. According to Dian Backoff, former executive director of Catholic Hospice for Catholic Health Services, palliative care is meant to address “what the whole patient wants during the treatment of an illness,” whether or not the patient is terminally ill or dealing with a long-term affliction.“Palliative care, then, is a genuine form of compassion, for it responds to suffering, whether physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual, by affirming the fundamental and inviolable dignity of every person, especially the dying, and helping them to accept the inevitable moment of passage from this life to eternal life,” Pope Francis said in 2024.")
![White House to bring back firing squads as Pope Leo XIV calls for U.S. death penalty to be abolished – #Catholic – The Trump administration has announced that it will bring back federal firing squad executions in the United States — a move it claims will “strengthen” the national death penalty — while Pope Leo XIV is simultaneously offering support to those seeking to abolish capital punishment in the U.S. and around the world. The U.S. Department of Justice said on April 24 that it was moving to once again “seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences,” restarting the federal death penalty process that had been indefinitely stalled under the Biden administration. Among the measures that the Justice Department said it will take include “expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad” as well as “streamlining” administrative processes to hasten executions by the federal government. The government said it would also seek to restart carrying out lethal injections by pentobarbital, a barbiturate that prisoner advocates have said can cause extreme pain and suffering when used in executions. In an accompanying report released on April 24, the Justice Department called pentobarbital “the gold standard of lethal injection drugs.” It described the drug as “more humane” than other modes of execution and pointed out that it has been used in assisted suicide procedures in the U.S. for those suffering from terminal illnesses. Pope Leo XIV urges abolition of death penaltyThe governmentʼs announcement came roughly at the same time on April 24 that Pope Leo XIV addressed, via video message, a gathering of activists at DePaul University celebrating the 15th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. The pope in his message noted that the Catholic Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person." The Holy See updated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to explicitly call for the abolition of capital punishment worldwide. Leo likewise told the pro-life advocates in his hometown of Chicago that the Church “affirm[s] that the dignity of the person is not lost even after very serious crimes are committed.”The Holy Father said he joined the advocates in celebrating the stateʼs 2011 abolition of the death penalty; he wrote that he offered his “support to those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States of America and around the world.”“I pray that your efforts will lead to a greater acknowledgement of the dignity of every person and will inspire others to work for the same just cause,” the pope wrote. Leoʼs message comes one day after he spoke out forcefully against executions aboard the papal plane returning from his apostolic visit to Africa. Asked about Iranʼs reported large-scale executions, the pope said: “I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/white-house-to-bring-back-firing-squads-as-pope-leo-xiv-calls-for-u-s-death-penalty-to-be-abolished-catholic-the-trump-administration-has-announced-that-it-will-bring-back-federal-firing-squad-e.jpg "White House to bring back firing squads as Pope Leo XIV calls for U.S. death penalty to be abolished – #Catholic – The Trump administration has announced that it will bring back federal firing squad executions in the United States — a move it claims will “strengthen” the national death penalty — while Pope Leo XIV is simultaneously offering support to those seeking to abolish capital punishment in the U.S. and around the world. The U.S. Department of Justice said on April 24 that it was moving to once again “seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences,” restarting the federal death penalty process that had been indefinitely stalled under the Biden administration. Among the measures that the Justice Department said it will take include “expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad” as well as “streamlining” administrative processes to hasten executions by the federal government. The government said it would also seek to restart carrying out lethal injections by pentobarbital, a barbiturate that prisoner advocates have said can cause extreme pain and suffering when used in executions. In an accompanying report released on April 24, the Justice Department called pentobarbital “the gold standard of lethal injection drugs.” It described the drug as “more humane” than other modes of execution and pointed out that it has been used in assisted suicide procedures in the U.S. for those suffering from terminal illnesses. Pope Leo XIV urges abolition of death penaltyThe governmentʼs announcement came roughly at the same time on April 24 that Pope Leo XIV addressed, via video message, a gathering of activists at DePaul University celebrating the 15th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. The pope in his message noted that the Catholic Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.\" The Holy See updated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to explicitly call for the abolition of capital punishment worldwide. Leo likewise told the pro-life advocates in his hometown of Chicago that the Church “affirm[s] that the dignity of the person is not lost even after very serious crimes are committed.”The Holy Father said he joined the advocates in celebrating the stateʼs 2011 abolition of the death penalty; he wrote that he offered his “support to those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States of America and around the world.”“I pray that your efforts will lead to a greater acknowledgement of the dignity of every person and will inspire others to work for the same just cause,” the pope wrote. Leoʼs message comes one day after he spoke out forcefully against executions aboard the papal plane returning from his apostolic visit to Africa. Asked about Iranʼs reported large-scale executions, the pope said: “I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected and that all people — from conception to natural [death] — their lives should be respected and protected.”")
The federal government says it is moving to “strengthen” the federal death penalty while the pope is calling for an end to capital punishment.
NASA celebrates Hubble’s 36th anniversary with a new image of the Trifid Nebula, a star-forming region it first captured in 1997. The telescope leveraged almost its full operational lifetime to show us changes in the nebula on human time scales with an improved camera.
Read MoreLong before humanity could venture into space, astronomers dreamed of a telescope above Earth’s obscuring atmosphere. In 1962, this dream took a step toward reality when a National Academy of Sciences study group recommended the development of a space telescope. NASA launched two Orbiting Astronomical Observatories in 1968 and 1972. Both produced a wealth ofContinue reading “April 24, 1990: Hubble launches”
The post April 24, 1990: Hubble launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Seminarians shared their personal stories of hearing and responding to God’s call to the priesthood.
During National Infertility Awareness Week, author Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead shared encouragement and advice for Catholic couples navigating infertility.
Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, April 24Venus passes 0.8° due north of Uranus at 1 A.M. EDT. After their close conjunction yesterday, the two remain within 1.5° of each other in the evening sky tonight, offering a second chance to spot them in a single field of viewContinue reading “The Sky This Week from April 17 to 24: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks”
The post The Sky This Week from April 17 to 24: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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The people of the East Village neighborhood in New York City are getting exactly what they voted for and they are not happy about it.
The post NYC Neighborhood Where 70% of People Voted for Zohran Mamdani Now Suing His Administration for Locating a Homeless Shelter There appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The city of Los Angeles has a major street light problem.
The post SAY WHAT? Los Angeles Proposes New TAX to Pay to Fix Street Lights Broken by Copper Wire Thieves appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Now that the Southern Poverty Law Center is being exposed, it is important to look back at some of the outrageous claims made by this group in the past.
The post FLASHBACK: In 2014, the Southern Poverty Law Center Put Dr. Ben Carson on an ‘Extremist’ List appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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Whoa, man. Check it out: That’s a free couch sitting on the side of the road there. Not a chair. Not a love seat. A whole friggin’ couch.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — A local architect contracted to design the new location for First Testimony Crosspointe Church was reportedly fired and escorted from the construction site after suggesting the building include a steeple.
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Key Monastery in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located at an elevation of 4,166 m (13,668 ft) on a hill rising above the Spiti valley, where it is the largest monastery and houses hundreds of monks. It is said to have been founded in the 11th century and belongs to the Gelugpa school of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. This view shows the monastery in winter, overlooking the snow-covered Spiti river valley with the Himalayas in the background.
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Almighty and loving Father,
I thank you for giving St. Gerard to us
as a most appealing model and powerful friend.
By his example,
he showed us how to love and trust You.
You have showered many blessings
on those who call upon him.
For Your greater glory and my welfare,
please grant me the favours
which I ask in his name.
(Mention your needs here…)
And you, my powerful patron,
intercede for me before the throne of God.
Draw near to that throne
and …
A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 9:1-20
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
From the Gospel according to John
6:52-59
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
The bread from heaven is a gift that exceeds all expectations. Those who do not grasp Jesus’ way remain suspicious: it seems impossible, even inhuman, to eat the flesh of another (cf. v. 54). Flesh and blood, however, are the humanity of the Saviour, his very life offered as a nourishment for our own. (…) Christ, true man, knows well that one must eat to live. But he also knows that this is not enough. After multiplying the earthly bread (cf. Jn 6:1-14), he prepares an even greater gift: he himself becomes true food and true drink (cf. v. 55). (…)
The heavenly bread, which comes from the Father, is the Son himself made flesh for us. This food is more than necessary because it satisfies the hunger for hope, the hunger for truth and the hunger for salvation that we all feel not in our stomachs, but in our hearts. Every one of us needs the Eucharist!
Jesus takes care of the greatest need: he saves us, nourishing our lives with his own, and he will do this forever. And it is thanks to him that we can live in communion with God and with each other. The living and true bread is not, therefore, something magical, no. It is not something that will immediately solve all problems, but it is the very Body of Christ, that gives hope to the poor and overcomes the arrogance of those who gorge themselves at their expense. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 18 August 2024)
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to help strengthen laws that protect people with disabilities from assisted suicide, saying “we can’t be a moral society” with these laws in place.
![Panel explores Gen Z perspectives on Jewish-Catholic relations – #Catholic – Catholics of Jewish descent shared their faith journeys and urged renewed dialogue and theological clarity to counter antisemitism at a Benedictine College panel.The panel was part of an April 22 event, “Shoulder to Shoulder: Strengthening Jewish-Catholic Friendship at a Moment of Crisis,” cosponsored by the college and the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism.Featured speakers on the panel included Yarden Zelivansky, an active reserve sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a Jewish convert to Catholicism; Gideon Lazar, an American Jewish convert to Catholicism; and Aviva Lund, a Catholic of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.The panel was moderated by Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism founding member Simone Rizkallah and Peter Wolfgang, president of the Family Institute of Connecticut Action.Gen Z and Jewish-Catholic RelationsObserving an uptick in antisemitism among Catholics online, Lazar pointed to Gen Z’s reticence to accept arguments rooted in “brotherhood” or theological similarities between Catholics and Jews.Lazar said Gen Z men are looking for answers related to theological and political differences, and that when arguments fail to address these differences, “what they’re hearing is you don’t have answers to their questions.”“Gen Z men in many ways see a culture that has failed them, and they’re looking for answers and feel that because the older generations failed them, they don’t have those answers,” Lazar said. “When Gen Z men don’t get those real answers,” he said, “theyʼre going to get them from random antisemites online who have quote-mined a bunch of random Church fathers to make the Church fathers and the tradition look antisemitic.”He further condemned the weaponization of the phrase “Christ is King,” saying “one of the worst things that’s happened is this beautiful message, the kingship of Christ, has been corrupted by people who are fundamentally opposed to Christ.”“How are we possibly supposed to tell our Jewish brothers and sisters that Jesus is their Messiah when we tell that to them, they think that means you hate us?” he said. “This should be a message of love.”Being a Jewish Catholic convert in IsraelZelivanksy, who co-hosts “The Voice of Jacob” podcast with Lazar, shared that his experience being a Jewish convert to Catholicism living in Israel has been “mostly surprisingly benign.”“It seems to me that especially since Oct. 7, [2023], thereʼs been a shift in how Israelis view what kind of makes you a part of the nation of Israel,” Zelivansky said, explaining even if Israelis disagree with your theological position, he said, it is more important to them that “you do what everybody else does to be a part of the nation of Israel.”“I canʼt say life is too complicated for me as a Christian. Generally, people seem to just not really care,” he said, noting that his IDF gear and car are marked with the Jerusalem cross.“A lot of the problems people speak of in Israel are kind of centered in Jerusalem,” said Zelivanksy, who lives just outside Tel Aviv. “My friends who live in Jerusalem do experience some of the spitting and the cursing that you hear about, but Iʼve never experienced it anywhere else.”Zelivansky, who attended the conference virtually after his flight was delayed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, also offered his view as a Catholic regarding the war.“Faith comes first. Faith informs morals. Morals inform politics," he said. “And serving in a certain countryʼs military certainly does not entail agreeing with every single policy.”“I wouldnʼt say itʼs my place to comment on politics,” he said. “I would say that we all need to inform ourselves on current events that are relevant to us and examine them in the light of faith and not examine faith in the light of politics, which is something that tends to happen a lot, left and right, these days.”Jewish-Catholic identityDuring her remarks, Lund said embracing her Jewish roots as a cradle Catholic among her extended Jewish family has been a mostly positive experience, noting: “From my experience, Jews are not evangelical. They just care about their own people.”“For me itʼs honestly kind of been an evolution,” she said. “The way I approach it now is basically our Jewish brethren are our brethren, theyʼre our older siblings, and so, we might as well just enjoy them as fellow human beings.”Lund said her Jewish roots have influenced her Catholic faith, because “the more I meet Jewish brethren, the more I deepen into the mystery of Jesus, especially with evangelizing.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/panel-explores-gen-z-perspectives-on-jewish-catholic-relations-catholic-catholics-of-jewish-descent-shared-their-faith-journeys-and-urged-renewed-dialogue-and-theological-clarity-to-counter-antis.jpg "Panel explores Gen Z perspectives on Jewish-Catholic relations – #Catholic – Catholics of Jewish descent shared their faith journeys and urged renewed dialogue and theological clarity to counter antisemitism at a Benedictine College panel.The panel was part of an April 22 event, “Shoulder to Shoulder: Strengthening Jewish-Catholic Friendship at a Moment of Crisis,” cosponsored by the college and the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism.Featured speakers on the panel included Yarden Zelivansky, an active reserve sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and a Jewish convert to Catholicism; Gideon Lazar, an American Jewish convert to Catholicism; and Aviva Lund, a Catholic of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.The panel was moderated by Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism founding member Simone Rizkallah and Peter Wolfgang, president of the Family Institute of Connecticut Action.Gen Z and Jewish-Catholic RelationsObserving an uptick in antisemitism among Catholics online, Lazar pointed to Gen Z’s reticence to accept arguments rooted in “brotherhood” or theological similarities between Catholics and Jews.Lazar said Gen Z men are looking for answers related to theological and political differences, and that when arguments fail to address these differences, “what they’re hearing is you don’t have answers to their questions.”“Gen Z men in many ways see a culture that has failed them, and they’re looking for answers and feel that because the older generations failed them, they don’t have those answers,” Lazar said. “When Gen Z men don’t get those real answers,” he said, “theyʼre going to get them from random antisemites online who have quote-mined a bunch of random Church fathers to make the Church fathers and the tradition look antisemitic.”He further condemned the weaponization of the phrase “Christ is King,” saying “one of the worst things that’s happened is this beautiful message, the kingship of Christ, has been corrupted by people who are fundamentally opposed to Christ.”“How are we possibly supposed to tell our Jewish brothers and sisters that Jesus is their Messiah when we tell that to them, they think that means you hate us?” he said. “This should be a message of love.”Being a Jewish Catholic convert in IsraelZelivanksy, who co-hosts “The Voice of Jacob” podcast with Lazar, shared that his experience being a Jewish convert to Catholicism living in Israel has been “mostly surprisingly benign.”“It seems to me that especially since Oct. 7, [2023], thereʼs been a shift in how Israelis view what kind of makes you a part of the nation of Israel,” Zelivansky said, explaining even if Israelis disagree with your theological position, he said, it is more important to them that “you do what everybody else does to be a part of the nation of Israel.”“I canʼt say life is too complicated for me as a Christian. Generally, people seem to just not really care,” he said, noting that his IDF gear and car are marked with the Jerusalem cross.“A lot of the problems people speak of in Israel are kind of centered in Jerusalem,” said Zelivanksy, who lives just outside Tel Aviv. “My friends who live in Jerusalem do experience some of the spitting and the cursing that you hear about, but Iʼve never experienced it anywhere else.”Zelivansky, who attended the conference virtually after his flight was delayed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, also offered his view as a Catholic regarding the war.“Faith comes first. Faith informs morals. Morals inform politics,\" he said. “And serving in a certain countryʼs military certainly does not entail agreeing with every single policy.”“I wouldnʼt say itʼs my place to comment on politics,” he said. “I would say that we all need to inform ourselves on current events that are relevant to us and examine them in the light of faith and not examine faith in the light of politics, which is something that tends to happen a lot, left and right, these days.”Jewish-Catholic identityDuring her remarks, Lund said embracing her Jewish roots as a cradle Catholic among her extended Jewish family has been a mostly positive experience, noting: “From my experience, Jews are not evangelical. They just care about their own people.”“For me itʼs honestly kind of been an evolution,” she said. “The way I approach it now is basically our Jewish brethren are our brethren, theyʼre our older siblings, and so, we might as well just enjoy them as fellow human beings.”Lund said her Jewish roots have influenced her Catholic faith, because “the more I meet Jewish brethren, the more I deepen into the mystery of Jesus, especially with evangelizing.”")
A panel at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, discussed Jewish-Catholic identity and antisemitism among Gen Z.
Scientists have found that young stellar cousins of our Sun are calming down and dimming more quickly in their X-ray output than previously thought, according to a study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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Despite losses from religious switching, Catholics still make up the majority of the population in a number of countries Pew Research Center analyzed across the globe.
The suit concerned allegations against former priest Stephen Kiesle, who has faced dozens of lawsuits regarding alleged child abuse.
Gospel message brings freedom, hope, pope says at final Mass in Equatorial Guinea #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — On his last day in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics in the country to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments.
“If you are oppressed by injustice, he is justice; if you are in need of help, he is strength; if you fear death, he is life; if you desire Heaven, he is the way; if you are in darkness, he is light,” the pope said, quoting St. Ambrose April 23, at a Mass with an estimated 30,000 people at Malabo Stadium in Equatorial Guinea.
The Mass marked the final event of the pope’s 11-day visit to Africa. Arriving at the stadium in his popemobile, Pope Leo was greeted with cheers from the people attending the Mass, many of whom were dressed in the Vatican’s white and yellow colors.
Before beginning his homily, the pope expressed his condolences to the archdiocese, priests and family members for the death of Father Fortunato Nsue Esono, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Malabo.
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According to a statement by the bishops’ conference of Equatorial Guinea, Father Esono died “unexpectedly” April 17 at his residence in Our Lady of Bisila Parish. No cause of death has been given.
The 39-year-old priest, who was named vicar general nine months ago, played a key role in preparations for the papal visit, the bishops’ conference said.
“I invite you to live this moment of pain with a spirit of faith, and I trust that, without being carried away by rumors or hasty conclusions, full clarity will be brought to the circumstances of his death,” Pope Leo said.
Speaking in Spanish, the pope reflected on the day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recounted the deacon Philip’s encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch reading the Scriptures as he was traveling from Jerusalem to Africa.
In the reading, Philip asks the eunuch if he understood what he was reading, to which the eunuch replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?”
The “humble wisdom” in the Ethiopian’s response, Pope Leo said, was “not only a search for truth, but also an expression of openness and desire.”
However, while the man is wealthy, intelligent and cultured, he is a slave and “not fully free.”
“This painful reality is marked even on his body: he is, in fact, a eunuch. He cannot bring forth life; all his vitality is placed at the service of a power that controls and rules over him,” the pope said.
Nevertheless, the “proclamation of the Gospel sets him free,” and through his encounter with Philip, the man is “transformed from a mere reader, a spectator, of Scripture into a protagonist in the very story that captivates him,” the pope said.
The word of God, the pope continued, “becomes a lived reality” and through the sacrament of baptism, “he is no longer a stranger, but becomes a child of God, our brother in faith.”
“Though a slave and childless, he is reborn into a new and free life in the name of the Lord Jesus. And we speak of his salvation to this day, precisely as we read these Scriptures,” he said.
Pope Leo said that, like the eunuch, through baptism, Christians have received “the same faith” and the same word. Reading and reflecting on Scripture “is always both a personal and an ecclesial act; it is never something done in isolation or in a merely mechanical way.”
“Together we read Scripture as the shared heritage of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, who inspired its composition, and by Apostolic Tradition, which has preserved and transmitted it throughout the world,” the pope said. “Like the eunuch, we too can come to understand the Word of God with the help of a guide who accompanies us on our journey of faith.”
Turning his attention to the Gospel reading from St. John, in which Jesus says he “is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.”
Christ, the pope said, “is the Risen One” who “continues to give his life for all.”
“Do I trust that his love is stronger than my death? By deciding to believe in him, each of us chooses between inevitable despair and the hope that God offers. Our hunger for life and justice is then satisfied by Jesus’ words: ‘The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh,’” he said.
Encouraging the faithful to “joyfully proclaim” that “Christ is everything for us,” Pope Leo reminded Christians that in Jesus, “we find the fullness of life and meaning.”
“Our problems do not disappear in the Lord’s presence, but they are illuminated,” he said. “Just as every cross finds redemption in Jesus, so too the story of our lives finds its meaning in the Gospel.”
“Through our witness,” he added, “the proclamation of salvation is made visible in action, service and forgiveness — in a word, it becomes the Church!”
Before the final blessing, Archbishop Juan Nsue Edjang Mayé of Malabo expressed his gratitude on behalf of the people of Equatorial Guinea for the pope’s visit.
“Indeed, in these days we have experienced the evangelical solidarity of the Church, which has rekindled our faith and our commitment to contribute to the creation of a new homeland in Christ,” Archbishop May said.
Calling Pope Leo’s visit “a powerful call to reconciliation and peace,” the archbishop expressed the local Church’s commitment to “continue working for justice, equality, fraternity, and reconciliation among all the sons and daughters of our country.”
“May this visit be for us a powerful encouragement of faith and conversion for a local Church affectionately united to the Chair of Peter, more evangelizing and more committed to development that includes the poor and the marginalized,” Archbishop Mayé said.
Archbishop Mayé then invited a procession of people dressed in traditional clothing and presenting gifts “that are fruits of our mother Earth and the work of human hands.”
Bidding farewell to the people of Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo said that he was leaving Africa “carrying with me an invaluable treasure of faith, hope, and charity.”
“It is a great treasure, made up of stories, faces, and joyful and suffering testimonies that greatly enrich my life and my ministry as the successor of Peter,” the pope said.
He also noted that just as in the early centuries of the Church, “today Africa is called to contribute significantly to the holiness and missionary character of the Christian people.”
“I entrust this intention to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to whom I commend myself wholeheartedly, as well as your families, your communities, your nation, and all the peoples of Africa,” the pope said.
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
– (OSV News) — On his last day in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics in the country to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments. “If you are oppressed by injustice, he is justice; if you are in need of help, he is strength; if you fear death, he is life; if you desire Heaven, he is the way; if you are in darkness, he is light,” the pope said, quoting St. Ambrose April 23, at a Mass with an estimated 30,000 people at Malabo Stadium in Equatorial Guinea. The Mass marked the final event
Top 10 takeaways from a report on the 400 men becoming US priests in 2026 #Catholic – 
(OSV News) — This spring, the U.S. will see more than 400 men ordained to the priesthood, both diocesan and religious.
What does the latest generation of priests in the U.S. look like, and what factors have shaped their vocation?
To find out, OSV News examined data from the Ordination Class of 2026 Study, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
The annual report, which CARA has overseen since 2006, is commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
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Of the 428 ordinands asked to participate in the Feb. 12-March 20 survey, 334 (78%) responded to CARA.
As in previous years, the latest findings — announced by the USCCB in an April 21 press release — come ahead of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, observed on the Fourth Sunday of Easter (April 26), which is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday in the Latin Church. The Gospel passage (Jn 10:1-10) for the Mass highlights Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd.
Here are the top 10 takeaways from CARA’s report:
1. Sixteen is the average age for first considering a priestly vocation.
About half of the survey respondents said they were between the ages of 3 and 16 when they first considered the priesthood, with another half between 16 and 51, for an average age of 16.
But that age was slightly higher for those about to be ordained as priests in religious orders, who were typically 18 when they first thought about the vocation. Half of that cohort was between 3 and 19 years old, and the other half between 19 and 39 years old.
More than one third (39%) of ordinands first contemplated the priesthood while they were still in elementary school, between the ages of 6 and 13.
2. The newest priests will mostly be in their early 30s at the time of their ordination.
The current class of ordinands will, on average, be 33 years old when they are ordained, with half between 26 and 31 years old, and the other half between 31 and 75 years old.
Almost half (49%) of this year’s ordinands are 30 years or younger, with 38% between the ages of 31-40 years old. The latter age group represents 59% of religious institute ordinands, in contrast to 33% of their diocesan counterparts — a difference CARA noted was “statistically significant.”
Most of the ordinands (62%) identified themselves as white, with 17% identifying as Hispanic or Latino, 11% Asian or Pacific Islander, 5% Black or African American, and 2% listing another ethnicity.
3. More than 25% of this year’s class were born outside of the U.S.
More than one quarter of this year’s ordination class was born outside of the U.S. Of those participating in the survey, 26% said they had been born outside of the U.S., with the most common nations listed as Vietnam (5%), Mexico (3%) and Colombia (2%). CARA noted the class of 2026 hailed from 30 different nations.
4. Eucharistic adoration, the rosary, and prayer/Bible groups top the list of prayer practices prior to seminary.
A majority of survey respondents — 81% overall — said they spent time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Diocesan ordinands were somewhat more likely to cite Eucharistic adoration (83%) than their religious order counterparts (75%), but the practice was in the majority for both cohorts.
Close behind adoration was the rosary — 79% overall, with 81% of the diocesan and 70% of the religious order respondents listing the devotion.
Prayer and Bible groups were named by just over half (52%) of those surveyed, with religious order respondents (59%) more likely than diocesan ordinands (50%) to name such practices.
Generally, lectio divina (48%), high school retreats (44%) and college retreats (29%) also proved formative.
5. Most of this year’s class had been altar servers before entering the seminary.
A majority of the survey respondents (79%) said they had been altar servers prior to the seminary, with 81% of diocesan and 72% of religious order participants citing that ministry.
Ordination class members also served as lectors (49%), extraordinary ministers of holy Communion (35%), campus or youth ministers (34%) and catechists (32%).
6. At least one person encouraged them to consider the priesthood — and it was usually a parish priest.
Almost all (92%) of this year’s ordination class said they had been encouraged by at least one person to consider becoming a priest. Overall, 70% of the survey respondents said that person was a parish priest, followed by a friend (49%), mother (46%), parishioner (44%) and father (37%).
Less than half (41%) were discouraged from entering the seminary by another family member (22%), friends or classmates (17%), a mother or father (12% each.)
7. Most of the new priests come from two-parent, multi-sibling Catholic homes, and were baptized Catholic as infants.
Overall, 93% of those surveyed said they had been baptized Catholic as infants, a figure that represents 94% of the diocesan and 89% of the religious order ordinands. The latter group had a higher rate (11%) of those who became Catholic later in life.
A majority (86%) of the 2026 class said both of their parents were Catholic — 88% for the diocesan cohort, and 81% for the religious order ordinands. CARA predicted that if the current trend holds, that overall number is expected to reach 88% in 2031.
Almost all of the 2026 class members (97%) said they’d been raised by at least one biological parent, and 88% reported being raised by a married couple, living together. Another 5% lived with one parent who was separated or divorced, and 2% with a widowed parent during the most formative part of their childhood.
Another 2% were raised by an unmarried couple living together; those who were raised by an unmarried or married couple living separately, a single unmarried parent, or another individual each totaled about 1%.
The newest priests typically had three siblings, and the largest share (37%) were somewhere in the middle in terms of birth order, with just 5% reporting they were only children.
8. Not all of the class went to Catholic school — but more than 60% attended a parish religious education program.
Overall, 45% of the ordination class attended a Catholic elementary school, with fewer attending a Catholic high school (38%) or college (34%). Another 11% reported they were homeschooled.
A majority of the survey respondents (63%) said they had participated in a parish religious education program. Diocesan ordinands (66%) were more likely to have done so than their religious order counterparts (51%).
9. More than half earned a degree and worked full-time before entering the seminary.
Three in five of the survey respondents, or 61%, said they had received an undergraduate or graduate degree before they entered the seminary. Philosophy, theology, engineering, business, science and math were the most common fields of study.
CARA found that 64% of ordinands had at least some full-time work experience prior to the seminary. Top fields listed were church ministry (18%), education (17%), business (15%), and sales and customer service (12%). One third (33%) of those in the religious order cohort who had worked full time cited education as their field.
10. Educational debt, though significant for some, wasn’t an issue for most when they entered the seminary.
A majority of respondents (79%) said they did not have educational debt when they entered seminary formation. Those who did averaged just over $33,000 in debt, with half having anywhere from $2,000-$25,000, and the other half carrying $25,000-$150,000 in balances.
At the time of their ordination, those with educational debt had balances averaging slightly over $22,000, with one half reporting between $800-$11,500 and the other half anywhere from $11,500 to $150,000. Family members (65%) provided the main assistance in paying down educational debt, followed by religious communities (29%), the Labouré Society (19%), the Knights of Columbus (16%), parishes (10%) and friends or coworkers (10%).
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina. A link to CARA’s Ordination Class of 2026 Study can be found here.
– (OSV News) — This spring, the U.S. will see more than 400 men ordained to the priesthood, both diocesan and religious. What does the latest generation of priests in the U.S. look like, and what factors have shaped their vocation? To find out, OSV News examined data from the Ordination Class of 2026 Study, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. The annual report, which CARA has overseen since 2006, is commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
St. Louis’ devotion to Mary #Catholic – 
“Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect way of approaching Jesus,” said Saint Louis de Montfort, whose feast day is April 28th, which is the same day he passed away 310 years ago in 1716 at the age of 43. It’s a good time of year to remember Saint Louis de Montfort because his feast day falls just a few days before the start of May, the month of Mary, and he was so instrumental in elevating devotion to our Blessed Mother.
Louis de Montfort grew up in a large farming family in France’s northwestern region of Brittany. When he was twelve years old, he began attending the Jesuit College of St. Thomas Beckett in the nearby City of Rennes. There, he discovered the work of a local priest preaching missions promoting consecration and entrustment to Mary. Louis began to dream of following in that priest’s footsteps to spread Marian devotion.
Arriving in Paris to study theology at the Sorbonne, Louis found that he lacked adequate funds for lodging, so he lived among the city’s poor while going to school. Louis already had a profound love for the poor and desired to preach missions to them. His first-hand experience living among them led him to fulfill that calling, and also to grow in compassion for others.
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Shortly before entering seminary, Louis became very ill and had a harrowing experience before finally recovering and entering the Little Saint-Sulpice seminary, run by the Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice. Working as seminary librarian, Louis immersed himself in books about devotion to our Blessed Mother, which prepared him for the work he would do as a priest promoting what he called “total consecration to Jesus through Mary.”
Louis went on to preach missions throughout northwestern France and became known as “the good Father from Montfort.” He was also a prolific writer, composing poetry for translation into religious songs, and he wrote books, including “True Devotion to Mary,” which remained unpublished and unknown until being discovered more than a century after his death. When it was finally published in 1842, “True Devotion to Mary” was celebrated for the spiritual fruits it bore in people’s lives. This led to a wider appreciation for Louis’ other writings, such as his books “Secret of the Rosary” and “Secret of Mary.” Together, these three Marian classics explore Louis’ profound insights about how devotion to our Blessed Mother can draw us closer to Christ.
In “True Devotion to Mary,” Louis writes, “God the Father made an assemblage of all the waters, and He named it the sea. He has made an assemblage of all His graces, and He has called it Mary.”
Total consecration to Jesus through Mary entails detailed steps that can be found in “True Devotion to Mary.” Those steps are also enumerated in many other books and places online. They are essentially aimed at a personal act that can be done on one’s own, with a small group in a private setting, or on retreat. Put simply, that act entails turning to Mary with total love and trust that she will lead us to Her Son.
“Totus Tuus,” meaning “totally yours,” was the phrase Pope Saint John Paul II took from Saint Louis de Montfort to capture this devotion. It’s a simple phrase we can say daily, making our own personal act of consecration to Jesus through Mary, turning to our Blessed Mother with total trust and asking her to lead us to Christ.
Father Ed Dougherty, M.M., is on The Christophers’ Board of Directors. For free copies of the Christopher News Note NURTURING SEEDS OF FAITH AND HOPE, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, N.Y. 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org
– “Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect way of approaching Jesus,” said Saint Louis de Montfort, whose feast day is April 28th, which is the same day he passed away 310 years ago in 1716 at the age of 43. It’s a good time of year to remember Saint Louis de Montfort because his feast day falls just a few days before the start of May, the month of Mary, and he was so instrumental in elevating devotion to our Blessed Mother. Louis de Montfort grew up in a large farming family in France’s northwestern region of Brittany.
Get spiritually charged joining Bishop’s October pilgrimage in D.C. #Catholic – 
Catholics of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey are invited to deepen their faith and relationship with Jesus by joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for a spiritually exhilarating Marian pilgrimage in October. The anticipated event will offer prayer, catechesis, and worship in the sacred atmosphere of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Participants can choose a one-day pilgrimage to the basilica on Saturday, Oct. 17, featuring a catechesis on prayer in English and Spanish, recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Mass with Bishop Sweeney and concelebrating priests, and an opportunity to receive reconciliation. Pilgrims can also choose a two-day trip from Friday, Oct. 16, to Saturday, Oct. 17, which includes a visit to the Museum of the Bible and a banquet dinner with Bishop Sweeney on Oct. 16 before visiting the basilica the next day for the pilgrimage.
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All participants on the one-day pilgrimage will visit the grand Romanesque-Byzantine basilica, the largest Roman Catholic church in the Americas. They will experience its impressive architecture and the world’s largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical artwork, spread throughout its more than 80 chapels and oratories.
Starting at noon on Oct. 17, the diocesan-led pilgrimage will begin in the Upper Church. Father Michael Rodak, diocesan pilgrimage director, will offer a welcome and introduction. A chosen family will then make a Presentation to Mary.
Afterward, pilgrims can choose activities during two activity sessions: 12:45-1:15 p.m. and 1:30-2 p.m. Options include a self-guided basilica tour, a presentation in English and Spanish by the diocesan Catechetical Office on the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church about prayer, a basilica history talk, confessions in the Crypt Church, and quiet time for personal prayer.
The pilgrimage will continue at 2:15 p.m. with the praying of a multilingual Divine Mercy Chaplet, followed by a Mass in English and Spanish at 2:30 p.m., celebrated by Bishop Sweeney, with many participating priests concelebrating.
“This pilgrimage is a wonderful way for Catholics to grow in their faith, prayer lives, and relationship with God, and to honor our Blessed Mother, patroness of the Church in the United States,” said Father Rodak, who has organized several previous diocesan pilgrimages to the basilica, most recently in 2023. “It will be a great blessing to the Church of Paterson.”
The one-day experience will include bus transportation to Washington, D.C., from various parishes in the Paterson Diocese, leaving between 6 and 6:45 a.m., depending on the departure point. The cost is $70 per person, which includes bus transportation, gratuities, and activities at the shrine.
For the two-day pilgrimage, the bus will depart from St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., at 7:15 a.m., arriving at the Museum of the Bible at 11:30 a.m. Lunch is included.
The 430,000-square-foot museum offers an immersive experience of the history, narrative, and global impact of the bible through high-tech exhibits, rare artifacts, and a 1st-century Nazareth replica that engages visitors with the bible’s influence. For more information about the museum, visit.
https://www.museumofthebible.org/media-reques. While there, the diocesan pilgrims will view two films on the Old and New Testaments. Bishop Sweeney will join them. Their visit will also include an hour of free time.
The bus will depart the museum at 3:30 p.m. for the Weston Tysons Corner Hotel in Falls Church, Va. Participants of the two-day pilgrimage will join Bishop Sweeney for a banquet dinner at 7 p.m. Breakfast will be included before departure from the Westin Hotel at 10:15 a.m. on Oct. 17 for pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception the next morning.
The two-day pilgrimage includes a bus, a banquet dinner with Bishop Sweeney, a Saturday breakfast buffet, all taxes/gratuities, and deluxe accommodations at The Weston. The cost is $395 per person for single occupancy and $325 per person for double occupancy.
“The pilgrimage is a long day. When participants arrive home, they will feel physically tired but spiritually charged,” said Father Rodak, who is also pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston, N.J. “The experience is both challenging and uplifting — a true journey of faith and hope that leaves one rewarded and spiritually renewed.”
Sign up here for either the one- or two-day pilgrimage. The registration deadline is Sept. 11 for the two-day pilgrimage and Oct. 1 for the one-day pilgrimage.
– Catholics of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey are invited to deepen their faith and relationship with Jesus by joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for a spiritually exhilarating Marian pilgrimage in October. The anticipated event will offer prayer, catechesis, and worship in the sacred atmosphere of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Participants can choose a one-day pilgrimage to the basilica on Saturday, Oct. 17, featuring a catechesis on prayer in English and Spanish, recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Mass with Bishop Sweeney and concelebrating priests, and an opportunity to receive reconciliation.
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The Gates Foundation, co-founded by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, will eliminate as many as 500 jobs in the coming years.
The post Gates Foundation to Cut Hundreds of Jobs Amid Epstein Investigation appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The Minnesota Democrat’s husband’s questionable California winery LLC has been officially dissolved, just nine days after she quietly amended her financial disclosures to slash her reported wealth from millions down to peanuts.
The post Ilhan Omar’s California Winery LLC Dissolved Just 9 Days After She Scrubbed Millions from Her Financial Disclosures appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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President Donald Trump announced that eight women protesters in Iran facing execution will NOT be put to death after his direct intervention.
The post TRUMP STOPS EXECUTIONS: Eight Women Protesters SPARED in Iran After Last-Minute Intervention appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Read MoreBlessed Savior, I thank you that this operation is safely past, and now I rest in your abiding presence, relaxing every tension, releasing every care and anxiety, receiving more and more of your healing life into every part of my being. In moments of pain I turn to you for strength, in times of loneliness I feel your loving nearness. Grant that your life and love and joy may flow through me for the healing of others in your name. Amen.
Read MoreA reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 8:26-40
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
"Get up and head south on the road
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."
So he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,
a court official of the Candace,
that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,
in charge of her entire treasury,
who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.
Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip,
"Go and join up with that chariot."
Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,
"Do you understand what you are reading?"
He replied,
"How can I, unless someone instructs me?"
So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
This was the Scripture passage he was reading:
Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.
Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,
"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?
About himself, or about someone else?"
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,
he proclaimed Jesus to him.
As they traveled along the road
they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water.
What is to prevent my being baptized?"
Then he ordered the chariot to stop,
and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,
and he baptized him.
When they came out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,
and the eunuch saw him no more,
but continued on his way rejoicing.
Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news
to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
From the Gospel according to John
6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowds:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world."
Jesus (…) is the Bread which has come down from heaven (cf. Jn 6:41), which will satisfy hunger for ever. The Jewish people too, during their long journey through the desert, experienced bread which came down from heaven, manna, which kept them alive until they reached the Promised Land. Jesus now speaks of himself as the true Bread come down from heaven, which is capable of keeping people alive not for a moment or on a stretch of a journey but for ever. He is the food that gives eternal life, because he is the Only-Begotten Son of God who is in the Father’s heart, who came to give man life in fullness, to introduce man into the very life of God.
In Jewish thought it was clear that the true bread of heaven, which nourished Israel, was the Law, the word of God. The People of Israel clearly recognized that the Torah, which was Moses’ fundamental and lasting gift, was the basic element that distinguished them from other peoples and consisted in their knowledge of God’s will, thus the right way of life. Now Jesus, in manifesting himself as the bread of heaven, witnesses that he himself is the Word of God in Person, the Incarnate Word, through whom man can make the will of God his food (cf. Jn 4:34), which guides and sustains his existence. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 12 August 2012)
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We all love a good conversion story. Those beautiful accounts of people who thought life had meaning and then realized that none of this matters and we’re all going to die and there’s nothing else after that except the long darkness. It brings a tear to the eye (which is a non-meaningful, chemical reaction biologically programmed into us through millions of years of random mutations).
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PITTSBURGH, PA — In a stark change from decades of tradition, the National Football League announced that, rather than the standard method of having each team select its preferred prospects, it would now utilize Hogwarts’ Sorting Hat for this year’s draft.
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Rudder and propeller on beached fishing vessel Skagerrak, Nørre Vorupør beach, Denmark.
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The Catholic bishops of New York state are providing guidance on the Church’s teaching on assisted suicide and end-of-life decisions after the state legalized euthanasia.
![Canary Islands bishop on migration: ‘We feel powerless’ - #Catholic - The bishops of the dioceses of the Canary archipelago shared their concerns regarding immigration just weeks before Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Spain, a journey that will conclude on the islands.The situation on the Canary Islands, arising from pressure caused by immigration from Africa, was behind Pope Francis’ desire to visit the islands; this wish will now be fulfilled by his successor, Pope Leo XIV, who will visit the islands June 11–12 as well as Madrid and Barcelona on June 6–10.The bishop of Tenerife, Eloy Santiago, acknowledged that the fact that the archipelago serves as “Europeʼs southern frontier — the point of arrival for immigration coming from the African continent” — is a reality “that often overwhelms us.”“We lack the human and economic resources to address this dramatic reality. We feel powerless in the face of this deadly Atlantic route,” Santiago explained during a meeting with the press.Since the arrival of the first boat carrying two immigrants from Africa in 1994 and over the course of more than three decades, thousands of people — generally young men — have reached the shores of the Canary Islands in search of a future. Thousands of others have drowned in the attempt.The Holy Father’s visit will signify “support and motivation“ and will ”draw attention to this sad drama,” the bishop of the Diocese of Tenerife added.The bishop of Canary Islands (which include the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and La Graciosa), José Mazuelos, also expressed his hope that “the Holy Father will shed light on the matter, to see if it is possible to put an end to the Atlantic route,” although he also noted that the popeʼs presence in the islands is pastoral in nature and encompasses other aspects of the life of the Church.“It’s not as if the pope is coming to the Canary Islands to use the issue of migration as a stick to politically beat one side or the other,” he emphasized.Mazuelos also suggested that for many people “you’d have to put them on a ‘cayuco’ (a large, flat-bottomed wooden boat) spending five days in the Atlantic, day and night, without food so that they can see when [the migrants] get here what it is that we’re doing,” he said in reference to those who criticize the Catholic Church’s work of welcoming migrants, protecting them, and integrating them into society.Mazuelos noted that if the countries of origin receive development aid intended to help them eliminate the causes that lead so many to leave their homes, “we must hold them accountable, and we must crack down on the mafias.”
José Mazuelos, bishop of Canary Islands in Spain. | Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa
Furthermore, he expressed support for “seeking ways for migrants to come to work through alternative channels.” He cited as an example that during the second half of the 20th century, Spaniards legally emigrated to central European countries “with their proper work papers.”He mused about whether this same outcome could be achieved regarding African migration, though he acknowledged that this approach is “a bit idealistic.”Caya Suárez, secretary-general of Caritas for the Diocese of Canary Islands who was present at the meeting, said that “the pope’s visit is not only a recognition of the welcome extended but also a call to prayer for the victims who have lost their lives on the Atlantic route,” a figure she estimated is more than 19,000 people since 2020.Awaiting details on Pope Leo XIV’s visitRegarding Leo XIV’s visit to the Canary Islands, where so far the celebration of two large Masses has been confirmed, Mazuelos expressed his conviction that personal testimonies will be shared during at least one of the gatherings, as one of the Catholic Church’s priorities is to “put a human face” on the reality of migrants.The island of El Hierro, part of the Diocese of Tenerife, is one of the places in the archipelago where this reality has become most palpable. Just last year, 25,000 migrants arrived to a local population of 9,000 inhabitants.The prelate, aware that “the people of El Hierro are eagerly anticipating” the possibility of a visit from the pope, realistically pointed out that given the timing and the necessary logistics, “while not impossible,” it will be “difficult” for such a visit to take place.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/canary-islands-bishop-on-migration-we-feel-powerless-catholic-the-bishops-of-the-dioceses-of-the-canary-archipelago-shared-their-concerns-regarding-immigration-just-weeks-befor.webp)
The bishops of the two Canary Islands dioceses discuss migration there from Africa, an issue likely to be addressed by Pope Leo XIV during his June visit.
The Holy Father is wrapping up his papal trip to the African continent after visiting multiple countries there.
With the retirement of Bishop Peter Fabbro, Bishop Daniel J. Miehm of the Diocese of Peterborough has been appointed the new bishop of London, Ontario, Canada. He will be installed on June 29.
This image, released in celebration of Earth Day, shows the terminator – the line between night and day – on Earth. The Artemis II astronauts captured this view on April 2, 2026, during their journey to the Moon.
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Pope Leo XIV, who is traveling in Africa, sent a message to be read at the Mass commemorating the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death.
![Dean Koontz on life’s beauty and meaning #Catholic - “Being less cynical ensures a happier life.” Best-selling author Dean Koontz made that observation in an essay on his website, but it’s an idea that has long found its way into his novels because he has experienced its truth personally, despite being raised by a violent and abusive father. His latest novel, “The Friend of the Family,” continues this tradition with its tale of Alida, a teenage girl with severe physical deformities who is the star attraction of a carnival freak show in the 1930s. Alida is dehumanized by both audiences and the freak show’s owner until the Fairchilds, a compassionate, wealthy couple, adopt her into their own family with three children.
Because Koontz is a master of suspense whose works have sold 500 million copies and been translated into 38 languages, danger is never too far away from Alida and the Fairchilds. Alida’s kindness, however, becomes the heart of the story because Koontz doesn’t dwell on her deformities, but rather on the beautiful person that she is.
Regarding his approach to beauty, Koontz said, “The world was made, really, for our delight. Now, if we don’t use it that way, if we bring the wrong attitude to it, that’s not [God’s] fault. It’s our fault. And so, I like to write about characters who, even if their lives might have periods of darkness in them, relate to the beauty of the world and all of its manifestations. Alida is particularly drawn, as I was as a kid, to novels, to books as a way of learning about the world beyond…the carnival…Through books, she begins to recognize the broader beauty and wonder of the world.”
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Alida’s literary interests reflect the classic literature Koontz devoured as a youth, written by authors such as Jane Austen, H.G. Wells, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his favorite, Charles Dickens. Regarding the latter, Alida says, “Because of books, especially those written by the wonderful Mr. Dickens, I believed this was a made world with profound meaning. I kept faith that each of us has a purpose and that if we fulfill it, we will rise from even the lowest position as surely as a night mist rises from a lake in the morning sun.”
Alida also makes an observation about the lead character in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” noting, “[Gatsby] did not believe this was a made world with profound meaning or that he had a purpose greater than his own needs and desires. Had he believed as much, he would’ve understood that the only chance we have of being lifted ourselves is by lifting others.”
Once again, Alida is echoing Koontz’s real-life views. The author said, “I’m fascinated with people who think life has no meaning because I look around and say, there’s so much meaning in every little event of the day…But I have, even people who’ve been friends over the years, who adamantly refused to acknowledge that part of life….I sometimes say, ‘You don’t see it because it’s slapping you in the face—and because of the violence of the blows, you’re keeping your eyes shut. But it’s right there.’…And so part of what I always wanted to do in the writing is touch upon that, hopefully not in a preachy way, but through character that shows you how these characters function better in the world when they recognize that aspect of it…The more you open yourself to all the wonder in the world, the more exciting and beautiful life is.”
For free copies of the Christopher News Note NURTURING SEEDS OF FAITH AND HOPE, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dean-koontz-on-lifes-beauty-and-meaning-catholic-being-less-cynical-ensures-a-happier-life-best-selling-author-dean-koontz-made-that-observation-in-an-essay-on-his-websi.jpg)
Dean Koontz on life’s beauty and meaning #Catholic – 
“Being less cynical ensures a happier life.” Best-selling author Dean Koontz made that observation in an essay on his website, but it’s an idea that has long found its way into his novels because he has experienced its truth personally, despite being raised by a violent and abusive father. His latest novel, “The Friend of the Family,” continues this tradition with its tale of Alida, a teenage girl with severe physical deformities who is the star attraction of a carnival freak show in the 1930s. Alida is dehumanized by both audiences and the freak show’s owner until the Fairchilds, a compassionate, wealthy couple, adopt her into their own family with three children.
Because Koontz is a master of suspense whose works have sold 500 million copies and been translated into 38 languages, danger is never too far away from Alida and the Fairchilds. Alida’s kindness, however, becomes the heart of the story because Koontz doesn’t dwell on her deformities, but rather on the beautiful person that she is.
Regarding his approach to beauty, Koontz said, “The world was made, really, for our delight. Now, if we don’t use it that way, if we bring the wrong attitude to it, that’s not [God’s] fault. It’s our fault. And so, I like to write about characters who, even if their lives might have periods of darkness in them, relate to the beauty of the world and all of its manifestations. Alida is particularly drawn, as I was as a kid, to novels, to books as a way of learning about the world beyond…the carnival…Through books, she begins to recognize the broader beauty and wonder of the world.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Alida’s literary interests reflect the classic literature Koontz devoured as a youth, written by authors such as Jane Austen, H.G. Wells, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his favorite, Charles Dickens. Regarding the latter, Alida says, “Because of books, especially those written by the wonderful Mr. Dickens, I believed this was a made world with profound meaning. I kept faith that each of us has a purpose and that if we fulfill it, we will rise from even the lowest position as surely as a night mist rises from a lake in the morning sun.”
Alida also makes an observation about the lead character in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” noting, “[Gatsby] did not believe this was a made world with profound meaning or that he had a purpose greater than his own needs and desires. Had he believed as much, he would’ve understood that the only chance we have of being lifted ourselves is by lifting others.”
Once again, Alida is echoing Koontz’s real-life views. The author said, “I’m fascinated with people who think life has no meaning because I look around and say, there’s so much meaning in every little event of the day…But I have, even people who’ve been friends over the years, who adamantly refused to acknowledge that part of life….I sometimes say, ‘You don’t see it because it’s slapping you in the face—and because of the violence of the blows, you’re keeping your eyes shut. But it’s right there.’…And so part of what I always wanted to do in the writing is touch upon that, hopefully not in a preachy way, but through character that shows you how these characters function better in the world when they recognize that aspect of it…The more you open yourself to all the wonder in the world, the more exciting and beautiful life is.”
For free copies of the Christopher News Note NURTURING SEEDS OF FAITH AND HOPE, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org.
– “Being less cynical ensures a happier life.” Best-selling author Dean Koontz made that observation in an essay on his website, but it’s an idea that has long found its way into his novels because he has experienced its truth personally, despite being raised by a violent and abusive father. His latest novel, “The Friend of the Family,” continues this tradition with its tale of Alida, a teenage girl with severe physical deformities who is the star attraction of a carnival freak show in the 1930s. Alida is dehumanized by both audiences and the freak show’s owner until the Fairchilds, a
![6 youth fully welcomed into Church during Parsippany confirmation #Catholic - On April 16, St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who confirmed six parish youth, strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, during a Mass he celebrated in the church.
During the Mass, Bishop Sweeney also blessed members of St. Ann’s newly formed Finance Council and Pastoral Council.
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Father Nico Quintos, pastor of St. Ann’s and minister to retired priests in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey; Father Vidal Gonzales Jr., pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J.; Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Lake Hopatcong, N.J.; Father Fredrick Walters, a retired diocesan priest; and Father Jakub Grzybowski, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J. concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, served as master of ceremonies for the Mass. Deacon Len Deo of St. Ann’s assisted with the liturgy.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/6-youth-fully-welcomed-into-church-during-parsippany-confirmation-catholic-on-april-16-st-ann-parish-in-parsippany-n-j-welcomed-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-who-confirmed-six-parish-youth-strengt.jpg)
6 youth fully welcomed into Church during Parsippany confirmation #Catholic – 
On April 16, St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who confirmed six parish youth, strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, during a Mass he celebrated in the church.
During the Mass, Bishop Sweeney also blessed members of St. Ann’s newly formed Finance Council and Pastoral Council.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Father Nico Quintos, pastor of St. Ann’s and minister to retired priests in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey; Father Vidal Gonzales Jr., pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J.; Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Lake Hopatcong, N.J.; Father Fredrick Walters, a retired diocesan priest; and Father Jakub Grzybowski, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J. concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, served as master of ceremonies for the Mass. Deacon Len Deo of St. Ann’s assisted with the liturgy.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– On April 16, St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who confirmed six parish youth, strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, during a Mass he celebrated in the church. During the Mass, Bishop Sweeney also blessed members of St. Ann’s newly formed Finance Council and Pastoral Council. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Father Nico Quintos, pastor of St. Ann’s and minister to retired priests in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey; Father Vidal Gonzales Jr., pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township,
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Though often recognized as a philosopher, Immanuel Kant (born April 22, 1724) made several contributions to early theories of cosmic organization. Surveying the band of stars that appear across our sky – the Milky Way – Kant concluded that our galaxy must be a wide, rotating disk. He published this conclusion in A Universal NaturalContinue reading “April 22, 1724: The birth of Immanuel Kant”
The post April 22, 1724: The birth of Immanuel Kant appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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